حمَّلتكَ الديارُ مالا تُطيقُ

حمَّلتكَ الديارُ مالا تُطيقُ

مذ عرى شملَ أهلِها التفريقُ

مذ عرى شملَ أهلِها التفريقُ

The dwellings have burdened you with what you cannot bear,

The homelands have burdened you with more than you can bear

since separation befell the unity of their people.

Since the unity of its people was torn apart

عَرصاتٍ حَبستَ أيدي المراسي

عَرصاتٍ حَبستَ أيدي المراسي

لِ عليها والدمعُ ملك طَليقُ

لِ عليها والدمعُ ملك طَليقُ

Open grounds—you held the swift mounts' forelegs still

Lands whose rivers you dammed with dams

upon them, while tears were an unfettered king.

Yet tears flow freely

كنتَ ترتادُها وريقةَ روضٍ

كنتَ ترتادُها وريقةَ روضٍ

وهي اليومَ دمنةٌ لا تروق

وهي اليومَ دمنةٌ لا تروق

You used to visit them, their gardens lush,

You used to frequent it when it was a meadow

but today they are a ruin that gives no pleasure.

Today it is a refuse heap that does not please

سَحَقتها اليوم المطايا كأَن لم

سَحَقتها اليوم المطايا كأَن لم

تكُ بالأمسِ وهي مِسكٌ سحيق

تكُ بالأمسِ وهي مِسكٌ سحيق

The mounts have ground them down today, as though they had not

Today, the horses have crushed it

been, only yesterday, finely ground musk.

As if yesterday it was not musk, sublime

صاحِ ماذا عليك من رسمِ دارٍ

صاحِ ماذا عليك من رسمِ دارٍ

قد تعفَّت وزالَ عنها الفريقُ

قد تعفَّت وزالَ عنها الفريقُ

Friend, what is a dwelling's remnant to you,

Cry out, what is required of you from the image of a house

already effaced, its company departed?

That is now in ruins and its company has gone

أوحَشَت غير أن يئنَّ ابنُ ورقا

أوحَشَت غير أن يئنَّ ابنُ ورقا

ءَ بها أو يحنَّ صبٌّ مشوق

ءَ بها أو يحنَّ صبٌّ مشوق

It lies desolate, save that a gray dove's son moans

It frightened away all except the moaning of the son of Wárqa

there, or a yearning lover sighs.

Or the longing of an enamored youth

فاطّرح ذكرَها لمدحِ عظيمٍ

فاطّرح ذكرَها لمدحِ عظيمٍ

هيبةً باسمهِ تضيق الحُلوق

هيبةً باسمهِ تضيق الحُلوق

So cast aside its memory to praise a great man,

So discard any mention of it for the praise of the Great One

so awe-inspiring that throats constrict at his name.

Whose awe fills throats

حسنُ الفعل ماجد الفرع والأص

حسنُ الفعل ماجد الفرع والأص

ل جديرٌ بالمكرماتِ حقيق

ل جديرٌ بالمكرماتِ حقيق

Good in deed, noble in branch and root,

Good action glorifies lineage and origin

worthy of noble virtues, truly deserving.

And is worthy of bounties in truth

لحِقَته أماجدُ العصرِ لكن

لحِقَته أماجدُ العصرِ لكن

عزَّ في شأوِه عليها اللُحوق

عزَّ في شأوِه عليها اللُحوق

The noblest of the age followed him, but

It attained the glories of the age but

matching his pace proved too hard for them.

Its grandeur made it hard for them to catch up

ذو لسانٍ كما ينضنض صلٌّ

ذو لسانٍ كما ينضنض صلٌّ

وفمٍ فيه ريقةُ الصلِّ ريق

وفمٍ فيه ريقةُ الصلِّ ريق

He has a tongue that flicks as a viper's does,

One whose tongue articulates gentle sounds

and a mouth whose saliva is a viper's spittle.

And whose mouth holds the saliva of slick tongues

هو في أعينِ الخصومِ لسانٌ

هو في أعينِ الخصومِ لسانٌ

وبأحشائهم سِنانٌ ذليق

وبأحشائهم سِنانٌ ذليق

In his foes' eyes, he is a tongue,

To his enemies he is a tongue

and in their entrails, a keen spearpoint.

And in their guts, a smooth fang

وإذا غايةٌ من المجدِ عنَّت

وإذا غايةٌ من المجدِ عنَّت

لم يعقهُ عن نيلها العيُّوق

لم يعقهُ عن نيلها العيُّوق

And whenever a goal of glory appeared,

And if the goal of glory seemed too far

not even the star al-ʿAyyūq could keep him from attaining it.

Hurdles did not stop him from reaching it