أَبْلِغْ رُعاةَ العِينِ في بَطْحائها

أَبْلِغْ رُعاةَ العِينِ في بَطْحائها

أنِّي سمعتُ اليومَ حُسنَ نِدائها

أنِّي سمعتُ اليومَ حُسنَ نِدائها

Tell the herders of the wide-eyed antelopes on her sandy plain

Convey to the shepherds in their meadow

That I heard today the beauty of her call.

That today I heard the beautiful call

فعَدوتُ أستبقُ الرِّياحَ مهلِّلًا

فعَدوتُ أستبقُ الرِّياحَ مهلِّلًا

والمُزْنُ تَهطلُ في فسيحِ فِنائها

والمُزْنُ تَهطلُ في فسيحِ فِنائها

So I ran, racing the winds in exultation,

So I raced the winds joyfully

While the rain clouds poured in her spacious courtyard.

While the rain poured in its vast courtyard

يشتاقُ قلبي كلَّما هتفتْ له

يشتاقُ قلبي كلَّما هتفتْ له

وسَرَى إليه الطَّيفُ مِن أرجائها

وسَرَى إليه الطَّيفُ مِن أرجائها

My heart yearns whenever she calls to it,

My heart yearns whenever it calls out to him

And a vision steals to it by night from her reaches,

And the specter flows to it from its corners

بحدائقٍ غنَّاءَ ذاتِ مَباهجٍ

بحدائقٍ غنَّاءَ ذاتِ مَباهجٍ

ذهبت بهذا القلبِ في أنحائها

ذهبت بهذا القلبِ في أنحائها

With lush gardens full of delights,

With gardens, melodious, of delights

That carried this heart through their reaches.

It took this heart around its parts

أفَتِلكَ أمْ جرداءُ قَفْرٌ دُونَها

أفَتِلكَ أمْ جرداءُ قَفْرٌ دُونَها

قَطْعُ المهامهِ في سبيلِ لِقائها

قَطْعُ المهامهِ في سبيلِ لِقائها

Is it that, or a barren waste, before which lies

Is it that or a barren wasteland beyond it

The crossing of vast deserts on the way to meeting her?

A barrier in the way to meet it

عاجلتُها وقطعتُ خلفَ ديارِها

عاجلتُها وقطعتُ خلفَ ديارِها

أميالَ قَفْرٍ بِتُّ في غُلَوائها

أميالَ قَفْرٍ بِتُّ في غُلَوائها

I hastened to her and crossed beyond her dwellings

I hurried to it, behind its homes

Miles of wasteland, spending the night amid her fury.

Miles of wasteland scattered in its surroundings

بَكرتْ تَدُكُّ الرِّيحُ نَهْجَ مُتونِها

بَكرتْ تَدُكُّ الرِّيحُ نَهْجَ مُتونِها

وغدتْ تَسُحُّ المُزْنُ في أشلائها

وغدتْ تَسُحُّ المُزْنُ في أشلائها

Early the wind pounded the path across her ridges,

At dawn, the wind pounds its text

And the rain clouds began pouring among her scattered limbs.

And rain sweeps its branches

فتهدَّمتْ منها قِبابٌ بعدما

فتهدَّمتْ منها قِبابٌ بعدما

سَمقتْ وملَّ الدَّهرُ طولَ بقائها

سَمقتْ وملَّ الدَّهرُ طولَ بقائها

So domes of hers collapsed, after

Of it, domes collapsed after

They had risen high and time had tired of their long endurance.

Time filled and prolonged its existence

وترقرقتْ بينَ السُّهولِ هُتونُها

وترقرقتْ بينَ السُّهولِ هُتونُها

فغدتْ تَهَشُّ بِصَفوِها وبهائها

فغدتْ تَهَشُّ بِصَفوِها وبهائها

And her steady rains shimmered among the plains,

Its huts crumbled among the plains

So she began to beam with her serenity and splendor,

Becoming eroded of its beauty and brilliance

في روضةٍ خَضِلتْ قِبابُ نخيلِها

في روضةٍ خَضِلتْ قِبابُ نخيلِها

وسمتْ إليها الطَّيرُ في عليائها

وسمتْ إليها الطَّيرُ في عليائها

In a meadow where the domes of her palms grew moist,

In a verdant garden, the tops of its palm trees bent

And birds soared toward her in her heights.

And birds flocked high above it

سبحتْ عليها العِيسُ مثلَ بَوارقٍ

سبحتْ عليها العِيسُ مثلَ بَوارقٍ

يَرقبنَ بالبطحاءِ دَرْكَ نَجائها

يَرقبنَ بالبطحاءِ دَرْكَ نَجائها

The pale camels glided over her like lightning flashes,

Ducks swam above it like shining stars

Watching on the sandy plain to make good their swift escape.

Surveying the meadow for its escape

أو قانِصٍ عَرِدِ الشَّكيمةِ مُعْنِتٍ

أو قانِصٍ عَرِدِ الشَّكيمةِ مُعْنِتٍ

يَسعى بِسهمِ الموتِ بينَ ظِبائها

يَسعى بِسهمِ الموتِ بينَ ظِبائها

Or a hunter, unyielding in resolve and ruthless,

Or a stubborn, stiff-necked gazelle

Hastening with death's arrow among her gazelles.

Seeking with the arrow of death among its thickets

قَدْ راعَه خلفَ الكِناسِ شواردٌ

قَدْ راعَه خلفَ الكِناسِ شواردٌ

يعبثنَ بالأشطانِ تحتَ سمائها

يعبثنَ بالأشطانِ تحتَ سمائها

Strays behind the gazelles' covert had startled him,

It was watched behind the canes by hunters

Playing with the ropes beneath her sky.

Toying with spears beneath its sky

فانقـضَّ مـثلَ البرقِ منه سـبعةٌ

فانقـضَّ مـثلَ البرقِ منه سـبعةٌ

لَمْ يَلتقِينَ اليأسَ في طَخْوائها

لَمْ يَلتقِينَ اليأسَ في طَخْوائها

Then seven darted from him like lightning;

Seven of them pounced like lightning

They had encountered no despair amid her gloom.

Without encountering despair in its burrows

فاجتازَ أوَّلُهُنَّ يَسبقُ عَدْوَهُ

فاجتازَ أوَّلُهُنَّ يَسبقُ عَدْوَهُ

سهمُ المنيَّةِ في خَفِيِّ خِبائها

سهمُ المنيَّةِ في خَفِيِّ خِبائها

Then the first of them crossed, its running outpaced

The first of them outpaced its running

By death's arrow in the hidden recess of her tent.

By the arrow of death in its hidden lair

فعَدا فعادَ بِخِفْشِها فكأنَّما

فعَدا فعادَ بِخِفْشِها فكأنَّما

يَجترُّ ماءَ القلبِ عندَ دُعائها

يَجترُّ ماءَ القلبِ عندَ دُعائها

Then he ran and returned with her fawn, as though

It bolted, then returned with its arrow

Ruminating on the heart's water at her cry.

As if dragging the water of the heart when called

والبَرقُ تَصْحبُه الرَّواعدُ كلَّما

والبَرقُ تَصْحبُه الرَّواعدُ كلَّما

هَزَّتْ جوانبَها سَرَى بِضيائها

هَزَّتْ جوانبَها سَرَى بِضيائها

And lightning was accompanied by thunderclaps; whenever

Lightning accompanied it whenever

They shook her flanks, it coursed on with her radiance.

It shook its sides, flowing with its brilliance

فبكتْ كمِثلِ (مُبَارَكٍ) فِي خَلعِه

فبكتْ كمِثلِ (مُبَارَكٍ) فِي خَلعِه

أو مِثلِ (زَيْنٍ) رِيعَ في أنْدائها

أو مِثلِ (زَيْنٍ) رِيعَ في أنْدائها

So she wept like Mubarak at his ousting,

It cried like (Mubarak) in his robes

Or like Zayn, terrified in her assemblies,

Or like (Zain's) bleating in its calls

أو فَقْدِ (سُوزانٍ) مَغانمَ نَهبِها

أو فَقْدِ (سُوزانٍ) مَغانمَ نَهبِها

بالأمسِ بينَ (جَمالِها) و(عَلائها)

بالأمسِ بينَ (جَمالِها) و(عَلائها)

Or like Suzanne losing the spoils of her plundering

Or (Susan's) loss of its looted treasures

Yesterday, between her Gamal and her Alaa.

Yesterday between its (beauty) and (sublimity)

لَمْ يَرْفعوا إلَّا الوَضيعَ ولَمْ يَصِخْ

لَمْ يَرْفعوا إلَّا الوَضيعَ ولَمْ يَصِخْ

إلَّا رُعاةُ السُّوءِ مِن وُزرائها

إلَّا رُعاةُ السُّوءِ مِن وُزرائها

They exalted none but the base, and none listened

They did not raise up except the lowly, and did not shout

Except the shepherds of evil among her ministers.

Except the evil shepherds of its ministers

وكذاكَ مَن ساسَ البلادَ بِخِسَّةٍ

وكذاكَ مَن ساسَ البلادَ بِخِسَّةٍ

فمآلُه التَّشتيتُ في لَأوائها

فمآلُه التَّشتيتُ في لَأوائها

And likewise, whoever ruled the country basely,

And so is the fate of one who ruled the country with meanness

So his fate is dispersal amid its hardships.

Scattered in its ruins is his end