أجيرانَ وادي الأثْلِ هَلْ مِنْكُمُ وَصُلُ

أجيرانَ وادي الأثْلِ هَلْ مِنْكُمُ وَصُلُ

لصَبٍّ على فُرقاكم دَمْعُه وَيْلُ

لصَبٍّ على فُرقاكم دَمْعُه وَيْلُ

O neighbors of Wadi al-Athl, is there any reunion to be had from you

O neighbors of the tamarisk valley, will you grant reunion

for a lovesick man whose tears at parting from you pour down in torrents?

To a lovesick man whose tears at your parting are woe?

جوارحهُ تَشْكو جروحَ جفونِكم

جوارحهُ تَشْكو جروحَ جفونِكم

وَعَقَّلْتموه وَهَوَ لَيْسَ بِهِ عَقْلُ

وَعَقَّلْتموه وَهَوَ لَيْسَ بِهِ عَقْلُ

His limbs complain of wounds inflicted by your eyelids,

His limbs lament the wounds inflicted by your eyelids;

and you have bound him, though he possesses no reason.

And you have fettered him, though he has no reason.

وَفَرَّقْتُمو ما بينَ جَنْبيْهِ والكَرَى

وَفَرَّقْتُمو ما بينَ جَنْبيْهِ والكَرَى

وفارقتموه والفراقُ لهُ عَقْلُ

وفارقتموه والفراقُ لهُ عَقْلُ

You parted his sides from sleep,

And you have parted what lies between his sides from slumber;

and left him—separation itself his fetter.

And you deserted him, with separation his fetter.

وَتُظهِرُ حكمَ الجَوْرِ فيه قدودُكم

وَتُظهِرُ حكمَ الجَوْرِ فيه قدودُكم

وفي سَعْيكم لانَتْ وبانَ لها عَدْلُ

وفي سَعْيكم لانَتْ وبانَ لها عَدْلُ

In your figures the decree of injustice appears,

And your figures reveal the rule of injustice over him;

yet in your movement it softens, and justice is revealed.

And as you move, they grow supple, and their fairness appears.

وحتّامَ لا أصغي لعذلٍ وذِكْرُكُمْ

وحتّامَ لا أصغي لعذلٍ وذِكْرُكُمْ

يَلَذُّ بسَمْعِي حينَ ما ذُكِرَ العَذْلُ

يَلَذُّ بسَمْعِي حينَ ما ذُكِرَ العَذْلُ

How long shall I refuse to heed my censurers, when remembrance of you

And how long shall I refuse to heed reproach, while mention of you

is sweet to my hearing whenever reproach is spoken?

Delights my hearing whenever reproach is spoken?

أسُكَّانَ وادي الضَالِ إنَّ محَاجِري

أسُكَّانَ وادي الضَالِ إنَّ محَاجِري

فليسَ لها عن سَكْبِ أدمعِها شُغْلُ

فليسَ لها عن سَكْبِ أدمعِها شُغْلُ

O dwellers of Wadi al-Ḍāl, my tear ducts

O dwellers of the wild-lote valley, truly my eye sockets

have no occupation but pouring out their tears.

Have nothing to distract them from pouring out their tears.

وعيني ببَحْرِ الدَّمعِ ظَلَّتْ تَعُومُهُ

وعيني ببَحْرِ الدَّمعِ ظَلَّتْ تَعُومُهُ

فَضَلَّتْ فلا شَمْسٌ تَبِينُ ولا ظِلُ

فَضَلَّتْ فلا شَمْسٌ تَبِينُ ولا ظِلُ

My eye remained swimming in a sea of tears

And my eye kept swimming in a sea of tears;

until neither sun nor shade could be discerned.

So it lost its way: neither sun nor shadow is visible.

وحَمَلْتُموني الثِقْلَ مَعْ ضَعْف قُوّتي

وحَمَلْتُموني الثِقْلَ مَعْ ضَعْف قُوّتي

فهل ترْحَمُوني إذْ أضرَّ بِيَ الثِقْلُ

فهل ترْحَمُوني إذْ أضرَّ بِيَ الثِقْلُ

You made me bear the heavy load despite my feeble strength;

And you loaded me with a burden despite my feeble strength;

will you have mercy on me, now that the burden has harmed me?

So will you show me mercy, since the burden has harmed me?

أفاترةَ العينينِ إنَّ ودادكم

أفاترةَ العينينِ إنَّ ودادكم

عظيمٌ وصَعْبٌ في فؤادي ولا سَهْلُ

عظيمٌ وصَعْبٌ في فؤادي ولا سَهْلُ

O languid-eyed one, truly my love of you

O languid-eyed one, indeed, my love for you

is immense, and what lies in my heart is no easy thing.

Is immense and hard upon my heart, not easy.

عذابي عَذْبٌ في هواكم وخاطِري

عذابي عَذْبٌ في هواكم وخاطِري

فلا خَطَرَ السُّلوانُ فيهِ ولا يسلو

فلا خَطَرَ السُّلوانُ فيهِ ولا يسلو

My torment is sweet in loving you, and my mind

My torment is sweet in loving you; as for my mind,

admits no thought of consolation, nor can it forget.

No thought of forgetting has crossed it, nor does it forget.

لأجلِكُم قد جُدْتُ بالروحِ للقَنَا

لأجلِكُم قد جُدْتُ بالروحِ للقَنَا

ولو بانَ لي مِنْكُم بِوَصْلِكُم بُخْلُ

ولو بانَ لي مِنْكُم بِوَصْلِكُم بُخْلُ

For your sake I have freely offered my soul to the spears,

For your sake I have freely offered my soul to the spears,

though your miserliness with union has become plain to me.

Even though your stinginess in granting reunion was plain to me.

بروحي مَنْ قَدْ بانَ للبانِ قاصداً

بروحي مَنْ قَدْ بانَ للبانِ قاصداً

وأنْهَلني مِنْ حيثُ لا يَعْذُبُ النَّهْلُ

وأنْهَلني مِنْ حيثُ لا يَعْذُبُ النَّهْلُ

My soul be ransom for the one who openly made for departure

My soul for the one who departed, bound for the moringa trees,

and gave me a draught from which no sweetness could be drunk.

And made me drink where the draught is not sweet.

سَقَاني حُمَيَّا الهَجْرِ من دون ظَلْمِهِ

سَقَاني حُمَيَّا الهَجْرِ من دون ظَلْمِهِ

و لا غروَ في قيسٍ جرى ذلك الفِعْلُ

و لا غروَ في قيسٍ جرى ذلك الفِعْلُ

He made me drink the heady wine of abandonment, besides his injustice;

He gave me the heady wine of estrangement instead of his mouth's moisture;

no wonder that such a deed befell Qays.

Nor is it strange: such a thing happened to Qays.

مضَى قبل أن أحْظَى ببعضِ وَدَاعه

مضَى قبل أن أحْظَى ببعضِ وَدَاعه

ولا وَشَّحَتْ خَصْرِي سواعدُهُ العَبْلُ

ولا وَشَّحَتْ خَصْرِي سواعدُهُ العَبْلُ

He departed before I could enjoy even part of his farewell,

He left before I could have even a little farewell from him,

or his full forearms could gird my waist like a sash.

Nor had his stout forearms encircled my waist.

تَيَمَّمتُ أرضاً هَوْجَلاً مُطْمَئنةً

تَيَمَّمتُ أرضاً هَوْجَلاً مُطْمَئنةً

بها الشُّقَّةُ القُصوى وليس بها سُبْل

بها الشُّقَّةُ القُصوى وليس بها سُبْل

I made for a land of terrifying, level wastes,

I made for a vast, low-lying wilderness,

where the utmost hardship lies and no paths exist.

Where the distance is immense and there are no paths.

يجوب بي الفِيْحُ المَهامَةَ شَدْقَمٌ

يجوب بي الفِيْحُ المَهامَةَ شَدْقَمٌ

طوالٌ أياديهِ مرافقُهْ فُتْلُ

طوالٌ أياديهِ مرافقُهْ فُتْلُ

A wide-jawed camel bore me across the spacious desert reaches,

A wide-mouthed camel carries me through the broad, trackless desert;

long in the forelegs, its joints tightly sinewed.

His forelegs are long, his elbows turned outward.

تَحَدَّرَ مِثِلَ السَّيل في السَّيرِ راغباً

تَحَدَّرَ مِثِلَ السَّيل في السَّيرِ راغباً

ويظهر منه الرَّبْعُ والرَّقْلُ والنَّقْلُ

ويظهر منه الرَّبْعُ والرَّقْلُ والنَّقْلُ

It swept onward like a torrent, eager in its course,

He rushed down like a torrent, eager to press on,

displaying now the amble, the swift trot, and the racing gait—

And displays his trot, his swift gait, and his nimble stepping,

إلى شمس دنيانا وبدرِ سمائها

إلى شمس دنيانا وبدرِ سمائها

مع الشِبْلِ الذي شأنهُ البَذْلُ

مع الشِبْلِ الذي شأنهُ البَذْلُ

toward the sun of our world and the full moon of its sky,

Toward the sun of our world and the full moon of its sky,

together with the lion cub whose very nature is giving:

With the lion cub whose way is generosity,

سليل ابن سلطان الهُمام الذي يُرَى

سليل ابن سلطان الهُمام الذي يُرَى

له في الورى من بعدِ خالقِنا الفَضْلُ

له في الورى من بعدِ خالقِنا الفَضْلُ

a scion of Ibn Sultan, the valiant one who is deemed

The scion of the valiant Ibn Sultan, who is held

to hold, after our Creator, preeminence among mankind.

To have preeminence among humankind, after our Creator.

هو السيدُ الزاكي المليكُ الذي نَمَى

هو السيدُ الزاكي المليكُ الذي نَمَى

على الأرض من أكفافِه الجودُ والعَدْلُ

على الأرض من أكفافِه الجودُ والعَدْلُ

He is the pure lord, the sovereign through whose hands

He is the virtuous lord, the sovereign under whom have flourished

generosity and justice have flourished across the earth.

Upon the earth, from his palms, generosity and justice.

تسلَّلَ من أملاكِ تُبَّعَ نَجْرُهُ

تسلَّلَ من أملاكِ تُبَّعَ نَجْرُهُ

فلا بعدَه بَعْدُ ولا قَبْلَه قَبْلُ

فلا بعدَه بَعْدُ ولا قَبْلَه قَبْلُ

His stock descends from the kings of Tubbaʿ;

His lineage descended from the kings of Tubbaʿ;

none comes after him, nor was anyone before him.

So there is no 'after' after him, nor any 'before' before him.

هو العَلَمُ الهادي الذي يُهتدى بهِ

هو العَلَمُ الهادي الذي يُهتدى بهِ

وطاعتُهُ فَرْضٌ عَلَيْنا ولا نَفْلُ

وطاعتُهُ فَرْضٌ عَلَيْنا ولا نَفْلُ

He is the guiding standard by which the way is found,

He is the guiding beacon by which one finds the way;

and obedience to him is incumbent upon us, not voluntary devotion.

And obedience to him is obligatory for us, not voluntary.

له مِنَنٌ لا قَطُّ يُحْصَى عِدادُها

له مِنَنٌ لا قَطُّ يُحْصَى عِدادُها

وللخَلْقِ من أبذالهِ أبداً كِفْلُ

وللخَلْقِ من أبذالهِ أبداً كِفْلُ

His favors can never be numbered,

He has favors whose number can never be counted;

and all creation forever has a share in his bounty.

And all creation always has a share in his gifts.

إذا همَّ تدميراً لأرضِ عدائهِ

إذا همَّ تدميراً لأرضِ عدائهِ

مَحَاها وأهلوها أصابَهم الخَبْلُ

مَحَاها وأهلوها أصابَهم الخَبْلُ

When he resolves to destroy his enemies’ land,

If he resolves to destroy the land of his enemies,

he effaces it, and madness strikes its people.

He obliterates it, and ruin strikes its people.

وكم بقعةٍ أربابُها ضَلَّ سعيُهم

وكم بقعةٍ أربابُها ضَلَّ سعيُهم

فَجَلاَّهم قَسْراً وَبُقْعَتُهم غُفْل

فَجَلاَّهم قَسْراً وَبُقْعَتُهم غُفْل

How many a region whose rulers’ endeavors went astray

And how many a tract whose lords' efforts went astray—

has he emptied by force, leaving its tract desolate?

He expelled them by force, leaving their tract desolate.

يردُّ التماحَ الطَرْفِ نورُ جبينهِ

يردُّ التماحَ الطَرْفِ نورُ جبينهِ

وإن صالَ فوق الطَرْفِ ليس له مِثْلُ

وإن صالَ فوق الطَرْفِ ليس له مِثْلُ

The radiance of his brow turns back the eye’s aspiring gaze,

The radiance of his brow turns back the eye's gaze;

and when he charges mounted, he has no equal.

And if he charges upon his steed, he has no equal.

يسابقُ أطرافَ الرماحِ إلى الوغى

يسابقُ أطرافَ الرماحِ إلى الوغى

وأفراسُه مِ الغيظِ أعينُها قُبْلُ

وأفراسُه مِ الغيظِ أعينُها قُبْلُ

He races the spearpoints into battle,

He races the spearheads toward battle;

while his horses’ eyes cross with rage.

And his horses' eyes are turned inward with rage.

بسيفٍ يباري البرقَ يفري به العِدا

بسيفٍ يباري البرقَ يفري به العِدا

ولم يَبْقَ من أجسادِهم أبداً جَزْلُ

ولم يَبْقَ من أجسادِهم أبداً جَزْلُ

With a sword that rivals lightning he cleaves the enemy,

With a sword that rivals lightning, he cleaves his enemies;

leaving no substantial part of their bodies intact.

And no large piece of their bodies is ever left.

وناديه فوقَ الفرقديْنِ محلُّه

وناديه فوقَ الفرقديْنِ محلُّه

وأعداؤه طُرّاً يَدُوْسُهم النَّعْلُ

وأعداؤه طُرّاً يَدُوْسُهم النَّعْلُ

His court has its station above the two Farqads,

And his assembly has its place above the two Farqad stars;

and his enemies, every one of them, are trampled beneath sandals.

And his enemies, every one, are trampled by the sandal.