أَيا وادِيَ الأَحبابِ سُقّيتَ وادِياً

أَيا وادِيَ الأَحبابِ سُقّيتَ وادِياً

وَلا زِلتَ مَسقِيّاً وَإِن كُنتَ خالِيا

وَلا زِلتَ مَسقِيّاً وَإِن كُنتَ خالِيا

O valley of loved ones, may you be a well-watered valley,

O valley of loved ones, you were watered as a valley

and never cease to be watered, even if you are deserted.

And remained watering though you were empty

فَلا تَنسَ أَطلالَ الدُجَيلِ وَمائَهُ

فَلا تَنسَ أَطلالَ الدُجَيلِ وَمائَهُ

وَلا نَخَلاتِ الدَيرِ إِن كُنتَ ساقِيا

وَلا نَخَلاتِ الدَيرِ إِن كُنتَ ساقِيا

Do not forget the ruins of al-Dujayl and its water,

So do not forget the ruins of Dujail and its water

nor the monastery's palms, if you give water.

Nor the palms of the monastery if you were a waterer

أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ قَد لَبِستُ ظِلالَهُ

أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ قَد لَبِستُ ظِلالَهُ

كَما أَغمَدَ القَينُ الحُسامَ اليَمانِيا

كَما أَغمَدَ القَينُ الحُسامَ اليَمانِيا

Ah, many a day whose shade I wore,

Oh, how many days have I worn its shadows

as the smith sheathed the Yemeni blade.

As the sheath donned the Yemeni sword

وَلَم أَنسَ قُمرِيَّ الحَمامِ عَشِيَّةً

وَلَم أَنسَ قُمرِيَّ الحَمامِ عَشِيَّةً

عَلى فَرعِها تَدعو الحَمامَ البَواكِيا

عَلى فَرعِها تَدعو الحَمامَ البَواكِيا

Nor have I forgotten the turtle-dove, one evening,

And I did not forget my moonlike dove in the evening

on its branch, calling to the weeping doves.

On its branch, it calls the cooing doves

إِذا ما جَرى حاكَت رِياضَ أَزاهِرٍ

إِذا ما جَرى حاكَت رِياضَ أَزاهِرٍ

جَوانِبُهُ وَاِنصاعَ في الأَرضِ جارِيا

جَوانِبُهُ وَاِنصاعَ في الأَرضِ جارِيا

Whenever it flowed, like gardens of blossoms

When it flows describing gardens of flowers

were its banks; and it sped, flowing through the land.

Its banks and pouring smoothly on the ground

وَإِن ثَقَبَتهُ العَينُ لاقَت قَرارَهُ

وَإِن ثَقَبَتهُ العَينُ لاقَت قَرارَهُ

تَخالُ الحَصى فيها نُجوماً رَواسِيا

تَخالُ الحَصى فيها نُجوماً رَواسِيا

And if the eye pierced it, it reached its bed;

And if the eye penetrated it, it found its rest

you would take the pebbles within it for anchored stars.

The pebbles in it seem to be twinkling stars

فَيالَكَ شَوقاً بَعدَ ما كِدتُ أَرعَوي

فَيالَكَ شَوقاً بَعدَ ما كِدتُ أَرعَوي

وَأَهجُرُ أَسبابَ الهَوى وَالتَصابِيا

وَأَهجُرُ أَسبابَ الهَوى وَالتَصابِيا

Ah, such longing, after I had almost come to my senses

So longing for you after I almost herded

and abandoned love's entanglements and youthful dalliance!

And abandoned the causes of love and accord

وَأَصبَحتُ أَرفو الشَيبَ وَهوَ مُرَقَّعٌ

وَأَصبَحتُ أَرفو الشَيبَ وَهوَ مُرَقَّعٌ

عَلَيَّ وَأُخفي مِنهُ ما لَيسَ خافِيا

عَلَيَّ وَأُخفي مِنهُ ما لَيسَ خافِيا

And now I darn my gray hair, patched as it is

And I woke up with speckled gray hair

upon me, and hide what of it is plain to see.

Sprinkled on me, though I concealed what was not hidden

وَقَد كادَ يَكسوني الشَبابُ جَناحَهُ

وَقَد كادَ يَكسوني الشَبابُ جَناحَهُ

فَقَد حادَ عَن رَأسي وَخَلَّفَ ماضِيا

فَقَد حادَ عَن رَأسي وَخَلَّفَ ماضِيا

And youth had almost clothed me in its wing,

And youth almost covered me with its wing

but it turned away from my head, leaving me behind as it departed.

But it has deviated from my head leaving the past

مَضى فَمَضى طيبُ الحَياةِ وَأُسخِطَت

مَضى فَمَضى طيبُ الحَياةِ وَأُسخِطَت

خَلائِقُ دُنيا كُنتُ عَنهُنَّ راضِيا

خَلائِقُ دُنيا كُنتُ عَنهُنَّ راضِيا

It passed, and life's sweetness passed; displeasing became

The prime of life is gone so it's gone

the ways of a world with which I had been content.

And I've been angered by the dispositions of a world I was once pleased with

وَلَم آتِ ما قَد حَرَّمَ اللَهُ في الهَوى

وَلَم آتِ ما قَد حَرَّمَ اللَهُ في الهَوى

وَلَم أَتَّرِك مِمّا عَفا اللَهُ باقِيا

وَلَم أَتَّرِك مِمّا عَفا اللَهُ باقِيا

I did not commit what God had forbidden in love,

And I did not attain what God has forbidden in love

and left none of what God allowed untouched.

Nor did I abandon what God has left remaining

إِذا ما تَمَشَّت فِيَّ عَينُ خَريدَةٍ

إِذا ما تَمَشَّت فِيَّ عَينُ خَريدَةٍ

فَلَيسَت تَخَطّاني إِلى مَن وَرائِيا

فَلَيسَت تَخَطّاني إِلى مَن وَرائِيا

Whenever a shy maiden's gaze wandered over me,

When the eye of a flirtatious one walked on me

it did not pass me by for someone behind me.

It does not look beyond me to who's behind me

فَيا عاذِلي دَعني وَشَأني وَلا تَكُن

فَيا عاذِلي دَعني وَشَأني وَلا تَكُن

شَجٍ في الَّذي أَهوى وَدَعني لِما بِيا

شَجٍ في الَّذي أَهوى وَدَعني لِما بِيا

So, my reproacher, leave me to my affairs, and do not be

So my critic leave me and my affairs and do not be

a vexation in what I love; leave me to what ails me.

Harsh regarding who I love and leave me to what's in me

وَلَيلٍ كَجِلبابِ الشَبابِ قَطَعتَهُ

وَلَيلٍ كَجِلبابِ الشَبابِ قَطَعتَهُ

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ لا تَمَلُّ الأَمانِيا

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ لا تَمَلُّ الأَمانِيا

And a night like youth's mantle—you passed it

And a night the cloak of youth you've torn

with true-hearted young men, never tiring of wishes.

With honest lads who never tire of wishes

سَروا ثُمَّ حَطّوا عَن قُلاصٍ خَوامِسٍ

سَروا ثُمَّ حَطّوا عَن قُلاصٍ خَوامِسٍ

كَما عَطَلَ الرامي القَسِيَّ الحَوانِيا

كَما عَطَلَ الرامي القَسِيَّ الحَوانِيا

They traveled by night, then dismounted from young she-camels on a fifth-day watering cycle,

They walked proudly then descended from a barren hill

as the archer unstrung the curved bows.

As the archer disabled the strong bow

أَلَم تَعلَما يا عاذِلَيَّ بِأَنَّما

أَلَم تَعلَما يا عاذِلَيَّ بِأَنَّما

يَمينِيَ مَرعىً في النَدى وَشِمالِيا

يَمينِيَ مَرعىً في النَدى وَشِمالِيا

Did you two not know, my two reproachers, that

Do you not know, O my critic, that my right side

my right hand is a pasture of bounty, and my left as well?

Is pastureland in the dew and my left protection

وَأَعدَدتُ لِلحَربِ العَوانِ طِمِرَّةً

وَأَعدَدتُ لِلحَربِ العَوانِ طِمِرَّةً

وَأَسمَرَ مَطرورَ الحَديدَةِ عالِيا

وَأَسمَرَ مَطرورَ الحَديدَةِ عالِيا

And for renewed warfare I readied a fleet mare,

And I prepared for war helpers

and a tall brown spear with a sharpened iron point.

And the brownish polished swordsman ascended

وَلا بُدَّ مِن حَتفٍ يُلاقيكَ يَومُهُ

وَلا بُدَّ مِن حَتفٍ يُلاقيكَ يَومُهُ

فَلا تَجزَعَن مِن ميتَةٍ هِيَ ما هِيا

فَلا تَجزَعَن مِن ميتَةٍ هِيَ ما هِيا

There is no escaping a death whose day will meet you;

And you must face a death that will meet you on its day

so never dread a death, whatever it may be.

So do not despair of a death which is what it is

وَجَمعٍ سَقَينا أَرضَهُ مِن دِمائِهِ

وَجَمعٍ سَقَينا أَرضَهُ مِن دِمائِهِ

وَلَو كانَ عافانا قَبِلنا العَوافِيا

وَلَو كانَ عافانا قَبِلنا العَوافِيا

And many a host—we watered its ground with its blood;

And a group we watered its land with its blood

had it spared us, we would have welcomed peace.

And had it been well, we would have accepted well being

وَدُسناهُمُ بِالضَربِ وَالطَعنِ دَوسَةً

وَدُسناهُمُ بِالضَربِ وَالطَعنِ دَوسَةً

أَماتَت حُقوداً ثُمَّ أَحيَت مَعالِيا

أَماتَت حُقوداً ثُمَّ أَحيَت مَعالِيا

And we trampled them with blows and spear-thrusts, a trampling

And we trampled them with striking and stabbing

that killed grudges, then brought high honors to life.

Killing grudges then bringing glories to life

خُذو حَظَّكُم مِن خَيرِنا إِنَّ شَرَّنا

خُذو حَظَّكُم مِن خَيرِنا إِنَّ شَرَّنا

مَعَ الشَرِّ لا يَزدادُ إِلّا تَمادِيا

مَعَ الشَرِّ لا يَزدادُ إِلّا تَمادِيا

Take your share of our good; for our evil,

Take your share of our good for our evil

when met with evil, only grows more relentless.

With evil only increases persistence

فَرَشنا لَكُم مِنّا جَناحَ مَوَدَّةٍ

فَرَشنا لَكُم مِنّا جَناحَ مَوَدَّةٍ

وَأَنتُم زَماناً تُلجِثونَ الدَواهِيا

وَأَنتُم زَماناً تُلجِثونَ الدَواهِيا

We spread our wing of affection for you,

So we laid out for you from us an affectionate wing

while you, for a time, were stirring up calamities.

While you for a time crouch the lowlands

أَظُنُّكُمُ مِن حاطِبِ اللَيلِ جَمَّعَت

أَظُنُّكُمُ مِن حاطِبِ اللَيلِ جَمَّعَت

حَبائِلُهُ عَقارِباً وَأَفاعِيا

حَبائِلُهُ عَقارِباً وَأَفاعِيا

I think you are of the night wood-gatherer's kind: gathered

I think you are from the firewood of night, its

by his snares were scorpions and vipers.

Ropes gathered scorpions and snakes