يا سيدي دعوة ذي رحلةٍ

يا سيدي دعوة ذي رحلةٍ

مقتصرٍ في الجري مسبوقِ

مقتصرٍ في الجري مسبوقِ

O my master, a plea from a traveler,

My lord, this is an invitation to a journey

Limited in speed and left behind.

That is accelerating in its pace

والقوم قد صح بهم عزمهم

والقوم قد صح بهم عزمهم

وضربوا بالطبل والبوق

وضربوا بالطبل والبوق

And the company are now firm in their resolve,

And the people are determined in their resolve

And have beaten the drum and sounded the horn.

Having beat the drums and trumpets

وضمروا للسير أفراسهم

وضمروا للسير أفراسهم

وفرسي الأشهب في زيقي

وفرسي الأشهب في زيقي

And made their horses lean for the journey,

And prepared their horses for travel

While my gray horse is in my collar.

While my gray steed is in its stable

بل لي كميتٌ ما رئي مثله

بل لي كميتٌ ما رئي مثله

يا سيدي قط لمخلوق

يا سيدي قط لمخلوق

Rather, I have a bay whose like has not been seen,

In fact, I have a horse like no other

O my master, by any creature, ever.

My lord, never before seen by man

كأنني في متنه راكبٌ

كأنني في متنه راكبٌ

داليةً في رأس زرنوق

داليةً في رأس زرنوق

It is as though, on its back, I were riding

As if I’m riding upon its back

A water-lifting lever atop a well-post.

A vast palace atop a hill

ما في فضلٌ لا ولا فيه لي

ما في فضلٌ لا ولا فيه لي

لأنني وهو على الريق

لأنني وهو على الريق

I have no strength to spare—no—nor has he any for me,

It has no faults or imperfections

Because both he and I are on empty stomachs.

For it and I are cut from the same cloth