ذُمَّتْ لِعَيْنِكَ أَعْيُنُ الْغِزْلانِ

ذُمَّتْ لِعَيْنِكَ أَعْيُنُ الْغِزْلانِ

قَمَرٌ أَقَرَّ لِحُسْنِهِ الْقَمَرانِ

قَمَرٌ أَقَرَّ لِحُسْنِهِ الْقَمَرانِ

Your two eyes have put the gazelles’ eyes to shame—

The eyes of gazelles were scorned beside your eye.

a moon whose beauty the sun and moon themselves acknowledge.

A moon whose beauty both sun and moon acknowledged.

وَمَشَتْ ولا واللهِ ما حِقْفُ الْنَّقا

وَمَشَتْ ولا واللهِ ما حِقْفُ الْنَّقا

مِما أَرَتْكَ وَلا قَضيبُ البانِ

مِما أَرَتْكَ وَلا قَضيبُ البانِ

She walked—and no, by God, the curving ridge of the dune

And she walked—no, by God, neither the curving sand dune

could match what she showed you, nor the bān tree’s supple branch.

nor the bān-tree bough could match what she showed you.

وَثَنُ الْمَلاَحةِ غَيْرِ أَنَّ ديِانَتي

وَثَنُ الْمَلاَحةِ غَيْرِ أَنَّ ديِانَتي

تَأْبى عَليَّ عِبادَةَ الأَوْثان

تَأْبى عَليَّ عِبادَةَ الأَوْثان

An idol of beauty—yet my faith

An idol of beauty, except that my faith

forbids me the worship of idols.

forbids me to worship idols.

يا ابْنَ الأعِزَّةِ مِنْ أَكابِرِ حِمْيَرٍ

يا ابْنَ الأعِزَّةِ مِنْ أَكابِرِ حِمْيَرٍ

وَسُلاَلةِ الأَمْلاكِ مِنْ قَحْطانِ

وَسُلاَلةِ الأَمْلاكِ مِنْ قَحْطانِ

O son of the noblest, of Himyar’s great lords,

O son of the mighty among the great men of Himyar,

and scion of the kings descended from Qahtan;

and of the lineage of kings from Qahtan,

مِنْ كُلِّ أَبْلَجَ آمِرٍ بلِسانِهِ

مِنْ كُلِّ أَبْلَجَ آمِرٍ بلِسانِهِ

يَضَعُ السُّيُوفَ مَواضِعَ التِّيجانِ

يَضَعُ السُّيُوفَ مَواضِعَ التِّيجانِ

from every radiant-browed commander who rules by his word

From every bright-browed commander who, with his tongue,

and sets swords where crowns had stood.

sets swords where crowns are worn.

وَحَلَلْتَ مِنْ عَلْياءِ صَبْرَةَ مَوْضِعاً

وَحَلَلْتَ مِنْ عَلْياءِ صَبْرَةَ مَوْضِعاً

أَكْرِمْ بِهِ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ وَمَكانِ

أَكْرِمْ بِهِ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ وَمَكانِ

In the heights of Ṣabra you have taken up a station—

And you have settled in a place upon Sabra’s heights—

how noble a station and dwelling-place!

how noble a site and place it is!

زادَتْ بناه على الْخَوَرْنَقِ بَسْطةً

زادَتْ بناه على الْخَوَرْنَقِ بَسْطةً

وَحَوَتْ أَعَزَّ حِمى مِنَ النَّعْمانِ

وَحَوَتْ أَعَزَّ حِمى مِنَ النَّعْمانِ

Its structure surpassed al-Khawarnaq in spaciousness,

Its buildings surpassed al-Khawarnaq in spaciousness,

and held a sanctuary more inviolable than al-Nu‘man’s.

and housed one with a mightier domain than al-Nu'man’s.

وَغَدا ابْنُ ذي يَزَنٍ بِسُفْلٍ دُوَنهُ

وَغَدا ابْنُ ذي يَزَنٍ بِسُفْلٍ دُوَنهُ

هِمَماً نَزَلْنَ بِهِ على غَمْدانِ

هِمَماً نَزَلْنَ بِهِ على غَمْدانِ

And Ibn Dhi Yazan now stood far beneath it—

And Ibn Dhi Yazan came to rank beneath him,

lofty ambitions had borne him only as high as Ghumdan.

in aspirations that set him down upon Ghumdan.