ومازلتُ استَرعي لكَ الله غائباً

ومازلتُ استَرعي لكَ الله غائباً

وأظهرُ اشفاقاً عليكَ وأكتمُ

وأظهرُ اشفاقاً عليكَ وأكتمُ

I have kept asking God to guard you in your absence,

I still implore God for you though absent,

And I reveal my concern for you, and conceal it.

And show compassion for you while hiding it,

وأعلمُ أن الجودَ ما غبتَ غائبٌ

وأعلمُ أن الجودَ ما غبتَ غائبٌ

وأن الندى في حيث كنت مخيّمُ

وأن الندى في حيث كنت مخيّمُ

And I know that generosity is absent while you are away,

And I know generosity has not been absent with your absence,

And that bounty camps wherever you are.

And that blessings are wherever you camped.

الى أن زجرتُ الطيرَ سعداً سوانحاً

الى أن زجرتُ الطيرَ سعداً سوانحاً

وحُمَّ لقاءٌ بالسعُودِ ومقدَمُ

وحُمَّ لقاءٌ بالسعُودِ ومقدَمُ

Until I divined good fortune from birds flying left to right,

Until I chided the birds, greeting you cheerfully,

And an auspicious meeting and arrival were decreed.

And a meeting with joy and welcome was craved.

وظلَّ يُناجِيني بمدحِكَ خاطِرٌ

وظلَّ يُناجِيني بمدحِكَ خاطِرٌ

وليلي ممدودُ الرواتينِ أدهَمُ

وليلي ممدودُ الرواتينِ أدهَمُ

And a thought kept whispering your praises to me,

And my heart kept whispering, praising you,

While my night was jet-black, its two curtains stretched long [reading uncertain].

While my night, long and dark, continued.

وقالَ طواهُ الحجُّ فاخشع لِفَقدِهِ

وقالَ طواهُ الحجُّ فاخشع لِفَقدِهِ

ولا عيشَ حتى يستهل المحرَّمُ

ولا عيشَ حتى يستهل المحرَّمُ

And it said: The pilgrimage has enfolded him; bow humbly at his absence,

It said performing Hajj made you humble, so mourn his absence,

And there is no life until Muharram dawns.

And there is no life until the sacred months return.

سيفخَرُ ما ضمَّ الحطيم وزَمزَمٌ

سيفخَرُ ما ضمَّ الحطيم وزَمزَمٌ

بمطّلبٍ لو أنه يتكلَّمُ

بمطّلبٍ لو أنه يتكلَّمُ

What al-Hatim and Zamzam embrace would boast

Whatever the ruins of Hajj embraced will boast,

Of Muttalib, if it could speak.

As well as Zamzam, if only it could speak, of a Mudar like you, if only it could speak!

وما خُلِقَت إلا من الجُودِ كفُّهُ

وما خُلِقَت إلا من الجُودِ كفُّهُ

على أنها والبأس خشدنانِ تَوأمُ

على أنها والبأس خشدنانِ تَوأمُ

And his hand was fashioned of nothing but generosity,

Created only from generosity was his palm,

Though it and martial might are twin companions [reading uncertain].

Though it and valor were twins.

أعدتَ الى أكنافِ بهجةً

أعدتَ الى أكنافِ بهجةً

خُزاعيّة كانَت تُجلُّ وتُعظَمُ

خُزاعيّة كانَت تُجلُّ وتُعظَمُ

You restored to the environs a splendor

You brought back to the bosoms of joy

Of Khuza'ah, once honored and revered,

A Khuza'i woman who was esteemed and exalted,

ليالي سُمّارِ الحُجُونِ الى الصفا

ليالي سُمّارِ الحُجُونِ الى الصفا

خُزاعَةُ اذ خَلّت لها البيتُ جُرهَمُ

خُزاعَةُ اذ خَلّت لها البيتُ جُرهَمُ

In the nights when the evening companions from al-Hajun to al-Safa

The nights of pilgrims heading towards Safa,

Were Khuza'ah, when Jurhum yielded the House to her.

When Khuza'ah had the house to themselves, devoid of others.

ولو نَطَقَت بَطحاؤها وحَجُونُها

ولو نَطَقَت بَطحاؤها وحَجُونُها

وخِيفُ منى والمأزِمانِ وزَمزَمُ

وخِيفُ منى والمأزِمانِ وزَمزَمُ

And if her gravelly plain and her Hajun could speak,

If only their camel-litters, tents and Khyf of Mina spoke,

And Mina's Khayf, al-Ma'ziman, and Zamzam,

As well as Mazmama, Zamzam and the two Jamarats!

إذن لدَعَت أجزاء جسمِكَ كلّها

إذن لدَعَت أجزاء جسمِكَ كلّها

تِنافِسُ في اقسامِه لو تُحَكّمُ

تِنافِسُ في اقسامِه لو تُحَكّمُ

Then they would claim all the parts of your body,

They would then call every part of your body

Competing over its portions, if made arbiters.

To compete over his divisions, if they could arbitrate.

ولو رُدَّ مَخلوقٌ الى بِدءِ خَلقِهِ

ولو رُدَّ مَخلوقٌ الى بِدءِ خَلقِهِ

اذن كنت جسماً بينَهُنّ تُقَسَّمُ

اذن كنت جسماً بينَهُنّ تُقَسَّمُ

And if a creature were returned to the beginning of its creation,

If a creature was returned to its beginning of creation,

Then you would be a body divided among them.

Then you would be a body divided among them.

سما بكَ منها كلّ خِيفٍ فأبطحِ

سما بكَ منها كلّ خِيفٍ فأبطحِ

غابكَ منهُ الجوهرُ المُتقَدّمُ

غابكَ منهُ الجوهرُ المُتقَدّمُ

Each hillside and gravelly plain among them raised you high;

Every Khyf there took an oath by you, so the most pious one—

Your thicket—its foremost substance [wording uncertain].

The essence proceeded you—was absent from it.

وحَنَّ اليكَ الركنُ حتى كأنّه

وحَنَّ اليكَ الركنُ حتى كأنّه

وقد جئته خلُّ عليكَ مُسَلِّمُ

وقد جئته خلُّ عليكَ مُسَلِّمُ

And the Corner yearned for you so much that it seemed,

The Corner longed for you until it was as though

When you came to it, a dear friend greeting you.

It came to you in complete submission.