يا زَرْوةً قد أورثتْ

يا زَرْوةً قد أورثتْ

بُرْءَا من الداءٍ العُتمامِ

بُرْءَا من الداءٍ العُتمامِ

O visit that has bestowed

O Zarwa, you have bequeathed

healing from the grievous malady!

Immunity from every malady,

لم أدرِ أن كلامَها

لم أدرِ أن كلامَها

يشفى القلوبَ من الكِلامِ

يشفى القلوبَ من الكِلامِ

I did not know that her speech

I did not know that her words

heals hearts of their wounds.

Could heal hearts of sorrows,

واهاً فيا شوقاً إلى

واهاً فيا شوقاً إلى

تلكَ المنازلِ والخِيَامِ

تلكَ المنازلِ والخِيَامِ

Ah, what yearning for

Alas! What yearning for

those dwellings and tents!

Those dwellings and tents,

ما كان إلْمامِي بهم

ما كان إلْمامِي بهم

إلا كحلمٍ في مَنَامِ

إلا كحلمٍ في مَنَامِ

My brief visit to them was

My knowledge of them

only like a dream in sleep.

Was but a dream in slumber,

بيضاءَ يمنعها الحيا

بيضاءَ يمنعها الحيا

ءُ بأن تحَدَّث بالكلامِ

ءُ بأن تحَدَّث بالكلامِ

A fair woman, whom modesty prevents

A fair Yemeni, her shyness

from uttering words.

Prevents her from speaking,

ولها رُضابٌ باردٌ

ولها رُضابٌ باردٌ

يُزْرِى على صَرْف المُدامِ

يُزْرِى على صَرْف المُدامِ

And her saliva is cool,

With cool cheeks

putting unmixed wine to shame,

That mock the wine’s fervor,

أو طَعْم شَهْد نثرُه

أو طَعْم شَهْد نثرُه

كالمِسْك مَفْضُوض الخِتَامِ

كالمِسْك مَفْضُوض الخِتَامِ

or honey's taste; its scattered drops

Or the taste of honey whose fragrance

are like musk with its seal broken.

Is like musk freshly sealed,

لو ذَاق مَيتٌ طعمه

لو ذَاق مَيتٌ طعمه

لا نسلَّ من تحت الرجَامِ

لا نسلَّ من تحت الرجَامِ

Had a dead man tasted it,

If a corpse tasted it

he would have slipped out from beneath the burial stones.

It would not rest under tombstones,

وموشحٍ واهٍ ضعيفٌ

وموشحٍ واهٍ ضعيفٌ

مِثْلَ جِسْمي في السَّقَامِ

مِثْلَ جِسْمي في السَّقَامِ

And a waist, frail and weak,

And a weak, yearning poem

like my body in sickness.

Like my body in illness,

ريانُ يثقلها فَتَخْتَ

ريانُ يثقلها فَتَخْتَ

ارُ القعودَ على القِيامِ

ارُ القعودَ على القِيامِ

Her fullness weighs her down, so she chooses

Her feet made heavy so she prefers

sitting over standing.

To sit rather than stand,

تشكُو الخواصر منه شك

تشكُو الخواصر منه شك

وى عَاشِقِيها في الغَرامِ

وى عَاشِقِيها في الغَرامِ

Her flanks complain of it as do

She complains of her waist from it

her lovers in their ardent love.

Like her lovers’ passion,

كَمْ ليلةٍ قد بتُّ أجْ

كَمْ ليلةٍ قد بتُّ أجْ

نِى الشهدَ من ذاك اللِّثَامِ

نِى الشهدَ من ذاك اللِّثَامِ

How many a night I spent gathering

How many nights have I spent

honey from that veil!

Sipping its wine from that veil,

حتى رأتْ شيبي يلو

حتى رأتْ شيبي يلو

حُ بعارضِي مثلي الثغَامِ

حُ بعارضِي مثلي الثغَامِ

Until she saw my gray hair gleaming

Until she saw the white of my hair

on my cheek, like the white thughām plant.

Streaking my temples like lines,

قالتْ فلم أقنع أزو

قالتْ فلم أقنع أزو

رك بعدُ في حُلمِ المَنامِ

رك بعدُ في حُلمِ المَنامِ

She said—and I was not content—‘I will visit

She said: Are you still not satisfied

you henceforth in the dreams of sleep.’

After in dreams so long?

فكأنَّما اتصلَ انسكَابُ

فكأنَّما اتصلَ انسكَابُ

دموعها بندى الإمَامِ

دموعها بندى الإمَامِ

And it was as though the outpouring

As if her falling tears mingled

of her tears joined the Imam's generous dew:

With the dew of the imam,

ذِى العدلِ سلطانِ

ذِى العدلِ سلطانِ

الهُمَامِ بن الهُمَامِ بن الهُمَامِ

الهُمَامِ بن الهُمَامِ بن الهُمَامِ

the just Sultan,

The just sultan,

the noble hero, son of a noble hero, son of a noble hero;

Pride of the resolute, son of the resolute, son of the resolute,

أهلِ الفواضلِ والفضا

أهلِ الفواضلِ والفضا

ئلِ والعطياتِ العِظَامِ

ئلِ والعطياتِ العِظَامِ

a man of generous deeds and

Of the virtuous, the generous,

virtues, and magnificent gifts;

And the greatest benefactors,

وأخِي الموائدِ والفوا

وأخِي الموائدِ والفوا

ئِد والمروءَاتِ الجِسَامِ

ئِد والمروءَاتِ الجِسَامِ

and a master of banquet tables and

And brother of hospitality, bounty,

benefits, and great deeds of chivalry.

And magnificent chivalry,

أجدادُه الغُر الكرامُ هُمُ

أجدادُه الغُر الكرامُ هُمُ

الكرامُ بَنُو الكرامِ

الكرامُ بَنُو الكرامِ

His radiant, noble forefathers are

His noble ancestors are

noble men, sons of noble men.

The generous, clan of the generous,

تُسدى أكفّهُمُ بجودٍ

تُسدى أكفّهُمُ بجودٍ

مثلَ منْهلِّ الغَمَامِ

مثلَ منْهلِّ الغَمَامِ

Their hands give with generosity

Their palms overflow with munificence

like the pouring rain of clouds.

Like clouds dripping rain,

أطوادُ حِلمٍ في الوغَى

أطوادُ حِلمٍ في الوغَى

وبحورُ جودٍ في الطعَامِ

وبحورُ جودٍ في الطعَامِ

Mountains of forbearance in battle,

Pillars of patience in calamity

and seas of generosity in offering food.

And oceans of generosity at feasts,

فَضَلُوا الورَى بأبوّةٍ

فَضَلُوا الورَى بأبوّةٍ

فضلَ النُّضَارِ على الرَّغَامِ

فضلَ النُّضَارِ على الرَّغَامِ

They surpassed mankind in ancestry,

They excelled mankind with fatherhood

as pure gold surpasses dust.

Excelling the delicate over the coarse,

عَرَفوا السيادةَ والسيا

عَرَفوا السيادةَ والسيا

سةَ والندى قبلَ الفِطامِ

سةَ والندى قبلَ الفِطامِ

They knew lordship and

They knew sovereignty and politics

statecraft and generosity before weaning.

And harmony before weaning,

جبلت شمائِلُهم على

جبلت شمائِلُهم على

الجَدْوى لإصلاحِ الأَنَامِ

الجَدْوى لإصلاحِ الأَنَامِ

Their characters were fashioned for

Their nature inclined to benevolence

beneficence, for the betterment of mankind.

To reform the people,

يا ابنَ الأولى من يعربٍ

يا ابنَ الأولى من يعربٍ

وأولى الإمامةِ والذِّمامِ

وأولى الإمامةِ والذِّمامِ

O son of those of Ya‘rub,

O son of the most qualified of Arabs

and of the holders of the imamate and the covenant,

And the most deserving of leadership and turban,

أنتَ المؤيدُ لم تزل

أنتَ المؤيدُ لم تزل

ندعو لِملْكِكَ بالدوامِ

ندعو لِملْكِكَ بالدوامِ

you are ever the one upheld;

You are the supported, we never cease

we pray for your reign to endure.

To pray for the eternity of your reign,

تاهَ الزمانُ بعدلك

تاهَ الزمانُ بعدلك

المشهور في مصرٍ وشامِ

المشهور في مصرٍ وشامِ

Time glories in your justice,

Time lost its way due to your

renowned in Egypt and Syria.

Famed justice in Egypt and Syria,

كلُّ أقرّ لكمْ تقىً

كلُّ أقرّ لكمْ تقىً

بالفضل من سام وحام

بالفضل من سام وحام

All, in reverence, acknowledged your

All who profess piety

excellence—those of Sām and Hām.

Attribute it to your superiority, from Shem and Ham,

وانحطَّ عالى المرتقى

وانحطَّ عالى المرتقى

لكَ وارعوى صَعْبُ المرامِ

لكَ وارعوى صَعْبُ المرامِ

And the loftiest summit bowed

And the lofty were abased

before you, and the hardest goal yielded.

To you, and the stubborn acquiesced,

فهزمت جَيشَ الكفر والإش

فهزمت جَيشَ الكفر والإش

راك بالجيش اللُّهامِ

راك بالجيش اللُّهامِ

So you defeated the army of unbelief and

So you vanquished the armies of unbelief and idolatry

polytheism with a vast, devouring army.

With the divinely supported troops,

عرَّفت كلّ منكَّر

عرَّفت كلّ منكَّر

منِهم بِلاَ ألفٍ ولامِ

منِهم بِلاَ ألفٍ ولامِ

You made every indefinite one definite,

You clarified to each heretic among them

among them, without an alif or lām.

Without any courtesy or softness,

وسلخت كيدهمُ كما

وسلخت كيدهمُ كما

انسلخَ الضياءُ من الظلامِ

انسلخَ الضياءُ من الظلامِ

And you stripped away their schemes, as

And peeled away their plots

light strips itself free of darkness.

As daylight peels from darkness,

فانحلَّ عقد نظامهم

فانحلَّ عقد نظامهم

مِن قبلُ بالموتِ الزؤامِ

مِن قبلُ بالموتِ الزؤامِ

So the knot binding their ranks came undone,

So the structure of their order unravelled

beforehand, through sudden death.

Before by terrible death,

رامُوا قتالك قبل فإنْ

رامُوا قتالك قبل فإنْ

قَادُوا إليك بِلاَ زِمامِ

قَادُوا إليك بِلاَ زِمامِ

They once sought to fight you, then

They wanted to fight you before, but if

submitted to you without a bridle.

They marched against you it was without reins,

غرتْهمُ منكَ الأنا

غرتْهمُ منكَ الأنا

ةُ فأوقعتهم في انهزامِ

ةُ فأوقعتهم في انهزامِ

Your forbearance deceived them,

Pride deluded them, so you inflicted on them

so you plunged them into defeat.

A resounding defeat,

يا غيثَ أَهل اللأرض

يا غيثَ أَهل اللأرض

يومَ نَدىً وغيثاً في الزِّحامِ

يومَ نَدىً وغيثاً في الزِّحامِ

O succoring rain for the people of the earth,

O rain of the people of earth,

on a day of bounty, and rain amid battle's crush!

A time of dew and rain in the throngs,

هُنِّيتَ بالعيد الذي

هُنِّيتَ بالعيد الذي

يهوى لقاءك بالسلامِ

يهوى لقاءك بالسلامِ

May you be blessed with the festival that

You were gladdened by the feast for which

longs to meet you with greetings of peace.

Yearning to meet you in peace,

وليهن عيدُ الفطر أنّ

وليهن عيدُ الفطر أنّ

ك عيدُه في كلِّ عامِ

ك عيدُه في كلِّ عامِ

And may Eid al-Fitr rejoice that

To you, the Feast of the Fast is a feast

you are its festival every year.

Every year,