لَعَمري لِنَعمَ الغَيثُ غَيثٌ أَصابَنا

لَعَمري لِنَعمَ الغَيثُ غَيثٌ أَصابَنا

بِبَغدادَ مِن أَرضِ الجَزيرَةِ وَابِلُه

بِبَغدادَ مِن أَرضِ الجَزيرَةِ وَابِلُه

By my life, excellent indeed was the rain—a rain that reached us;

By my life, how fine the rain—the rain that fell upon us

in Baghdad, from the land of al-Jazira, came its heavy downpour.

In Baghdad, its downpour from the land of al-Jazira.

فَكُنّا كَحَيٍّ صَبَّحَ الغَيثُ أَهلَهُ

فَكُنّا كَحَيٍّ صَبَّحَ الغَيثُ أَهلَهُ

وَلَم تَرتَحِل أَظعانُهُ وَرَواحِلُه

وَلَم تَرتَحِل أَظعانُهُ وَرَواحِلُه

Then we were like a tribe whose people the rain overtook at dawn,

So we were like a tribe whose people the rain greeted at dawn,

while its traveling households and riding camels had not yet departed.

While its litters and riding camels had not departed.