بَكيتُ يا رَبعُ حَتّى كِدتُ أَبكيكا

بَكيتُ يا رَبعُ حَتّى كِدتُ أَبكيكا

وَجُدتُ بي وَبِدَمعي في مَغانيكا

وَجُدتُ بي وَبِدَمعي في مَغانيكا

I wept, O dwelling, until I nearly made you weep,

I wept, O dwelling, until I almost made you weep,

I wept, O ruined abode, until I nearly moved you to tears, / Sacrificing my very self and pouring out my grief within your bounds.

and gave freely of myself and my tears amid your dwelling places.

And I found myself and my tears among your melodies.

May your morning be blessed, though you have stirred deep sorrows in me, / So return our salutation, for we offer you our greeting.

فَعِم صَباحاً لَقَد هَيَّجتَ لي شَجَناً

فَعِم صَباحاً لَقَد هَيَّجتَ لي شَجَناً

وَاِردُد تَحِيَّتَنا إِنّا مُحَيّوكا

وَاِردُد تَحِيَّتَنا إِنّا مُحَيّوكا

So may your morning be fair; you have indeed stirred grief in me.

So good morning! Indeed, you have provoked a yearning in me,

By what decree of time have you come to take / The wild gazelle in place of the gazelle who once dwelt among you?

And return our greeting, for we greet you.

And we repeat our greetings, we surely greet you.

Days when suns resided within you, never rising before us / Without drawing forth blood, spilled by the sharpness of their glance.

بِأَيِّ حُكمِ زَمانٍ صِرتَ مُتَّخِذاً

بِأَيِّ حُكمِ زَمانٍ صِرتَ مُتَّخِذاً

رِئمَ الفَلا بَدَلاً مِن رِئمِ أَهليكا

رِئمَ الفَلا بَدَلاً مِن رِئمِ أَهليكا

By what decree of time have you come to take

By what decree of time have you become accustomed

When life was verdant and these ruins stood proud and tall, / As though the radiance of Ubaid Allah was shining upon you.

the wilderness gazelle in place of the gazelle of your people?

To the empty wilderness instead of your family?

Safe is the man, O Ibn Yahya, who seeks you as his goal, / While failure befalls the caravan that does not journey toward you.

أَيّامَ فيكَ شُموسٌ ما اِنبَعَثنَ لَنا

أَيّامَ فيكَ شُموسٌ ما اِنبَعَثنَ لَنا

إِلّا اِبتَعَثنَ دَماً بِاللَحظِ مَسفوكا

إِلّا اِبتَعَثنَ دَماً بِاللَحظِ مَسفوكا

In the days when suns dwelt in you, never appearing to us

Days in you whose suns were not revived for us

You have revived poetry for the poets, so that they now praise / All others by borrowing the virtues found only in you.

without sending forth blood spilled by their glances.

Except they shed blood with a glance poured out.

They taught the world glory through your example, and mastered / The subtlest of meanings drawn from your own depths.

وَالعَيشُ أَخضَرُ وَالأَطلالُ مُشرِفَةٌ

وَالعَيشُ أَخضَرُ وَالأَطلالُ مُشرِفَةٌ

كَأَنَّ نورَ عُبَيدِ اللَهِ يَعلوكا

كَأَنَّ نورَ عُبَيدِ اللَهِ يَعلوكا

And life was green, and the ruins stood high,

And life is green, and the ruins are magnificent,

So remain as you are, O peerless one with no equal, / Or be however you wish, for no creature compares to you.

as though Ubayd Allah's light rose above you.

As if the light of Ubayy's servants rises over you.

The gratitude of suppliants for your gifts has shown me / A well-trodden path of kindness leading straight to your bounty.

نَجا اِمرُؤٌ يا اِبنَ يَحيى كُنتَ بُغيَتَهُ

نَجا اِمرُؤٌ يا اِبنَ يَحيى كُنتَ بُغيَتَهُ

وَخابَ رَكبُ رِكابٍ لَم يَأُمّوكا

وَخابَ رَكبُ رِكابٍ لَم يَأُمّوكا

He whose goal you were, O son of Yahya, found deliverance,

A man survived, O son of Yahya, you were his ambition,

Your immense stature across the horizons makes me fear / That by the paucity of my praise, I am merely mocking you.

and camel-riders who did not make for you met disappointment.

And the caravan of riders missed you.

Suffice it that you are of Qahtan's noble lineage, / Yet were you to boast, all others would seem but your servants.

أَحيَيتَ لِلشُعَراءِ الشِعرَ فَاِمتَدَحوا

أَحيَيتَ لِلشُعَراءِ الشِعرَ فَاِمتَدَحوا

جَميعَ مَن مَدَحوهُ بِالَّذي فيكا

جَميعَ مَن مَدَحوهُ بِالَّذي فيكا

You revived poetry for the poets, and so they praised

You revived poetry for the poets, so they praised

And were I to offer less praise than your generosity warrants to mankind, / The world would view me as one who reviles you.

everyone they praised with the qualities found in you.

All those they praised with that which is in you.

Your generosity answered my call, crying out for me to hear: / 'May my companions ransom you, O man, as I too offer my life for you!'

وَعَلَّموا الناسَ مِنكَ المَجدَ وَاِقتَدَروا

وَعَلَّموا الناسَ مِنكَ المَجدَ وَاِقتَدَروا

عَلى دَقيقِ المَعاني مِن مَعانيكا

عَلى دَقيقِ المَعاني مِن مَعانيكا

And they taught people glory through you, and gained mastery

And they taught people glory through you and managed

You continued to follow one favor with another, gift upon gift, / Until I began to believe my very life was one of your bestowals.

of subtle meanings through the qualities you embody.

The subtleties of meanings from your meanings.

If you say 'Take,' it is but the custom you are known for; / As for 'No,' your lips are too generous ever to pronounce it.

فَكُن كَما أَنتَ يا مَن لا شَبيهَ لَهُ

فَكُن كَما أَنتَ يا مَن لا شَبيهَ لَهُ

أَو كَيفَ شِئتَ فَما خَلقٌ يُدانيكا

أَو كَيفَ شِئتَ فَما خَلقٌ يُدانيكا

So be as you are, O you who have no equal,

So be as you are, O incomparable one,

or however you wish, for no creature comes close to you.

Or however you wish, for none can equal you.

شُكرُ العُفاةِ لِما أَولَيتَ أَوجَدَني

شُكرُ العُفاةِ لِما أَولَيتَ أَوجَدَني

إِلى نَداكَ طَريقَ العُرفِ مَسلوكا

إِلى نَداكَ طَريقَ العُرفِ مَسلوكا

The gratitude of seekers of bounty for your gifts showed me

The thanks of the chaste one for what you granted found me

a well-trodden path of kindness leading to your bounty.

On the path of custom to your generosity traveled.

وَعُظمُ قَدرِكَ في الآفاقِ أَوهَمَني

وَعُظمُ قَدرِكَ في الآفاقِ أَوهَمَني

أَنّي بِقِلَّةِ ما أَثنَيتُ أَهجوكا

أَنّي بِقِلَّةِ ما أَثنَيتُ أَهجوكا

And your great stature across the horizons made me imagine

And the greatness of your worth in the horizons made me imagine

that, by praising you so little, I was satirizing you.

That with little praise I insult you.

كَفى بِأَنَّكَ مِن قَحطانَ في شَرَفٍ

كَفى بِأَنَّكَ مِن قَحطانَ في شَرَفٍ

وَإِن فَخَرتَ فَكُلٌّ مِن مَواليكا

وَإِن فَخَرتَ فَكُلٌّ مِن مَواليكا

It is honor enough that you are of Qahtan,

It suffices that you are of Qahtan in nobility

and if you boast, everyone is among your dependents.

And if you take pride, they are all your followers.

وَلَو نَقَصتُ كَما قَد زِدتُ مِن كَرَمٍ

وَلَو نَقَصتُ كَما قَد زِدتُ مِن كَرَمٍ

عَلى الوَرى لَرَأَوني مِثلَ شانيكا

عَلى الوَرى لَرَأَوني مِثلَ شانيكا

And had I fallen as far short in generosity as I have risen

And if I diminished as I have increased from generosity

above mankind, they would have seen me as one who hates you.

Over all people, they would see me like you.

لَبّى نَداكَ لَقَد نادى فَأَسمَعَني

لَبّى نَداكَ لَقَد نادى فَأَسمَعَني

يَفديكَ مِن رَجُلٍ صَحبي وَأَفديكا

يَفديكَ مِن رَجُلٍ صَحبي وَأَفديكا

Your bounty answered the call; indeed, it called out and made me hear.

Your call answered me. Indeed, it called and I heard,

My companions would ransom you—what a man you are!—and so would I.

"May he ransom you," from a companion of mine, and I ransom you.

ما زِلتَ تُتبِعُ ما تولي يَداً بِيَدٍ

ما زِلتَ تُتبِعُ ما تولي يَداً بِيَدٍ

حَتّى ظَنَنتُ حَياتي مِن أَياديكا

حَتّى ظَنَنتُ حَياتي مِن أَياديكا

You have never ceased adding to your gifts, favor upon favor,

You continue to follow what you turn your hand to, hand in hand,

until I thought my very life was among your favors.

Until I thought my life was from your hands.

فَإِن تَقُل ها فَعاداتٌ عُرِفتَ بِها

فَإِن تَقُل ها فَعاداتٌ عُرِفتَ بِها

أَو لا فَإِنَّكَ لا يَسخو بِها فوكا

أَو لا فَإِنَّكَ لا يَسخو بِها فوكا

So if you say, 'Take this,' such are the customs you are known for;

So if you say, "These are well-known qualities of yours,"

or 'No'—for your mouth is not generous with that word.

Or not, then you do not lack in nobility.