أَلا يا بانَةَ الوادي

بِشاطي نَهرِ بَغدادِ

O you who dwell in the valley,

Along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad,

شَجاني فيكِ مَيّادٌ

طَروبٌ فَوقَ مَيّادِ

You have stirred passion within me,

An ecstasy above passion.

يُذَكِّرُني تَرَنُّمُهُ

تَرَنُّمَ رَبَّةِ النادي

Your murmuring reminds me

Of the murmuring of the lady of the house,

إِذا اِستَوَت مَثالِثُها

فَلا تَذكُر أَخا الهادي

When her likeness comes to mind,

Do not mention my brother al-Hadi.

وَإِن جادَت بِنَغمَتِها

فَمِن أَنجِشَةِ الحادي

And if she sings with her melody,

It is like the wailing of the bereaved one.

بِذي الخَصَماتِ مِن سَلمى

يَميناً ثُمَّ سِندادِ

With the one full of grievances against Salma,

Now on the right, then on the left.

لَقَد أَصبَحتُ مَشغوفاً

بِمَن سَكَنَت بِأَجيادِ

Indeed I have become enamored

With she who dwelt among the steeds.

غَلِطنا إِنَّما سَكَنَت

سُوَيدا خِلبِ أَكبادِ

We were wrong, she dwelt

Among the black sheep.

لَقَد تاهَ الجَمالُ بِها

وَفاحَ المِسكُ وَالحادي

Beauty itself has gone astray through her,

And the musk and the bereaved one smell her scent.