أَيا خَدَّدَ اللَهُ وَردَ الخُدودِ

وَقَدَّ قُدودَ الحِسانِ القُدودِ

O He who shaped the cheeks and returned the rosiness,

O how God has etched the roses into the cheeks,

And bestowed the perfection of beauty upon the perfect ones.

And shaped the slender figures of the beauties like lances.

فَهُنَّ أَسَلنَ دَماً مُقلَتي

وَعَذَّبنَ قَلبي بِطولِ الصُدودِ

So they shed my blood tearfully,

For they have made my eyes pour forth with blood,

And tormented my heart with prolonged estrangement.

And tortured my heart with their endless estrangement.

وَكَم لِلهَوى مِن فَتىً مُدنَفٍ

وَكَم لِلنَوى مِن قَتيلٍ شَهيدِ

And how many enamored youths there are for passion,

How many a wasting youth falls victim to desire,

And how many slain victims there are for resolve.

And how many a martyr is claimed by separation's distance.

فَواحَسرَتا ما أَمَرَّ الفِراقَ

وَأَعلَقَ نيرانَهُ بِالكُبودِ

So alas for the bitterness of parting,

O, the sorrow! How bitter is the taste of parting,

And its fires clinging to the livers.

And how it kindles its fires deep within the vitals.

وَأَغرى الصَبابَةَ بِالعاشِقينَ

وَأَقتَلَها لِلمُحِبِّ العَميدِ

And it deceived the young ones with the lovers,

It incites a consuming passion against the lovers,

And killed them for the sake of the beloved friend.

And proves most deadly to the lovelorn heart.

وَأَلهَجَ نَفسي لِغَيرِ الخَنا

بِحُبِّ ذَواتِ اللَمى وَالنُهودِ

And it made my soul desire other than reproach

It has enamored my soul—for no vice or sin—

With love for the gazelles with slender waists.

With the love of dark-lipped maidens and high-breasted beauty.

فَكانَت وَكُنّا فِداءَ الأَميرِ

وَلا زالَ مِن نِعمَةٍ في مَزيدِ

So they were and we were ransomed for the prince,

Yet let them and us be a ransom for the Prince,

And his favors are never decreasing, always increasing.

And may his blessings forever continue to increase.

لَقَد حالَ بِالسَيفِ دونَ الوَعيدِ

وَحالَت عَطاياهُ دونَ الوُعودِ

Indeed, he came between the threat and its execution with the sword,

With the sword, he has forestalled the enemy's threat,

And his gifts came between the promises and fulfillment.

While his gifts arrive before a promise is even made.

فَأَنجُمُ أَموالِهِ في النُحوسِ

وَأَنجُمُ سُؤَلِهِ في السُعودِ

So I hope for the best in his possessions during misfortunes,

Thus the stars of his wealth are in eclipse and decline,

And I hope for the best in his requests during ease.

While the stars of his petitioners rise in felicity.

وَلَو لَم أَخَف غَيرَ أَعدائِهِ

عَلَيهِ لَبَشَّرتُهُ بِالخُلودِ

And were I not to fear others besides his enemies over him

Were I to fear for him nothing but his foes,

I would have given him glad tidings of immortality.

I would herald him with tidings of immortality.

رَمى حَلَباً بِنَواصي الخُيولِ

وَسُمرٍ يُرِقنَ دَماً في الصَعيدِ

He aimed Halab with the bridles of horses,

He cast the forelocks of war-horses against Aleppo,

And brown swords that shed blood in the plains.

And brown lances that spill blood upon the highlands,

وَبيضٍ مُسافِرَةٍ ما يُقِم

نَ لا في الرِقابِ وَلا في الغُمودِ

And white traveling ones that do not settle

And white traveling blades that never settle—

Either in necks or in skulls.

Dwelling neither in severed necks nor in their sheaths.

يَقُدنَ الفَناءَ غَداةَ اللِقاءِ

إِلى كُلِّ جَيشٍ كَثيرِ العَديدِ

Leading to annihilation after the encounter

They lead annihilation on the morning of the clash

To every army numerous and well-equipped.

Against every army, no matter its vast number.

فَوَلّى بِأَشياعِهِ الخَرشَنِيُّ

كَشاءٍ أَحَسَّ بِزَأرِ الأُسودِ

So Al-Kharshani fled with his supporters

So Al-Kharshani turned his back with his cohorts,

Like a lion who sensed the roar of lions.

Fleeing like sheep that sense the roar of lions;

يُرَونَ مِنَ الذُعرِ صَوتَ الرِياحِ

صَهيلَ الجِيادِ وَخَفقَ البُنودِ

They see in fright the sound of the winds,

In terror, they mistake the howling of the wind

The neighing of the steeds and the fluttering of the banners.

For the neighing of steeds and the fluttering of banners.

فَمَن كَالأَميرِ اِبنِ بِنتِ الأَميـ

ـرِ أَو مَن كَآبائِهِ وَالجُدودِ

So who is like the prince son of the daughter of the prince

Who is like the Prince, the son of the daughter of the Prince?

Or like his forefathers and ancestors?

Or who compares to his fathers and noble ancestors?

سَعَوا لِلمَعالي وَهُم صِبيَةٌ

وَسادوا وَجادوا وَهُم في المُهودِ

They aspired to high glories when they were children,

They strove for glory while yet but children,

And they presided and were generous when they were infants.

And ruled and gave freely while still in their cradles.

أَمالِكَ رِقّي وَمَن شَأنُهُ

هِباتُ اللُجَينِ وَعِتقُ العَبيدِ

My sovereign to whom it is proper

O master of my bondage, whose nature it is

To give gifts and emancipate slaves.

To bestow silver gifts and set captives free:

دَعَوتُكَ عِندَ اِنقِطاعِ الرَجا

ءِ وَالمَوتُ مِنّي كَحَبلِ الوَريدِ

I called upon you when hopes were cut off

I called to you when every strand of hope was cut,

And death was as near to me as my jugular vein.

And death loomed closer than my jugular vein.

دَعَوتُكَ لَمّا بَراني البَلاءُ

وَأَوهَنَ رِجلَيَّ ثِقلُ الحَديدِ

I called upon you when affliction befell me

I called you when affliction had whittled me away,

And the weight of iron weakened my legs.

And the heavy weight of iron had weakened my legs.

وَقَد كانَ مَشيُهُما في النِعالِ

فَقَد صارَ مَشيُهُما في القُيودِ

While their walking was in slippers

Once their custom was to walk in soft sandals,

Their walking became in shackles.

But now they must drag themselves forward in chains.

وَكُنتُ مِنَ الناسِ في مَحفِلٍ

فَها أَنا في مَحفِلٍ مِن قُرودِ

While I was among people in an assembly

I was once in a gathering among noble men,

Hastening the applicability of penal laws upon me

But behold me now, surrounded by a troop of apes.

تُعَجِّلُ فِيَّ وُجوبَ الحُدودِ

وَحَدّي قُبَيلَ وُجوبِ السُجودِ

And my limit just before prostration.

You hasten to execute the sentence upon me,

And it was said you transgressed upon people

While my rank predates the command to bow in prayer.

وَقيلَ عَدَوتَ عَلى العالَميـ

ـنَ بَينَ وِلادي وَبَينَ القُعودِ

Between me sitting and standing up.

They say I transgressed against all the world—

So why do you accept the untruthful words

From the moment of my birth to the days of my youth.

فَما لَكَ تَقبَلُ زورَ الكَلامِ

وَقَدرُ الشَهادَةِ قَدرُ الشُهودِ

When the value of testimony is that of witnesses?

Why then do you listen to words spoken falsely,

So do not listen to the false accusers,

When a testimony is only as true as the witness?

فَلا تَسمَعَنَّ مِنَ الكاشِحينَ

وَلا تَعبَأَنَّ بِمَحكِ اليَهودِ

And do not care for the judgement of Jews.

Do not lend your ear to the haters' malice,

And distinguish between a claim I wanted

And pay no heed to the stubborn disputes of the Jews.

وَكُن فارِقاً بَينَ دَعوى أَرَدتُ

وَدَعوى فَعَلتُ بِشَأوٍ بَعيدِ

And a claim I did in a far fetched manner.

Distinguish the gulf between the claim "I intended,"

And in your generous hands is what you gifted me

And the claim "I performed"—a vast distance lies between.

وَفي جودِ كَفَّيكَ ما جُدتَ لي

بِنَفسي وَلَو كُنتُ أَشقى ثَمودِ

With myself even if I were the most wretched Thamud.

In the bounty of your hands lies the gift you granted me:

My very life—even were I the most wretched of Thamud.