أَيُّها الآمِلُ خَيماتِ النَقا
خَف عَلى قَلبِكَ تِلكَ الحَدَقا
O you who yearn for the tents of Naqa,
Ease your heart from that anxiety,
إِنَّ سِرباً حُشِيَ الخَيمُ بِهِ
رُبَّما غَرَّكَ حَتّى تَرمُقا
For the tents are filled with a flock
That may deceive you if you aspire.
لا تُثِرها فِتنَةً مِن رَبرَبٍ
تُرعِدُ الأُسدُ لَدَيهِ فَرَقا
Do not arouse them to temptations
At which even lions shudder in fear.
وَاِنجُ عَنها لَحظَةً سَهمِيَّةً
طالَ ما بَلَّت رِدائي عَلَقا
And avoid their bewitching glance
For long has my cloak been torn by their claws.
وَإِذا قيلَ نَجا الرَكبُ فَقُل
كَيفَما سالَمَ تِلكَ الطُرُقا
And if it is said the caravan survived, say
However did those roads find safety?
يا رُماةَ الحَيِّ مَوهوبٌ لَكُم
ما سَفَكتُم مِن دَمي يَومَ النَفا
O archers of life, forgiveness upon you
For the blood of mine you shed that day,
ما تَعَمَّدتُم وَلكِن سَبَبٌ
قَرَّبَ الحَينَ وَأَمرٌ سَبَقا
You did not intend it, but it was fate
That brought the time and a foregone decree,
وَاِلتِفاتاتٌ تَلَقَّت عَرَضاً
مَقتَلَ الصبِّ فَخلَّتهُ لَقى
And diversions that met a chance
To kill the youth and left him lying dead.
آهِ مِن جَفنٍ قَريحٍ بَعدَكُم
يَشتَكي خَدّايَ مِنهُ الغَرَقا
Ah! After you my aching eyelids
Complain that my cheeks are drowning.
وَحَشا غَيرِ قَريرٍ كُلَّما
رُمتُ أَن يَهدَأَ عَنكُم خَفَقا
And a heart desolate whenever
I hoped it would stop pulsating for you.
وَفُؤادٍ لَم أَضَع قَطُّ يَدي
فَوقَهُ خِيفَة أَن تَحتَرِقا
And a spirit I never dared to place
My hand upon, fearing it would ignite.
ما لِنَجمٍ عَكَفَت عَيني عَلى
رَعيِهِ لَيسَ يَرِيمُ الأُفُقا
What star did my eyes observe
Herding, that does not roam the horizon?
وَلِعَينٍ خَلَعَت فيكَ الكَرى
كَيفَ لَم تَخلَع عَلَيكَ الأَرَقا
And what eye did I wear out for you
That did not wear out sleeplessness for you?
أَيُّها اللُوّامُ ما أَهدَأَكُم
عَن قُلوبٍ أَسهَرَتنا قَلَقا
O blamers! Why are you not calmed
From hearts that have kept us restless?
ما الَّذي تَبغُونَ مِن تَعذِيبِها
بَعدَما ذابَت عَلَيكُم حُرَقا
What more do you want to torture them
After they have melted for you in passion?
قَومَنا فُوزوا بِسُلوانِكُمُ
وَدَعُوا بِاللَهِ مِن تَشوَّقا
Our people, be content with your charm
And for God's sake cease your allure.
وَاِرحَموا في غَسَقِ الظَلماءِ مَن
باتَ بِالدَمعِ يَبُلُّ الغَسَقا
And have mercy in the darkness of night on one
Who passes the night shedding tears that drench the darkness.
عَلِّلُونا بِالمُنى مِنكُم وَلَو
بِخَيالٍ مِنكُمُ أَن يَطرُقا
Give us fulfillment from you, even if
Just an apparition of you were to pass by.
وَعِدُونا بِلِقاءٍ مِنكُمُ
فَكَثيرٌ مِنكُمُ ذِكرُ اللِقا
And promise us a meeting with you
For many of you are oft-remembered.
لَو خَشِينا الجَورَ مِن جيرَتِنا
لَاِنتَصَفنا قَبلَ أَن نَفتَرِقا
Had we feared injustice from our neighbors
We would have sought justice before we parted.
وَاِصطَبَحنا الآنَ مِن فَضلَةِ ما
قَد شَرِبنا ذلِكَ المُغتَبَقا
And now we live on remnants
Of what we once drank in gulps.
فَسَقى اللَهُ عَشِيّاتِ الحِمى
وَالحِمى أَكرَم هَطّالٍ سَقى
So God watered the evenings of ardour
And ardour is the most generous rain.
قَد رُزِقناها وَكانَت عيشَةً
قَلَّما فازَ بِها مَن رُزِقا
We were granted it as our livelihood
Rarely attained by those granted.
لا وَسَهمٍ جاءَ مِن نَحوِكُمُ
إِنَّهُ أَقتَلُ سَهمٍ فُوِّقا
Neither arrows nor goods came from you
They are the most murderous arrows aimed.
وَحُلى نَجدٍ سَنُجري ذِكرَها
أَوسَعَتنا في الهَوى مُرتَفَقا
As for the adornments of Najd, we will recount them,
They have given us vast room for passion.
ما حَلا بَعدَكُم العَيشُ لَنا
مُذ تَباعَدتُم وَلا طابَ البَقا
Life after you is not sweet to us
Since you left and wellbeing departed.
فَمَنِ المُنبي إِلَينا خَبَراً
وَعَلى مُخبِرِنا أَن يَصدُقا
So who will inform us of news
And inform us truthfully?
هَل دَرَت بابِلُ أَنّا فِئَةٌ
تَجعَلُ السِحرَ مِنَ السِحرِ رُقى
Does Babylon know we are a band
Who make a charm of charms a remedy?
نَنقُشُ الآيَةَ في أَضلاعِنا
فَتَقينا كُلَّ شَيءٍ يُتَّقى
We carve the verse on our ribs
Thus protecting us from all that must be avoided,
مِن بَنانِ الوَزَرِ الأَعلى الَّذي
يُخجِلُ السِحرَ إِذا ما نَطَقا
With the supreme authority of the Minister
Before whom magic bows when it speaks.
