طاف هم القَلب واشتد البَلا
كُل ما قُلنا غَدا طال الأَمَد
My heart is restless, anguish intensifies
All our talk has stretched time out endlessly
لَو بيدي المَوت أَنا عُمري بِلا
وَآهنوا اللي مع الناوي يَمد
If I had power over death, my life would cease
They sympathized, who's with the determined ally
انعطف دَمعي عَلى خَدي شَلا
وَأَشعَلت في ضامِري نار الوَجد
My tears turned aside upon my cheek distracted
And kindled within my withering being the fire of passion
خانَني الدَهر المشقا وَيشلا
تاقطع جمارنا اجهد وَجد
Fate betrayed me with hardship and weakness
Our landmarks collapsed, exerting and suffering
طاف هم القَلب عاروس العُلا
عاسماً سيناب مثل الغيم سَد
My heart wandered, a doe of loftiness
Thirsty, like a rain cloud sealed off
ضاع عُمري بَينَ لا عل وَعُلا
وَالفَرج بوجوهنا بابو اِنسَد
My life was lost between having and not having
And salvation seems shut off from our faces
وَارزم الدلال من وَجدي وَغَلا
فَوق ملال العضا حط الفؤاد
And the guide clung from my passion and fervor
So the heart sat above the litter of bones
سُوم نَفسي بِفلس عِندي بالغَلا
وَإِن شروها قلت أَنا فيها فواد
I blamed my soul for being completely destitute
And if they buy it, I say “I have nothing in it”
هاج قَلبي وَماج مِن وَجدي وَمَلا
وَطاف بَحر الفَن بِموجه زبد
My heart was turbulent and churned from my fervor and affliction
And the sea of art foamed with its waves
وَالقَلم مِن فُوق طَليحة مَلا
بُيوت اللي يفهموا ند وَزباد
And the pen flowed above the smooth paper
To homes of those who understand melody and discord
يا قَلب ما حل بالي يَنسلا
خلنا في همنا حِنا بعاد
Oh heart, what has befallen me to slip away
We were left in our worries completely distant
قال شَحمي من غَرامي اِنسلا
لَو وَطنا بَعد مضموني بعاد
My fat melted away from my passion
If we stayed after what we'd agreed upon, distant
يا قَلب جَرحي غَفر عاشلشلا
حاض ما نفع المَراهم وَالضماد
Oh heart, my wound almost healed entirely
Potions didn't help, or bandages
كان أَبو المَضمود بَعدي شلشلا
مُت مِن وَجدي بِلا مَد وَضماد
Abu al-Mudawwad after me was in tatters
Dying from my passion without respite or bandages
يا مَهد لف ليش ضيقت الفَلا
طيع شوري وَجوز يكفانا نكاد
Oh shelter, why did you constrict opportunity
Obey my opinion and permit what we're scarcely able to
قال لي ما طُول أَنا غايب فَلا
نَستَطيع الصَبر وَالسَلوى نكاد
He said to me, “I won't be absent long
We can't bear patience and solace, we're scarcely able”
يا قَلب لَو لآن صَوتي زَلزَلا
ما فَزع عاصياً حِنا مِنهُم جِياد
Oh heart, if only now my voice would shake the earth
The disobedient among them wouldn't panic at all from us
لَو دُموعي فيض هُم الزَلزَلا
ما يفكون التُرك مِنا جِياد
If only my tears were a torrential flood
The Turks wouldn't be saved from us at all
طيعني ما غَير هُون وَأَقبَلا
وَاتعظ وَالصَبر للإِنسان زاد
Obey me, this is no more than an opportunity, draw near
And be warned, patience for a man is provision
قال لي مَمدوح باشا أَقبَلا
ذول شيل هُمومهم عَالكُل زاد
Al-Mamduh Pasha said to me, “Draw near
Take on their worries, for all is provision”
قُلت ذولي عجهم ملا الخَلا
تَقارضوا وَمِن كيسنا صار السَداد
I said, “Their minds are full of hallucinations
They divided up and our purse paid the debts”
قال سَعدك بِالقَدر يَوم إِن خَلا
صار بر الشام في وَجهك سَداد
He said, “May your happiness in fate be when worries cease
The land of Syria will show goodwill to your face”
قُلت سَعدي قفل شال وَحملا
يَوم نخنا عِندَما شب الطراد
I said, “My happiness is to strap on my sword belt
When we were at Uthman's, the hunting dog grew up”
لَو صوافنا عليهم حَملا
كان أَحلى مِن شُرب شَهد الطراد
If I had attacked them, it would have been sweeter
Than drinking the honey of hunting dogs
قال لَوم النفس ما يَجني حَلا
ذوق طَعم الترك يا عفن الولاد
He said, “Blaming the self brings no solutions
Taste the flavor of the Turks, O rotten boy”
لَو تشوبش يُوم غَنوا ما حَلا
كان ما جابوا الحَراير وَالولاد
If they were chopped up the day they wailed, no problems
Would have brought the silk clothes or children
قُلت ربعي اللي حدوني عالبلا
العامية شيوخهم كثر الجَراد
I said, “My quarter that drove me to misery
—Their chiefs—locusts multiplied”
قال خير مِن المَقابر وَالبَلا
وَاهنوا اللي مع العانة جرد
He said, “Better than graves and problems
They're with the weakling, stripped naked”
كان ما صاد الشبك يُوم اِنصَلا
وَلو اتثق بالأَيمان خوان العهاد
The net wouldn't have caught any fish the day it was cast
If those oath-swearers were trusted
قُلت شاخوا بالشَباب الهملا
وَالوباش تقلطوا فُوق الشداد
I said, “They grew old in their prime, worrying
The rabble played above the dams”
ضيعوا حوران مثل الهملا
وَحسبوا مِن غير مرساهم شداد
They lost maidens like worrying old men
And reckoned without any marked roads
يا قَلب مَن كانَ يَمشي أَولا
لَو بحوران العدية أَلف جاد
Oh heart, whoever walked foremost
If we had a thousand horsemen from the Edeyyat
شُوف كيف الربع خلونا أَولا
وَبات من ضيم الرفاقا بي وَجاد
See how the quarter left me walking first
And I spent the night, my friend, from the oppression of comrades
قال أَخير وَمية آية منَزِلا
وَحَق خلاق الكَواكب وَالشداد
He said, “Finally, a revelation sent down
By the right of the Creator of stars and thickets
مَن الَّذي جاب الرَجل مِن منزلا
ببوق ما هوَ عانِقاً وَعدو شداد
Who was it brought man from his home
With a trumpet, not embracing and a friend to thickets
قَلتلو يا قَلب بلكي ينجلا
هَمنا وَنعود عا بلاد الجَواد
I said to him, “Oh heart, maybe our worries will disappear
And we'll return to the land of steeds”
قال بحر اللي عن وَطانو جَلا
وَعاد أَما جرحنا معضم جَواد
He said, “More distant than the sea from his homeland
Yet still our wound festers, bound tight”
قلتلو أَيوب من قبلي اِبتَلا
وَيوسف الصديق عايعقوب عاد
I said to him, “Ayyub before me was tested
And Joseph the truthful returned to Jacob”
قال ذولي عزمهم ما يبتلا
مثل عزمك لابتلى الحواب عاد
He said, “They were unshakable in purpose
Not like your purpose—the foolish are confused”
ذول من أَهل العَزايم وَالوَلا
ذو من أَهل الخصاصة وَالرَشاد
They are people of determination and loyalty
While you are people of inadequacy and integrity
ما يقاسوا للذي زَينوا وَلا
ذوقوا بَعد الحَلا زوم الرَشاد
They don't compare to what they decorated and elevated
Nor tasted after sweetness harsh integrity
قال مثلك أَنتَ سُكان الفَلا
العشاير شوف خلوها رَماد
He said, “You're like yourself, people of the opportunity
The Bedouins, see how they left you as ashes”
كَم صَدر الحُكم بالخونة فَلا
وَالَّذي ما يشوف بعيونو رَمد
How often the unjust judge ruled against opportunity
By one who doesn't see with his eyes—he has cataracts
غَير رَبك بالخفية من علا
يحلها من فوق حَلال العقد
Except your Lord in secret supreme
Who permits it from above lawful accord
يرحم اللي طاح يدوي من علا
وَشاف عج المَوت مِن فوقو عقد
May He have mercy on one who falls, calling from the height
And sees before him the terror of death knotted
بَعد ذا شديت هجنا حيلا
نيتي لنهم يَقضوا لي مَراد
After this, I roused my indignation intensely
My intention, to fulfill my wish
فَوقَهم طَقم البريسم كللا
وَالكَوار مرصعة مثل البَرد
Against them the brass stirrups all
And the helmets studded like hailstones
وَانحرون المير حيث الكُل أَلا
اسجدوا عالأرض وَاعطوه البَرد
And they bow down to the ground and give him hailstones
Make them prostrate on the ground of our misery
سهجوهم بِأَرض نشحين المَلا
وَزملون الدَرب مِن عِندي طراد
And block their road from me with barricades
Take your taxes and take your property
تَزهبوا وَخراجكم خذوا مَلا
الضَيف عِندَ التُرك لاجا يَنطرد
The guest with the Turks isn't driven away
In the morning, from the cedars, rise for me
الصُبح مِن سيناب قوموا لي عَلى
هجن ضمر مثل غُزلان الحَماد
Indignation suppressed like the pigeons
And cut down the mounts there where all
وَانحروا هك الرَوابي وَالعُلا
الدَرب عالقيصر وَضيفوا بِهِ حماد
Bow down to the ground and host him pigeons
From dawn when the caller declares “God is great”
مِن الفَجر يَوم المؤذن هَللا
ثُوروا من عند أَخو شيخا حَمَد
Rebel from among Brother Shaykh's pillars
They have no sanctuaries in the land of the Turks
ما لَهم بِأَرض التُرك مهللا
نحروهم أَدنا قبلي حَماد
Slaughter them, draw near before pigeons
To Aleppo they go through wasteland and plain
عا حلب يَمشوا بقفار وَسَهلا
وَظَنتي يَلفون جلق عَالبراد
And I thought they'd find a frozen body on the threshold
Satisfied, settled, hello and welcome
ريضوا ميتين أَهلاً وَسَهلا
وَريحوا بِالشام موردها براد
And relieved in Syria, their destination is coolness
The next day when night and shadows mixed
يوم تالي الليل وَالضَو اِنجَلا
تَقهقروني فَوق عمدان الشداد
They turned me back atop the columns
And they cut down the beauty of our minaret and it leaned over
وِاِنحَروا زبن المجنا وَإِن جَلا
أَمير قَيس اللَيث خواض الشداد
Prince Qais the lion, wader in thickets
Residing in Lebanon, crown of loftiness
مقيم في لُبنان تاج أَم العلا
خاص من عالي الرُتب أَباً وجد
Special privilege of highest rank, father and grandfather
After they brought the coins, even if to
بَعد ما جابوا الدَراهم لَو عَلى
وَعا الَّذي من حوكنا مالو وَجد
The one from our rulers who has money and fervor
Take comfort and return my mounts
نُوخوا وَأَردوا صَوافي منهلا
وَاشرحولو كيف خَلونا بداد
And explain to him how we were left uncivilized
And manliness they inherited from those
وَالمُروءة قَد ورثها من هلا
خاص من عالي الرُتب بين البداد
Special privilege of highest rank among the uncivilized
Cry out and call the magnificent prince
إِصرَخوا وَانخوا الأَمير الهايلا
مصطَفى من آل رَسلان الطَواد
Mustafa from the family of Raslan, the noble horses
Unraveling hardships from grievances, ah!
المعضلات من النَوايب هاي لا
ما اِندرق عَن مثلنا في طواد
None like us falters among horses
The knight of knights, shepherd of loftiness
عَنتر الفُرسان راعي الأَولا
حاتمي الأَخلاق من طبعو جَواد
Nature's most noble, from a lineage of horses
If he scolds you, it satisfies you, if he says no or yes
إِن نادبك يرضيك إِن قلك وَلا
وَبِالكَرَم ينطي الدَراهم وَالجَواد
With nobility, he scatters coins and horses
The champion of the age, eminent prince
بهلوان الدهر أَمير مبجلا
صاحب الرايات إِن ضاقَ النَفاد
Master of banners, when supplies run out
Cut down cypress branches, their luster is in splendor
زبن غطروفاً زَها لَهُ بِالجَلا
مخدراً عارنكها خشف النفاد
Stupefying the enemy, very thick branches
The noble one doesn't ask when you need
الكَريم بحاجتك لا تَسألا
لَو نظركم وَالتفت يَقضي المراد
Only your glance and he fulfills wishes
I thought you weren't preoccupied with our matter
ظنتي عَن شغلنا ماله سَلا
أَم ببر الترك بَعد النا مراد
Or in the land of the Turks, after us, wishes
Respond, oh lord of the mountain, to one who stumbled
رد يا مير الجبل عااللي اِنشلا
وَالفَتى لا رَد عاضن بِالشراد
The gallant doesn't refuse one fallen in thickets
He relieves the drowning, a foot slips
يفرج الغرقان رجلا ينشلا
وَغير بي فكو للمسر كل ايش راد
Others understand the captive's every wish
If your call didn't let us taste sweetness
إِن كانَ من ناديك ماذُقنا حلا
لازم أَنا ننشر الراية سَواد
I must spread the banner, blackness
The captive, his body melted and collapsed
المسركل ذاب جسمو وَاِنحَلا
تاه رَأيه وَضاع ما بين السَواد
His mind wandered, lost amid the blackness
Then pray for the Messenger, the chosen
ثُمَ صَلوا عالنبي المُرسَلا
المُصطَفى المَبعوث مِن قبل وَبَعد
Mustafa, sent before and after
To inspire the sultan with a chosen order
يلهم السُلطان بِأَمر مُرسَلا
يَرجع المثلي عَن وَطانو بَعد
To return the likes of me to his homeland
