أَرِقتُ لَنوحٍ آخِرَ اللَيلِ غَرَّدا

لِشَيخِيَ يَنعي وَالرَئيسُ المُسَوَّدا

I stayed up late grieving, singing a sad song,

I lay sleepless for a lamenting voice that cried out at the end of the night,

For my old sheikh who mourned while the president gloated,

Mourning my elder, the chief invested with high authority,

أَبا طالِبٍ مَأوى الصَعاليكَ ذا النَدى

وَذا الحُلُمِ لا خَلقاً وَلم يَكُ قَعدَدا

Abu Talib, refuge of the chivalrous with fresh dew,

Abu Talib, the refuge of the destitute and the possessor of bounty,

Of great dreams, of excellent character, never vulgar,

Possessor of forbearance, not of rash temper, nor was he one to sit idly by.

أَخا المُلكِ خَلِّ ثَلمَةً سَيَسُدُّها

بَنو هاشِمٍ أَو يُستَباحُ فَيَهمَدا

O brother of the king, heal the rift, or it will be closed

O brother of sovereignty, you have left a breach that shall only be filled

By the Hashemites, or else their glory will fade,

By the Banu Hashim, or else it will be ravaged and laid waste.

فَأَمسَت قُرَيشٌ يَفرَحونَ لِفَقدِهِ

وَلَستُ أَرى حُبّاً لِشَيءٍ مُخَلَّدا

The Quraysh rejoiced at his loss,

So the Quraysh have come to rejoice at his loss,

Yet I saw no lasting love for anything immortal,

Yet I see no love for any worldly thing that remains eternal.

أَرادَت أَموراً زَيَّنَتها حُلومُهُم

سَتورِدُهُم يَوماً مِنَ الغَيِّ مَورِدا

They desired things and adorned them with their dreams,

They desired matters which their own delusions made fair,

Which will one day lead them astray into misery,

Which shall one day lead them to a destination of ruin.

يَرجونَ تَكذيبَ النَبِيِّ وَقَتلِهِ

وَإِن يَفتَروا بُهتاً عَلَيهِ وَمُجحَدا

They hope to deny the Prophet and murder him,

They hope to brand the Prophet a liar and to slay him,

And if they falsely accuse him, he is most steadfast,

While they fabricate against him slander and denial.

كَذَبتُم وَبيتِ اللَهِ حَتّى نُذيقَكُم

صُدورَ العَوالي وَالصَفيحَ المُهَنَّدا

You have lied about God’s house until We let you taste

You lie, by the House of God! Not until we make you taste

The bitterness of defeat and coats of mail in battle,

The tips of high spears and the broadswords of Indian steel,

وَيَظهَرُ مِنّا مَنظَرٌ ذو كَريهَةٍ

إِذا ما تَسَربَلنا الحَديدَ المُسرَّدا

You will see a hateful sight from us

And there appears from our side a sight of dread,

When we don our gleaming armaments,

When we clad ourselves in coats of woven iron.

فَإِمّا تُبيدونا وَإِمّا نُبيدُكُم

وَإِمّا تَرَوا سِلمَ العَشيرَةِ أَرشَدا

Either you will destroy us or we will destroy you,

Then either you shall annihilate us, or we shall annihilate you,

Or you will make peace, the most virtuous course,

Unless you deem the peace of the kinsfolk a wiser path.

وَإِلّا فَإِنَّ الحَيَّ دونَ مُحَمَّدٍ

بَنو هاشِمٍ خَيرَ البَرِيَةِ مُحتِدا

If not, the living will defend Muhammad,

Otherwise, know that the tribe stands in defense of Muhammad,

O Hashemites, the best of mankind united,

The Banu Hashim, the noblest of creation in lineage.

وَأَنَّ لَهُ فيكُم مِنَ اللَهِ ناصِراً

وَلَيسَ نَبِيٌّ صاحِبَ اللَهِ أَوحَدا

For he has from God a protector against you,

And that he has, amidst you, a Helper from God;

No prophet is more devoted to God than he,

For a Prophet, the companion of God, is never left alone.

نَبِيٌّ أَتى مِن كُلِّ وَحيٍ بِخُطبَةٍ

فَسَمّاهُ رَبّي في الكِتابِ مُحَمَّدا

A prophet who came with every revelation and sermon,

A Prophet who brought forth a message from every revelation,

Whom my Lord called Muhammad in the Book,

And my Lord named him, in the Scripture, Muhammad.

أَغَرُّ كَضوءِ البَدرِ صُورَةَ وَجهِهِ

جَلا الغَيمُ عَنهُ ضوءَهُ فَتَوَقَّدا

With a face shining like the full moon,

Radiant, his countenance is like the light of the full moon,

Its light uncovered, beaming radiantly,

From which the clouds have parted, revealing a blazing glow.

أَمينٌ عَلى ما اِستَودَعَ اللَهُ قَلبَهُ

وَإِن قالَ قَولاً كانَ فيهِ مُسَدَّداً

Trustworthy with what God has entrusted his heart,

Faithful to that which God has entrusted to his heart,

If he speaks, his words are most sagacious.

And whenever he speaks, his words are guided by truth.