نَغَمات عودي لا تُملُّ لأنها

شعرٌ يفيض عواطفاً وشعورا

The melodies of my oud do not weary, for they

The melodies of my oud never tire, for they are

Are poetry overflowing with emotions and feelings.

poetry overflowing with emotions and feeling.

نغماتُ عودي لا تملُّ لأنها

لغة الملائك إذ تُناجي الحورا

The melodies of my oud do not weary, for they

The melodies of my oud never tire, for they are

Are the language of angels conversing with huris.

the language of angels whispering to the houris.

همستْ بها الأرواح في ملكوتها

شدْواً أرقَّ من الصبا وزفيرا

The spirits have whispered in it in their domain

Souls whispered them in their heavenly realm,

A song more delicate than youth and breeze.

a song gentler than the morning breeze and its sigh.

يوحي إليَّ من الخيال بدائعاً

ويهزُّ أعطافي هوىً وسرورا

It evokes in me wonderful imagination,

It inspires me with the wonders of imagination,

And stirs in me passion and joy.

and sways my whole being with passion and joy.

في ظلمة الأحزان من نغماته

نفسي الحزينة تستعير النورا

In the darkness of sorrows, from its melodies

In the darkness of sorrow, from its melodies,

My saddened soul borrows light.

my grieving soul borrows light.

أحنو عليه معانقاً متنهداً

فكأنني أمٌّ تضمُّ صغيرا

I lean towards it embracing and sighing,

I bend over it, embracing it and sighing,

As if I were a mother holding her little one.

as though I were a mother holding her little one.

وأبثُّه شكوى الهوى فأخاله

يبكي عليّ متيماً مهجورا

And I tell it the love's complaints, imagining

I pour out to it my complaints of love, and imagine it

It weeping for me, yearning and abandoned.

weeping for me, an infatuated and forsaken lover.

سله عن الزمن الخئون وأهله

تَرَه عليماً بالزمان خبيرا

Ask it about the gloomy time and its people,

Ask it about the treacherous era and its people,

You'll find it knowledgeable of times, experienced.

you will find it wise and well-versed in the ways of time.

شهد القرون الماضيات وصافحت

أوتارُه السفاحَ والمنصورا

It witnessed past eras and shook hands

It witnessed the bygone centuries, as its strings

With its strings with killers and kings.

shook hands with As-Saffah and Al-Mansur.

ورأى حضارة جِلقٍ وجلالها

والملك في تلك الربوع كبيرا

And saw the civilization of Jilq and its glory,

It saw the civilization of Jilliq and its majesty,

And the great king in those lands.

and the vast greatness of the kingdom in those lands,

إذ ماء جلقَ كالرحيق عذوبة

وظباءُ جلّق كالشموس سفورا

When Jilq's water was sweet like nectar,

when the water of Jilliq was as sweet as nectar,

And Jilq's antelopes radiant like suns.

and the gazelles of Jilliq shone unveiled like suns.

سلب الزمان ملوكَ غسانٍ بها

تاجاً يُشعُ سناؤهُ وسريرا

Time robbed Ghassan's kings in it

Time robbed the kings of Ghassan within it

Of a crown whose brilliance and throne shone.

of a radiantly glowing crown and a royal throne.

يا لاثماً فيها الثرى من حُبّه

أعلمتَ أنك تلثم الكافورا؟

Oh kissing its soil passionately,

O you who kiss the soil there out of love,

Did you know you were kissing camphor?

did you know that you are kissing camphor?

ومعانقاً أغصانها من شوقه

أعلمت أنك قد ضممتَ خُصورا

And embracing its branches fervently,

And you who embrace its branches out of longing,

Did you know you were hugging slender waists?

did you know that you are holding waists?

هذا صلاحُ الدين فاخشعْ، إنه

ملكُ الملوك مسالماً ومُغيرا

This is Salahuddin, so bow in humility,

This is Saladin; stand in reverence, for he is

He is the king of kings, peaceful and warrior.

the king of kings, both in peace and in battle.

طافَ الجلال به مليكاً فاتحاً

حيّاً، وطاف بلحده مقبورا

Glory revolved around him conquering alive,

Majesty encompassed him as a conquering king

And around his grave buried dead.

in life, and hovered around his tomb in death.

فالثم ثراه فقد لثمتَ خميلةً

للمكرمات وقد نشقتَ عبيرا

So kiss his soil for you would have kissed a beloved

So kiss his earth, for you have kissed a garden

Of graciousness and you would have inhaled perfume.

of noble deeds, and inhaled its sweet fragrance.

واهتفْ لدى القبر النديّ مردّداً

بفنائِه التهليلَ والتكبيرا

And chant at the generous tomb repeating

And cry out at the dewy tomb, echoing

Glorifications and testimonies of God's oneness.

in its courtyard the Tahleel and the Takbeer.

ليثُ المعامعِ وهو أوّل آسرٍ

صِيدَ الفوارسِ كيف صار أسيراً؟

The lion of shining swords, the first captive

The lion of the battles, the foremost captor

Of horsemen, how did he become captive?

of the proudest knights—how has he become a captive?