أَيا وادِيَ الأَحبابِ سُقّيتَ وادِياً

وَلا زِلتَ مَسقِيّاً وَإِن كُنتَ خالِيا

O valley of loved ones, you were watered as a valley

And remained watering though you were empty

فَلا تَنسَ أَطلالَ الدُجَيلِ وَمائَهُ

وَلا نَخَلاتِ الدَيرِ إِن كُنتَ ساقِيا

So do not forget the ruins of Dujail and its water

Nor the palms of the monastery if you were a waterer

أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ قَد لَبِستُ ظِلالَهُ

كَما أَغمَدَ القَينُ الحُسامَ اليَمانِيا

Oh, how many days have I worn its shadows

As the sheath donned the Yemeni sword

وَلَم أَنسَ قُمرِيَّ الحَمامِ عَشِيَّةً

عَلى فَرعِها تَدعو الحَمامَ البَواكِيا

And I did not forget my moonlike dove in the evening

On its branch, it calls the cooing doves

إِذا ما جَرى حاكَت رِياضَ أَزاهِرٍ

جَوانِبُهُ وَاِنصاعَ في الأَرضِ جارِيا

When it flows describing gardens of flowers

Its banks and pouring smoothly on the ground

وَإِن ثَقَبَتهُ العَينُ لاقَت قَرارَهُ

تَخالُ الحَصى فيها نُجوماً رَواسِيا

And if the eye penetrated it, it found its rest

The pebbles in it seem to be twinkling stars

فَيالَكَ شَوقاً بَعدَ ما كِدتُ أَرعَوي

وَأَهجُرُ أَسبابَ الهَوى وَالتَصابِيا

So longing for you after I almost herded

And abandoned the causes of love and accord

وَأَصبَحتُ أَرفو الشَيبَ وَهوَ مُرَقَّعٌ

عَلَيَّ وَأُخفي مِنهُ ما لَيسَ خافِيا

And I woke up with speckled gray hair

Sprinkled on me, though I concealed what was not hidden

وَقَد كادَ يَكسوني الشَبابُ جَناحَهُ

فَقَد حادَ عَن رَأسي وَخَلَّفَ ماضِيا

And youth almost covered me with its wing

But it has deviated from my head leaving the past

مَضى فَمَضى طيبُ الحَياةِ وَأُسخِطَت

خَلائِقُ دُنيا كُنتُ عَنهُنَّ راضِيا

The prime of life is gone so it's gone

And I've been angered by the dispositions of a world I was once pleased with

وَلَم آتِ ما قَد حَرَّمَ اللَهُ في الهَوى

وَلَم أَتَّرِك مِمّا عَفا اللَهُ باقِيا

And I did not attain what God has forbidden in love

Nor did I abandon what God has left remaining

إِذا ما تَمَشَّت فِيَّ عَينُ خَريدَةٍ

فَلَيسَت تَخَطّاني إِلى مَن وَرائِيا

When the eye of a flirtatious one walked on me

It does not look beyond me to who's behind me

فَيا عاذِلي دَعني وَشَأني وَلا تَكُن

شَجٍ في الَّذي أَهوى وَدَعني لِما بِيا

So my critic leave me and my affairs and do not be

Harsh regarding who I love and leave me to what's in me

وَلَيلٍ كَجِلبابِ الشَبابِ قَطَعتَهُ

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ لا تَمَلُّ الأَمانِيا

And a night the cloak of youth you've torn

With honest lads who never tire of wishes

سَروا ثُمَّ حَطّوا عَن قُلاصٍ خَوامِسٍ

كَما عَطَلَ الرامي القَسِيَّ الحَوانِيا

They walked proudly then descended from a barren hill

As the archer disabled the strong bow

أَلَم تَعلَما يا عاذِلَيَّ بِأَنَّما

يَمينِيَ مَرعىً في النَدى وَشِمالِيا

Do you not know, O my critic, that my right side

Is pastureland in the dew and my left protection

وَأَعدَدتُ لِلحَربِ العَوانِ طِمِرَّةً

وَأَسمَرَ مَطرورَ الحَديدَةِ عالِيا

And I prepared for war helpers

And the brownish polished swordsman ascended

وَلا بُدَّ مِن حَتفٍ يُلاقيكَ يَومُهُ

فَلا تَجزَعَن مِن ميتَةٍ هِيَ ما هِيا

And you must face a death that will meet you on its day

So do not despair of a death which is what it is

وَجَمعٍ سَقَينا أَرضَهُ مِن دِمائِهِ

وَلَو كانَ عافانا قَبِلنا العَوافِيا

And a group we watered its land with its blood

And had it been well, we would have accepted well being

وَدُسناهُمُ بِالضَربِ وَالطَعنِ دَوسَةً

أَماتَت حُقوداً ثُمَّ أَحيَت مَعالِيا

And we trampled them with striking and stabbing

Killing grudges then bringing glories to life

خُذو حَظَّكُم مِن خَيرِنا إِنَّ شَرَّنا

مَعَ الشَرِّ لا يَزدادُ إِلّا تَمادِيا

Take your share of our good for our evil

With evil only increases persistence

فَرَشنا لَكُم مِنّا جَناحَ مَوَدَّةٍ

وَأَنتُم زَماناً تُلجِثونَ الدَواهِيا

So we laid out for you from us an affectionate wing

While you for a time crouch the lowlands

أَظُنُّكُمُ مِن حاطِبِ اللَيلِ جَمَّعَت

حَبائِلُهُ عَقارِباً وَأَفاعِيا

I think you are from the firewood of night, its

Ropes gathered scorpions and snakes