حمائِمَ الأيكِ هيّجتُنَّ أشجانا

فليبكِ أصدقُنا بثّاً وأَشجانا

The doves of the vale stirred up passions in me,

So let our true friend weep profusely and passionately,

كم ذا الحنينُ على مرّ السّنينَ أَما

أفادكُنّ قديمُ العهدِ نِسيانا

How long will this yearning last over the years?

Did the old covenant make you forget?

هل ذا العويلُ على غيرِ الهَديلِ وهل

فقيدكُنَّ أعزُّ الخلقِ فِقدانا

Is this wailing for other than the twittering, and is

The loss of the dearest of people not a loss?

ما وجدُ صادحَةٍ في كلّ شارقَةٍ

تُرجِّعُ النَّوحَ في الأفنان أَلحانا

I found no female companion in any east or west

Who brings back the melody to the branches.

كما وجدتُ على قَومي تخوُّنَهم

ريبُ المَنونِ ودهرٌ طالَ ما خَانا

As I found betrayal in my people,

And time that has long deceived us,

إذا نَهى الصّبرُ دَمعي عند ذِكرِهِمُ

قال الأَسى فِضْ وجُدْ سَحّاً وتَهتانا

When patience prevents my tears upon the mention of them

Sorrow says: "Pour out freely and be unrestrained!"

قالوا تَأسَّ وما قالوا بِمَنْ وإِذا

أُفرِدتُ بالرُّزءِ ما أنفكَّ أَسوانا

They said, show anguish - but who did they say? And whenever

I am singled out with misery, my sorrows do not cease

ما حدَّثتنيَ بالسُّلوانِ بعدَهُمُ

نَفسي ولا حانَ سُلواني ولا آنا

My soul did not speak to me of consolation after them

Nor did my consolation come or go,

ما استدرَجَ الموتُ قومي في هلاكِهِمُ

ولا تخرَّمَهمْ مَثْنى ووُحدانا

Death did not lure my people into their destruction

Nor did it pick them off two by two or alone,

فكنتُ أصبرُ عنهم صبرَ مُحتَسبٍ

وأحملُ الخطبَ فيهم عَزَّ أو هانا

I was patient about them with the patience of one who does good

And I faced tribulations about them - honored or disgraced

وأقتَدي بالوَرى قبلي فكم فَقدوا

أخاً وكم فارقوا أهلاً وجيرانا

And I followed the example of those before me - for how many

Lost a brother and how many parted from family and neighbor!

لكنَّ سقبَ المنايا وسطَ جمعِهِمُ

رَغا فخَرُّوا على الأذْقان إِذْعانا

But the goblet of death intoxicated them amidst their gathering

They bowed their heads in submission,

وفاجأتْهُمْ مِن الأَيّامِ قارِعةٌ

سقتهُمُ بكؤوسِ الموتِ ذَيْفانا

And a calamitous affliction surprised them

It made them drink from the cups of death thirstily,

ماتوا جميعاً كَرجعِ الطَّرْفِ وانقرضوا

هل ما تَرى تارِكٌ للعينِ إنْسانا

They all died in the blink of an eye and became extinct

Do you see any human left for the eye?

أعزِزْ علَيَّ بِهم من مَعشرٍ صُبُرٍ

عند الحفيظةِ إِنْ ذو لُوثةٍ لانا

A group of steadfast ones - If one of tainted lineage were with me

Were dearer to me at critical moments.

لم يتركِ الدهرُ لي من بعدِ فقدِهِمُ

قلباً أُجشِّمُه صبراً وسُلوانا

Time did not leave for me a heart after their loss

That I would empower with patience and consolation,

فلو رأَوْني لقالوا مات أسعدُنا

وعاشَ للهَمِّ والأحزانِ أشقانا

If they saw me, they would say: “Our happiest died

And the one aggrieved and sorrowful survived,”

لم يترك الموتُ منهم من يُخبِّرُني

عنهم فيُوضِحُ ما لاقَوْهُ تِبيانا

Death did not leave anyone from them to inform me about them

To clarify plainly what they met,

بادوا جميعاً وما شادوا فوا عَجَباً

للخطبِ أهلَكَ عُمّاراً وعُمرانا

They perished together - amazing that tribulations

Destroyed builders and construction,

هذي قصورُهُمُ أمست قبورَهُمُ

كذاكَ كانوا بها من قبلُ سكّانا

These are their palaces - now they are their graves

Thus they were in them before - inhabitants

ويحَ الزّلازِلِ أفنَت مَعشَري فإذا

ذكَرتُهُم خِلتُني في القوم سَكرانا

Woe to the earthquakes! They destroyed my band

So that whenever I remember them, I become drunk with grief,

بَنِي أبي إن تَبيدوا أن عَدا زَمنٌ

عليكُمُ دون هَذا الخلقِ عُدوانا

O sons of my father - Even if a time of aggression

Against you besides this creation has passed

فلن يَبيدَ جَوى قَلبي ولا كَمَدي

عليكُمُ أو يُبيدَ الدَّهرُ ثَهلانا

Neither the ardour of my heart nor my weeping upon you

Will perish nor will time make you two faded garments,

أفسدتُمُ عمْرِيَ الباقي عليَّ فما

أَنْفَكُّ فيه كئيبَ القَلبِ ولهانا

You have spoiled the rest of my life left for me

So I do not cease being downcast and subservient in it.

أُفردتُ منكُم وما يَصفو لمنفرِدٍ

عيشٌ ولو نال من رِضوانَ رِضوانا

I was singled out from you - And life does not clear up

For one singled out even if he attains the pleasure of pleasure,

فليتني معَهم أوليتَ أنّهُمُ

بَقَوا وما بَينَنا باقٍ كَما كانا

I wish I were with them or would that they

Had survived and nothing comes between us anymore,

لقِيتُ منهم تَباريحَ العُقوقِ كَما

لقيتُ من بَعدُهم همّاً وأَحزانا

I would meet coldness from them just as

I have met worries and sorrows from after them,

لولا شَماتُ الأعادي عند ذكرِهِمُ

لغادَرَتْ أدمُعي في الأرض غُدرانا

If not for the gloating of enemies when mentioning them

My tears would have burst out on the ground,

أرُدُّ فَيضَ دُموعي في مَسالِكِها

فتستحيلُ مياهُ الدَّمعِ نِيرانا

I want to pour out my overflowing tears in their channels

So the waters of tears become fires,

لا ألتقي الدَّهرَ من بعد الزَّلازِل ما

بقيتُ إلاّ كسيرَ القَلب حَيْرانا

After the earthquakes - as long as I live

I will not meet time except as one confused in heart,

أخْنَتْ على مَعشري الأدنَيْنَ فاصطَلَمَتْ

منهم كُهولاً وشُبّاناً ووِلدانا

They betrayed my band of nobles so

They took from them elders, youths, and children.

كم رامَ ما أدرَكَتْه منهمُ مَلِكٌ

فعادَ باليأسِ ممّا رامَ لَهفانا

How the tyrant sought to take them but returned frustrated

From what he sought - anguished,

لم يَحمِهم حِصنُهم منها ولا رَهِبَتْ

بأساً تَناذَرَه الأقرانُ أزمانا

Their fortress did not protect them from it nor did it

Fear the might it boasted of for ages,

أتاهُمُ قَدرٌ لم يُنْجِهم حَذَرٌ

منه وهل حَذرٌ مُنجٍ لمن حانا

A destiny came to them - no precaution saved them from it

And is there any precaution for the fated?

إن أقْفرت شيزَرٌ منهمْ فهم جَعَلوا

منيعَ أسوارِها بيضاً وخُرصانا

If S S was emptied of them, they made

Its lofty walls with plaster and wood impervious.

هُمُ حَمَوهَا فلو شاهدتَها وهُمُ

بها لشاهدتَ آساداً وخَفّانا

They protected it - Had you seen it and them in it

You would have seen lions and young lions,

كانوا لمن خافَ ظُلماً أو سُطا مَلِكٍ

كَهفاً وللجاني المطلوبِ جيرانا

For one who feared injustice or the tyranny of a sovereign

They were like a cave, and for a wanted fugitive, neighbors.

عَلَوْا بمجدِهِمُ سيفَ بنَ ذي يَزنٍ

كما علت شيزرٌ في العزِّ غُمْدانا

Their glory transcended the sword of Saif bin Dhi Yazan

As S S transcended its sheath in glory,

كانوا مَلاذاً لأيتامٍ وأرمَلَةٍ

وبائِسٍ فاقدٍ أهلاً وأوطانا

They were a refuge for orphans, widows

And wretches who lost family and home.

إذا أتيتَهُمُ ألفيتَ شطرَهمُ

مُسترفِدين وزُوَّاراً وضيفانا

When you come to them, you find some of them

Receiving and guests,

تراهُمُ في الوَغى أُسداً ويومَ نَدىً

غيثاً هَتُوناً وفي الظَّلْماءِ رُهبانا

You see them in calamity as lions, and on the day of calling, rain

Yielding and in darkness, monks.

حاولتُ كتمانَ بثِّي بعدَ فقدِهِمُ

فلم يُطِقْ قلبيَ المحزونُ كِتمانا

I tried to conceal my weeping after their loss

But my aggrieved heart could not withstand concealment

لعلَّ مَن يعرفُ الأمرَ الذي بَعُدتَ

بَعدَ التّصاقُبِ من جَرَّاهُ دارانا

Perhaps one who knows the matter of how

We stuck together and what drew us apart

يقولُ بالظَّنِّ إذْ لم يَدرِ ما خُلُقي

ولا مُحافَظتي مَن حانَ أو بانا

Would say out of speculation - since he does not know my nature

Nor my loyalty - whoever appeared or hid,

أسامةٌ لم يَسُؤْهُ فقدُ معشرِهِ

كم أوغروا صَدرَه غيظاً وأضغانا

“It did not bother Osama to lose his band” -

How they aroused his chest with rage and grudges!

وما دَرَى أنَّ في قلبي لفقدِهِمُ

ناراً تلظّى وفي الأجفانِ طُوفانا

He did not know that in my heart their loss caused

A blazing fire and flooding in the eyelids.

بنو أبي وبنو عمّي دَمِي دمُهُمْ

وإن أرَوْني مُناواةً وشَنَآنا

Sons of my father and sons of my uncle - his blood is their blood

Even if they see defiance and hatred in me!

كانوا جَناحي فحَصَّتْهُ الخطوبُ وإِخْ

واني فلم تُبقِ لي الأيّامُ إخوانا

They were my wings - but tribulations clipped them

And my brothers - so the days did not leave me brothers,

كانوا سُيوفي إذا نازلتُ حادِثةً

وجُنَّتي حين ألقَى الخطبَ عُريانا

They were my swords when I engaged in an ordeal

And my armour when facing barefaced calamities

بهِمْ أصولُ على الأمرِ المَهولِ إذا

عَرا وألقى عَبوسَ الدَّهرِ جذْلانا

With them I overcome frightening matters when

It happens and faces the frowning of fate impetuously,

فكيف بالصبرِ لي عنهم وقد نَظَموا

دَمعي على فَقدِهم دُرّاً ومَرجانا

So how can I have patience without them when they strung

My tears for their loss into pearl necklaces and coral?

يُطَيِّبُ النَّفسَ عنهم أنَّهم رَحَلوا

وخلَّفوني على الآثارِ عَجلانا

It comforts the soul about them that they moved on

And left me behind upon their fresh tracks,

سَقى ثَرىً أُودِعُوهُ رحمةً مَلأَتْ

مَثوى قُبورِهِمُ رَوْحاً ورَيْحانا

May the earth they were entrusted with in mercy give them drink

And may their graves fill with spirit and basil,

وألبسَ اللهُ هاتيكَ العظامَ وإن

بَلِينَ تحتَ الثّرى عفواً وغُفرانا

And may God clothe those bones even if

They have decayed under the earth with pardon and forgiveness.