أَلا أَيُّها القَومُ الَّذينَ وَشَوا بِنا

أَلا أَيُّها القَومُ الَّذينَ وَشَوا بِنا

عَلى غَيلا ما تَقوى الإِلَهُ وَلا بِرِّ

عَلى غَيلا ما تَقوى الإِلَهُ وَلا بِرِّ

Listen, you people who have slandered us,

O people who have slandered us unjustly!

With neither fear of God nor righteousness,

By God, virtue cannot be obtained through vice.

أَلا يَنهَكُم عَنّا تُقاكُم فَتَنتَهوا

أَلا يَنهَكُم عَنّا تُقاكُم فَتَنتَهوا

أَمَ اَنتُم أُناسٌ قَد جُبِلتُم عَلى الكُفرِ

أَمَ اَنتُم أُناسٌ قَد جُبِلتُم عَلى الكُفرِ

Does your piety not hold you back from us, so that you desist?

Will not your piety stop you from this mischief, so you refrain?

Or are you a people molded in unbelief?

Or are you a people inherently inclined to disbelief?

تَعالوا نَقِف صَفَّينِ مِنّا وَمِنكُمُ

تَعالوا نَقِف صَفَّينِ مِنّا وَمِنكُمُ

وَنَدعو إِلَهَ الناسِ في وَضَحِ الفَجرِ

وَنَدعو إِلَهَ الناسِ في وَضَحِ الفَجرِ

Come, let us stand in two rows, one of us and one of you,

Come, let us stand in two ranks, ours and yours,

And invoke the God of humankind in the clear light of dawn,

And call upon the God of all people in the early dawn.

عَلى مَن يَقولُ الزورَ أَو يَطلُبُ الخَنا

عَلى مَن يَقولُ الزورَ أَو يَطلُبُ الخَنا

وَمَن يَقذِفُ الخَودَ الحَصانَ وَلا يَدري

وَمَن يَقذِفُ الخَودَ الحَصانَ وَلا يَدري

Against whoever speaks falsehood or seeks lewdness,

On whoever speaks falsely or seeks evil

And whoever slanders a lovely, chaste maiden without knowing the truth.

And whoever accuses the innocent, not knowing.

حَلِفتُ بِمَن صَلَّت قُرَيشٌ وَجَمَّرَت

حَلِفتُ بِمَن صَلَّت قُرَيشٌ وَجَمَّرَت

لَهُ بِمِنىً يَومَ الإِفاضَةِ وَالنَحرِ

لَهُ بِمِنىً يَومَ الإِفاضَةِ وَالنَحرِ

I swore by Him to whom Quraysh prayed, casting ritual pebbles

I swear by the one to whom the Quraysh prayed

For Him at Mina, on the day of the pilgrimage procession and sacrifice,

And circled at Mina on the day of departure and sacrifice.

وَما حَلَقوا مِن رَأسِ كُلِّ مُلَبِّئٍ

وَما حَلَقوا مِن رَأسِ كُلِّ مُلَبِّئٍ

صَبيحَةَ عَشرٍ قَد مَضَينَ مِنَ الشَهرِ

صَبيحَةَ عَشرٍ قَد مَضَينَ مِنَ الشَهرِ

And by what they shaved from the head of every pilgrim chanting the call,

They did not shave the head of any schemer

On the morning when ten days of the month had passed:

On the tenth morning of the passed month.

لَقَد أَصبَحَت مِنّي حَصاناً بَريئَةً

لَقَد أَصبَحَت مِنّي حَصاناً بَريئَةً

مُطَهَّرَةً لَيلى مِنَ الفُحشِ وَالنُكرِ

مُطَهَّرَةً لَيلى مِنَ الفُحشِ وَالنُكرِ

Indeed, she is chaste and innocent of wrongdoing with me—

My steed has indeed become on this day

Layla, unstained by indecency or wrongdoing.

Pure, cleansed from lewdness and evil.

مِنَ الخَفِراتِ البيضِ لَم تَدرِ ما الخَنا

مِنَ الخَفِراتِ البيضِ لَم تَدرِ ما الخَنا

وَلَم تُلفَ يَوماً بَعدَ هَجعَتِها تَسري

وَلَم تُلفَ يَوماً بَعدَ هَجعَتِها تَسري

Among the fair-skinned, modest women, she never knew what lewdness was,

Of the white noble horses, she knows no sin,

Nor was she ever found roaming by night after retiring to sleep.

Nor has she been covered after her rest at night.

وَلا سَمِعوا مِن سائِرِ الناسِ مِثلَها

وَلا سَمِعوا مِن سائِرِ الناسِ مِثلَها

وَلا بَرَزَت في يَومِ أُضحى وَلا فِطرِ

وَلا بَرَزَت في يَومِ أُضحى وَلا فِطرِ

Nor did they hear of her equal among the rest of humankind,

None of the people have heard of her like,

Nor did she appear in public on Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Fitr.

Nor has she appeared on the day of Adha or Fitr.

بَرَهرَهَةٌ كَالشَمسِ في يَومِ صَحوِها

بَرَهرَهَةٌ كَالشَمسِ في يَومِ صَحوِها

مُنَعَّمَةٌ لَم تَخطُ شِبراً مِنَ الخِدرِ

مُنَعَّمَةٌ لَم تَخطُ شِبراً مِنَ الخِدرِ

Tender and fair, like the sun on a cloudless day,

Dazzling as the sun on the day it rises,

Pampered, she has not stepped a handspan beyond her secluded chamber.

Luxuriant, she has never stepped uncomfortably.

هِيَ البَدرُ حُسناً وَالنِساءُ كَواكِبٌ

هِيَ البَدرُ حُسناً وَالنِساءُ كَواكِبٌ

فَشَتّانَ ما بَينَ الكَواكِبِ وَالبَدرِ

فَشَتّانَ ما بَينَ الكَواكِبِ وَالبَدرِ

She is the full moon in beauty, and women are stars;

She is the full moon in beauty, and women are like stars,

So vast is the difference between the stars and the full moon!

So different between stars and the full moon.

يَقولونَ مَجنونٌ يَهيمُ بِذِكرِها

يَقولونَ مَجنونٌ يَهيمُ بِذِكرِها

وَوَاللَهِ ما بي مِن جُنونٍ وَلا سِحرِ

وَوَاللَهِ ما بي مِن جُنونٍ وَلا سِحرِ

They say, 'A madman, lost in thoughts of her.'

They say, a madman, crazed with her mention,

And, by God, there is no madness in me, nor any sorcery.

By God, there is in me no madness or sorcery.

إِذا ما قَرَضتُ الشِعرَ في غَيرِ ذِكرِها

إِذا ما قَرَضتُ الشِعرَ في غَيرِ ذِكرِها

أَبي وَأَبيكُم أَن يُطاوِعَني شِعري

أَبي وَأَبيكُم أَن يُطاوِعَني شِعري

Whenever I compose verse without mentioning her,

If I compose poetry without mentioning her,

My verse refuses, by your father, to obey me.

My poetry refuses to obey me.

فَلا نَعِمَت بَعدي وَلا عِشتُ بَعدَها

فَلا نَعِمَت بَعدي وَلا عِشتُ بَعدَها

وَدامَت لَنا الدُنيا إِلى مُلتَقى الحَشرِ

وَدامَت لَنا الدُنيا إِلى مُلتَقى الحَشرِ

So may she know no joy after me, nor may I live after her,

So there is no life for me after her, and I will not live after her,

And may our earthly life endure until we meet at the Resurrection.

And may the world last for us until the gathering.

عَليها سَلامُ اللَهِ مِن ذي صَبابَةٍ

عَليها سَلامُ اللَهِ مِن ذي صَبابَةٍ

وَصَبٍّ مُعَنّى بِالوَساوِسِ وَالفِكرِ

وَصَبٍّ مُعَنّى بِالوَساوِسِ وَالفِكرِ

Upon her be God's peace, from one filled with yearning,

Upon her is the peace of God, from one of youthfulness,

And a lovesick man tormented by misgivings and brooding.

And youth busied with worries and thoughts.

سَقى اللَهُ أَيّاماً لَنا لَسنَ رُجَّعاً

سَقى اللَهُ أَيّاماً لَنا لَسنَ رُجَّعاً

وَسَقياً لِعَصرِ العامِرِيَّةِ مِن عَصرِ

وَسَقياً لِعَصرِ العامِرِيَّةِ مِن عَصرِ

May God water our days that will never return,

May God water days for us never to return,

And rain upon the time of the ʿAmiri woman—what a time!

And watering for the flourishing Abbasid era from an era.

لَيالِيَ أَعطَيتُ البِطالَةَ مِقوَدي

لَيالِيَ أَعطَيتُ البِطالَةَ مِقوَدي

تَمُرُّ اللَيالي وَالسُنونَ وَلا أَدري

تَمُرُّ اللَيالي وَالسُنونَ وَلا أَدري

Nights when I gave idleness my reins,

Nights I gave idleness my reins,

Nights and years would pass, and I would not notice.

Nights and years pass and I know not.

مَضى لي زَمانٌ لَو أُخَيَّرُ بَينَهُ

مَضى لي زَمانٌ لَو أُخَيَّرُ بَينَهُ

وَبَينَ حَياتي خالِداً أَبَدَ الدَهرِ

وَبَينَ حَياتي خالِداً أَبَدَ الدَهرِ

A time of mine has passed; were I offered a choice between it

There has passed me a time, if I were given choice

And my living on, immortal for all eternity,

Between it, and my life forever until end of time,

لَقُلتُ ذَروني ساعَةً وَكَلامَها

لَقُلتُ ذَروني ساعَةً وَكَلامَها

عَلى غَفلَةِ الواشينَ ثُمَّ اِقطَعوا عُمري

عَلى غَفلَةِ الواشينَ ثُمَّ اِقطَعوا عُمري

I would say, 'Let me have one hour of her conversation,

I would say, "Leave me an hour with its words

While the slanderers are unaware; then cut short my life.'

About the heedless, then cut off my life."