غنى الذي من واهج الضيم والنوى يرسم — Shibli Al Atrash

غَنى الَّذي مِن واهج الضَيم وَالنَوى

يَرسم مَعاني صامد الفكر قالَها

He sang, he who, from the blaze of oppression and separation,

Draws meanings uttered by steadfast thought.

وَيَشرَح عَلى ما حاق قَلبي مِن الجَفا

وَيُبدي قَوافي كُل مُغرم صبالها

And explains the estrangement that beset my heart,

And brings forth verses for which every lover yearns.

يُبدي قَوافي من ضَميري منضده

مثل عقد دُر بجيد غيده زَها لَها

He brings forth verses, arranged from my inward thoughts,

Like a pearl necklace shining on a slender beauty's neck.

مثل عَقد دز يجيد غيده معطره

شافَها المَفتون هام وَرَنا لَها

Like a pearl necklace on a perfumed beauty's neck.

The enchanted lover saw her, lost himself, and gazed toward her.

إِذا شافَها المَفتون فيها من المَلا

صَبا وَاِنحَنى يَنظُر مَعاني جَمالَها

When an enchanted man among the people sees her,

He yearns and bows, contemplating the meanings of her beauty.

صَبا وَاِنحنى مَشغوف من شدة الهَوى

لَما رَأى مع عَقرَب الصدغ خالَها

He yearns and bows, captivated by the intensity of love,

When he sees her beauty mark beside her scorpion-shaped temple curl.

لَما رَأى مَع عَقرب الصدغ نورَها

وَبَين بَديع الوَجه وَاللَحظ خالَها

When he sees her radiance beside her scorpion-shaped temple curl,

And her beauty mark between her exquisite face and gaze,

وَبَين بَديع الوَجه بِالنُور وَالبَها

عَلى الرَغم من نَفسه الشَجية عنالها

And amid her exquisite face, its light and splendor,

Despite his sorrowful soul, he submits to her.

عَنا وَاِنحَنى وَاقبل عَلَيها وَسامَها

وَخَلا جماح النَفس بِأَوشم حوالها

He submits, bows, approaches her, and seeks her.

And lets his unruly soul loose [unclear phrase] around her.

وَاستهون المَوت الزوام عن النَوى

وَلو نَقعوا الصَبر السقطري غَزالها

He deems deadly death easier than separation,

Even if they steep Socotran aloes for her gazelle.

وَلَو نقعون الصَبر للمغرم الشَجي

يَخال لَهُ ذا شَهد صافي زلالها

Even if they steep bitter aloes for the sorrowful lover,

He imagines it pure honey, its liquid limpid.

كَذا يَفعَلوا العُشاق في مَذهَب الهَوا

وَلو يَخسَروا النَفس العَزيزة فدالها

Thus lovers act in the way of love,

Even if they lose their precious souls as ransom for her.

لَو يَخسروا النَفس العَزيزة وَغَيرها

عَلى العاشق المَفتون هين زَوالها

Even if they lose their precious souls and other things,

Their loss is easy for the enchanted lover,

لِيَحظى بِمَن يَهوى الفُؤاد الَّذي أَبى

عَلى مَذهَب التَبديل يقبل بدالها

To attain the one beloved by the heart that refuses

To accept another in her place through any exchange.

لِأَن مراد النَفس من أَعظَم البَلا

إِذا سَولت لِلمَرء شَيء صَغي لَها

For the soul's desire is among the greatest afflictions:

If it tempts a person with something, he listens to it.

صَغي وَاِنعَطَف مَشغوف يَروي حديثها

لو ضيع الأَرباح مع رَأس مالها

He listens and turns toward it, captivated, recounting its tale,

Even if he squanders the profits together with its capital.

لِأَن الهَوى يُحدي عَلى مَورد البَلا

وَنَفس المُتيَم يا قَوم ما كثر خمالها

For love drives one toward affliction's watering place.

And the captive lover's soul—people, how great its humiliation!

يا لايمين النَفس كُفوا مَلامَها

تَرى النَفس ما تنحد شَيء جَرى لَها

You who blame the soul, cease reproaching it.

The soul cannot be restrained after what has befallen it.

تَرى النَفس حاضيها من الوبل وَالنيا

وَناء عن الخلان مَوطن دَلالَها

The soul's portion is downpour and separation,

And the home of its cherished ease is far from friends.

أَنا بي مِن الوَجد الَّذي يثقل المَلا

وَعَن رَغم حادي المَوت نَفس حدالها

Within me is longing heavy enough to burden people.

Against its will, death's driver urged a soul onward.

وَعَن رَغم أَنفي طال هَجري وَوحشَتي

أَيا نار قَلبي ما رَثى لي شعالها

Against my will, my estrangement and loneliness have lengthened.

O fire of my heart, your flames have shown me no pity.

يا نار فلبي كُلَّما قَوم تنطَفي

يُوجس ضَميري مِن سَناها لَظى لَها

O fire of my heart, whenever people quench you,

My inward self senses a blaze within your glow.

يُوجس ضَمير المُستَهام لَهيبها

وَقَلبي وَكَبدي ضمن جوفي غذالها

The love-distracted soul senses your flame,

And my heart and liver within my body are its nourishment.

وَلا ظَن بَحر النيل يَطفي سَعيرها

لَها مية شَعب لسانه دالع بحالها

I do not think the Nile's waters could extinguish its blaze.

It has a hundred branches, each tongue jutting out like it.

لهامية شَعب لِسانه يَلعَب مِن اللَظى

وَمِن حَرها قَلب المُتيم وَمي لها

It has a hundred branches, their tongues dancing in the blaze.

From its heat, the love-stricken heart gestures toward it.

وَمِن حَرها دامَت عَلى مُهجة الحَشا

أَيا لايميني ركبوا لي دوالها

And its heat has endured upon the life within my breast.

O you who blame me, compound its medicine for me.

يا لايميني ركبوا لي علاجها

لعل الليالي القشر حان انتهالها

You who blame me, prepare its treatment for me.

Perhaps the harsh nights have reached their end.

لَعل الأَجل مَفسوح وَأَشفى مِن البَلا

لَكن محال الطب يبرى ذفالها

Perhaps my allotted life allows time, and I may recover from affliction.

But medicine cannot cure its wasting.

لَكن محال الطب يبري وَجاعها

وَقياحه جوا الحَشا ما شَفا لَها

But medicine cannot heal its pains,

And the suppuration within my breast has no cure.

وَلا ظنتي لقمان يَشفي لَها أَلَم

وَبَلكي عَسى سُليمان يُوصف دوالها

Nor do I think Luqman could heal its pain.

Perhaps Solomon might prescribe its medicine,

وَتبري جُروح القَلب من مرهم الدَوا

وَيَرجا المؤايس وَشوف زهر ووصالها

And the heart's wounds might heal through medicinal ointment.

And the despairing one hopes to see blossoms and union with her.

يا عَين هلي مِن الجَواجي وَاندبي

كَما تندب الثَكلى الحَزينة عيالها

O eye, pour from the depths of my breast and lament,

As a sorrowful bereaved mother laments her children,

كَما تندب الثَكلى الحَزينة جَنينها

وَدَمع النيا عَالخَد قاني مسالها

As a sorrowful bereaved mother laments her child.

The tears of separation stream crimson upon the cheek,

كَناعورة يَسنا من الدَم شيلها

وَمِن غَير هَمي الدَمع تُوحي عَوالها

Like a waterwheel lifting its load from blood.

Apart from my sorrow, the tears convey its wailing.

مِن غَير هَمي الدَمع تُوحي نَحيبها

مَقروحة وَالمَوت الأَحمَر دَنا لَها

Apart from my sorrow, the tears convey its sobbing.

It is wounded, and red death has drawn near it.

يا علتي وَاكبر هَمي وَبَلوتي

غضت عَلى قَلبي وَدلت حبالها

O my illness, my greatest sorrow and affliction!

It has gripped my heart and lowered its ropes.

غَضت عَلى قَلبي مِن البُعد وَالجَفا

قياحة يشلي العَمل مِن خلالها

It has gripped my heart through distance and estrangement:

A suppurating wound calling for treatment from within.

لي ثلاثد عوام أَعاني وَجاعها

وَالرابعة كانون أَول هلالها

For three years I have suffered its pains,

And the fourth began with December's first crescent.

وَلما مزمهر مثل أَول ظُهورها

ضاع الضماد وَخاب رجلاً رقى لَها

It still rages as it did when it first appeared.

The dressing proved useless, and the man who charmed it failed.

وَللحين داها ما قبل طب يَنفعه

وَمِن غَير هَذي النَفس حان اِرتِحالها

Until now, its illness has accepted no beneficial medicine.

Besides this, the soul's departure has drawn near,

مِن غَير ما نَشرَح عَجايب مُنوعة

جَرَت وَالقَدر بِالرَغم عَني بر الها

Apart from the many strange things we could explain:

They occurred, and fate, against my will, [unclear final phrase].

يا حَسرَتي مِن محتي تاه راشدي

ضنى هَيكَلي مِن الهَجر راعوا هزالها

Alas, through my ordeal my sound judgment wandered.

Separation has wasted my frame; behold its emaciation.

ضَنى هَيكلي المَهكوب مِن وَحشة النَوى

وَراسي ربش مثل الأَفاعي صلالها

My stricken frame has wasted from separation's loneliness.

My head is disheveled, like the vipers among snakes.

راسي ريش وَفت حيلي مِن البَلا

وَبَعد الدِيار اللي مَرادي بجالها

My head is disheveled, and affliction has broken my strength,

And the homes beside which I long to be are distant.

وَبَعد الدِيار اللي بها الجُود وَالسضخا

وَبيها الرُبوع مِن النَوايب حمى لَها

Distant are the homes where bounty and generosity dwell,

Where our people have protection against calamities.

يا مَن خبر يا مَن علم مثل بَلوَتي

بِالصَوت شفتوا يا الرفاق مثالها

Who has experienced, who has known, an affliction like mine?

Have you heard tell of its like, companions?

بِالصَوت شفتوا مثل حالي وَمحنَتي

وَاللي جَرى لي الصم تَأبى مشالها

Have you heard tell of a condition and ordeal like mine?

Even solid rocks would refuse to bear what befell me.

لا صار أَول باب حنا ومثلنا

بِالخون زجونا عَلى هملالها

When the first chapter came, we and those like us

Were treacherously cast into its wastelands.

وَاقفوا بِنا غَير جادي عَلى الهَفا

وَبذوا شظانا بَين قَوم فشالها

They took us away, with no good purpose, into desolation,

And scattered our fragments among worthless people.

وَالثانية خيي حَميمي ابن والدي

خانوه عمال السَرايا نذالها

The second was my brother, my intimate, my father's son:

The scoundrels among the palace agents betrayed him.

وَعَلى غَير حَق اللَه واسوا جنايتوا

الملحدين اللي الخبايث عمالها

Against God's justice they committed the crime against him,

Those impious ones whose work is wickedness.

وَالثالثة أَهلي الدَنايا وَعزَوتي

مِن كُل ديرة وَردوهم نهالها

The third was my family, my close ones, and my kin:

From every land they drove them to drink their fill.

وَناموسنا وَاللي جَرى مِن عَذابنا

وَتشتيتنا وَطفالنا من رثا لَها

And our honor, and the suffering that befell us,

And our dispersal and our children—who pitied them?

وَلا ذَهاب ما هوَ من البَلا

رزق الفَتى مَقسوم يشدا خيالها

As for loss, that is not the true affliction.

A man's livelihood is allotted [unclear phrase about its image].

وَالمال ما يحرز شماتي من العِدا

إِذا عادَت الأَيام يرفل ديالها

Wealth does not warrant enemies gloating over me.

If the days return, their hems will trail proudly.

وَلا غَير هَذا شَيء خامر عقولنا

وَدَعى مُهجَتي سم الأَفاعي دوالها

Beyond this, something else has possessed our minds,

And made snake venom a remedy for my heart's blood.

مَن آمن النادوس يَمشي عَلى البَدَن

يَرى عِندَ نَزع الرُوح شدة هَوالها

Whoever feels safe as the nadus [unclear] moves across the body

Sees the severity of its terrors when the soul is drawn out.

يَرى المَوت أَهوَن من عَذاب الَّذي مَضى

عَلَينا وَلَوم النَفس صاير ضنالها

He finds death easier than the suffering that passed

Over us, while reproaching the soul has become its wasting.

أَما المَلامي اليَوم مِن أَعظَم البَلا

هَنيئاً لِنَفس لا عَلَيها وَلا لَها

As for reproach today, it is among the greatest afflictions.

Blessed is a soul that owes nothing and is owed nothing.

هَنيئاً لِنَفس غامضات غبونها

وَلا ساوموا الخاينين بسفالها

Blessed is a soul whose wrongs remain concealed,

And that has not bargained with traitors in their baseness.

صَبراً جَميل الصَبر أَحلى مِن العَسَل

عَسى اللَه بَعد الغث نُورد زلالها

Beautiful patience! Patience is sweeter than honey.

May God let us reach clear water after the murk.

عَسى اللَه مِن بَعد العَذاب اللي جَرى

عَلَينا يَقضيها الصمد في بدالها

May God, after the suffering that befell

Us, the Eternal, bring about a different outcome.

علَينا يَقضيها وَتبرأ جراحنا

مِن بَعد غث العَيش يبدا صفالها

For us, may He settle it, and may our wounds heal.

After life's bitterness, may its clarity begin.

مِن بَعد ذا راوَدَت نَفسي عَلى الجَفا

وَسار القَلَم يطرس مَعاني مقالها

After this, my soul urged me toward estrangement,

And the pen began inscribing the meanings of its speech.

يَرسم قَوافي مِن ضَميري جَنيتها

جَني الطَرد مِن زَهر شمخ جبالها

It draws verses that I harvested from my inward thoughts,

A hunted harvest of blossoms from their lofty mountains.

وَسيرتها من ديرة الضَيم وَالشَقا

عاسر حوبة بِالدَوح تسبق خيالها

I sent it from the land of oppression and misery,

Through [unclear phrase] among the trees, outrunning its shadow.

يا راكِباً من عندنا مَتن ضامرة

تَهية قطع الفَيافي مَنالَها

O rider setting out from us on a lean camel's back,

Ready to attain the crossing of the wilderness,

حراً عَماليه طَويلة مضمرة

الطَرد من دور الصَحابة غيالها

A noble, tireless, tall, slender mount:

Her gallop ranges through the cloud's circling shadows.

مثل الظَليم اللي مسهي جَوانحه

إِذا شاف زَولاً عَالمداجي رَخى لَها

Like a male ostrich letting its wings trail,

When it sees a figure on the dark plains and lets loose,

إِذا هازها الركاب وَتخمش العَصا

تَسهي كَما الخَطاف لَما وَمى لَها

When the rider urges her and grasps the staff,

She glides like a swallow when signaled onward.

وَلا ظنتي بِالقاع تلمس خفوفها

تَراها مثل قطع السَراب بِزوالها

I do not think her padded feet touch the ground.

You see her like a patch of mirage as she passes.

وَشديت أَني مِن فَوق نابي متونها

كورا عراقي بالثَمَن يَنشري لَها

I myself fastened upon her lofty back

An Iraqi saddle, purchased for her at a price,

مِن غُصن عود الميس سالم من العطب

مَرصوع مثل الشَمس يرهج غَزالها

Made from sound hackberry wood, free of damage,

Inlaid like the sun, its beauty gleaming.

مَنسوف عادل من الخز غالي

وَريش الغَلب من بَعض جُملة دَلالها

A costly silk covering is draped evenly,

And feathers [of unclear kind] are among her ornaments.

وَالميركة مثل الوسادة مُطورة

بِالريش من فَوق السَفايف زَهالها

The saddle cushion is fashioned like a pillow,

Adorned with feathers above the braided bands.

وَخرجا عَقيلي رقم بعهون للغوا

عمل الطَموح اليسخرت حي فالها

And Uqayli saddlebags, patterned with wool for delight,

The work of an eager craftsman who fashioned them—bless his fortune!

برشمتها بِالريش وَالخز وَالودع

مثل هودج الغيدا بديعة جمالها

I fastened her trappings with feathers, silk, and cowries,

Like a slender beauty's howdah, exquisite in beauty.

أَيا راكباً مِن فَوق نابي شدادها

كرب تَرى لا بُد يبعد مجالها

O rider above her lofty saddle frame,

Tighten it: her course must stretch far.

وَذهب عَلى مَفتول الساق وَالذَرا

تَرى الترك شوف الضَيف تكره زَوالها

And equip yourself, you of sturdy legs and arms.

The Turks, you see, dislike a guest's passing figure.

وَتحزم بحدبا عَريضة مخضرا

وَسَيفاً مهند صيرمي من سقالها

Gird yourself with a broad, greenish curved blade,

And an Indian-steel sword, keen from its polishing,

وَفَرداً مسدس يَلفظ البزر عالعدا

مِن أُم ست أَرواح هين مشالها

And a revolver that spits its seed at enemies,

A mother of six souls, easy to carry.

وَبارودتك من معمل كروب طرزها

إِذا شورت تَرمي الذَرايب قبالها

Your rifle is a model from the Krupp factory:

When you aim, it strikes the targets before it.

وَلم هداك اللَه وَأحذر من البَطا

عا هفهوفة تَجري مُدير غَزالها

Prepare—may God guide you—and beware of delay,

Upon a fleet mount racing in her spinning gait.

يا طارشي وَلم عليها وَصيدها

وَزهب تَرى غَير الرَعي ما غذالها

O my messenger, ready her and catch her.

Prepare provisions; grazing alone is her nourishment.

احفظ وَصاتي وَسير يا حيدر الفَلا

تَراك ابن قَوم أَجواد مرمى دَلالها

Remember my counsel and travel, O lion of the wastes.

You are a son of generous people, where their coffee pots are set.

وَقبل النَصايح بالثمن يَشترونها

وَكمي النَصيحة بوق لا عرض سؤالها

Accept advice: people purchase it at a price.

Keep counsel until the occasion for asking arises.

حذراك غج الترك تَأمن بجالهم

وَاجفل عن الجربا وَأَكثر جفالها

Beware the Turks' deceit; do not feel safe beside them.

Shy away from the mangy ones; keep very far from them.

وَمِن دُونهم مالك دَواعي مِن الوَرى

خَليك فَرز وفي الفَيافي جدالها

Apart from them, you have no cause to fear mankind.

Keep yourself apart, and urge her through the wilderness.

دركتكم لِلّه رَبي وَخالقي

أَنتَ وَهجينتك من خَبايث عمالها

I entrust your protection to God, my Lord and Creator:

Yours and your riding camel's, against their agents' wickedness.

ما غَير يَممها عَلى الرَحب وَالسعة

وَانهج عَلى مَد الكَريم يبرالها

Simply direct her toward open space and breadth,

And follow the Generous One's provision as He eases her way.

الصُبح مِن سيناب ثور مطيتك

يا ريت سافلها يصير أَعلى لَها

At morning, rouse your mount from Sinab.

Would that its lowest part became its highest!

اجمح عليها الصور لا تَنحر الحرس

تَرى الباب من غَير الحَرس بِهِ قفالها

Rush her over the wall; do not head toward the guards.

The gate has locks even without the guards.

عابيواط يممها عاصمصوم جيبها

عَلى قسطموني مر دربك بجالها

Direct her toward Abiwat; bring her toward Asamsum.

Pass along your route beside Qastamuni.

عجاروم حث النضو يا راكب النَضا

وَعَلى يوزغار بفرها ما عشالها

Toward Ajarum, urge the lean mount, O camel rider.

Then toward Yuzghar: speed her on; do not stop for her supper.

ملفاك غلمه ينطحوا الضد بِالقَنا

مثل السباع مجنزرة مع شبالها

Your destination is young men who confront the foe with spears,

Like chain-armored lions together with their cubs.

إِبراهيم مثل اللَيث في مُلتَقى العِدا

وَشاهين زير المَعركة لا لَفى لَها

Ibrahim is like a lion when meeting enemies.

And Shahin is master of battle whenever he enters it.

وَسعيد أَمضى مِن سلاحه إِذا شَطا

وَمَنصور مثل النمر يومن رَخى لَها

And Said is keener than his weapon when he charges.

And Mansur is like a tiger when he lets loose.

وَخَليل مثل الذيب عالخيل لا عدا

لَهُ شلفة دَم الأَعادي سَقى لَها

And Khalil is like a wolf when he gallops on horseback.

He has a lance watered with enemies' blood.

نوخ بحي الغانمين هجينتك

وَانسف شداد النضو وَارخى عقالها

Kneel your riding camel in the fortunate men's quarter.

Cast off the lean mount's saddle and loosen her tether.

وَاِرتاح من عُقب المَطاليب وَالسَرا

بجال الشُيوخ مبهرينا دَلالها

Rest after your errands and night journey,

Beside the sheikhs whose coffee pots are spiced for us.

ذولي بَني عساف مِن أَشجَع المَلا

أَسد الوَغى بِالكَون يوروا هوالها

These are Bani Assaf, among the bravest of people,

Lions of warfare who display its terrors in battle.

صَوارم صَواقع يَنطحوا الضد بِالقَنا

إِذا المعمعا بِالشوص حرجت مجالها

Sharp swords, thunderbolts, confronting the foe with spears,

When battle's tumult crowds the warriors' field.

ذولي صَناديد بَواسل عَلى العِدا

ذولي سًيوف مصقلات نصالها

These are champions, valiant against enemies.

These are swords whose blades are polished.

ذولي كِرام النَفس عجلين بِالقَرا

وَذولي مَواريث الفُروع طوالها

These are noble souls, swift to offer hospitality.

These are heirs to lofty lineages,

ريف اليَتامى في المَواجيب وَالغَلا

إِذا صار قوت الناس عسر مكالها

A refuge for orphans amid obligations and scarcity,

When people's food becomes hard to measure out.

إِذا صار قُوت الناس عسر أَعلى الرَدى

عَلى عوجهن سمن الزهيري زهالها

When people's food becomes scarce, at misery's height,

Upon their curved ones, Zuhayri ghee adds splendor.

يَعطوا سَلايل نعت شُرب مقلفعه

جودة كَريم ما يطلبوا ثَمَناً لَها

They give purebred young stock [the description is unclear],

With noble generosity, asking no price for it.

زين المحنا لا لفاهم من البَلا

عَلَيهُم يَنفه ذروتو هم ذرا لَها

Excellent in adversity: whoever comes to them afflicted

Lays his burden upon them; they are its shelter.

وَحيي الوُجوه اللي يَعز وَادخيلهم

وَحيي الكِرام اللي الغَنايم فعالها

Greet those faces whose protected guest is honored.

Greet the generous whose deeds bring noble gains.

إِذا حسبوا الا جوادهم من خيارهم

وَإِن حسبوا الفُرسان هُم من قيالها

When generous men are counted, they are among the finest.

When horsemen are counted, they are among their chiefs.

مَن خاص خاص الخاص نخباً مِن المَلا

مَناصب ذراهم ينرقي بي خلالها

From the choicest of the choicest, the people's elite,

High stations whose summits I may ascend among them.

يا طارشي بَعد أَن تبلغ رِسالَتي

لِمَن يَنقدوا مضمون ملخص مقالها

O my messenger, after you deliver my message

To those who discern the substance of its concise speech,

أَهدي سَلامي تم أَلف تحيتي

إِلى دارس الحكمة وَراوي قوالها

Offer my greeting, then a thousand salutations,

To the student of wisdom who recounts its sayings,

إِلى دارس الحكمة وَواعي رُموزها

وَمُدرك مَعانيها وَحافظ مثالها

To the student of wisdom who understands its symbols,

Who grasps its meanings and remembers its examples:

الشيخ أَبو يوسف حسن عَنبر الثَنا

أَيا لَيت عَمرو مية حجة بكمالها

Sheikh Abu Yusuf Hasan, amber of praise.

Would that his life were a full hundred years!

أَيا لَيت عَمرو دُوم ما لاق للحيا

وَقلو عَسى الرَحمَن يفرج هَوالها

Would that his life endure as long as life befits him!

Tell him: may the Merciful dispel its terrors.

قلو عَسى الرَحمَن يُبري وِجاعنا

وَيَنظر لِأَهل الخَير وَيشوف حالها

Tell him: may the Merciful heal our pains,

Look upon good people and see their condition,

وَيُشفق عَلى اللي مثلنا في حيرة

لا نا من العيل الكِرام الهَنا لَها

And pity those who, like us, are bewildered,

For we are of noble families, to whom happiness belongs.

وَسلم عَلى اللي بيوزغار ربوعنا

أَهل الشيم وَالمرجلي هُم رجالها

Greet our people who are in Yuzghar:

People of noble qualities and manliness, its true men,

أَهل الشيم وَالجُود وَالطيب وَالسَخا

ربع المَعزة يَوم يَحمي مجالها

People of noble qualities, bounty, goodness, and generosity,

People of honor when the battlefield grows hot.

أَهل الكَرَم سلم عَلَيهم جَميعهم

عَلى كبارهم وَصغارهم مَع عيالها

Greet all of them, people of generosity,

Their elders and their young, together with their children.

إِلى كبارهم أَهدي سَلامي وَتحيتي

وَشَوقي وَوَجدي لِلربوع وَطلالها

To their elders I offer my greetings and salutations,

My yearning and longing for our homes and their traces.

تَرى فَقدهم وَالوَجد وَالضَيم وَالبَلا

دَعاني عَليل وَعلتي ما دوا لَها

Losing them, longing, oppression, and affliction

Have made me ill, with an illness that has no medicine.

دَعاني سَقيم النَفس مِن وَحشة النَوى

وَعَيني عَلَيهُم ضر حجمه همالها

They have made my soul sick from separation's loneliness.

My eyes stream for them, their swelling painful.

أَيا لَوبَتي من بَعد قُربي بِأنسهم

وَيا محنتي ما كان يَقشَع خَيالها

O my yearning after closeness to their companionship!

O my ordeal, whose image never cleared!

سيور ما تَغدي حَكايا وَتنجلي

وَبَعد العكر نُورد لِصافي زلالها

Will these journeys not become stories and pass away?

After the murk, may we reach its pure, clear water.

وَتلمنا حوران بالأمن وَالرضى

وَهَذا رَجا قَلبي وَعيني منالها

May Hawran gather us in safety and contentment.

This is my heart's hope, which my eyes seek to attain.

هَذا رَجا قَلبي مَشاهد وَلا يَفي

وَتذكر مَواضي الخاينين وَفعالها

This is my heart's hope: to witness it, yet it remains unfulfilled.

And remember the traitors' past deeds and actions.

أَهل الرَدى يَكفو الرَدى من فعالهم

وَأَهل التَقي يَرجو تُقاهم نَوالها

Evil people show enough evil through their deeds,

While from the pious one hopes for the gifts of their piety.

وَلا النَحو مثل الأَفعوان المبتر

وَلا النُور وَالظُلمة سَعد في مخالها

Nor is the nahw [unclear] like the cut-tailed viper.

Nor are light and darkness alike in their mingling [wording unclear].

وَلا كُل مَصقول الحَديد مهند

وَلا الام وَالخالة سوا في دَلالها

Not every polished piece of iron is Indian steel.

Nor are a mother and maternal aunt equal in affection.

وَلا الام تجفا عالمها في جَنينها

وَمن جرب الأَشيا عرف رَأسمالها

Nor does a mother turn away [unclear phrase] from her child.

Whoever has tried things knows their true worth.

بَعد أَن تسلم أَلف رَبوه وَمثلها

عَلَيهُم عَدد حصو الخَلا مع رمالها

After offering a thousand myriads of greetings and as many more

To them, as numerous as the wilderness's pebbles and sands,

عَلَيهُم زَفير الشَوق زَعزع مفاصلي

وَأَشكي لَهُم عَن حالَتي وَما جرا لَها

Longing's sigh for them has shaken my joints.

I complain to them of my condition and what befell it.

وَأَشكي لَهُم يا طارشي علة الجَوى

وَعَن حَمل باهظ هد حَيلي وَشالها

I complain to them, my messenger, of longing's sickness,

And of a heavy burden that broke my strength and carried it away,

عَن حَمل باهظ هد حيلي وَقُوَتي

وَحالي العِدا ما حي مِنهُم رَثى لَها

Of a heavy burden that broke my vigor and power.

Not one living enemy has pitied my condition.

إِني بديرة ترك ما يفهموا اللغا

وَحشين عن دُون المَلا ما وَفالها

I am in a land of Turks who do not understand my speech,

Savage beyond other people, without fidelity.

وَلا يَفهموا مني لغاتي غَريبة

وَلا يَنقدوا عز النَزيل وَخمالها

They do not understand my words, which are foreign to them.

They do not distinguish a guest's honor from his abasement.

وَلا يَرحموا المَظلوم عنوة عَن المَلا

وَالعَيب داب كبارهم اجمالها

They do not pity the wronged, forcibly separated from mankind.

Vice is the habit of all their elders.

وَشلي بمساويهم عَسى اللَه يفكنا

مِنهُم وَيَجعل لِلأُمور انتهالها

What have I to do with their evils? May God release us

From them and bring these matters to an end.

وَنذكر فظائعهم عَلى الغيظ وَالرضى

كَما يذكر الشعار عنا بخالها

We recount their atrocities in anger and in contentment,

As poets recount our affairs in their imaginings.

كَما يذكروا نذكر قَبايح فعالهم

يا اللَه غيم الهَم تقشع ظلالها

As they recount, we recount the ugliness of their deeds.

O God, disperse the shadows of sorrow's cloud.

يا اللَه يا باسط الأَرض عالميا

وَمودع غُيوم السُحب تَهمي حيالها

O God, O You who spread the earth upon the waters,

Who sets rain-clouds in place, pouring all around,

وَتحيي الأَرض بَعد ما هِيَ مَيتة

وَتنبت عشاب مخالفات شكالها

And revives the earth after it has died,

And brings forth grasses of differing forms.

وَالأَشجار تُورق ثُم تينع ثمارها

وَتاكل مَخاليق البَسيطة جنالها

The trees put forth leaves, then their fruits ripen,

And the creatures of the earth eat their harvest.

أَيا رافع السَبعة شداد العَوالي

وَالبَدر وَالغر الكَواكب ضيالها

O You who raised the seven firm, lofty heavens,

And the full moon and radiant stars with their light,

يا مُشرق الشَمس المُضيئة بِنورها

وَالليل يسدل عِندَ غَيبة زَوالها

O You who brings forth the sun shining with its light,

While night drops its veil when the sun disappears at setting,

بِجاه النَبي المَبعوث بِالرُشد وَالهُدى

وَالأَربعة خَير الوَرى في كمالها

By the honor of the Prophet sent with right guidance,

And the four, the finest of creation in their perfection,

بِالعدة الأَطهار جُملة جَميعهم

بِالأَوليا الأَخيار تُفرج هَوالها

By the whole company of the pure, all together,

By the righteous saints, dispel its terrors.

وَتلم جَميع الشَمل يا جامع الوَرى

إِلى يَوم حَق وَكُل نَفس جَزالها

Gather all who are scattered, O Gatherer of creation,

Until the Day of Truth, when every soul receives its recompense.

تُفرج لَنا وَاللي هَفوا مِن رُبوعنا

وَتُحيي الرِياض الممحلة في وبالها

Grant relief to us and those who wandered from our homes.

Revive the drought-stricken gardens amid their affliction.

وَتَختم لَنا بِالخَير يا سامع الدُعا

إِنك كَريم وَقاصدك خَير نالها

Grant us a good ending, O Hearer of prayers.

You are generous; whoever seeks You attains goodness.

ارختها واحد ثَلاثة حسابها

واحد وستة في رَجب يَوم قالها

I dated it: one, three, in its reckoning;

One and six, in Rajab, on the day he uttered it.

وَاختم كَلامي بِالصَلاة عَلى النَبي

المُصطَفى خَير الوَرى في كمالها

I close my speech with blessings upon the Prophet,

The Chosen One, the finest of creation in perfection.