أعلى المنازل إذ عفت أعلامها

أعلى المنازل إذ عفت أعلامها

تهمي الدموع كأنما سجامها

تهمي الدموع كأنما سجامها

Is it over the dwellings, now that their landmarks have faded,

The highest abodes, when their banners have withered away,

that tears stream, as though their flow were

My tears attack as if they were their rains.

ودق السحايب إذ همى في صحصح

ودق السحايب إذ همى في صحصح

والحلى أوها سلكها نظامها

والحلى أوها سلكها نظامها

rain from clouds pouring over a bare plain,

And the clouds thundered when it intended in its murmuring,

and jewelry, its strung beads loosened from their thread?

And the ornaments - alas - its system disciplined them.

أو ما يثوب القلب عن أحزانه

أو ما يثوب القلب عن أحزانه

والنفس تفتر ساعة آلامها

والنفس تفتر ساعة آلامها

Or will the heart not recover from its sorrows,

Or how does the heart recover from its sorrows,

and the soul's pains abate for an hour,

And the self takes a break for an hour from its pains?

من ذكر كل غزالة أو شادن

من ذكر كل غزالة أو شادن

غيداء يذهب بالسقام كلامها

غيداء يذهب بالسقام كلامها

from remembering every gazelle or young fawn—

From the memory of every gazelle or doe

a graceful beauty whose speech dispels sickness?

Melancholy, her talk takes away the sickness.

تسبي العقول بلفظها من حسنه

تسبي العقول بلفظها من حسنه

حتى تزول بطيبه أحلامها

حتى تزول بطيبه أحلامها

She captivates minds with the beauty of her speech,

It captivates the minds with its beauty from its beauty

until their judgment vanishes at its sweetness.

Until its niceness takes away its dreams.

وتريك وجهاً كاملاً في رونق

وتريك وجهاً كاملاً في رونق

كالبدر ليلة إذا وفى إتمامها

كالبدر ليلة إذا وفى إتمامها

And she shows you a face perfect in its radiance,

And it shows you a perfect face in softness

like the full moon on a night when its fullness is complete,

Like the full moon on the night when it completes its fullness.

ونضيد ثغر كالأقاحي أزهرت

ونضيد ثغر كالأقاحي أزهرت

في حر رمل أقلعت أرهامها

في حر رمل أقلعت أرهامها

and neatly set teeth, like daisies that have bloomed

And a moist lip like the red anemones that

in fine sand after its gentle rains have ceased.

blossomed in the hot sand after its flowers perished.

وتخال شهد أريقها أو أنه

وتخال شهد أريقها أو أنه

صرف المدام تطاولت أعواماه

صرف المدام تطاولت أعواماه

And you would think her saliva honey, or else

And you'd think its nectar is pure honey or that

unmixed wine whose years have grown long.

it is fine wine whose years have prolonged.

والفرع يشبه جنح ليل حالك

والفرع يشبه جنح ليل حالك

غض النهود لطيفة أحجامها

غض النهود لطيفة أحجامها

And her tresses resemble the wing of a pitch-black night;

And its branch resembles the wings of a dark night

her breasts are tender, delicate in size.

whose tender breasts are delicate in their bodies.

لولا تفيق من البكا أو ترعوى

لولا تفيق من البكا أو ترعوى

هيهات تندب من عفت أعلامها

هيهات تندب من عفت أعلامها

Why not recover from weeping, or restrain yourself?

If only it would wake up from crying or be roused -

In vain! You mourn one whose traces have faded.

Alas! It laments those whose banners have withered away.

فدع الديار وذكرها فلربما

فدع الديار وذكرها فلربما

يسلو الفؤاد وتنجلي أهمامها

يسلو الفؤاد وتنجلي أهمامها

So leave the dwellings and their remembrance, for perhaps

So leave the abodes and their memory for perhaps

the heart will find solace, and its cares will clear.

the heart would relax and its worries be uncovered.

وإذا الهموم تناصرت وتوافرت

وإذا الهموم تناصرت وتوافرت

وأناخ نحوك للخطوب عظامها

وأناخ نحوك للخطوب عظامها

And when worries join forces and abound,

And when the worries conspire and unite

and the gravest calamities settle upon you,

and step toward you - the bones of calamities -

فأجلى الهموم بضامر عيرانة

فأجلى الهموم بضامر عيرانة

عوجاء عندل كالمنار سنامها

عوجاء عندل كالمنار سنامها

then banish your cares on a lean, hardy she-camel,

Then repel the worries with fading gray clouds

bent-limbed and massive, her hump like a beacon-tower,

bent aslant like the gutter's edge.

مثل الفينيق عرندس شملالة

مثل الفينيق عرندس شملالة

يغري الهجير بهوجل أجذامها

يغري الهجير بهوجل أجذامها

like a pampered camel-stallion, powerful and swift,

Like the restless camel, arousing the yearning

the noonday heat spurring her limbs through a trackless wilderness.

of the emigrant with its bellowing roar.

فيها أزح عنك الهموم ولا تطع

فيها أزح عنك الهموم ولا تطع

قول العداة إذ انبرت لوامها

قول العداة إذ انبرت لوامها

On her, cast your cares away, and do not heed

Through it, remove your worries and do not obey

the words of enemies when their reproachers step forth,

the saying of the enemies when their blames have broken out.

حتى تنيخ من الرياض بمسجد

حتى تنيخ من الرياض بمسجد

يأوي إليه من الورى أعلامها

يأوي إليه من الورى أعلامها

until you make her kneel at a mosque in Riyadh,

Until you settle down in the meadows at a mosque

to which the foremost of humankind resort—

to which the eminent people of the world come.

من قارئ أو كاتب قد هاجروا

من قارئ أو كاتب قد هاجروا

من كل أوب للرشاد مرامها

من كل أوب للرشاد مرامها

reciters or writers who have migrated

Readers or writers who have emigrated

from every quarter, with right guidance their aim.

from every harm to the guidance of their purpose.

فتعاعدن تلك الرسوم لعلها

فتعاعدن تلك الرسوم لعلها

بعد الشتات تراجعت أيامها

بعد الشتات تراجعت أيامها

Then revisit those traces; perhaps,

So those traits distance themselves in hopes that

after dispersal, their days have returned.

after the diaspora their days might regress.

وتقشعت عنها الشرور وقد بدى

وتقشعت عنها الشرور وقد بدى

فيها السرور وشيدت أعلامها

فيها السرور وشيدت أعلامها

And evils have lifted from them, and there has appeared

And the evils clear away from it, and the joys appear

joy within them, and their landmarks have been raised.

in it, and its banners are erected.

وتطالعت فيها السعود وأدبرت

وتطالعت فيها السعود وأدبرت

عنها النحوس فأسفرت أطامها

عنها النحوس فأسفرت أطامها

And good fortunes rose within them, while there withdrew

And in it the auspices are viewed, while

from them ill fortunes, so their fortresses shone forth.

the sinister departs from it, so its sides illuminate.

وسمى بها بدر السرور فأشرقت

وسمى بها بدر السرور فأشرقت

تلك الربوع وأقامت أظلامها

تلك الربوع وأقامت أظلامها

And the full moon of joy rose over them, so there shone

And the full moon of joy rose over it, so those expanses shone

those quarters, and their darkness remained.

and its darkness vanished.

ورست بها أطواد شرعة أحمد

ورست بها أطواد شرعة أحمد

وتأطدت بعد الوهاء دعمها

وتأطدت بعد الوهاء دعمها

And the mountains of Ahmad's sacred law stood firm within them,

And Ahmad's law has anchored there

and its pillars grew firm after weakness.

and after confusion, its pillars have steadied.

فعلى الرياض ومن بها من ساكن

فعلى الرياض ومن بها من ساكن

أزكى التحية ما هما سجامها

أزكى التحية ما هما سجامها

So to Riyadh and all who dwell there,

So upon the meadows and the inhabitants therein

the purest greetings, as long as its rains pour,

the most immaculate greeting - what fine rains they have.

وتكاشفت سمر البروق بعارض

وتكاشفت سمر البروق بعارض

يحكي الغياهب في الظلام غمامها

يحكي الغياهب في الظلام غمامها

and dusky flashes of lightning reveal themselves in a cloudbank,

And the lightnings of the clouds interact with a cheek

its clouds resembling deep gloom within the darkness,

that tells the darkness - clouds that have passed away.

وتناوحت هوج الرياح وأسجعت

وتناوحت هوج الرياح وأسجعت

تبكي الهدير على السدير حمامها

تبكي الهدير على السدير حمامها

and wild winds wail together, and, cooing melodiously,

And the pinnacles of the winds toss and roar

its doves weep in low coos over al-Sudayr.

crying over the little hill - the turtledoves cooing.

وعلى الرسول وآله مع صحبه

وعلى الرسول وآله مع صحبه

نهدي الصلاة مع السلام ختامها

نهدي الصلاة مع السلام ختامها

And upon the Messenger and his family, with his companions,

And upon the Messenger, his family, and his companions

we offer blessings, with peace, as our closing.

we direct prayers and peace - their conclusion.