أَبلِغا جارِيَ المُهَلَّبَ عَنّي

أَبلِغا جارِيَ المُهَلَّبَ عَنّي

كُلُّ جارٍ مُفارِقٌ لا مَحالَه

كُلُّ جارٍ مُفارِقٌ لا مَحالَه

You two, tell my neighbor al-Muhallab on my behalf:

Convey to my neighbor who is in despair about me,

Every neighbor must part; there is no escape.

Every neighbor is bound to depart, inevitably.

إِنَّ جاراتِكَ اللَواتي بِتَكري

إِنَّ جاراتِكَ اللَواتي بِتَكري

تَ لِتَنبيذِ رَحلِهِنَّ مَقالَه

تَ لِتَنبيذِ رَحلِهِنَّ مَقالَه

Indeed, your female neighbors who are in Tikrit

Your female neighbors who blame you,

have something to say about their baggage being cast aside.

Are merely making excuses to leave.

لَو تَعَلَّقنَ مِن زِيادِ بنِ عَمروٍ

لَو تَعَلَّقنَ مِن زِيادِ بنِ عَمروٍ

بِحِبالٍ لَما ذَمَمنَ حِبالَه

بِحِبالٍ لَما ذَمَمنَ حِبالَه

Had they clung to Ziyad ibn ʿAmr's

If they had clung to Ziyad ibn 'Amr,

ropes, they would not have faulted his ropes.

With ropes, they would not have loosened their ties.

غالَبَت أُمُّهُ أَباهُ عَلَيهِ

غالَبَت أُمُّهُ أَباهُ عَلَيهِ

فَهوَ كَالكابُلِيِّ أَشبَهَ خالَه

فَهوَ كَالكابُلِيِّ أَشبَهَ خالَه

His mother vied with his father over him;

His mother overpowered his father over him,

so, like the Kabuli, he resembled his maternal uncle.

So he is like the Kabilite, resembling his maternal uncles.

وَلَقَد غالَني يَزيدُ وَكانَت

وَلَقَد غالَني يَزيدُ وَكانَت

في يَزيدٍ خِيانَةٌ وَمَغالَه

في يَزيدٍ خِيانَةٌ وَمَغالَه

And indeed, Yazid betrayed me, and there was

And indeed Yazid deceived me, and there was,

in Yazid treachery and deceit.

In Yazid, betrayal and swindling.

عَتَكِيٌّ كَأَنَّهُ ضَوءُ بَدرٍ

عَتَكِيٌّ كَأَنَّهُ ضَوءُ بَدرٍ

يَحمَدُ الناسُ قَولَهُ وَفَعالَه

يَحمَدُ الناسُ قَولَهُ وَفَعالَه

An ʿAtakī, as though he were the light of a full moon,

He is an Utakite, as if he were the full moon,

people praise his words and his deeds.

People praise his words and deeds.