أَتانا رَسولٌ مِن رُقَيَّةَ ناصِحٌ

أَتانا رَسولٌ مِن رُقَيَّةَ ناصِحٌ

بِأَنَّ قَطينَ اللَهِ بَعدَكَ سُيِّرا

بِأَنَّ قَطينَ اللَهِ بَعدَكَ سُيِّرا

A trustworthy messenger came to us from Ruqayya,

A sincere messenger came to us from Ruqayya,

with news that, after you, God’s folk had been driven away.

with news that God's household had been sent away after you.

فَسارَ بِها حَيٌّ كِرامٌ أَعِزَّةٌ

فَسارَ بِها حَيٌّ كِرامٌ أَعِزَّةٌ

وَخَيرٌ إِذا ما يُبتَغى غَيرُ أَعسَرا

وَخَيرٌ إِذا ما يُبتَغى غَيرُ أَعسَرا

A noble and mighty clan journeyed away with her,

So a noble, mighty clan journeyed with her,

generous—when goodness was sought, never hard to reach.

and goodness, whenever sought, was not hard to find.

فَلِلَّهِ عَينا مَن رَأى مِثلَ قَومِها

فَلِلَّهِ عَينا مَن رَأى مِثلَ قَومِها

غَداةَ غَدَوا كانوا أَعَقَّ وَأَفجَرا

غَداةَ غَدَوا كانوا أَعَقَّ وَأَفجَرا

How blessed the eyes of one who saw the like of her people

God bless the eyes of whoever saw the like of her people,

on the morning they departed—they proved the most disloyal and most wicked,

the morning they departed—they were more faithless to kin and more wicked,

وَأَقطَعَ لِلأَرحامِ لَم يَرقُبوا بِها

وَأَقطَعَ لِلأَرحامِ لَم يَرقُبوا بِها

مِنَ اللَهِ إِلّا يَومَ ذاكَ وَأَيصَرا

مِنَ اللَهِ إِلّا يَومَ ذاكَ وَأَيصَرا

the quickest to sever ties of kinship; concerning her they honored

and more ruthless in severing kinship; toward her they honored no

neither a bond from God that day nor a covenant.

God-given bond that day, nor any covenant;

وَأَكثَرَ مِنهُم سَيِّداً غَيرَ مُفحَمٍ

وَأَكثَرَ مِنهُم سَيِّداً غَيرَ مُفحَمٍ

أَغَرَّ نَقِيّاً أَصلَعَ الرَأسِ أَزهَرا

أَغَرَّ نَقِيّاً أَصلَعَ الرَأسِ أَزهَرا

And no people had more chiefs than they—chiefs never at a loss for words,

and more chiefs than they had, never at a loss for words,

bright-faced and pure, bald-headed and radiant;

bright-faced, pure, bald-headed and radiant;

وَأَحسَنَ مِنهُم مَوكِباً حينَ أَعرَضوا

وَأَحسَنَ مِنهُم مَوكِباً حينَ أَعرَضوا

وَخِدراً عَلى مِثلِ المَهاةِ مُخَدَّرا

وَخِدراً عَلى مِثلِ المَهاةِ مُخَدَّرا

nor any a finer cavalcade than theirs when they came into view,

and a finer procession than theirs when they came into view,

nor a more secluded lady, borne aloft like an oryx doe, close-veiled.

and a curtained enclosure, veiled over one like a white oryx.

تَقولُ لِمَن يَحدو بِها حينَ جاوَزوا

تَقولُ لِمَن يَحدو بِها حينَ جاوَزوا

بِها قُرُحَ الوادي وَأَجبالَ خَيبَرا

بِها قُرُحَ الوادي وَأَجبالَ خَيبَرا

She said to the man driving her onward, when they had passed

She says to the man singing her camels onward, when they passed

with her beyond Quruh al-Wadi and the mountains of Khaybar:

with her, Quruh of the valley and the mountains of Khaybar:

قِفوا بِيَ أَنظُر نَحوَ قَومِيَ نَظرَةً

قِفوا بِيَ أَنظُر نَحوَ قَومِيَ نَظرَةً

فَلَم يَقِفِ الحادي بِها وَتَغَشمَرا

فَلَم يَقِفِ الحادي بِها وَتَغَشمَرا

“Stop with me, all of you; let me look once toward my people.”

'Halt for me; let me cast one glance toward my people.'

But the camel-driver would not stop for her and bore brutally on.

But the camel-driver did not halt for her, and pressed on harshly.

فَواحَزَنا إِذ فارَقونا وَجاوَزوا

فَواحَزَنا إِذ فارَقونا وَجاوَزوا

سِوى قَومِهِم أَعلى حَماةَ وَشَيزَرا

سِوى قَومِهِم أَعلى حَماةَ وَشَيزَرا

Ah, what grief when they parted from us and passed beyond,

Oh, what grief when they left us and crossed,

away from their people, toward Upper Hamah and Shayzar—

far from their people, the upper reaches of Hama and Shayzar—

بِلاداً تَغولُ الناسَ لَم يولَدوا بِها

بِلاداً تَغولُ الناسَ لَم يولَدوا بِها

وَقَد غَنِيَت مِنهُم مَعاناً وَمَحضَرا

وَقَد غَنِيَت مِنهُم مَعاناً وَمَحضَرا

into lands that swallow people who were not born in them,

lands that devour those not born there,

though through them those lands had flourished, in dwelling and settled life.

and once they flourished with them as a dwelling and gathering place,

لَيالِيَ قَومي صالِحٌ ذاتُ بَينِهِم

لَيالِيَ قَومي صالِحٌ ذاتُ بَينِهِم

يَسوسونَ أَحلاماً وَإِرثاً مُؤَزَّرا

يَسوسونَ أَحلاماً وَإِرثاً مُؤَزَّرا

Those were the nights when harmony among my people was sound,

in the nights when my people's mutual bonds were sound,

when they governed with mature judgment and a strongly buttressed inheritance.

tending their wisdom and a firmly buttressed heritage.

فَلِلَّهِ عَينا مَن رَأى مِن مُفارِقٍ

فَلِلَّهِ عَينا مَن رَأى مِن مُفارِقٍ

يُفارِقُ طَوعاً أَو غَريباً مُسَيَّرا

يُفارِقُ طَوعاً أَو غَريباً مُسَيَّرا

How blessed the eyes of anyone who saw, among those parting—

God bless the eyes of whoever saw a departing person,

whether one leaving willingly or a stranger driven away—

leaving willingly, or a stranger being driven away,

شَبيهاً بِذاكَ الحَيِّ حينَ تَحَمَّلوا

شَبيهاً بِذاكَ الحَيِّ حينَ تَحَمَّلوا

يَلُفّونَ أَسقاطاً وَسَبياً مُوَفَّرا

يَلُفّونَ أَسقاطاً وَسَبياً مُوَفَّرا

the like of that clan when they loaded up to depart,

like that clan when they broke camp,

gathering waifs around them and captives in abundance,

bundling odds and ends and a multitude of captives,

وَسوقَ عُدولٍ أُعجِلوا عَن مَناهُمُ

وَسوقَ عُدولٍ أُعجِلوا عَن مَناهُمُ

رِجالاً وَنِسواناً يُزَجَّينَ حُسَّرا

رِجالاً وَنِسواناً يُزَجَّينَ حُسَّرا

and driving upright people, hurried away from all they desired—

and driving upright people, hurried away from their hopes—

men and women, prodded onward bareheaded.

men and women driven along bareheaded.