أَلاَ قُلْ لِعبدِاللَّهِ عَنِّي مَقَالَةً

أَلاَ قُلْ لِعبدِاللَّهِ عَنِّي مَقَالَةً

تَدُلُّ عَلَى وِدِّي وصِدْقِ وَلائِي

تَدُلُّ عَلَى وِدِّي وصِدْقِ وَلائِي

Come, tell Abdullah a message from me

Say to Abdullah from me some words

that shows my affection and the sincerity of my loyalty.

That show my affection and my loyalty's truth

أيَا خَيرَ مَنْ أُوتِي نَصِيباً من العُلاَ

أيَا خَيرَ مَنْ أُوتِي نَصِيباً من العُلاَ

وزِيدَ بِهِ في عِدَّةِ الكُبَرَاءِ

وزِيدَ بِهِ في عِدَّةِ الكُبَرَاءِ

O best of those granted a share of eminence,

O best of those granted a share of highness

and through whom the ranks of the great were increased!

And with it increased among the great ones

وَحَقِّكَ ما تَرْكِي مَدِيحَكَ ضِنَّةً

وَحَقِّكَ ما تَرْكِي مَدِيحَكَ ضِنَّةً

عَلَيكَ بِتَقريظِي ولا بثَنَائِي

عَلَيكَ بِتَقريظِي ولا بثَنَائِي

By your honor, my neglect of your praise is not from stinginess

By right you owe me not to stint my praise of you

toward you with my commendation or my praise,

Whether by glorifying you or extolling you

ولا مَدْحَ من كَلَّفْتَنِي بامتِدَاحِهِ

ولا مَدْحَ من كَلَّفْتَنِي بامتِدَاحِهِ

وإنْ كَانَ مَحفُوفاً بِفَرطِ هِجَائِي

وإنْ كَانَ مَحفُوفاً بِفَرطِ هِجَائِي

nor is my neglect of praising the man you charged me to extol,

Nor praise of one whom you charged me to praise

though he was beset by my excessive satire.

Even if fraught with excess of my zeal

فإنِّي وإنْ أصْبحتُ والشِّعرُ حِرْفَتِي

فإنِّي وإنْ أصْبحتُ والشِّعرُ حِرْفَتِي

وكُنتُ امرأً من سَائِرِ الشُّعَرَاءِ

وكُنتُ امرأً من سَائِرِ الشُّعَرَاءِ

For although poetry has become my profession,

For even if I become, and poetry's my craft,

and I have been a man among the other poets,

A man among all the poets

لأسْلُكُ نَهْجاً في الوَفَاءِ يُريكَ مَنْ

لأسْلُكُ نَهْجاً في الوَفَاءِ يُريكَ مَنْ

تَقَدَّمَ من أهْلِ الوَفَاءِ ورَائِي

تَقَدَّمَ من أهْلِ الوَفَاءِ ورَائِي

I surely follow a path of loyalty that shows you those

I'll follow a course of loyalty that shows you one

who came before among the loyal standing behind me.

Who went before of loyalty's people behind me

وإنَّ يداً أوليْتَنِيها وإنْ مَضى

وإنَّ يداً أوليْتَنِيها وإنْ مَضى

بِها الدَّهرُ باقٍ ذِكرُهَا ببقائي

بِها الدَّهرُ باقٍ ذِكرُهَا ببقائي

And indeed, a favor you bestowed upon me, though

And a hand you empowered me with, and if

time has passed over it, lives in memory as long as I live.

Time passed, its memory stays with my survival

أرَاكَ بِعَيْنَيْ عاجِزٍ عَنْ جَزَائِهَا

أرَاكَ بِعَيْنَيْ عاجِزٍ عَنْ جَزَائِهَا

فَيصرُفُ وَجْهِيَ عَنْ لِقَاكَ حَيَائِي

فَيصرُفُ وَجْهِيَ عَنْ لِقَاكَ حَيَائِي

I look upon you with the eyes of one unable to repay it,

I see you with the eye of one incapable of repaying it

so my shyness turns my face away from meeting you.

So my face turns from meeting you in my shyness

فَلَسْتُ امرأً إنْ غَابَ غَابَ وَفَاؤُهُ

فَلَسْتُ امرأً إنْ غَابَ غَابَ وَفَاؤُهُ

ولكنَّنِي إنْ أنأ يدْن وفَائِي

ولكنَّنِي إنْ أنأ يدْن وفَائِي

For I am not a man whose loyalty disappears when he is away;

So I'm no man if, when absent, absent is his loyalty

rather, if I grow distant, my loyalty draws near.

But I’m one who, if I forget, forgets my loyalty

وأنتَ الذي لَمْ يَبْقَ في مَنْهَلِ النَّدَى

وأنتَ الذي لَمْ يَبْقَ في مَنْهَلِ النَّدَى

لِمَنْ جَاءَ يَسْخُو بعدَ سُور إنَاءِ

لِمَنْ جَاءَ يَسْخُو بعدَ سُور إنَاءِ

And you are the one who left nothing at generosity's watering place

And you're one in whose spring of dew didn't remain

for anyone who comes after to give—not even a vessel's dregs.

For one come to draw after the walls' enclosure

عَمَمْتَ ولَمْ تَخْصُصْ بفَضلِكَ فاغتَدَتْ

عَمَمْتَ ولَمْ تَخْصُصْ بفَضلِكَ فاغتَدَتْ

لَكَ البُعَدَاءُ الغُرْبُ كالقُرَبَاءِ

لَكَ البُعَدَاءُ الغُرْبُ كالقُرَبَاءِ

You extended your bounty to everyone, not a chosen few, so

You were generous and didn't limit your favor so the

distant strangers became like kinsmen to you.

Distant east and west became like kin

رُوَيْداً فَلوْ غُولِبْتَ لَمْ تَأخُذِ الوَرَى

رُوَيْداً فَلوْ غُولِبْتَ لَمْ تَأخُذِ الوَرَى

بغلبِكَ في أُكْرُومَةٍ وسَخَاءِ

بغلبِكَ في أُكْرُومَةٍ وسَخَاءِ

Gently now! If you were challenged, you would not hold people to account

Gently, for if you were tyrannical you wouldn't seize the land

for besting you in a noble deed and in generosity.

By your might in wickedness and generosity

ولَوْلاَ وُجُوهٌ في القَطيف أخَافُهَا

ولَوْلاَ وُجُوهٌ في القَطيف أخَافُهَا

لَمَا طَالَ بالبحرين عَنْكَ ثَوائِي

لَمَا طَالَ بالبحرين عَنْكَ ثَوائِي

And were it not for faces in al-Qatif that I fear,

And were it not for faces in Qatif I fear

my stay in Bahrain, away from you, would not have lasted so long.

My sojourn wouldn't have been so long from you at the Gulf

وحُيِّيتَ عَنِّي ما حَضَرْتُ وإن تَغِبْ

وحُيِّيتَ عَنِّي ما حَضَرْتُ وإن تَغِبْ

يَزُرْكَ بِتَسليمي صَبَاحَ مَسَاءِ

يَزُرْكَ بِتَسليمي صَبَاحَ مَسَاءِ

And may you be greeted on my behalf while I am present; and if you are away,

And greet from me whenever I'm present and if I’m absent

my salutations will visit you morning and evening.

My morning greeting visits you at evening