لاتفنِ من فَرَق الفراق الأدمعا

لاتفنِ من فَرَق الفراق الأدمعا

فهي الشُّهودُ على الغرامِ المدَّعَى

فهي الشُّهودُ على الغرامِ المدَّعَى

Do not exhaust your tears in dread of separation;

Do not weep from the separation of parting,

for they are witnesses to the love you claim.

For they are witnesses to proclaimed love,

واستبقِ صبرَكَ ما اسْتطعتَ فإنّه

واستبقِ صبرَكَ ما اسْتطعتَ فإنّه

عونٌ لقلبِكَ إنْ هُما ثبتا معا

عونٌ لقلبِكَ إنْ هُما ثبتا معا

And preserve your patience as long as you can, for it is

And keep your patience as long as you can,

a support to your heart, if both stand firm together.

For it is a support for your heart if both stand firm together.

قلبٌ أَصابته العيونُ ولم يزلْ

قلبٌ أَصابته العيونُ ولم يزلْ

من مسِّها بالهاجساتِ مروَّعا

من مسِّها بالهاجساتِ مروَّعا

A heart struck by eyes, which has never ceased

A heart struck by eyes, ceaselessly

to be terrified by haunting thoughts from their touch.

Disturbed by delusions, terrified,

ما بالُه قد صدّ عند صدودهم

ما بالُه قد صدّ عند صدودهم

عنّي ولمّا ودّعوني ودعا

عنّي ولمّا ودّعوني ودعا

What ails it, that it turned away when they turned away

Why did it block me at their hostility,

from me, and when they bade me farewell, it bade farewell too?

When they bid me farewell and wished me well?

ومن التحيُّرِ أَنّني أَبصرتُهُ

ومن التحيُّرِ أَنّني أَبصرتُهُ

في ظَعْتهم وسأَلتُ عنه الأَضلُعا

في ظَعْتهم وسأَلتُ عنه الأَضلُعا

And what bewilders me is that I saw it

And from confusion – I saw it

during their departure, yet asked my ribs about it.

In their harshness and asked the ribs about it,

أَصبحتْ إذ شيَّعتُهمْ لثلاثةٍ

أَصبحتْ إذ شيَّعتُهمْ لثلاثةٍ

صبري وغُمضي والفؤاد مُشيِّعا

صبري وغُمضي والفؤاد مُشيِّعا

When I saw them off, I became, for three—

When I escorted them for three days

my patience, my sleep, and my heart—an escort.

My patience, my restraint, and my heart escorting.

أَو ما اتَّقيتم حين رُعتمُ سربَهُ

أَو ما اتَّقيتم حين رُعتمُ سربَهُ

فيه تقيّ الدِّينِ ذاكَ الأَروعا

فيه تقيّ الدِّينِ ذاكَ الأَروعا

Or did you not fear, when you frightened its flock,

Or did you not beware when you shepherded his flock

Taqi al-Din within it, that awe-inspiring man?

In it you protect religion, that most virtuous one?

عمر بن شاهنشاه مَنْ هو عامرٌ

عمر بن شاهنشاه مَنْ هو عامرٌ

أَركانَ ملكِ الشَّامِ حين تضعضعا

أَركانَ ملكِ الشَّامِ حين تضعضعا

Umar son of Shahanshah, who rebuilt

Umar ibn Shahanshah, who inhabits

the pillars of al-Sham's realm when it tottered.

The pillars of the Levant’s kingdom when they crumbled,

خضعَ العدو بعدَ تَعزُّزٍ

خضعَ العدو بعدَ تَعزُّزٍ

لكم وحقُّ عدوِّكُم أَنْ يخضعا

لكم وحقُّ عدوِّكُم أَنْ يخضعا

The enemy bowed after proud defiance

The enemy submitted after your empowerment

to you—and it is your enemy's duty to bow.

To you, and your enemy’s right is to submit.

من معشرٍ غُرٍ يَرَونَ جميعَ ما

من معشرٍ غُرٍ يَرَونَ جميعَ ما

لم يبذلوه في السّماحِ مُضيِّعا

لم يبذلوه في السّماحِ مُضيِّعا

You are of an illustrious company who deem all that

From a group of insolent people who regard

they have not bestowed in generosity wasted.

All they did not expend in generosity as squandered,

في مصرَ واليمنِ اجتلينا منهمُ

في مصرَ واليمنِ اجتلينا منهمُ

في عصرِنا تبعاً ليوسفَ تُبّعا

في عصرِنا تبعاً ليوسفَ تُبّعا

In Egypt and Yemen we have beheld among them,

In Egypt and Yemen we confronted them

in our age, a Tubbaʿ in Yusuf's train.

In our time, following Joseph, a follower.

الحاويان بملكِ مصرَ ومكّةٍ

الحاويان بملكِ مصرَ ومكّةٍ

والشّامِ واليمنِ الحظايا الأَربعا

والشّامِ واليمنِ الحظايا الأَربعا

The two together possess, through rule over Egypt and Mecca,

The two havens with the kingdom of Egypt, Mecca,

and al-Sham and Yemen, the four favorites.

Levant and Yemen, the four fortunes,

لما عصى الأَعداءُ بالعاصي جرى

لما عصى الأَعداءُ بالعاصي جرى

بدمائهم طوعاً سيولاً دُفَّعا

بدمائهم طوعاً سيولاً دُفَّعا

When the enemies rebelled by al-Asi—the Rebel—it flowed

When the enemies disobeyed with the defiant one, their blood

obediently with their blood in surging torrents.

Flowed freely, poured out forcibly.