أَلا هَل أَتى قَومي مكّري وَمَشهَدي

أَلا هَل أَتى قَومي مكّري وَمَشهَدي

بقا ليقلا وَالمقربات تَثوب

بقا ليقلا وَالمقربات تَثوب

Lo, have my people heard of my charge and my stand

Alas! Did my treacherous people and my onlookers come,

Has word reached my people of my charge and my battle-stand

at Qaliqala, while the prized steeds were returning?

Remaining for them to say while the close ones put on their cloaks,

In Qaliqala, while the noble steeds were gathering round?

تَداعَت معدّ شيبُها وَشَبابها

تَداعَت معدّ شيبُها وَشَبابها

وَقَحطانُ مِنها حالِب وَحَليب

وَقَحطانُ مِنها حالِب وَحَليب

Maʿadd rallied, its gray-haired men and its youths,

The allies of Ma'add gathered, their elders and youth,

Ma'add rallied against me, its greybeards and its youth,

and Qahtan—its milkers and its milked alike—

And Qahtan among them, a milker and wet nurse,

And Qahtan too—the milker among them and the milked.

لِيَنتَهِبوا مالي وَدون انتهابه

لِيَنتَهِبوا مالي وَدون انتهابه

حُسامٌ رَقيق الشَفرَتين خَشيب

حُسامٌ رَقيق الشَفرَتين خَشيب

to plunder my wealth; but barring its plunder

To loot my wealth without looting,

They sought to plunder my wealth, but standing before the spoil

stands a keen, new-forged sword, thin at both edges.

With a sword, thin of blade, unsheathed,

Was a sword of fine blade, double-edged and well-honed.

وَنادَيت مِن مَروٍ وَبلخٍ فَوارِساً

وَنادَيت مِن مَروٍ وَبلخٍ فَوارِساً

لَهُم حسب في الأَكرمين حَسيب

لَهُم حسب في الأَكرمين حَسيب

And I called for horsemen from Merv and Balkh,

And I called the horsemen of Marw and Balkh,

I called out to horsemen from Merv and from Balkh,

whose lineage is esteemed among the noblest.

For them in the generous is sufficient pedigree,

Men of lineage, reckoned among the most noble.

فَيا حَسرَتا لا دار قَومي قَريبَة

فَيا حَسرَتا لا دار قَومي قَريبَة

فَيَكثر منهم ناصِري فَيَطيب

فَيَكثر منهم ناصِري فَيَطيب

Alas, my people's home is not nearby,

Oh what a pity! The abode of my people is not near,

But alas for my sorrow! The abode of my people is not near,

that more of them might support me, and all be well.

So that many of them come to my aid and it would be pleasant,

That my defenders might multiply and my fortune mend.

وَإِنَّ أَبي ساسان كسرى بن هرمز

وَإِنَّ أَبي ساسان كسرى بن هرمز

وَخاقان لي لَو تَعلَمين نَسيب

وَخاقان لي لَو تَعلَمين نَسيب

And indeed my father is Sasan, Kisra son of Hormuz;

Verily my father is Sasan son of Hormuzd,

For truly my father is Sasan, Khosrow son of Hormizd,

and the Khagan, if you only knew, is kin to me.

And the Khagan, if only you knew my lineage,

And the Khaqan, if you but knew, is my kinsman.

ملكنا رِقاب الناس في الشِركِ كلَّهُم

ملكنا رِقاب الناس في الشِركِ كلَّهُم

لَنا تابع طوع القِياد جَنيب

لَنا تابع طوع القِياد جَنيب

We held sway over men's necks in the days of polytheism; all of them

We ruled over the necks of all people in polytheism,

We ruled the necks of all mankind in the days of idolatry,

were our followers, obedient to the reins, led at our side.

For us, the obedient under command bows,

Holding them subject, obedient to the rein, led by the side.

نسومكم خسفاً وَنَقضي عَلَيكُمُ

نسومكم خسفاً وَنَقضي عَلَيكُمُ

بِما شاءَ مِنّا مخطىءٌ وَمُصيبُ

بِما شاءَ مِنّا مخطىءٌ وَمُصيبُ

We would subject you to humiliation and pass judgment upon you

We would make you collapse and judge upon you,

We inflicted abasement upon you and decreed your fate,

as any of us wished, whether mistaken or right.

With what we willed, one who misses and one who hits the mark,

According to the whim of any among us, be he wrong or right.

فَلَمّا أَتى الإِسلامُ وانشرحت له

فَلَمّا أَتى الإِسلامُ وانشرحت له

صُدور به نَحو الأَنام تنيب

صُدور به نَحو الأَنام تنيب

Then, when Islam came, and opened wide to it

But when Islam came and hearts opened up to it,

But when Islam came, and breasts were expanded to receive it,

were breasts that, through it, turned toward humankind,

Yearning through it towards people, regretting,

With hearts turning penitently towards all creation,

تَبِعنا رَسول اللَه حَتّى كَأَنَّما

تَبِعنا رَسول اللَه حَتّى كَأَنَّما

سَماءٌ عَلَينا بالرِجال تَصوب

سَماءٌ عَلَينا بالرِجال تَصوب

we followed God's Messenger, until it was as though

We followed the Messenger of Allah until it was as if

We followed the Messenger of God, until it seemed as if

a sky were raining men down upon us.

A sky above us with men pouring.

A sky was pouring down men upon us like rain.