سَقى اللهُ رَمْلَيْ كُوفَنٍ صَيِّبَ الحَيا

سَقى اللهُ رَمْلَيْ كُوفَنٍ صَيِّبَ الحَيا

وَلا بَرِحا مُسْتَنَّ راعٍ وَرائِدِ

وَلا بَرِحا مُسْتَنَّ راعٍ وَرائِدِ

May God water Kufan's two sandy tracts with a downpour of rain,

Allah watered the sands of two leather sacks with heavy rain

and may they ever remain a roaming ground for shepherd and pasture-scout.

And they did not cease being filled by the herdsman and scout

وَلي أَدْمُعٌ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ المُزْنُ دَرَّهُ

وَلي أَدْمُعٌ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ المُزْنُ دَرَّهُ

كَفَلْنَ بِصوْبِ البارِقاتِ الرَّواعِدِ

كَفَلْنَ بِصوْبِ البارِقاتِ الرَّواعِدِ

And I have tears that, if the rainclouds withhold their flow,

And I have tears that if restraint held back their flow

stand pledged to supply the downpour of flashing, thundering clouds.

My eyelids aimed them at the lightning flashes of the thunderclouds

فَقد أَوْطَنَتْها مِنْ أُمَيَّةَ عُصْبَةٌ

فَقد أَوْطَنَتْها مِنْ أُمَيَّةَ عُصْبَةٌ

غُذُوا بِالمَعالي في حُجورِ المَحامِدِ

غُذُوا بِالمَعالي في حُجورِ المَحامِدِ

For a band of Umayya's kin settled there,

For they were inhabited by the party of Umayyah

nourished on noble deeds in the laps of praiseworthy virtues.

Who were nurtured with glory in the bosoms of praise

أَبُوهُمْ مُعاويُّ النِّجارِ وَأُمُّهُمْ

أَبُوهُمْ مُعاويُّ النِّجارِ وَأُمُّهُمْ

مُقابَلَةُ الأَعْراقِ في آلِ غامِدِ

مُقابَلَةُ الأَعْراقِ في آلِ غامِدِ

Their father was of Mu'awiya's stock, and their mother

Their father Mu'awiyah the carpenter and their mother

of noble descent on both sides, among the clan of Ghamid.

Muqabalah of the noble lineage of the tribe Ghamid

وَكَمْ وَلَدا مِنْ صَائِبِ الرَّأْيِ حَازِمٍ

وَكَمْ وَلَدا مِنْ صَائِبِ الرَّأْيِ حَازِمٍ

وَمِنْ أَرْيَحِيٍّ وافِرِ العِرْضِ ماجِدِ

وَمِنْ أَرْيَحِيٍّ وافِرِ العِرْضِ ماجِدِ

And how many a resolute man of sound judgment they begot,

And how many wise, judicious and valiant men

and how many a generous, noble man of unblemished honor!

Of generous physique and glorious feats

وَكانُوا بِها وَالْعِزُّ في غُلَوائِهِ

وَكانُوا بِها وَالْعِزُّ في غُلَوائِهِ

مَطاعِينَ في الهَيْجا طِوالَ السَّواعِدِ

مَطاعِينَ في الهَيْجا طِوالَ السَّواعِدِ

And there they were, with glory in its full vigor,

And with them in their heyday was glory

obeyed in battle, long of forearm.

Obeyed in battle, long of arm

وَجُودُهُمُ يَكْسو الرِّقابَ قَلائِداً

وَجُودُهُمُ يَكْسو الرِّقابَ قَلائِداً

وَبَأْسُهُمُ يَفْري مَناطَ القَلائِدِ

وَبَأْسُهُمُ يَفْري مَناطَ القَلائِدِ

And their generosity clothes necks with necklaces,

Their generosity adorned necks with necklaces

and their martial might cleaves the place where necklaces hang.

And their might loosened the fastenings of necklaces

وَقَدْ قَايَضَتْهُمْ إِذْ أُتِيحَ بَوارُها

وَقَدْ قَايَضَتْهُمْ إِذْ أُتِيحَ بَوارُها

بِشِرْذِمَةٍ يَنْميهمُ شَرُّ والِدِ

بِشِرْذِمَةٍ يَنْميهمُ شَرُّ والِدِ

And, when its ruin was ordained, it traded them

Yet when their decline came about

for a paltry band sprung from the worst of fathers.

They were swapped for riffraff raised on the evil of their father

هُمُ أَفْسَدوا إِذْ صَاهَرُونا أُصُولَنا

هُمُ أَفْسَدوا إِذْ صَاهَرُونا أُصُولَنا

وَكَمْ صَالِحٍ شَانَتْهُ صُحْبَةُ فَاسِدِ

وَكَمْ صَالِحٍ شَانَتْهُ صُحْبَةُ فَاسِدِ

They corrupted our roots when they married into our family,

They corrupted our lineage when they married our ancestors

and how many a good man has been marred by a corrupt man's company!

And how many good were ruined by accompanying the wicked

أَراذِلُ مِنْ أَوْباشِ مَنْ تَجْمَعُ القُرى

أَراذِلُ مِنْ أَوْباشِ مَنْ تَجْمَعُ القُرى

يَرومُونَ شَأْوي وَهْوَ عِنْدَ الفَراقِدِ

يَرومُونَ شَأْوي وَهْوَ عِنْدَ الفَراقِدِ

Vile men, from the riffraff whom the villages gather,

The scum of thugs from the villages

they seek to match my height, though it is up by the Farqad stars.

Who plot against my glory by the tombs

وَلَوْ شَاءَ قَوْمِي لَمْ يَبُلَّ عَدُوُّهُمْ

وَلَوْ شَاءَ قَوْمِي لَمْ يَبُلَّ عَدُوُّهُمْ

غَليلَ الصَّدى إِلَّا بِسُؤرِ المَوارِدِ

غَليلَ الصَّدى إِلَّا بِسُؤرِ المَوارِدِ

And had my people wished, their enemy would not have quenched

Had my people wished, their enemy would not have

his burning thirst except with leftovers from the watering places;

Quenched his thirst but from the bitter wells

وَحاطُوا حِماهُمْ بِي وَما اسْتَشْرَفَتْ لَهُمْ

وَحاطُوا حِماهُمْ بِي وَما اسْتَشْرَفَتْ لَهُمْ

غَوائِلُهُ تَسْري خِلالَ المَكائِدِ

غَوائِلُهُ تَسْري خِلالَ المَكائِدِ

and they would have guarded their sanctuary through me; nor would there have loomed over them

They protected me, yet their circumstances did not

his deadly wiles, creeping amid intrigues.

Unfold well, going awry amidst the schemes

وَلكِنَّني أَعْرَضْتُ عَنْهُمْ فَكُلُّهُمْ

وَلكِنَّني أَعْرَضْتُ عَنْهُمْ فَكُلُّهُمْ

يَلُفُّ عَلى الشَحْناءِ أَضْلاعَ حاسِدِ

يَلُفُّ عَلى الشَحْناءِ أَضْلاعَ حاسِدِ

But I turned away from them, for every one of them

But I turned away from them, so they all

wraps an envier's ribs around rancor.

Twist their envious ribs around calumny

وَأَنْفَعُ مِنْ وَصْلِ الأَقَارِبِ لِلْفَتى

وَأَنْفَعُ مِنْ وَصْلِ الأَقَارِبِ لِلْفَتى

إِذَا زَهِدوا فِيهِ جِوارُ الأَباعِدِ

إِذَا زَهِدوا فِيهِ جِوارُ الأَباعِدِ

And more useful to a young man than ties with kin,

And more beneficial to a man than the ties of kin

when they care little for him, is living among strangers.

If they abandon him, is the friendship of strangers