أَتَدري ما حَوى الشعب اليَماني

أَتَدري ما حَوى الشعب اليَماني

بدور دُجى عَلى عَذبات بانِ

بدور دُجى عَلى عَذبات بانِ

Do you know what the Yemeni ravine held?

Do you know what the Yemeni people contain

Full moons of darkness upon the slender tips of bān branches;

In the darkness of homes upon sweet quarrels

شموس في سَما الفسطاط تَبدو

شموس في سَما الفسطاط تَبدو

وَإِن غَربت فَمغربها جَناني

وَإِن غَربت فَمغربها جَناني

Suns appearing in the sky of al-Fustat;

Suns in the sky of the palace appear

And if they set, their setting-place is my heart.

And if they set, their sunset is my paradise

تَخر لَها الضَمائر ساجِدات

تَخر لَها الضَمائر ساجِدات

وَتَلثم ترب مَوطئها الأَماني

وَتَلثم ترب مَوطئها الأَماني

Inmost hearts fall prostrate before them,

The consciences bow down before them

And wishes kiss the dust where they tread.

And my wishes kiss the ground they tread on

جَآذر دونَها الآساد صَرعى

جَآذر دونَها الآساد صَرعى

بِسحر لِحاظها لا بِالطِعانِ

بِسحر لِحاظها لا بِالطِعانِ

Wild-ox calves, before whom lions lie struck down,

The lions beneath them lie slain

By the magic of their sidelong glances, not by spear-thrusts.

By the magic of their glances, not by spears

إِذا ما رُحت أُفكَر في هَواها

إِذا ما رُحت أُفكَر في هَواها

غَدَوت كَأَنَّني قَلب الجَبانِ

غَدَوت كَأَنَّني قَلب الجَبانِ

Whenever I set about pondering my love for them,

When I think of their love

I become as though I were a coward's heart.

I become as if I were the heart of the coward

سَقى بِالنير بين زَمان أُنسي

سَقى بِالنير بين زَمان أُنسي

هتون الدَمع بَل صَوب الهِتان

هتون الدَمع بَل صَوب الهِتان

May my days of companionship at al-Nayrabayn be watered

It has watered with happiness a time I lived

By streaming tears—nay, by a downpour of steady rain.

Melting tears, even provoking passion

زَمان مَسرة تَلهيكَ فيهِ

زَمان مَسرة تَلهيكَ فيهِ

عَن الأَوتار قَهقهة القَناني

عَن الأَوتار قَهقهة القَناني

A time of joy, in which you are distracted

A time of joy that preoccupies you

From the strings by the loud laughter of bottles.

From the strings the laughter of the jugs