قِفِ العيسَ قَد أَدنى خُطاها كَلالُها

قِفِ العيسَ قَد أَدنى خُطاها كَلالُها

وَسَل دارَ سُعدى إِن شَفاكَ سُؤالُها

وَسَل دارَ سُعدى إِن شَفاكَ سُؤالُها

Halt the pale camels; weariness has shortened their strides.

Stop the camel, her steps have drawn near, her weariness is complete

And question Su'da's dwelling, if questioning it will heal you.

Ask the abode of my joy if your question will bring it healing

وَما أَعرِفُ الأَطلالَ مِن بَطنِ توضِحٍ

وَما أَعرِفُ الأَطلالَ مِن بَطنِ توضِحٍ

لِطولِ تَعَفّيها وَلَكِن إِخالُها

لِطولِ تَعَفّيها وَلَكِن إِخالُها

And I do not recognize the ruins on Tudih's valley floor,

I know not the ruins amidst the clearly shining valley

because they have long been effaced; yet I think I recognize them.

For long has it been desolate and only its traces remain

إِذا قُلتُ أَنسى دارَ لَيلى عَلى النَوى

إِذا قُلتُ أَنسى دارَ لَيلى عَلى النَوى

تَصَوَّرَ في أَقصى ضَميري مِثالُها

تَصَوَّرَ في أَقصى ضَميري مِثالُها

When I say I will forget Layla's dwelling while far away,

If I say I forget the abode of Layla in al-Nawā

her image takes shape in the deepest recesses of my heart.

Her image is pictured in the furthest reaches of my soul

وَقَد كُنتُ أَرجو وَصلَها قَبلَ هَجرِها

وَقَد كُنتُ أَرجو وَصلَها قَبلَ هَجرِها

فَقَد بانَ مِنّي هَجرُها وَوِصالُها

فَقَد بانَ مِنّي هَجرُها وَوِصالُها

And I had hoped for union with her before her estrangement,

I had hoped to attain union with her before we parted

but now her estrangement and union with her alike have left me.

But my parting and union with her have become clear to me

فَلَم يَبقَ إِلّا لَوعَةٌ تُلهِبُ الحَشا

فَلَم يَبقَ إِلّا لَوعَةٌ تُلهِبُ الحَشا

وَإِلّا أَكاذيبُ المُنى وَضَلالُها

وَإِلّا أَكاذيبُ المُنى وَضَلالُها

So nothing remains but an anguish that sets my heart aflame,

There remains only a burning anguish igniting my thoughts

and nothing but the falsehoods of wishes and their delusions.

And the false hopes and strayings of my wishes

فَلا عَهدَ إِلّا أَن يُعاوِدَ ذِكرُها

فَلا عَهدَ إِلّا أَن يُعاوِدَ ذِكرُها

وَلا وَصلَ إِلّا أَن يَزورَ خَيالُها

وَلا وَصلَ إِلّا أَن يَزورَ خَيالُها

So no bond remains except the return of her memory,

I have no pact but that her memory should recurrently revive

and no union except when her phantom visits.

No union but that her phantom should visit me

تَمَنَّيتُ لَيلى بَعدَ فَوتٍ وَإِنَّما

تَمَنَّيتُ لَيلى بَعدَ فَوتٍ وَإِنَّما

تَمَنَّيتُ مِنها خُطَّةً لا أَنالُها

تَمَنَّيتُ مِنها خُطَّةً لا أَنالُها

I longed for Layla after losing her; yet I only

I wished for Layla after she was gone but truly

longed for a prospect with her that I cannot attain.

I wished from her only an unattainable fantasy

زَهَت سُرَّ مَن را بِالخَليفَةِ جَعفَرٍ

زَهَت سُرَّ مَن را بِالخَليفَةِ جَعفَرٍ

وَعادَ إِلَيها حُسنُها وَجَمالُها

وَعادَ إِلَيها حُسنُها وَجَمالُها

Surra Man Ra shone proudly with the Caliph Ja'far,

The capital flourished when Jaʿfar al-Khalīfa returned

and its loveliness and beauty returned to it.

Her beauty and charm went back to her

صَفا جَوُّها لَمّا أَتاها وَكُشِّفَت

صَفا جَوُّها لَمّا أَتاها وَكُشِّفَت

ضَبابَتُها عَنها وَهَبَّت شَمالُها

ضَبابَتُها عَنها وَهَبَّت شَمالُها

Its sky cleared when he came to it, and swept away was

Its air cleared when he came to it and its obscurities

its haze, and its north wind blew.

Were unveiled from it and its north wind blew

وَكانَت قَدِ اِغبَرَّت رُباها وَأَظلَمَت

وَكانَت قَدِ اِغبَرَّت رُباها وَأَظلَمَت

جَوانِبُ قُطرَيها وَبانَ اِختِلالُها

جَوانِبُ قُطرَيها وَبانَ اِختِلالُها

And its hills had grown dust-grey, and darkness had fallen over

It had been covered in dust and the sides of its crescents darkened

the reaches of both its sides, and its disarray was plain.

And the disorder of its condition became evident

إِذا غِبتَ عَن أَرضٍ وَيَمَّمتَ غَيرَها

إِذا غِبتَ عَن أَرضٍ وَيَمَّمتَ غَيرَها

فَقَد غابَ عَنها شَمسُها وَهِلالُها

فَقَد غابَ عَنها شَمسُها وَهِلالُها

When you are absent from a land and turn toward another,

When you are absent from a land and head for another

then its sun and crescent moon have vanished from it.

Its sun disappears from it and its crescent is veiled

غَدَت بِكَ آفاقُ البِلادِ خَصيبَةً

غَدَت بِكَ آفاقُ البِلادِ خَصيبَةً

وَهَل تُمحِلُ الدُنيا وَأَنتَ ثِمالُها

وَهَل تُمحِلُ الدُنيا وَأَنتَ ثِمالُها

Through you, the horizons of the lands have become fertile;

By you the horizons of the countries become fertile

and can the world grow barren while you are its mainstay?

Can the world carry you while you are its adornment?

وَأَيَّةُ نُعمى ساقَها اللَهُ نَحوَنا

وَأَيَّةُ نُعمى ساقَها اللَهُ نَحوَنا

فَكانَ لَنا اِستِئنافُها وَاِقتِبالُها

فَكانَ لَنا اِستِئنافُها وَاِقتِبالُها

And every blessing God has brought our way,

What blessings has God conveyed to us?

whose renewal and reception have been ours,

Their restoration to us and our receiving them were because of you

فَمِن وَجهِكَ الضاحي إِلَينا بِبِشرِهِ

فَمِن وَجهِكَ الضاحي إِلَينا بِبِشرِهِ

وَمِن يَدِكَ الجاري عَلَينا نَوالُها

وَمِن يَدِكَ الجاري عَلَينا نَوالُها

comes from your face, radiant toward us with its cheer,

So from your radiant face good news comes to us

and from your hand, whose bounty flows upon us.

And from your open hand its plenty flows to us

لَكُم كُلُّ بَطحاءٍ بِمَكَّةَ إِذ غَدا

لَكُم كُلُّ بَطحاءٍ بِمَكَّةَ إِذ غَدا

لِغَيرِكُمُ ظُهرانُها وَجِبالُها

لِغَيرِكُمُ ظُهرانُها وَجِبالُها

Yours is every gravelly valley in Mecca, while

You possess every plain in Mecca when its furniture

its uplands and mountains have become the lot of others.

And its mountains belong to others

وَأَنتُم بَني العَبّاسِ عَمِّ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَأَنتُم بَني العَبّاسِ عَمِّ مُحَمَّدٍ

يَمينُ قُرَيشٍ إِذ سِواكُم شِمالُها

يَمينُ قُرَيشٍ إِذ سِواكُم شِمالُها

And you, sons of al-'Abbas, Muhammad's uncle,

And you, O Banū al-ʿAbbās, are the uncle of Muḥammad

are Quraysh's right hand, while all besides you are its left.

The right wing of Quraysh when their left wing are others

وَقَد سَرَّني أَنَّ الخِلافَةَ فيكُمُ

وَقَد سَرَّني أَنَّ الخِلافَةَ فيكُمُ

مُخَيِّمَةٌ ما إن يُخافُ اِنتِقالُها

مُخَيِّمَةٌ ما إن يُخافُ اِنتِقالُها

And it has gladdened me that the caliphate among you

I was pleased that the Caliphate was established among you

is encamped, with no fear of its moving elsewhere.

Encamped, not fearing it would transfer

لَكُم إِرثُها وَالحَقُّ مِنها وَلَم يَكُن

لَكُم إِرثُها وَالحَقُّ مِنها وَلَم يَكُن

لِغَيرِكُمُ إِلّا اِسمُها وَاِنتِحالُها

لِغَيرِكُمُ إِلّا اِسمُها وَاِنتِحالُها

Yours are its inheritance and rightful title; there was

Yours is its inheritance and truthfully from it, no one else had

for others only its name and a usurped claim to it.

Anything but its name and false claim to it

وَإِنَّ بَني حَربٍ وَمَروانَ أَصبَحوا

وَإِنَّ بَني حَربٍ وَمَروانَ أَصبَحوا

بِدارِ هَوانٍ قَد عَراهُم نَكالُها

بِدارِ هَوانٍ قَد عَراهُم نَكالُها

And the sons of Harb and Marwan have come to be

The Banū Ḥarb and Marwān have woken up

in an abode of humiliation, whose punishment has overtaken them.

In an abode of humiliation, stripped of all honor

يَغُضّونَ أَبصاراً مَغيظاً ضَميرُها

يَغُضّونَ أَبصاراً مَغيظاً ضَميرُها

وَيُبدونَ أَلحاظاً مُبيناً كَلالُها

وَيُبدونَ أَلحاظاً مُبيناً كَلالُها

They lower their eyes, their inward thoughts enraged,

They lower their eyes in anger and their souls

and reveal glances whose weariness is plain.

Reveal gazing looks expressing weariness

وَإِنَّ الَّذي يُهدي عَداوَتَهُ لَكُم

وَإِنَّ الَّذي يُهدي عَداوَتَهُ لَكُم

لَمُرتَكِضٌ في عَثرَةٍ مايُقالُها

لَمُرتَكِضٌ في عَثرَةٍ مايُقالُها

And whoever offers his enmity to you

Whoever shows enmity to you

is surely floundering in a fall from which he will not be lifted.

Is plunging into a pitfall from which there is no escape

مَتى ماثَنَوا أَعناقَهُم نَحوَ فِتنَةٍ

مَتى ماثَنَوا أَعناقَهُم نَحوَ فِتنَةٍ

يَكُن بِالسُيوفِ الماضِياتِ اِعتِدالُها

يَكُن بِالسُيوفِ الماضِياتِ اِعتِدالُها

Whenever they bend their necks toward rebellion,

Whenever they incline their necks toward strife

their straightening will come through keen-edged swords.

There is equilibrium in the passing swords

وَدونَ الَّتي مَنّى الأَعادي نُفوسَهُم

وَدونَ الَّتي مَنّى الأَعادي نُفوسَهُم

مَناياهُمُ في العالَمينَ نَكالُها

مَناياهُمُ في العالَمينَ نَكالُها

And before what the enemies have made their souls hope for

Beneath those their enemies’ souls desired

lie their deaths, a warning to all the worlds:

Is their perdition in both worlds

مُثَقَّفَةٌ سُمرٌ لِدانٌ صُدورُها

مُثَقَّفَةٌ سُمرٌ لِدانٌ صُدورُها

وَهِندِيَّةٌ بيضٌ حَديثٌ صِقالُها

وَهِندِيَّةٌ بيضٌ حَديثٌ صِقالُها

straightened brown spears, supple in their foreparts,

Burnished Indian swords white and newly sharpened

and white Indian swords, freshly polished.

Their chests split open and their skulls cloven