لَكَ الخَلائِقُ فينا السَهلَةُ السُمُحُ

لَكَ الخَلائِقُ فينا السَهلَةُ السُمُحُ

وَالنَيلُ يَسلَسُ لِلراجي وَيَنسَرِحُ

وَالنَيلُ يَسلَسُ لِلراجي وَيَنسَرِحُ

Yours are gentle, generous ways toward us,

You have the easygoing and gentle people among us,

And bounty comes easily to the hopeful seeker and flows freely;

And the Nile flows smoothly for the hopeful and relaxes.

وَالمَكرُماتُ الَّتي باتَت مَعالِمُها

وَالمَكرُماتُ الَّتي باتَت مَعالِمُها

مَشهورَةً كَنُجومِ اللَيلِ تَتَّضِحُ

مَشهورَةً كَنُجومِ اللَيلِ تَتَّضِحُ

And noble deeds whose hallmarks have become

And the generous acts whose features

Renowned, standing out clearly like the stars of night.

Have become renowned like the stars of the night become clear.

أَمّا العُفاةُ فَقَد حَطّوا رِحالَهُمُ

أَمّا العُفاةُ فَقَد حَطّوا رِحالَهُمُ

بِحَيثُ تَتَّسِعُ الدُنيا وَتَنفَسِحُ

بِحَيثُ تَتَّسِعُ الدُنيا وَتَنفَسِحُ

As for the seekers of bounty, they have set down their saddles

As for the nobles, they have pitched their tents

Where the world grows wide and opens out.

Wherever the world expands and breathes easy.

فَداكَ مَن لا نَداهُ صَوبُ غادِيَةٍ

فَداكَ مَن لا نَداهُ صَوبُ غادِيَةٍ

تَهمي وَلا صَدرُهُ لِلجودِ مُنشَرِحُ

تَهمي وَلا صَدرُهُ لِلجودِ مُنشَرِحُ

May he be your ransom whose bounty is no downpour from a morning cloud

May you live long, he whose call no one beside a traveling woman responds to,

Pouring rain, and whose breast is not open to generosity.

Nor is his chest wide open for generosity.

أَمُطلِقي مِن يَدِ السَيبِيِّ أَنتَ فَقَد

أَمُطلِقي مِن يَدِ السَيبِيِّ أَنتَ فَقَد

كَلَّت لَدَيهِ رِكابُ الطالِبِ الطُلُحُ

كَلَّت لَدَيهِ رِكابُ الطالِبِ الطُلُحُ

Will you free me from al-Saybi's hand? For

O you who release captives from the hands of the youth! You, for at his feet

The seeker's weary camels have grown exhausted before him.

The sandals of the insistent suitor have chafed.

أَرى عَلى بابِهِ صَرعى أَقامَ بِهِم

أَرى عَلى بابِهِ صَرعى أَقامَ بِهِم

طولُ المَطالِ فَلا أَجدى وَلا نَجَحوا

طولُ المَطالِ فَلا أَجدى وَلا نَجَحوا

I see men laid low at his door, held there by

I see next to his door victims felled by

Protracted delay: he gave nothing, and they found no success.

The length of waiting, availing naught nor succeeding.

لَنا مَواقِفُ في أَفناءِ عَرصَتِهِ

لَنا مَواقِفُ في أَفناءِ عَرصَتِهِ

تُهانُ أَخطارُنا فيها وَتُطَّرَحُ

تُهانُ أَخطارُنا فيها وَتُطَّرَحُ

We stand in the precincts of his courtyard,

We have stations in the courtyards of his mansion

Where our standing is demeaned and cast aside.

Where our dangers are scorned and tossed aside.

نَغشاهُ لا نَحنُ مُشتاقونَ مِنهُ إِلى

نَغشاهُ لا نَحنُ مُشتاقونَ مِنهُ إِلى

أُنسٍ وَلا هُوَ مَسرورٌ بِنا فَرِحُ

أُنسٍ وَلا هُوَ مَسرورٌ بِنا فَرِحُ

We visit him, yet we have no longing for his

We visit him, neither longing for his company,

Companionship; nor is he pleased or delighted with us.

Nor he delighted by us and happy.

إِذا طَلَبنا بِلينِ القَولِ غِرَّتَهُ

إِذا طَلَبنا بِلينِ القَولِ غِرَّتَهُ

ظَلنا نُعالِجُ قُفلاً لَيسَ يَنفَتِحُ

ظَلنا نُعالِجُ قُفلاً لَيسَ يَنفَتِحُ

When we seek to catch him off guard with gentle speech,

If gently we ask for his pride,

We keep struggling with a lock that will not open.

We remain handling a lock that does not open.

أَعيا عَلَيَّ فَلا هَيّابَةٌ فَرِقٌ

أَعيا عَلَيَّ فَلا هَيّابَةٌ فَرِقٌ

مِنَ الهِجاءِ وَلا هَشٌّ فَيُمتَدَحُ

مِنَ الهِجاءِ وَلا هَشٌّ فَيُمتَدَحُ

He has baffled me: he is neither timid nor afraid

He has wearied me, so I have no fear of censure,

Of satire, nor genial enough to be praised.

No shrinking from invective, and no praise allures me.

يُريغُ كاتِبُهُ صُلحي لِيَنقُصَني

يُريغُ كاتِبُهُ صُلحي لِيَنقُصَني

وَلَم يَكُن بَينَنا شَرٌّ فَنَصطَلِحُ

وَلَم يَكُن بَينَنا شَرٌّ فَنَصطَلِحُ

His secretary seeks peace with me, to shortchange me,

His scribe scripts my ruin to diminish me

Yet there was no quarrel between us for us to make peace.

Though no evil existed between us to reconcile.

وَكَم أُناسٍ أَلاموا في مُتاجَرَتي

وَكَم أُناسٍ أَلاموا في مُتاجَرَتي

وَحاوَلوا الرِبحَ في نَقصي فَما رَبِحوا

وَحاوَلوا الرِبحَ في نَقصي فَما رَبِحوا

And how many people earned blame in bargaining with me,

And how many people who traded with me have suffered,

And tried to profit at my expense, but made no profit.

And sought profit in my loss, but gained nothing.