سَبَّحَ اللَهُ طالِعٌ مُستَنيرٌ

سَبَّحَ اللَهُ طالِعٌ مُستَنيرٌ

وَهِلالٌ مِثلُ القُلامَةِ ناحِل

وَهِلالٌ مِثلُ القُلامَةِ ناحِل

A radiant rising star glorified God,

Allah be praised, a bright dawn rises

And a crescent, slender as a nail clipping.

And a crescent like an elegant bow

وَبَدَت مِن بَناتِ نَعشٍ غَوانٍ

وَبَدَت مِن بَناتِ نَعشٍ غَوانٍ

لَم يُصِبها مِن إِثمِدِ اللَيلِ كاحِل

لَم يُصِبها مِن إِثمِدِ اللَيلِ كاحِل

And beauties appeared among the Daughters of the Bier,

Appears among the daughters of the bier of darkness

Whom no kohl-applier had touched with the antimony of night.

Unblemished by the murk of night

كَالسَوامِ الأَنامُ هَل فازَ مَن سا

كَالسَوامِ الأَنامُ هَل فازَ مَن سا

فَرَ مِنهُم إِلى بَطيءِ المَراحِل

فَرَ مِنهُم إِلى بَطيءِ المَراحِل

Humankind are like grazing herds; has anyone triumphed who

People bustle - has the one who hastened

Traveled, one of their number, toward one slow in his journeys?

Fled them to the slow stages?

يَمَنِيٌّ وَفارِسِيٌّ وَشامِيٌّ

يَمَنِيٌّ وَفارِسِيٌّ وَشامِيٌّ

وَغادٍ مِن أَهلِ غَربَةَ راحِل

وَغادٍ مِن أَهلِ غَربَةَ راحِل

A Yemeni, and a Persian, and a Syrian,

A Yemeni, a Persian, a Syrian

And one setting out at dawn, a traveler among exiles.

And a wanderer from the West traveling

ساحِلِيّونَ لَم أُرِد ساحِلَ البَح

ساحِلِيّونَ لَم أُرِد ساحِلَ البَح

رِ وَلَكِن نَسباً لِأَقمَرَ ساحِل

رِ وَلَكِن نَسباً لِأَقمَرَ ساحِل

“Coastal” folk—I did not mean the shore of the

I did not mean the shore of the sea

Sea, but kinship with a pale, braying ass.

But rather one with radiant shores

خَفَّ مَلكٌ عَلى السَريرِ فَهَل يو

خَفَّ مَلكٌ عَلى السَريرِ فَهَل يو

جَدُ في العالَمينَ قَرمٌ حُلاحِل

جَدُ في العالَمينَ قَرمٌ حُلاحِل

A king has grown frivolous upon the throne; can there be

A king reclines on his throne - will he find

Found in all creation a mighty, noble chief?

In both worlds, a fortress like himself?