أَلَمَّ خيالٌ من أُمَيمَةَ مَوهِناً

أَلَمَّ خيالٌ من أُمَيمَةَ مَوهِناً

وقد جَعَلَت أُولى النُجومِ تَغورُ

وقد جَعَلَت أُولى النُجومِ تَغورُ

A phantom of Umaymah came late at night,

A hope from Ummaymah has come to comfort me

And the first stars had already begun to set.

As the first stars begin to set in the west

ونحن بصحراءِ العُذَيب ودارُها

ونحن بصحراءِ العُذَيب ودارُها

حجازيةٌ إِنَّ المَحَلَّ شَطيرُ

حجازيةٌ إِنَّ المَحَلَّ شَطيرُ

We were in the desert of al-ʿUdhayb, while her home

While we are in the desert of Udhayb, her home

Was in the Hijaz—indeed, the abode was far away.

Is Hejazi, indeed this place is excellent

تَحِنُّ بباب القادسية ناقتي

تَحِنُّ بباب القادسية ناقتي

وسعدُ بنُ وقّاصٍ عليَّ أميرُ

وسعدُ بنُ وقّاصٍ عليَّ أميرُ

My she-camel moans longingly at the gate of al-Qadisiyyah,

My she-camel yearns by the gate of Al-Qadisiya

And Saʿd ibn Waqqas is commander over me.

And Sa'd ibn Waqqas is over me, a prince

وسعدٌ أميرٌ شرُّهُ دون خيرِهِ

وسعدٌ أميرٌ شرُّهُ دون خيرِهِ

طويلُ الشذا كابي الزنادِ قصيرُ

طويلُ الشذا كابي الزنادِ قصيرُ

And Saʿd is a commander whose harm is nearer at hand than his good—

And Sa'd is a prince, his evil less than his good

Far-reaching in harm, with firesticks that fail to spark, yet short.

Tall of frame, short of supplies and provision

تَذَكَّر هَداكَ اللَهُ وَقعَ سيوفنا

تَذَكَّر هَداكَ اللَهُ وَقعَ سيوفنا

بباب قُدَيسٍ والمَكَرُّ عسيرُ

بباب قُدَيسٍ والمَكَرُّ عسيرُ

Remember—may God guide you—the blows of our swords

Remember God has guided you, and our swords fell

At the gate of Qudays, when the charge was arduous,

At the gate of Qudayd, though the scheme was hard

عشيَّةَ وَدَّ القومُ لو أَنَّ بعضهم

عشيَّةَ وَدَّ القومُ لو أَنَّ بعضهم

يُعارُ جناحَي طائرٍ فيطيرُ

يُعارُ جناحَي طائرٍ فيطيرُ

On the evening when the men wished that some of them

An evening, had the people wished, that some of them

Might be lent a bird’s two wings and so fly away.

Could borrow the wings of a bird and fly away