نَفِّسوا كَربي وَداوُوا عِلَلي

نَفِّسوا كَربي وَداوُوا عِلَلي

وَاِبرِزوا لي كُلَّ لَيثٍ بَطَلِ

وَاِبرِزوا لي كُلَّ لَيثٍ بَطَلِ

Relieve my anguish and heal my ailments.

Relieve my troubles and cure my ailments,

And bring forth before me every valiant lion.

And bring before me every mighty hero.

وَاِنهَلوا مِن حَدِّ سَيفي جُرَعاً

وَاِنهَلوا مِن حَدِّ سَيفي جُرَعاً

مُرَّةً مِثلَ نَقيعِ الحَنظَلِ

مُرَّةً مِثلَ نَقيعِ الحَنظَلِ

And drink deep draughts from the edge of my sword,

Let them drink deep of the blade of my sword,

Bitter as an infusion of colocynth.

Bitter as aloe juice that's hard to swallow.

وَإِذا المَوتُ بَدا في جَحفَلٍ

وَإِذا المَوتُ بَدا في جَحفَلٍ

فَدَعوني لِلِقاءِ الجَحفَلِ

فَدَعوني لِلِقاءِ الجَحفَلِ

And when death appears amid a mighty army,

And if death appears amidst the battlefield,

Then leave me to face that army.

Then let me charge towards the fray.

يا بَني الأَعجامِ ما بالُكُم

يا بَني الأَعجامِ ما بالُكُم

عَن قِتالي كُلُّكُم في شُغُلِ

عَن قِتالي كُلُّكُم في شُغُلِ

O sons of non-Arabs, what ails you,

O sons of Persia, why do you all shirk

That all of you are too busy to fight me?

From crossing swords with me today?

أَينَ مَن كانَ لِقَتلي طالِباً

أَينَ مَن كانَ لِقَتلي طالِباً

رامَ يَسقيني شَرابَ الأَجَلِ

رامَ يَسقيني شَرابَ الأَجَلِ

Where is the man who sought to kill me,

Where is he who sought to take my life?

Who aimed to make me drink the draught of death?

He who wished to serve me death's fatal drink?

أَبرِزوهُ وَاِنظُروا ما يَلتَقي

أَبرِزوهُ وَاِنظُروا ما يَلتَقي

مِن سِناني تَحتَ ظِلِّ القَسطَلِ

مِن سِناني تَحتَ ظِلِّ القَسطَلِ

Bring him forth, and watch what he encounters

Bring him forth and witness what meets

From my spearpoint beneath the shadow of battle-dust.

My spear beneath fate's balancing scales.

قَسَماً يا عَبلَ يا أُختَ المَها

قَسَماً يا عَبلَ يا أُختَ المَها

بِثَناياكِ العِذابِ القُبَلِ

بِثَناياكِ العِذابِ القُبَلِ

I swear, O Abla, sister of the oryxes,

By your oath, O Abla, sister mine,

By your front teeth, whose kisses are sweet,

By your soft cheeks and tempting dimples,

وَبِعَينَيكِ وَما قَد ضَمِنَت

وَبِعَينَيكِ وَما قَد ضَمِنَت

مِن دَواهي سِحرِها وَالكَحَلِ

مِن دَواهي سِحرِها وَالكَحَلِ

And by your eyes and what they hold

By your eyes whose kohl enhances their allure,

Of the perils of their magic and their dark rims,

Weaving a spell of magic everlasting,

إِنَّني لَولا خَيالٌ طارِقٌ

إِنَّني لَولا خَيالٌ طارِقٌ

مِنكِ ما ذُقتُ هُجوعَ المُقَلِ

مِنكِ ما ذُقتُ هُجوعَ المُقَلِ

Indeed, were it not for a phantom visiting by night

Without thoughts of you to haunt my dreams,

Of you, I would never have tasted the slumber of eyes.

I'd not have tasted the bitterness of longing.

أَتُرى تُنبيكِ أَرواحُ الصَبا

أَتُرى تُنبيكِ أَرواحُ الصَبا

بِاِشتِياقي نَحوَ ذاكَ المَنزِلِ

بِاِشتِياقي نَحوَ ذاكَ المَنزِلِ

I wonder, do the breezes of the east wind tell you

Do spirits of youth remind you still

Of my longing toward that dwelling?

Of my yearning for that home we once shared?

فَسَقى اللَهُ لَياليكِ الَّتي

فَسَقى اللَهُ لَياليكِ الَّتي

سَلَفَت صَوبَ السَحابِ الهَطِلِ

سَلَفَت صَوبَ السَحابِ الهَطِلِ

So may God water your nights that

May God water the nights you spent

Have passed, with the rain of downpouring clouds.

In clouds bursting with flooding rain.