لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ ما نُسِبَ المُعَلّى

لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ ما نُسِبَ المُعَلّى

إِلى كَرَمٍ وَفي الدُنيا كَريمُ

إِلى كَرَمٍ وَفي الدُنيا كَريمُ

By your father's life, al-Mu‘allā was not credited

By your father's life, he who ascends high

with generosity while there was a generous man in the world.

Is never attributed to bounty, though the generous abound in life.

وَلَكِنَّ البِلادَ إِذا اِقشَعَرَّت

وَلَكِنَّ البِلادَ إِذا اِقشَعَرَّت

وَصَوَّحَ نَبتُها رُعِيَ الهَشيمُ

وَصَوَّحَ نَبتُها رُعِيَ الهَشيمُ

But when the lands grow barren

Rather, a land, when stripped barren and crying

and their vegetation withers, dry stubble is grazed.

For rain, is browsed by cattle meant for slaughter.