أَلا أَيُّها القَطّاعُ هَل أَنتَ عارِفٌ

أَلا أَيُّها القَطّاعُ هَل أَنتَ عارِفٌ

لَنا حُرمَةً أَم قَد نَكَرتَ التَحَرُّما

لَنا حُرمَةً أَم قَد نَكَرتَ التَحَرُّما

Listen, O al-Qattaʿ, do you acknowledge

O bandit, do you know of our sanctity

our claim to respect, or have you disowned that obligation?

Or have you forgotten proper conduct?

فَهَلا بِطوسٍ وَالبِلادُ حَميدَةٌ

فَهَلا بِطوسٍ وَالبِلادُ حَميدَةٌ

تَعولُ اللَيالي وَالمَطِيَّ المُرَسَّما

تَعولُ اللَيالي وَالمَطِيَّ المُرَسَّما

Why not, in Tus, while the land was good,

So why not Tus, where the lands are blessed,

provide for the nights and the swiftly driven mounts?

That fill the nights and the embroidered saddlebags.

وَأَسلَمَتني مِن بَعدِ ما صَوَّحَ الكَلا

وَأَسلَمَتني مِن بَعدِ ما صَوَّحَ الكَلا

وَغاضَت بَقايا الحَسي وَالمُزنُ أَنجَما

وَغاضَت بَقايا الحَسي وَالمُزنُ أَنجَما

And you abandoned me after the pasture had withered,

And which delivered me after the misfortunes of life

and the waterholes’ last waters had sunk away, and the rain clouds stopped raining.

And the remnants of sadness and grief have faded.

سَتَعلَمُ إِن راجَعتَ نَفسَكَ أَو سَخَت

سَتَعلَمُ إِن راجَعتَ نَفسَكَ أَو سَخَت

عَنِ الضَفِّ يَوماً أَيُّنا كانَ أَلوَما

عَنِ الضَفِّ يَوماً أَيُّنا كانَ أَلوَما

You will know, if you reflect upon yourself, or your soul lets go

You will know, if you reflect upon yourself or get angry,

of its stinginess one day, which of us was more to blame.

Which of us has been more unjust one day.