لَقَدindeed هاجَstirred نَفسَكَyour soul أَشجانُهاits sorrows
لَقَد هاجَ نَفسَكَ أَشجانُها
وَعاوَدَهاand returned to it اليَومَtoday أَديانُهاits old habits
وَعاوَدَها اليَومَ أَديانُها
Truly, her sorrows have stirred your soul,
Indeed, its sorrows have stirred your soul,
and today its old familiar pangs have returned.
and its old habits have returned to it today.
تَذَكَّرُyou remember لَيلىLayla وَماbut what use is ذِكرُهاremembering her
تَذَكَّرُ لَيلى وَما ذِكرُها
وَقَدand already قُطِعَتhave been severed مِنكَfrom you أَقرانُهاher bonds
وَقَد قُطِعَت مِنكَ أَقرانُها
You remember Layla—but what use is remembering her,
You remember Layla—but what use is remembering her,
when her companions have been severed from you?
when her bonds with you have been severed?
وَحَجَّلَand hopped فيin الدارِthe dwelling غِربانُهاits crows
وَحَجَّلَ في الدارِ غِربانُها
وَخَفَّand departed مِنَfrom الدارِthe dwelling سُكّانُهاits inhabitants
وَخَفَّ مِنَ الدارِ سُكّانُها
Ravens now strut through the dwelling,
And its crows have hopped in the dwelling,
whose inhabitants have dwindled away.
and its inhabitants have departed from it.
وَغَيَّرَهاand altered it مُعصِراتُrain-bearing gusts الرِياحِof wind
وَغَيَّرَها مُعصِراتُ الرِياحِ
وَسَحُّand the downpour الجَنوبِof the south wind وَتَهتانُهاand its steady rain
وَسَحُّ الجَنوبِ وَتَهتانُها
Rain-bearing winds have transformed it,
And the rain-bearing winds have altered it,
the south wind’s downpour and its steady rain.
and the south wind's downpour and its steady rain.
وَدَوِّيَّةٍand a wilderness سَبسَبٍa vast plain سَملَقٍbare, level ground
وَدَوِّيَّةٍ سَبسَبٍ سَملَقٍ
مِنَamong البيدِthe deserts تَعزِفُmake music جِنّانُهاits jinn
مِنَ البيدِ تَعزِفُ جِنّانُها
Across a vast, level, barren wilderness,
And many a wilderness, vast, bare, and level,
one of the deserts where its jinn make eerie music,
among the deserts, where its jinn make music,
قَطَعتُI crossed إِذاwhen خَبَّraced جاريthe flow of السَرابِthe mirage
قَطَعتُ إِذا خَبَّ جاري السَرابِ
بِهَوجاءَon a headlong she-camel يَلعَبُfrolics شَيطانُهاits demon
بِهَوجاءَ يَلعَبُ شَيطانُها
I crossed when the racing mirage sped on,
I crossed when the mirage's current raced,
through a wind-ravaged waste where its demon played.
on a headlong she-camel whose demon frolicked.
وَساءَلتُand I questioned مَنزِلَةًa dwelling بِالحِمىin the protected pasture
وَساءَلتُ مَنزِلَةً بِالحِمى
وَقَدand already ظَعَنَdeparted الحَيُّthe tribe ماwhat شانُهاits state
وَقَد ظَعَنَ الحَيُّ ما شانُها
I questioned a campsite within the sanctuary,
And I asked about a dwelling in the protected pasture—
though the clan had departed: “What has befallen it?”
the tribe had left—and what had become of it,
مَهاةًan oryx مِنَamong العَينِthe wide-eyed ones تَمشيwalking بِهاwithin it
مَهاةً مِنَ العَينِ تَمشي بِها
وَتَتبَعُهاand follow it ثَمَّthere غِزلانُهاits gazelles
وَتَتبَعُها ثَمَّ غِزلانُها
A wide-eyed oryx doe walks there,
of a wide-eyed oryx walking there,
and there her gazelles follow her.
with its gazelles following it there.
فَعَيَّتso it was speechless وَجاوَبَنيand answered me دونَهاin its stead
فَعَيَّت وَجاوَبَني دونَها
بِماwith what راعَalarmed قَلبِيَmy heart أَعوانَهاits companions
بِما راعَ قَلبِيَ أَعوانَها
It could not answer; in its stead, there answered me
It was speechless; in its stead I was answered
its attendants, with sights that struck terror into my heart.
by its companions, with what alarmed my heart.
وَيَثرِبُand Yathrib تَعلَمُknows أَنّاthat we بِهاwithin her
وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ أَنّا بِها
إِذاwhen أَلبَسَbecame obscure الحَقُّthe truth ميزانُهاher balance
إِذا أَلبَسَ الحَقُّ ميزانُها
Yathrib knows that we are there
And Yathrib knows that we, within her,
whenever her scales make justice hard to discern.
are her balance when truth grows obscure.
وَيَثرِبُand Yathrib تَعلَمُknows أَنّاthat we بِهاwithin her
وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ أَنّا بِها
إِذاwhen قَحَطَfailed القَطرُthe rainfall نُوآنُهاher rain-bearing stars
إِذا قَحَطَ القَطرُ نُوآنُها
Yathrib knows that we are there
And Yathrib knows that we, within her,
when rain is withheld: we are her rain-bringing stars.
are her rain-bearing stars when rainfall fails.
وَيَثرِبُand Yathrib تَعلَمُknows أَنّاthat we بِهاwithin her
وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ أَنّا بِها
إِذاwhen خافَتِfeared الأَوسَal-Aws جيرانُهاher neighbors
إِذا خافَتِ الأَوسَ جيرانُها
Yathrib knows that we are there
And Yathrib knows that we are within her
when Aws fears her neighbors.
when her neighbors fear al-Aws.
وَيَثرِبُand Yathrib تَعلَمُknows إِذwhen حارَبَتshe fought
وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ إِذ حارَبَت
بِأَنّاthat we لَدىin الحَربِwar فُرسانُهاher horsemen
بِأَنّا لَدى الحَربِ فُرسانُها
Yathrib knows, when she goes to war,
And Yathrib knows, having fought,
that in battle we are her horsemen.
that in war we are her horsemen.
وَيَثرِبُand Yathrib تَعلَمُknows أَنَّthat النَبيتَal-Nabit
وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ أَنَّ النَبيتَ
عِندَamid الهَزاهِزِbattle's upheavals ذُلّانُهاher abject men
عِندَ الهَزاهِزِ ذُلّانُها
Yathrib knows that the Nabit clan
And Yathrib knows that al-Nabit
are her humbled ones amid upheavals.
are her abject men amid battle's upheavals.
نُبِتpossibly 'I was told'; unclear as written بِالنَبيتِof al-Nabit وَأَشياعِهاand their followers
نُبِت بِالنَبيتِ وَأَشياعِها
مَنِthose who اِنif أوعِدَتwere threatened قَطُّever أَوطانُهاtheir homelands
مَنِ اِن أوعِدَت قَطُّ أَوطانُها
Al-Nabit and all her partisans have been told
I was told [reading uncertain] of al-Nabit and their followers—
who we are, should her homelands ever be threatened.
those who, if ever their homelands were threatened...
فَكَيفَhow then إِذاif نازَلَتهاmet them in battle لُيوfirst part of 'lions'
فَكَيفَ إِذا نازَلَتها لُيو
ثُcompletion of 'lions' غَريفٍa thicket وَشِبلانُهاand their cubs
ثُ غَريفٍ وَشِبلانُها
What then, when the li—
How then, if they were met in battle by lions
—ons of Gharif and her lion-cubs close with her?
of a thicket, and their cubs?
مَتىwhenever تَرَناsee us الأَوسُal-Aws فيin بيضِناour bright helmets
مَتى تَرَنا الأَوسُ في بيضِنا
نَهُزُّwe brandish القَناthe spears تَخبُdie down نيرانُهاtheir fires
نَهُزُّ القَنا تَخبُ نيرانُها
Whenever Aws sees us in our white armor,
Whenever al-Aws see us in our bright helmets,
brandishing lances whose fires race,
as we brandish spears, their fires die down.
وَتُعطِand yield المَقادَthe reins عَلىdespite رَغمِهاtheir reluctance
وَتُعطِ المَقادَ عَلى رَغمِها
وَيَنزِلand falls مِنَfrom الهامِthe heads عِصيانُهاtheir defiance
وَيَنزِل مِنَ الهامِ عِصيانُها
she yields the reins despite herself,
And they yield the reins against their will,
and defiance falls from her heads.
and their defiance falls from their heads.
وَيَثرِبُand Yathrib تَعلَمُknows أَنَّthat النَبيتَal-Nabit
وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ أَنَّ النَبيتَ
لَيسَتare not بِشَيءٍanything وَأَعوانُهاand their supporters
لَيسَت بِشَيءٍ وَأَعوانُها
Yathrib knows that the Nabit clan
And Yathrib knows that al-Nabit
and her supporters amount to nothing.
are nothing, and so are their supporters.
فَلاso do not تَخفَرَنfeel shame وَاِلتَمِسand seek مَلجَأًa refuge
فَلا تَخفَرَن وَاِلتَمِس مَلجَأً
فَقَدfor indeed عادَreturned لِلأَوسِto al-Aws أَديانُهاtheir old habits
فَقَد عادَ لِلأَوسِ أَديانُها
So never violate protection; seek a refuge,
So feel no shame; seek a refuge,
for Aws has returned to her old ways.
for al-Aws's old habits have returned.
وَنَحنُand we إِذاwhen حارَبَتmakes war عامِرٌAmir
وَنَحنُ إِذا حارَبَت عامِرٌ
أَمامَahead of الكَتيبَةِthe battalion أَعيانُهاits foremost men
أَمامَ الكَتيبَةِ أَعيانُها
And when Amir goes to war, we are
And we, when Amir makes war,
at the battalion’s fore, her foremost men.
are its foremost men, ahead of the battalion.
وَنَحنُand we إِذاwhen نَزَلَتdescend مُعضِلاتٌdire calamities
وَنَحنُ إِذا نَزَلَت مُعضِلاتٌ
تَحُسُّlay waste to القَبائِلَthe tribes إِخوانُهاtheir brothers
تَحُسُّ القَبائِلَ إِخوانُها
And when crushing trials descend, we—
And we, when dire calamities descend,
her brothers—mow down the tribes.
laying the tribes waste, are their brothers.
