هلاwhy not رحمتَyou pitied تلددَrestless bewilderment المشتاقِthe yearning lover
هلا رحمتَ تلددَ المشتاقِ
ومننتَand you graciously granted قبلbefore فراقهhis parting بتلاقِwith a meeting
ومننتَ قبل فراقه بتلاقِ
Would you had mercy on the yearning lover’s restless anguish,
Why did you not pity the yearning lover's restless bewilderment,
and graciously granted a meeting before his parting.
and favor him with a meeting before his parting?
إنindeed الرقيبthe watcher ليستريبsurely suspects تنفُّسيmy breathing الصُّعداdeep sighs
إن الرقيب ليستريب تنفُّسي الصُّعدا
اليكtoward you وظاهرand the outward appearance of الإقلاقِdisquiet
اليك وظاهر الإقلاقِ
The watchful chaperone surely suspects my heaving sighs
Indeed, the watcher grows suspicious of my deep sighs
toward you, and my visible agitation.
toward you, and my outward disquiet.
ولئنand if indeed أربتُI aroused suspicion لقدindeed نظرتُI gazed بمقلةٍwith an eye
ولئن أربتُ لقد نظرتُ بمقلةٍ
عبرىtearful عليكover you سخينةِhot at الآماقِthe eye-corners
عبرى عليك سخينةِ الآماقِ
Though I gave cause for suspicion, I gazed with an eye
And if I have aroused suspicion, I have indeed gazed with an eye
tear-filled for you, its tear ducts burning.
tearful for you, its corners hot with tears.
نفسيmy soul الفداءُthe ransom لخائفٍfor one afraid مترقِّبwatchful
نفسي الفداءُ لخائفٍ مترقِّب
جعلَhe made الوداعَthe farewell إشارةًa signal بعناقِwith an embrace
جعلَ الوداعَ إشارةً بعناقِ
My life be ransom for one fearful and watchful,
My soul be ransom for one fearful and watchful,
who made an embrace his gesture of farewell.
who signaled his farewell with an embrace.
إذfor لاno جوابَanswer لمعجَمٍfor one tongue-tied متحيِّرٍbewildered
إذ لا جوابَ لمعجَمٍ متحيِّرٍ
الاexcept الدموعtears تُصانare kept hidden بالإطراقby lowering the head
الا الدموع تُصان بالإطراق
when a bewildered, speechless one had no answer
For a bewildered, tongue-tied man has no answer
but tears, concealed by lowering the eyes.
save tears, concealed by lowering his head.
خيرthe best of الوفودthe envoys مبشِّرa bearer of glad tidings بخلافةٍof a caliphate
خير الوفود مبشِّر بخلافةٍ
خصَّتfavored ببهجتهاwith its radiance أباAbu إسحقِIshaq
خصَّت ببهجتها أبا إسحقِ
The finest envoy is one bearing glad tidings of a caliphate
The best of envoys bears glad tidings of a caliphate
whose splendor singled out Abu Ishaq.
that favored Abu Ishaq with its radiance.
وافتهand it reached him فيin الشهرthe month الحرامsacred سليمةًunscathed
وافته في الشهر الحرام سليمةً
منfrom كلِّevery مشكلةdifficulty وكلِّand every شقاشdiscord (unclear spelling)
من كلِّ مشكلة وكلِّ شقاش
It came to him in the sacred month, unharmed
And it reached him in the sacred month, unscathed
by every entanglement and every discord.
by every difficulty and every discord.
أعطتهgave him صفقتهاtheir handclasp الضمائرthe hearts طاعةًin obedience
أعطته صفقتها الضمائر طاعةً
قبلbefore الأكفِّthe hands بأوكدِwith the firmest الميثاقcovenant
قبل الأكفِّ بأوكدِ الميثاق
Inner hearts gave him their handclasp of obedience
Hearts gave him their handclasp in obedience,
before palms did, by the firmest covenant.
before hands did, with the firmest covenant.
سكنfound reassurance الأنامُthe people إلىin إمامِan imam سلامةٍsafety
سكن الأنامُ إلى إمامِ سلامةٍ
عفِّpure الضميرِthe conscience مُهذَّبrefined الأخلاقِcharacter
عفِّ الضميرِ مُهذَّب الأخلاقِ
All humankind found repose in an imam who brought safety,
The people found reassurance in an imam who brings safety,
pure of heart and refined in character.
pure of conscience, refined in character.
فحمىso he protected رعيتهhis subjects ودافعand defended دونهاon their behalf
فحمى رعيته ودافع دونها
وأجارand he sheltered مملقهاthe needy among them منfrom الإملاقِdestitution
وأجار مملقها من الإملاقِ
He protected his subjects and defended them,
So he protected his subjects and fought in their defense,
and rescued their poor from destitution.
and shielded their needy from destitution.
قلsay للألىto those who صرفواturned الوجوهtheir faces عنaway from الهدىright guidance
قل للألى صرفوا الوجوه عن الهدى
متعسفينstraying blindly تعسُّفthe blind straying of المُراقthe renegades
متعسفين تعسُّف المُراق
Say to those who turned their faces away from guidance,
Say to those who turned their faces from right guidance,
willfully straying with the lawlessness of renegades:
straying blindly as renegades stray:
انيI indeed أحذركمwarn you بوادِرَthe sudden onslaughts of ضَيغمٍa lion
اني أحذركم بوادِرَ ضَيغمٍ
دَرِبٍexperienced بحطمِin crushing موائلthe refuges of الأعناقِnecks
دَرِبٍ بحطمِ موائل الأعناقِ
I warn you of the sudden onslaughts of a lion,
I warn you of the sudden onslaughts of a lion
seasoned in crushing the refuges of necks,
well practiced in crushing the refuges of necks,
متأهِّبready for action لاnot يستفزُّunsettles جنانهhis heart
متأهِّب لا يستفزُّ جنانه
زَجِلُroaring الرُّعودِthunderclaps ولامعُand flashing الإبراقِlightning
زَجِلُ الرُّعودِ ولامعُ الإبراقِ
poised, his heart unshaken
ready for action, his heart unshaken
by thunder’s roar or lightning’s flash.
by roaring thunder and flashing lightning.
لمdid not يُبقِleave remaining منof متعرمينunruly men توثبواwho rose up
لم يُبقِ من متعرمين توثبوا
بالشامin al-Sham غيرَexcept جماجمٍskulls أفلاقٍsplit apart
بالشام غيرَ جماجمٍ أفلاقٍ
Of the insolent men who rose in revolt,
He left nothing of the unruly men who rose up
none remain in Syria but cloven skulls—
in al-Sham but split skulls,
منfrom بينamong مُنجدِلٍone laid low تمجُّspew عروقُهhis veins
من بين مُنجدِلٍ تمجُّ عروقُه
عَلَقَclotted blood الأخادعthe neck-veins أوor أسيرa captive وَثاقbonds
عَلَقَ الأخادع أو أسير وَثاق
some felled, their veins spewing
whether one fallen, his veins spewing
the jugulars’ clotted blood—or captives in bonds.
clotted blood from his neck-veins, or one captive in bonds.
وثنىand he turned الخيولَthe horses إلىtoward معاقلِthe strongholds of قَيصَرٍCaesar
وثنى الخيولَ إلى معاقلِ قَيصَرٍ
تختالprancing proudly بينbetween أحزَّةٍrocky ridges ورقاقand level plains
تختال بين أحزَّةٍ ورقاق
Then he wheeled the cavalry toward Caesar’s fortresses,
And he turned the horses toward Caesar's strongholds,
prancing over rugged ridges and level plains,
prancing proudly between rocky ridges and level plains.
يحملنthey carry كلَّevery مشمِّرِone girded for battle متغشمٍruthless
يحملن كلَّ مشمِّرِ متغشمٍ
ليثٍa lion هزبرٍa mighty lion أهرتِwide-gaping الأشداقِthe jaws
ليثٍ هزبرٍ أهرتِ الأشداقِ
bearing every battle-ready, headlong warrior—
They bear every battle-ready, ruthless warrior,
a lion, a fierce beast, wide of jaw—
a lion—a mighty lion—with wide-gaping jaws.
حتىuntil اذاwhen أمhe headed for الحصونَthe fortresses مُنازِلاًgiving battle
حتى اذا أم الحصونَ مُنازِلاً
والموتُand death بينbetween ترائبٍbreastbones وتراقيand collarbones
والموتُ بين ترائبٍ وتراقي
until, when he made for the fortresses and encamped,
Until, when he advanced upon the fortresses to give battle,
death stood between his breastbones and collarbones.
with death between breastbones and collarbones,
هرَّتgrowled بطارقُهاtheir patricians هريرَthe growling of ثعالبٍfoxes
هرَّت بطارقُها هريرَ ثعالبٍ
بُدِهَتtaken unawares بزأرِby the roar of قساورٍlions طُراقِnight-raiders
بُدِهَت بزأرِ قساورٍ طُراقِ
His patricians snarled with the snarling of foxes,
their patricians growled like foxes,
stunned by the roar of lions raiding by night.
taken unawares by the roar of night-raiding lions.
ثمthen استكانتyielded للحصارto the siege ملوكُهمtheir kings
ثم استكانت للحصار ملوكُهم
ذُلاًin humiliation وناطَand he fastened حُلوقَهمtheir throats بخناقِwith a noose
ذُلاً وناطَ حُلوقَهم بخناقِ
Then their kings yielded to the siege,
Then their kings yielded to the siege,
abased, as he fastened a noose about their throats.
in humiliation, and he bound their throats with a noose.
هَرَبتthey fled وأسلمتand they surrendered الصليبthe cross عشيَّةًone evening
هَرَبت وأسلمت الصليب عشيَّةً
لمdid not يبقremain غيرexcept حشاشةthe last remnant of الأرماقlife's last breaths
لم يبق غير حشاشة الأرماق
They fled and surrendered the Cross that evening,
They fled and surrendered the cross one evening,
with nothing left but the last life flickering in their eyes.
when nothing remained but the last flicker of life.
