أتَخشى بنو حمدانَ مَيلي عليهِمُ

أتَخشى بنو حمدانَ مَيلي عليهِمُ

وقد صَفِرَتْ أحلامُهُم يومَ غُرَّبِ

وقد صَفِرَتْ أحلامُهُم يومَ غُرَّبِ

Do the sons of Hamdan fear my turning against them,

Do the Bani Hamdan fear my inclination towards them,

when their wits had failed them on the day of Ghurrab?

When their dreams have faded on the day they were estranged?

وما كلُّ من يَجْني عليَّ يَخافُني

وما كلُّ من يَجْني عليَّ يَخافُني

فيا خوفُ لا تذهب بهم كلَّ مَذْهَبِ

فيا خوفُ لا تذهب بهم كلَّ مَذْهَبِ

And not everyone who wrongs me fears me;

Not everyone who wrongs me fears me,

so, O Fear, do not drive them down every path.

So do not, O fear, make them go every path.

وإنّي لأعفو عن ذُنوبٍ كثيرةٍ

وإنّي لأعفو عن ذُنوبٍ كثيرةٍ

لو اخْترتُ ما طالتْ بها يدُ مُذْنِبِ

لو اخْترتُ ما طالتْ بها يدُ مُذْنِبِ

And I do forgive many offenses;

And I pardon many sins,

had I chosen, no offender's hand could have reached them.

If I chose what the hand of the sinner extended to.

تجنتْ بنو حمدانَ كلَّ جِنايةٍ

تجنتْ بنو حمدانَ كلَّ جِنايةٍ

عليّ فلم أغضَبْ ولم أتعَتَّبِ

عليّ فلم أغضَبْ ولم أتعَتَّبِ

The sons of Hamdan committed every wrong

The Bani Hamdan committed every crime,

against me, yet I neither grew angry nor reproached them.

Against me, yet I was neither angry nor complained.

وكادت من التأنيبِ تطْلِقُ خبْوَتي

وكادت من التأنيبِ تطْلِقُ خبْوَتي

متى كانَ عِرضي قبلَها لمؤنِّبِ

متى كانَ عِرضي قبلَها لمؤنِّبِ

And through rebuke they nearly unleashed my smoldering anger;

And my serenity almost uttered my thoughts,

when, before them, had my honor ever been subject to a reproacher?

Whenever my honor was, before it, to the blamer.

وصارَ التّلاقي والمزارُ يريبُها

وصارَ التّلاقي والمزارُ يريبُها

فداويتُ وجدي بالقِلى والتّجَنُّبِ

فداويتُ وجدي بالقِلى والتّجَنُّبِ

And meetings and visits began to make them suspicious;

Meeting and visiting became doubtful to it,

so I treated my anguish with hatred and avoidance.

So I treated my love with remoteness and avoidance.

وأطمعَها مسُّ الزّمانِ وعضُّهُ

وأطمعَها مسُّ الزّمانِ وعضُّهُ

وصبري على أحداثِه والتقَلُّبِ

وصبري على أحداثِه والتقَلُّبِ

And time's touch and bite emboldened them,

And I gave it hope for the passage of time and its harm,

and my patience with its calamities and reversals.

And my patience with its events and fluctuations.

هم فتكوا والدّهرُ ينشِبُ ظُفرَهُ

هم فتكوا والدّهرُ ينشِبُ ظُفرَهُ

فلا غلَبَتْ شَيبانُ غيرَ مُغلَّبِ

فلا غلَبَتْ شَيبانُ غيرَ مُغلَّبِ

They struck treacherously while Time sank in its claw;

They waged war and fate bared its claws,

so may Shayban defeat none but one already vanquished.

But grey hairs were not defeated by undefeated.