أَيْنَ لَيَالِينَا بِوَادي الْغَضَى

أَيْنَ لَيَالِينَا بِوَادي الْغَضَى

ذَلِكَ عَهْدٌ لَيْتَهُ مَا انْقَضَى

ذَلِكَ عَهْدٌ لَيْتَهُ مَا انْقَضَى

Where are our nights in Wadi al-Ghada?

Where are our nights in the valley of passion?

That was an age I wish had never ended.

Those were times I wish had not passed.

كُنْتُ بِهِ مِنْ عِيشَتِي رَاضِياً

كُنْتُ بِهِ مِنْ عِيشَتِي رَاضِياً

حَتَّى إِذَا وَلَّى عَدِمْتُ الرِّضَا

حَتَّى إِذَا وَلَّى عَدِمْتُ الرِّضَا

In it I was content with my life,

With them, I was content with my life,

until, when it passed, I lost contentment.

Until when they were gone, I lost all contentment.

أَيَّامُ لَهْوٍ وَصِباً كُلَّمَا

أَيَّامُ لَهْوٍ وَصِباً كُلَّمَا

ذَكَرْتُهَا ضَاقَ عَلَيَّ الْفَضَا

ذَكَرْتُهَا ضَاقَ عَلَيَّ الْفَضَا

Days of play and youth—whenever

Days of play and youth, whenever

I recall them, space closes in upon me.

I remember them, space feels too confining.

فَآهِ مِنْ دَهْرٍ بِأَحْكَامِهِ

فَآهِ مِنْ دَهْرٍ بِأَحْكَامِهِ

جَارَ عَلَيْنَا وَقَضَى مَا قَضَى

جَارَ عَلَيْنَا وَقَضَى مَا قَضَى

So, ah, for Time, which by its decrees

Oh, what a fate with its rulings!

wronged us and decreed what it decreed.

It wronged us and decreed what it decreed.

أَيَّ قِنَاعٍ مِنْ شَباَبٍ سَرَا

أَيَّ قِنَاعٍ مِنْ شَباَبٍ سَرَا

وَأَيَّ ثَوْبٍ مِنْ نَعِيمٍ نَضَا

وَأَيَّ ثَوْبٍ مِنْ نَعِيمٍ نَضَا

What a veil of youth it stripped away,

What pleasure of youth was temporary,

and what a robe of bliss it stripped off!

What garment of bliss was stripped away!

قَدْ بَيَّضَ الأَسْوَدَ مِنْ لِمَّتِي

قَدْ بَيَّضَ الأَسْوَدَ مِنْ لِمَّتِي

يَا لَيْتَهُ سَوَّدَ ما بَيَّضَا

يَا لَيْتَهُ سَوَّدَ ما بَيَّضَا

It has whitened the black of my locks;

It whitened the blackness of my hair -

oh, if only it would blacken what it made white!

If only it had blackened what it whitened!

عَهْدٌ كَطَيْفٍ زَارَ حَتَّى إِذَا

عَهْدٌ كَطَيْفٍ زَارَ حَتَّى إِذَا

أَشْرَقَ صُبْحٌ مِنْ مَشِيبي مَضَى

أَشْرَقَ صُبْحٌ مِنْ مَشِيبي مَضَى

An age like a phantom that visited—then, when

A time like a specter that visited, then when

the dawn of my gray hair broke, it departed.

Dawn shone from my graying, it departed.

ما كَانَ إِلَّا كَنَسِيمٍ سَرَى

ما كَانَ إِلَّا كَنَسِيمٍ سَرَى

وَعَارضٍ غَامَ وَبَرْقٍ أَضَا

وَعَارضٍ غَامَ وَبَرْقٍ أَضَا

It was only like a breeze that drifted by,

It was but a breeze that blew past,

and a cloud that darkened, and lightning that flashed.

A cloud that gathered and lightning that flashed.

وَلَّى وَلَمْ يُعْقِبْ سِوَى حَسْرَةٍ

وَلَّى وَلَمْ يُعْقِبْ سِوَى حَسْرَةٍ

بَيْنَ الْحَشَا كَالصَّارِمِ الْمُنْتَضَى

بَيْنَ الْحَشَا كَالصَّارِمِ الْمُنْتَضَى

It departed, leaving nothing but regret

It passed and left behind only sorrow,

within my breast, like a sharp, unsheathed sword.

Among the sands like a sharpened sword.

لَوْلا الْغَضَى وَهْوَ مَطافُ الْهَوَى

لَوْلا الْغَضَى وَهْوَ مَطافُ الْهَوَى

مَا شَبَّ فِي قَلْبِيَ جَمْرُ الْغَضَى

مَا شَبَّ فِي قَلْبِيَ جَمْرُ الْغَضَى

Were it not for al-Ghada, where love makes its rounds,

Were it not for passion, the haunt of desire,

ghada-wood embers would not have blazed in my heart.

The embers of passion would not have kindled in my heart.

أَسْتَوْدِعُ اللَّهَ بِهِ شَادِنَاً

أَسْتَوْدِعُ اللَّهَ بِهِ شَادِنَاً

عَذَّبَنِي بِالصَّدِّ بَلْ أَرْمَضَا

عَذَّبَنِي بِالصَّدِّ بَلْ أَرْمَضَا

I entrust to God a young gazelle there,

I commend to God that slender, delicate one

who tormented me by shunning me—nay, scorched me.

Who tortured me with aloofness, even hostility.

مُعْتَدِلُ الْقَامَةِ ذُو لَحْظَةٍ

مُعْتَدِلُ الْقَامَةِ ذُو لَحْظَةٍ

تَعَلَّمَ الْخَطِّيُّ مِنْهُ الْمَضَا

تَعَلَّمَ الْخَطِّيُّ مِنْهُ الْمَضَا

Well-proportioned in stature, with a glance

Upright in stature with a glance

whose sharpness the Khatti spear learned from him.

That taught the glance of the gazelle.

ظَبْيُ حِمىً مُذْ غَرَبَتْ شَمْسُهُ

ظَبْيُ حِمىً مُذْ غَرَبَتْ شَمْسُهُ

عَنْ نَاظِرِي بِالْبَيْنِ مَا غَمَّضَا

عَنْ نَاظِرِي بِالْبَيْنِ مَا غَمَّضَا

A gazelle of a sanctuary—since his sun set

A wild deer, since his sun set

beyond my sight through parting, my eye has not closed.

From my sight in the distance, he has not blinked.

قَدْ سَرَّنِي حِينَ أَتَى مُقْبِلا

قَدْ سَرَّنِي حِينَ أَتَى مُقْبِلا

وَسَاءَنِي حِينَ مَضَى مُعْرِضَا

وَسَاءَنِي حِينَ مَضَى مُعْرِضَا

He gladdened me when he came toward me,

I was gladdened when he came nearer,

and grieved me when he left, turning away.

And saddened when he left, turning away.

حَمَّلَنِي مِنْ وَجْدِهِ لَوْعَةً

حَمَّلَنِي مِنْ وَجْدِهِ لَوْعَةً

لَوْ نَهَضَ الدَّهْرُ بِهَا خَفَّضَا

لَوْ نَهَضَ الدَّهْرُ بِهَا خَفَّضَا

He burdened me, through longing for him, with anguish

He burdened me with a torment, that if

that would bow Time, were it to shoulder it.

Time itself took it on, it would buckle.

قَدْ أَخَذَ النَّوْمَ وَمَا رَدَّهُ

قَدْ أَخَذَ النَّوْمَ وَمَا رَدَّهُ

وَاسْتَلَبَ الْقَلْبَ وَمَا عَوَّضَا

وَاسْتَلَبَ الْقَلْبَ وَمَا عَوَّضَا

He took away sleep and did not return it,

He has seized sleep and will not return it

and stole my heart without giving recompense.

And stolen my heart and will not compensate.

ما بَالُهُ مَاطَلَ فِي وَعْدِهِ

ما بَالُهُ مَاطَلَ فِي وَعْدِهِ

أَلَمْ يَحِنْ لِلدَّيْنِ أَنْ يُقْتَضَى

أَلَمْ يَحِنْ لِلدَّيْنِ أَنْ يُقْتَضَى

Why has he delayed fulfilling his promise?

Why did he delay in keeping his promise?

Is it not time for the debt to be collected?

Should not a debt be repaid when due?

قَاضَيْتُهُ عِنْدَ مَلِيكِ الْهَوَى

قَاضَيْتُهُ عِنْدَ مَلِيكِ الْهَوَى

فَغَلَّ حَقِّي وَأَسَاءَ الْقَضَا

فَغَلَّ حَقِّي وَأَسَاءَ الْقَضَا

I sued him before the king of love,

I took him to court before the king of love,

so he cheated me of my due and judged unjustly.

But he denied my rights and judged wrongly.

فَمَنْ لَهُ أَشْكُو وَقَدْ سَامَنِي

فَمَنْ لَهُ أَشْكُو وَقَدْ سَامَنِي

جَوْراً وَحَقُّ الْجَوْرِ أَنْ يُرْفَضَا

جَوْراً وَحَقُّ الْجَوْرِ أَنْ يُرْفَضَا

So to whom can I complain, when he has dealt me

So to whom can I complain when he has

injustice, which rightly ought to be rejected?

Wronged me, and the wrong of wrong demands redress?

تَاللَّهِ لَوْلا خَوْفُ هِجْرَانِهِ

تَاللَّهِ لَوْلا خَوْفُ هِجْرَانِهِ

مَا بَاتَ قَلْبِي عَانِياً مُحْرَضَا

مَا بَاتَ قَلْبِي عَانِياً مُحْرَضَا

By God, were it not for fear of his abandonment,

By God, were it not for fear of his abandonment,

my heart would not spend the night captive and worn away.

My heart would not have spent the night troubled and provoked.

فَإِنَّ لِي مِنْ عَزْمَتِي صَاحِبَاً

فَإِنَّ لِي مِنْ عَزْمَتِي صَاحِبَاً

يَمْنَعُنِي فِي الرَّوْعِ أَنْ أَدْحَضَا

يَمْنَعُنِي فِي الرَّوْعِ أَنْ أَدْحَضَا

For I have in my resolve a companion

Yet I have a will that gives me strength

who keeps me, amid terror, from stumbling.

And prevents me from being shaken in distress.

وَلَسْتُ مِمَّنْ إِنْ دَجَا حَادِثٌ

وَلَسْتُ مِمَّنْ إِنْ دَجَا حَادِثٌ

أَلْقَى زِمَامَ الأَمْرِ أَوْ فَوَّضَا

أَلْقَى زِمَامَ الأَمْرِ أَوْ فَوَّضَا

And I am not one who, if disaster darkens,

And I am not one, if disaster should strike,

casts away the reins of affairs or hands them over.

To let go the reins or resign them away.

لَكِنَّنِي أَلْقَى الرَّدَى حَاسِرَاً

لَكِنَّنِي أَلْقَى الرَّدَى حَاسِرَاً

وَأَصْدَعُ الْخَصْمَ إِذَا عَرَّضَا

وَأَصْدَعُ الْخَصْمَ إِذَا عَرَّضَا

But I face death unarmored,

Rather I plunge into the fray undaunted

and cleave the foe when he challenges me.

And cleave the adversary when he dares oppose.

أَسْتَحْقِبُ الشَّهْدَ لِمَنْ وَدَّنِي

أَسْتَحْقِبُ الشَّهْدَ لِمَنْ وَدَّنِي

وَأَنْفُثُ السُّمَّ لِمَنْ أَبْغَضَا

وَأَنْفُثُ السُّمَّ لِمَنْ أَبْغَضَا

I carry honey for whoever loves me,

I sip the honey from those who befriend me

and spit venom at whoever hates me.

And spew poison at those who hate.

جَرَّدْتُ نَفْسِي لِطِلابِ الْعُلا

جَرَّدْتُ نَفْسِي لِطِلابِ الْعُلا

وَالسَّيْفُ لا يُرْهَبُ أَوْ يُنْتَضَى

وَالسَّيْفُ لا يُرْهَبُ أَوْ يُنْتَضَى

I bared myself in pursuit of high honor,

I have steeled myself in pursuit of greatness,

and a sword is not feared until it is drawn.

And a sword is not to be awed or blunted.

وَلِي مِنَ الْقَوْلِ نَصِيرٌ إِذَا

وَلِي مِنَ الْقَوْلِ نَصِيرٌ إِذَا

دَعَوْتُهُ فِي حَاجَةٍ أَوْفَضَا

دَعَوْتُهُ فِي حَاجَةٍ أَوْفَضَا

And I have an ally in speech who, when

And I have words that come to my aid whenever

I call upon him in need, hastens forth.

I call them in time of need, fully sufficient.

سَلْ عَنِّيَ الْمَجْدَ وَلا تَحْتَشِمْ

سَلْ عَنِّيَ الْمَجْدَ وَلا تَحْتَشِمْ

فَالْمَجْدُ يَدْرِي أَيَّ سَيْفٍ نَضَا

فَالْمَجْدُ يَدْرِي أَيَّ سَيْفٍ نَضَا

Ask Glory about me, and do not be shy;

Ask glory about me, do not be shy,

for Glory knows what a sword it unsheathed.

For glory knows which sword is sharpened.