يا قَلَّ خَيرُ أَمير كُنتُ أَتبَعُهُ

يا قَلَّ خَيرُ أَمير كُنتُ أَتبَعُهُ

أَلَيسَ يُرهِبُني أَم لَيسَ يَرجوني

أَلَيسَ يُرهِبُني أَم لَيسَ يَرجوني

Alas, how little good there was in a commander I used to follow!

O how few are the virtues of the prince I used to follow!

Does he not frighten me, or does he not count on me?

Does he not frighten me, or does he not hope for me?

أَم لَيسَ يَرجو إِذا ما الخَيلُ شَمَّصَها

أَم لَيسَ يَرجو إِذا ما الخَيلُ شَمَّصَها

وَقعُ الأَسِنَّةِ عَطفي حينَ يَدعوني

وَقعُ الأَسِنَّةِ عَطفي حينَ يَدعوني

Or does he not hope, when the horses are made to rear

Or does he not hope when the horses sniff the air

by the impact of spearheads, that I will turn back when he calls me?

And swords fall on my shoulder as he calls me?

لا تَحسَبَنّا نَسينا مِن تَقادُمِهِ

لا تَحسَبَنّا نَسينا مِن تَقادُمِهِ

يَوماً بِطاسى وَيَومَ النَهرِ ذي الطينِ

يَوماً بِطاسى وَيَومَ النَهرِ ذي الطينِ

Do not think we have forgotten, with the passage of time,

Do not think we forgot, however long ago it was,

a day at Ṭāsā and the day of the muddy river.

The day at Tasa and the day at the muddy river.

مَنَّيتُموني أَمانِيّاً قَنَعتُ بِها

مَنَّيتُموني أَمانِيّاً قَنَعتُ بِها

حَتّى إِذا ما جَعَلتُم مقنعاً دوني

حَتّى إِذا ما جَعَلتُم مقنعاً دوني

You held out hopes to me, and I was content with them,

You made me hopes I was content with

until, when you placed Muqniʿ ahead of me,

Until you made me lower than them.

كانَت أَمانِيُّكُم ريحاً شَآمِيَّةً

كانَت أَمانِيُّكُم ريحاً شَآمِيَّةً

ظَلَّت بِمُختَلِفِ الأَرواحِ تُؤذيني

ظَلَّت بِمُختَلِفِ الأَرواحِ تُؤذيني

your promises were a wind from Syria,

Your hopes were winds from the north

which kept hurting me amid the shifting winds.

That kept blowing against me in different directions.

فَإِن وَقَعتُ لِجَنبِ الرَملِ مُنقَصِفاً

فَإِن وَقَعتُ لِجَنبِ الرَملِ مُنقَصِفاً

أَولَيتُ كُلَّ اِمرِئٍ ما كانَ يُوليني

أَولَيتُ كُلَّ اِمرِئٍ ما كانَ يُوليني

So if I fall, shattered, beside the sands,

So if I fall by the side of the sand dune, weakened,

I will have given each man what he used to give me.

I will blame each man for what he blamed me.