أَنَاديِك عزّ الدّينِ والصوتُ يُسْمَعُ

أَنَاديِك عزّ الدّينِ والصوتُ يُسْمَعُ

وأدعوكَ إذْ ضاقتْ بي الأرضُ أجمع

وأدعوكَ إذْ ضاقتْ بي الأرضُ أجمع

I call to you, ʿIzz al-Din, and my voice can be heard.

I call to you, ʿIzz al-Din, and my voice is heard,

I summon you when all the earth has closed in on me.

and appeal to you when the whole earth has grown too narrow for me.

وأدعُوكَ عز الدين إذ قصرت يدي

وأدعُوكَ عز الدين إذ قصرت يدي

وضَاق به صدري وصَدرك أوسع

وضَاق به صدري وصَدرك أوسع

I call to you, ʿIzz al-Din, when my reach falls short,

I appeal to you, ʿIzz al-Din, when my hand falls short,

and my breast constricts beneath it—while yours is broader.

and my breast is constricted by it, while yours is broader.

تَتَبّعني الحسادُ قِدْماً وَلَمْ يَكُنْ

تَتَبّعني الحسادُ قِدْماً وَلَمْ يَكُنْ

خلاَ أحدق من حاسدٍ يُتَتَبّع

خلاَ أحدق من حاسدٍ يُتَتَبّع

The envious have long pursued me; and none

The envious have long pursued me, and never has

is keener-eyed than an envier who stalks his prey.

anyone been free of a pursuing envier [reading uncertain].

وجاءت من المملوك نحو رقعة

وجاءت من المملوك نحو رقعة

يكاد لها صُمُّ الجبال تصَدّعُ

يكاد لها صُمُّ الجبال تصَدّعُ

Then from the mamluk came a certain note

And a note came toward me from the mamluk,

at which the solid mountains might well split.

at which the solid mountains would almost split apart.

فصرتُ إلى سجن به كنتُ اشتهي

فصرتُ إلى سجن به كنتُ اشتهي

عدوَّك تجزيه مقيل ومضجع

عدوَّك تجزيه مقيل ومضجع

And so I came to a prison I would have wished

So I came to a prison where I had wished

upon your enemy as his midday lodging and his bed.

you would requite your enemy with a resting place and a bed.

وأوحشني سجانُه وأحَلنَّي

وأوحشني سجانُه وأحَلنَّي

محلاً به خدي على التربِ يوضع

محلاً به خدي على التربِ يوضع

Its jailer made me desolate and lodged me

Its jailer terrified me and lodged me

in a place where my cheek is laid upon the dust.

in a place where my cheek is laid upon the dust.

وأمسيتُ لا الليلُ الدجوجي ينجلي

وأمسيتُ لا الليلُ الدجوجي ينجلي

بحالٍ وَلاَ الصبحُ المشرقُ يَسطُع

بحالٍ وَلاَ الصبحُ المشرقُ يَسطُع

I pass my evenings so that neither the pitch-dark night clears

And evening found me: the pitch-dark night would not lift

nor the radiant morning rises.

at all, nor would the radiant dawn shine.

أبيت كأني ساورتني ضئيلة

أبيت كأني ساورتني ضئيلة

من الرقش في أنيابها السَّمُ مُنْقعُ

من الرقش في أنيابها السَّمُ مُنْقعُ

I lie awake as though a slender viper has assailed me,

I spend the night as though a slender snake had lunged at me,

one of the speckled kind, its fangs steeped in venom.

one of the speckled kind, with venom steeped in its fangs.

أسامِرُ قوماً ضامرين من الطَّوى

أسامِرُ قوماً ضامرين من الطَّوى

ضعافُ القوىَ أنفاسُهم تتقطع

ضعافُ القوىَ أنفاسُهم تتقطع

I keep company with men wasted by hunger,

I converse by night with men emaciated by hunger,

their strength so frail their breaths break off.

weak in strength, their breaths breaking off.

حيارى بمهجور الجوانب مظلمٍ

حيارى بمهجور الجوانب مظلمٍ

يَظَلّ به مِنْهم على الترب أذرع

يَظَلّ به مِنْهم على الترب أذرع

Bewildered in a dark place, forsaken on every side,

Bewildered in a dark place, forsaken on every side,

some of their forearms lie outstretched upon the dust.

their arms remain there upon the dust.

إذا أنَّ هَذا أنَّ ذاك كأنَّما

إذا أنَّ هَذا أنَّ ذاك كأنَّما

حشا ذا وهذا بالكلاليب تُنْزع

حشا ذا وهذا بالكلاليب تُنْزع

Whenever this one groans and that one groans, it is as though

When this one groans, that one groans, as though

the entrails of each were being torn out with hooks.

the entrails of both were being torn out with hooks.

فَصرتُ لما بي ثم زاد الذي بهم

فَصرتُ لما بي ثم زاد الذي بهم

شجاني ونكؤُ الجُرح بالجرحِ أوجع

شجاني ونكؤُ الجُرح بالجرحِ أوجع

And so, besides what I myself endure, what they endure

So I came to this plight, and then their own suffering

deepened my grief—for reopening wound with wound hurts more.

grieved me still more; reopening a wound with another wound hurts more.

ووَالله ما أحْدَثتُ ذنباً ولا يدي

ووَالله ما أحْدَثتُ ذنباً ولا يدي

تمدُّ إلى شيءٍ به الحبلُ يُقطع

تمدُّ إلى شيءٍ به الحبلُ يُقطع

By God, I committed no offense, nor did my hand

And by God, I committed no sin, nor is my hand

reach toward anything by which the bond would be severed.

stretched toward anything by which the rope might be severed.

ولا كان منّي ما يُعابُ وأننّي

ولا كان منّي ما يُعابُ وأننّي

لأَفْزَعُ مِن مَرِّ الرياح وأجزع

لأَفْزَعُ مِن مَرِّ الرياح وأجزع

Nothing blameworthy ever came from me; indeed,

Nor did anything blameworthy come from me; indeed I

I startle and tremble even at the passing of the winds.

am frightened by the passing winds and lose heart.

فيا عزَّ دين الله صوتَ مُثوَّبٍ

فيا عزَّ دين الله صوتَ مُثوَّبٍ

له منك حتى لا يصدع اضيع

له منك حتى لا يصدع اضيع

O Glory of God’s faith, this is a caller’s voice

So, O Glory of God's Faith, heed a caller's cry,

addressed to you, before it cries aloud, “I am lost!”

seeking your help, lest he cry, 'I am lost' [wording uncertain].

ويا عز دين الله صوت مثوب

ويا عز دين الله صوت مثوب

له فيك مدحٌ كالفريد مُرصّعٌ

له فيك مدحٌ كالفريد مُرصّعٌ

O ʿIzz al-Din of God, a caller’s voice

And, O Glory of God's Faith, heed a caller's cry,

containing praise of you, set like a peerless jewel.

whose praise of you is adorned like precious pearls.

أغِثْني بجاهٍ منك أوْ بشفاعةٍ

أغِثْني بجاهٍ منك أوْ بشفاعةٍ

فإنك واللهِ الشفيعُ المشفّعُ

فإنك واللهِ الشفيعُ المشفّعُ

Rescue me by your standing, or through intercession,

Help me through your influence or through intercession,

for, by God, you are the intercessor whose plea prevails.

for, by God, you are the intercessor whose pleas are accepted.

ومن لم يجد ظلاً ظليلاَ يُكِنُّه

ومن لم يجد ظلاً ظليلاَ يُكِنُّه

فلي منك يا سيفَ المماليك مَقنَعُ

فلي منك يا سيفَ المماليك مَقنَعُ

Whoever cannot find deep shade to shelter him

And if someone finds no ample shade to shelter him,

has in you, Sword of the Realms, a refuge that suffices.

I have in you, O Sword of the Mamluks, all I need.

وخلْفي أهلٌ لو سمعتَ عويلُهم

وخلْفي أهلٌ لو سمعتَ عويلُهم

لأشجاكَ منهم ما تراه وتسمع

لأشجاكَ منهم ما تراه وتسمع

Behind me are my family—if you heard their wailing,

And behind me is my family; if you heard their wailing,

what you saw and heard of them would grieve you.

what you saw and heard of them would surely grieve you.

وشيخٌ حَنَتْه النائبَاتُ وحَولَه

وشيخٌ حَنَتْه النائبَاتُ وحَولَه

عجوزٌ لها دمعٌ وللشيخ أدمعُ

عجوزٌ لها دمعٌ وللشيخ أدمعُ

And an old man bent by calamities, beside him

And an old man bent by calamities, and beside him

an old woman with tears—and the old man weeps still more.

an old woman with tears, while the old man has tears too.

وأطفالُ دارٍ لو تغيَّبتُ ليلةً

وأطفالُ دارٍ لو تغيَّبتُ ليلةً

عَوُوا كذئاب البيْد إذ هي جوّع

عَوُوا كذئاب البيْد إذ هي جوّع

And the children of a household—were I absent one night,

And children at home—if I were absent for a night,

they would howl like desert wolves when hungry.

they would howl like wolves of the desert when famished.

وما لهم كافٍ سواي وكافلٍ

وما لهم كافٍ سواي وكافلٍ

أذبُّ الأذى عنهم وإن غِبتُ ضُيُّعوا

أذبُّ الأذى عنهم وإن غِبتُ ضُيُّعوا

They have no provider besides me, no guardian;

And they have no provider or guardian other than me.

I ward harm from them, and if I am gone, they are lost.

I ward harm off them; if I am absent, they are neglected.

تذكّر ثنائي عَنك وَارْثِ لضيقتي

تذكّر ثنائي عَنك وَارْثِ لضيقتي

فقد يرُحم المستأسرُ المُتضَرِّعُ

فقد يرُحم المستأسرُ المُتضَرِّعُ

Remember my praise of you, and pity my distress;

Remember my praise of you, and pity my distress,

a pleading captive may yet be shown mercy.

for the pleading captive may be shown mercy.

لعلّ من المولى الأتابك عطفةٌ

لعلّ من المولى الأتابك عطفةٌ

يضَمُّ بها شملي الشتيتَ ويجْمَعُ

يضَمُّ بها شملي الشتيتَ ويجْمَعُ

Perhaps the lord Atabeg will grant a kindness

Perhaps compassion will come from the lord, the Atabeg,

that gathers my scattered family and reunites it.

with which he will reunite my scattered household and gather it together.

فما زلن أحلاَمُ الملوك وسيعةٌ

فما زلن أحلاَمُ الملوك وسيعةٌ

وإن كثر الواشون قولاً ووسَّعوا

وإن كثر الواشون قولاً ووسَّعوا

The forbearance of kings has never ceased to be ample,

For the forbearance of kings has always been ample,

though informers multiply their accusations and enlarge them.

even when slanderers speak at length and elaborate.

أجرني كفاك الله كلَّ مهمّةٍ

أجرني كفاك الله كلَّ مهمّةٍ

فما زلت للخيرات مذ كنتُ تزرع

فما زلت للخيرات مذ كنتُ تزرع

Deliver me—may God spare you every hardship—

Give me refuge; may God spare you every distress.

for you have always sown deeds of goodness.

For you have always sown good deeds, for as long as I have lived.

وعِش الفَ عامٍ في السعادة ما سَرى

وعِش الفَ عامٍ في السعادة ما سَرى

نسيمٌ وما باتت حمائم تسجَعُ

نسيمٌ وما باتت حمائم تسجَعُ

Live a thousand years in happiness, as long as

And live a thousand years in happiness, as long as there blows

a breeze travels and doves spend the night cooing.

a breeze, and as long as doves spend the night cooing.