يا طُروش ياللي فُوق شَخص المحاديب

يا طُروش ياللي فُوق شَخص المحاديب

تريضوا لي وقم ساعة زَماني

تريضوا لي وقم ساعة زَماني

O messengers, you riding high on humpbacked camels,

O birds above the person crying,

Wait for me, and pause for an hour of my time.

Give me some respite and stand my time,

تَريضوا لي وَقُم طرس المَكانيب

تَريضوا لي وَقُم طرس المَكانيب

لا ما يعبى عن ضميري لِساني

لا ما يعبى عن ضميري لِساني

Wait for me, and prepare a sheet for letters.

Give me some respite and rebuild my abode,

No—my tongue cannot express my innermost thoughts.

Let not my tongue reveal what’s inside my conscience,

وَدي أَعزي هاجس القَلب وَاجيب

وَدي أَعزي هاجس القَلب وَاجيب

وَاندب علَى طُول الليالي زَماني

وَاندب علَى طُول الليالي زَماني

I wish to console the heart's troubled thought and answer it.

I want to console the preoccupations of my heart and respond,

And lament my fate throughout the long nights.

And mourn the length of my nights and time,

وَأَهل دَمع العَين مثل المَزاريب

وَأَهل دَمع العَين مثل المَزاريب

مِن فُوق خدي دايم الدُوم قاني

مِن فُوق خدي دايم الدُوم قاني

And pour my eye's tears like waterspouts,

And people whose eyes tear like water springs,

Down over my cheek, forever crimson.

Above my cheek the constant tears flow,

رجوح أَنا من ضامري جوحة الذيب

رجوح أَنا من ضامري جوحة الذيب

وَقول دَهري عالشقاوي وزاني

وَقول دَهري عالشقاوي وزاني

I wail from deep within—a wolf's howl.

I moan from my withering like the howl of the wolf,

And say: my fate has weighed me down with misery.

And say my time is for the passionate and my equal,

يا قَلبي ياللي بك طعوس وَشَواطيب

يا قَلبي ياللي بك طعوس وَشَواطيب

وَخلجا نبت فيها الشَقا وَالحزاني

وَخلجا نبت فيها الشَقا وَالحزاني

O my heart, within you lie sand dunes and ravines,

Oh my heart, in you are gloom and joy,

And hollows where hardship and sorrow have sprouted.

And sorrows grew in which despair and sadness planted,

همي نبغ ما تنقلوا الفطر الشيب

همي نبغ ما تنقلوا الفطر الشيب

عن دُوم خَلق اللَه دَهري ابتلاني

عن دُوم خَلق اللَه دَهري ابتلاني

My sorrow has welled up; old gray camels cannot carry it.

My worries do not transfer white hair,

My fate has afflicted me beyond all God's other creatures.

Of the constant test of my life by God,

ضعضع فكاري وَحط بيي عَذاريب

ضعضع فكاري وَحط بيي عَذاريب

كَي الموللي عَالموسط كواني

كَي الموللي عَالموسط كواني

It shook my thoughts and marked me with blemishes.

It shook my thoughts and placed on me Calamities,

It seared me at the waist with a fugitive's brand.

Why did the Almighty do this to me,

وَجدا رَماني مثل نار اللَواهب

وَجدا رَماني مثل نار اللَواهب

يا مَن خبر مثلي اِبتَلى مودماني

يا مَن خبر مثلي اِبتَلى مودماني

Anguish struck me like the fire of blazing flames.

My chest burned like the fire of afflictions,

O, who has known anyone like me, afflicted and endlessly tormented?

Oh you who experienced like me the tested lover,

مِن بَعد ذا لا بدي مَعاني بترتيب

مِن بَعد ذا لا بدي مَعاني بترتيب

وَاحرق المَكتوب عَلى أَربَع قراني

وَاحرق المَكتوب عَلى أَربَع قراني

After this, when I set out my meanings in order,

After this I need meanings in order,

And scorch the written letter at its four corners,

And burn the written with four K’rans,

وَفزع اللي تحت غز النَواصيب

وَفزع اللي تحت غز النَواصيب

مِن طرفهم بلكي يجينا عَواني

مِن طرفهم بلكي يجينا عَواني

And call for aid from those beneath the planted standards,

And the fright of those under the strike of adversity,

Perhaps helpers will come to us from their side.

Maybe they will come to our aid,

أَما الورانا ما يفكوا المَطاليب

أَما الورانا ما يفكوا المَطاليب

وَالحج ما شال الحمول المتاني

وَالحج ما شال الحمول المتاني

As for those behind us, they cannot free the captives whose release is sought.

As for those who promised us, they do not fulfill the demands,

And the Hajj has not borne the heavy burdens.

And the pilgrimage did not take away the solid burdens,

أَما الشيوخ اللي عليها المَحاسيب

أَما الشيوخ اللي عليها المَحاسيب

صاروا رهاين عند غج اللساني

صاروا رهاين عند غج اللساني

As for the sheikhs on whom their followers rely,

As for the sheikhs accountable for them,

They have become hostages to the strange-tongued.

They became hostages at the ignorance of my tongue,

كانوا منادر مثل سوق المَزاريب

كانوا منادر مثل سوق المَزاريب

بِالعُون يَعطوا منعتات الرساني

بِالعُون يَعطوا منعتات الرساني

They were threshing grounds, like the market of Mazārīb,

They were mules like the mule market,

Indeed, they would give mares of renowned bloodlines.

With help they give the amenities of handlers,

داللي مضايفهم سوات المَراجيب

داللي مضايفهم سوات المَراجيب

ذباحة الفُرسان يُوم الكواني

ذباحة الفُرسان يُوم الكواني

Those whose guest halls are like watchtowers,

Those whose generosity is like heavy rain,

Slayers of horsemen on the day of searing battle.

Slaughterers of horsemen on the day of battle,

باما بهم من كل ذيب ولد ذيب

باما بهم من كل ذيب ولد ذيب

يَسبوا عرب لَو هيَ بَعد الثَماني

يَسبوا عرب لَو هيَ بَعد الثَماني

How many wolves among them, each the son of a wolf!

As for them from every wolf the son of a wolf,

They would take tribes captive, even beyond eight [days' journey].

Who insult Arabs even after the eighth,

واللي وَرانا قطعوهم شَناغيب

واللي وَرانا قطعوهم شَناغيب

خانوا بعضهم خاينين الأَماني

خانوا بعضهم خاينين الأَماني

And those behind us have been cut into splinters.

And those who promised us cut them into pieces,

They betrayed one another, betraying their trusts.

Betraying each other, traitors to wishes,

اللي تخلوا يوم حَرب المَعاطيب

اللي تخلوا يوم حَرب المَعاطيب

راياتهم عِندي شحار الصَواني

راياتهم عِندي شحار الصَواني

Those who deserted on the day of crippling battle—

Those who came together the day of the battle of glory,

Their banners, to me, are soot on trays.

Their banners in my view are like the banners of supporters,

لا صار شقل الزلم مثل المَرابيب

لا صار شقل الزلم مثل المَرابيب

اللي يكارى عن ربوعو عَواني

اللي يكارى عن ربوعو عَواني

When men's conduct becomes like that of pampered dependents,

No longer is the boy sturdy like the wide-eyed gazelle,

The man who hires helpers to stand in for his people.

Who is prevented from his meadows by enemies,

هَذا كَلام مثل عد الذَراهيب

هَذا كَلام مثل عد الذَراهيب

غَنوا بهم يا راكبين المحاني

غَنوا بهم يا راكبين المحاني

These words are like a spring of torrents;

These words are like counting particles,

Sing them, O riders of curved saddles.

Sing of them O carriers of melody,

يا اللَه ياللي يقصدوك الطَواليب

يا اللَه ياللي يقصدوك الطَواليب

يا ضابط حساب المَلا وَالكواني

يا ضابط حساب المَلا وَالكواني

O God, You whom petitioners seek,

Oh God whom hopes call upon,

O Keeper of the reckoning of humankind and the worlds,

Oh Controller of the account of speech and battle,

يا خالق طُيور السَما وَالدَباديب

يا خالق طُيور السَما وَالدَباديب

يا حي يا مَعود يا مرزقاني

يا حي يا مَعود يا مرزقاني

O Creator of the birds of the sky and creeping creatures,

Oh Creator of the birds of sky and insects of earth,

O Living One, O constant Benefactor, O my Provider,

Oh Living, Oh Promiser, Oh Sustainer,

يا للَه تَسمع مِن دُعا الناس وَتُجيب

يا للَه تَسمع مِن دُعا الناس وَتُجيب

بِجاه النَبي وَبِجاه سبَع المَثاني

بِجاه النَبي وَبِجاه سبَع المَثاني

O God, You hear the prayers of the people and answer,

Oh God, hear the prayers of people and answer,

By the Prophet's honor and the seven oft-repeated verses,

For the sake of the Prophet and the seven verses,

تلمنا من عقب بَعد التَغاريب

تلمنا من عقب بَعد التَغاريب

وَتظهر سعدنا من الطَمس للبياني

وَتظهر سعدنا من الطَمس للبياني

Gather us together after the dispersions of exile,

And gather us after separation,

And bring our good fortune from obscurity into plain sight.

And show our happiness from darkness to proof,

إِنكَ كَريم وَقاصدك قَط ما يخيب

إِنكَ كَريم وَقاصدك قَط ما يخيب

وَلا خاب عَبد لا جَنابك يعاني

وَلا خاب عَبد لا جَنابك يعاني

Indeed, You are generous, and whoever seeks You never fails.

You are generous and your aims never fail,

Nor has any servant failed when seeking Your presence.

No servant at Your door suffers,

وَاختم كَلامي بِالنبي لُوط وَشعيب

وَاختم كَلامي بِالنبي لُوط وَشعيب

وَالسَيد الأَعظَم أَمام الزَماني

وَالسَيد الأَعظَم أَمام الزَماني

And I close my words with the Prophet Lot and Shuayb,

And I conclude my words with the prophet Lot and Shuaib,

And the greatest Master, the Imam of the age.

And the greatest Master in front of time,

يَسمَح لَنا مِن حرَها وَاللَواهيب

يَسمَح لَنا مِن حرَها وَاللَواهيب

وَيفكنا مِن عشرة التركواني

وَيفكنا مِن عشرة التركواني

May he grant us relief from its heat and blazing flames,

Who forgives us from its heat and afflictions,

And free us from the company of the Turks.

And relieves us from the Greeks,