أسْربُ مَهاً عَنَّ أمْ سِرْبٌ جِنَّهْ

أسْربُ مَهاً عَنَّ أمْ سِرْبٌ جِنَّهْ

حَكَيْتُنَّهُنَّ ولَسْتُنَّ هُنَّهْ

حَكَيْتُنَّهُنَّ ولَسْتُنَّ هُنَّهْ

Has a herd of oryx appeared, or a band of jinn?

Are you a herd of deer or jinn's apparitions?

You resemble them, yet you are not they.

I told them but they are not them

أأنْتُنَّ أنجم ذا الجوِّ أَمْ

أأنْتُنَّ أنجم ذا الجوِّ أَمْ

بُروجُ النجومِ جلا بيبُكُنّهْ

بُروجُ النجومِ جلا بيبُكُنّهْ

Are you the stars of this sky, or

Are you stars in the atmosphere or

are the stars' mansions your robes?

Constellations that shone with their radiance?

فضحتُنّ بالكُحْل أُدْمَ الظِّباءْ

فضحتُنّ بالكُحْل أُدْمَ الظِّباءْ

وعِبْتُنَّهُنَّ بأَجْيادِكُنّهْ

وعِبْتُنَّهُنَّ بأَجْيادِكُنّهْ

With your kohl, you put white gazelles to shame,

I exposed them with kohl the white oryxes

and outshone them with your necks.

And blamed them for their perfumed tresses

أَلستُنّ كنتنّ قلتُنّ لي

أَلستُنّ كنتنّ قلتُنّ لي

بألا تَحوَّلْنَ عن عَهدكُنّه

بألا تَحوَّلْنَ عن عَهدكُنّه

Had you not told me

Are you not the ones who told me

that you would not turn away from your pledge?

Never to break your pledge?

ولم أر غِيداً سِواكُنَّ مِسْنَ

ولم أر غِيداً سِواكُنَّ مِسْنَ

فأشبهْنَ في لِينهِنّ الأعِنَّه

فأشبهْنَ في لِينهِنّ الأعِنَّه

Nor have I seen supple maidens besides you sway

And I saw no singing women but you

and, in their suppleness, resemble reins.

Who resemble gazelles in their glances

غصون تقسَّمن شمسَ الضُّحا

غصون تقسَّمن شمسَ الضُّحا

وكُثْبانَ خَبْتٍ وصَبْغَ الدُّجنَّه

وكُثْبانَ خَبْتٍ وصَبْغَ الدُّجنَّه

Boughs that shared among themselves the midmorning sun,

Branches that split the sun’s brilliance

and the dunes of a lowland and the hue of darkness.

And sand dunes with faded dye

حَمْلنَ محاجِرَ عِين المَهَا

حَمْلنَ محاجِرَ عِين المَهَا

وَأبدَيْن ألحاظَ أطلائِهنه

وَأبدَيْن ألحاظَ أطلائِهنه

They bore the eye sockets of wide-eyed oryx,

Bearing the pebbles of the doe’s eye

and displayed the glances of their fawns.

And revealing their alluring glances

فيا ما أُعَيْذِبَ ألفاظَهنّ

فيا ما أُعَيْذِبَ ألفاظَهنّ

ويا ما أمَيْلِحَ ألحاظَهنّه

ويا ما أمَيْلِحَ ألحاظَهنّه

Oh, how delightfully sweet their words,

How they torment me with their words

and oh, how charming their glances!

And how salty are their glances!

إذا رُمْن ظُلْماً فسلطانُهُنّ

إذا رُمْن ظُلْماً فسلطانُهُنّ

علينا مَلاحَةُ أحداقِهِنّه

علينا مَلاحَةُ أحداقِهِنّه

When they seek injustice, their power

When they wink wrongfully, their rule

over us is the beauty of their pupils.

Over us is the sharpness of their eyes.

بَرَزْن لنا عاطِراتِ الجُيوبْ

بَرَزْن لنا عاطِراتِ الجُيوبْ

بسَفْحِ الكَثِيب بوادي بُوَنَّهْ

بسَفْحِ الكَثِيب بوادي بُوَنَّهْ

They appeared before us, their necklines fragrant,

They came out to us, their robes scented,

at the foot of the dune in the valley of Buwannah.

On the hill’s slope, in Buwanna’s valley.

فَعطَّرْن مِن طِيبِهنَّ النَّسيمْ

فَعطَّرْن مِن طِيبِهنَّ النَّسيمْ

وأبدَيْن مِن لَوْعتي المستِكنّه

وأبدَيْن مِن لَوْعتي المستِكنّه

They perfumed the breeze with their fragrance,

They perfumed the breeze with their scent

and brought my hidden yearning to light.

And showed my burning passion for them.

ولمّا سَفَرْن صَبَغْنَ الضُّحا

ولمّا سَفَرْن صَبَغْنَ الضُّحا

بماءِ الخدودِ وتَوْرِيدِهِنّه

بماءِ الخدودِ وتَوْرِيدِهِنّه

When they unveiled their faces, they tinted midmorning

When they traveled, they dyed the dawn

with the lustre of their cheeks and their rosy glow.

With their cheeks’ water and their blush.

فِلِلَّهِ هاتَا غَدَاة انقضَتْ

فِلِلَّهِ هاتَا غَدَاة انقضَتْ

بطاعتِنا وبِعِصْيانِهنّهْ

بطاعتِنا وبِعِصْيانِهنّهْ

By God, what a morning this was, spent

By God! Those mornings have passed

in our obedience and their defiance!

In our obedience and their disobedience.

وَصَهبْاءَ تَغْدو لِشُرّابِها

وَصَهبْاءَ تَغْدو لِشُرّابِها

إذا ابْتَكروها مِن الهَمِّ جُنَّهْ

إذا ابْتَكروها مِن الهَمِّ جُنَّهْ

And tawny wine becomes, for its drinkers,

Dewy mornings where the drinking cups

when they drink it early, a shield against sorrow.

Bring relief from worries and sorrows,

تَطُوف علينا بأقداحها

تَطُوف علينا بأقداحها

حسانٌ حَكتهُنّ في نَشْرهنّه

حسانٌ حَكتهُنّ في نَشْرهنّه

Circling among us with cups of it are

They circle around us with their cups.

beauties whose fragrance it has matched.

Beauties described their diffusion.

نَواعمُ لا يستطِعن النُّهوضْ

نَواعمُ لا يستطِعن النُّهوضْ

إذا قُمْن مِنْ ثِقْل أردافِهِنَّه

إذا قُمْن مِنْ ثِقْل أردافِهِنَّه

Delicate women, unable to rise

Charming gazelles unable to stand

when they try to stand, so heavy are their buttocks.

Under their heavy hips’ burden.

حَسُنَّ كحُسْنِ ليالي العزِيزِ

حَسُنَّ كحُسْنِ ليالي العزِيزِ

وجِئن ببهجةِ أيّامِهِنّه

وجِئن ببهجةِ أيّامِهِنّه

They were as lovely as al-Aziz's nights,

Beauties like the nights of the glorious days,

and came with the splendor of their days.

Bringing the joy of their days.

إمامٌ يَضَنّ على عِرْضِه

إمامٌ يَضَنّ على عِرْضِه

ولا يَعْترِيه على المالِ ضِنّه

ولا يَعْترِيه على المالِ ضِنّه

An imam who jealously guards his honor,

A leader who is protective of his honor,

yet is untouched by stinginess over wealth.

Wealth does not make him greedy.

فسَلْ هل غَدَتْ قَطُّ أموالُه

فسَلْ هل غَدَتْ قَطُّ أموالُه

وَأَمْسَيْن مِن جُودِه مطمئِنّه

وَأَمْسَيْن مِن جُودِه مطمئِنّه

Ask, then: have his riches ever greeted morning

Ask: Did his money ever diminish?

and reached evening safe from his generosity?

And did they sleep secure from his generosity?

وهل أبصَرَتْ قطُّ أرماحَه

وهل أبصَرَتْ قطُّ أرماحَه

عُيونُ الورى غيرَ حُمْرٍ الأسِنّه

عُيونُ الورى غيرَ حُمْرٍ الأسِنّه

And have his spears ever been seen

Did the eyes of all see his spears

by mortal eyes with anything but reddened points?

With anything but reddened tips?

سحائِبُ كفَّيْهِ مُنهلَّةٌ

سحائِبُ كفَّيْهِ مُنهلَّةٌ

علينا بمعروفِها مُرْجَحنّه

علينا بمعروفِها مُرْجَحنّه

The clouds of his two palms pour down

The clouds of his palms

upon us with their bounty, heavy-laden.

Shower us with their known kindness.

معالي نِزارٍ عَلَوْنَ النُّجوم

معالي نِزارٍ عَلَوْنَ النُّجوم

ونِلْنَ مِن المجدِ ما لمَ يَنَلْنَهْ

ونِلْنَ مِن المجدِ ما لمَ يَنَلْنَهْ

Nizar's glories have risen above the stars,

The heights of glorious Nizar surpassed the stars,

and attained glory that those stars have not attained.

And he gained from glory what none gained,

كذا يَكسِب الفضل من قد سعَى

كذا يَكسِب الفضل من قد سعَى

إليه ويَبني العُلا إِنَّ إِنّه

إليه ويَبني العُلا إِنَّ إِنّه

Thus does one win merit who has striven

Thus, one who strives for merit earns it,

for it and builds lofty glory—indeed, indeed!

And builds supremacy if he truly wants it.

كِلا راحَتْيك ندىً أو ردىً

كِلا راحَتْيك ندىً أو ردىً

كأنّك للناسِ نارٌ وجَنّه

كأنّك للناسِ نارٌ وجَنّه

Both your palms are bounty or doom,

Both your hands bring blessings or woes,

as though you were fire and paradise to mankind.

As if for the people, you are Hell and Heaven.

فلولاك لم يَغْدُ فينا الهُدَى

فلولاك لم يَغْدُ فينا الهُدَى

مُنِيراً ولم يُصبِحِ العفُو سُنّه

مُنِيراً ولم يُصبِحِ العفُو سُنّه

But for you, guidance among us would not be

Without you, guidance would not shine amongst us,

radiant, nor would pardon have become a custom.

Nor would pardoning become tradition.

إذا قال أَتْبَعَهُ بالفعال

إذا قال أَتْبَعَهُ بالفعال

وإن جاد لَم يُتْبِع الجُودَ مِنّه

وإن جاد لَم يُتْبِع الجُودَ مِنّه

When he speaks, he follows his words with deeds,

If you say, you do it.

and when he gives, he never follows his bounty with reminders of favors.

And if you give generously, you don’t take back.

مَنعتَ الخلافَةَ مَنْعَ الأسودِ

مَنعتَ الخلافَةَ مَنْعَ الأسودِ

إذا ما غَضِبنَ لأشْبَالِهنّه

إذا ما غَضِبنَ لأشْبَالِهنّه

You defended the caliphate as lions do

You guarded the Caliphate like lions guarding

when they rage in defense of their cubs.

Their cubs when they get angry.

وَأَمضَيتَ عزمكَ حتَّى أَخفْتَ

وَأَمضَيتَ عزمكَ حتَّى أَخفْتَ

به في بطون النِّساءِ الأَجِنّه

به في بطون النِّساءِ الأَجِنّه

And you carried through your resolve until you terrified

You carried out your resolve until you hid

with it the unborn in women's wombs.

In the bellies of pregnant women the fetuses.

يَليقُ بك المُلْكُ حُسْناً كما

يَليقُ بك المُلْكُ حُسْناً كما

تَليق المَعالي بأَربابهِنّه

تَليق المَعالي بأَربابهِنّه

Kingship suits you beautifully, just as

Kingship suits you in beauty, just as

lofty honors befit their masters.

Glory suits its lords.

وإنِّي وإن كنتُ نَجْلَ المُعِزِّ

وإنِّي وإن كنتُ نَجْلَ المُعِزِّ

لَعَبْدُك والحقُّ ما إنْ أُكِنه

لَعَبْدُك والحقُّ ما إنْ أُكِنه

And I, though I am the son of al-Mu'izz,

And even though I am Musa’s son,

am indeed your slave—and I do not hide the truth.

I am your slave, and the truth is I profess it.

رأى الخيرَ مَن أَضْمَر الخيرَ فِيكْ

رأى الخيرَ مَن أَضْمَر الخيرَ فِيكْ

وجُوزيَ بالشرِّ مَن قد أَجنّه

وجُوزيَ بالشرِّ مَن قد أَجنّه

Whoever harbored goodwill toward you has found good,

One who sensed good in you saw good,

and whoever harbored evil was repaid with evil.

And one who harbored evil met evil.