شاعَ شِعري في سُلَيمى وَظَهَر

شاعَ شِعري في سُلَيمى وَظَهَر

وَراهُ كُلُّ بادٍ وَحَضَر

وَراهُ كُلُّ بادٍ وَحَضَر

My poetry about Sulayma spread and became known,

My poetry spread in Sulayma and appeared

And every nomad and townsman saw it.

Seen by every wind and settlement

وَتَهادَتهُ العَذارى بَينَها

وَتَهادَتهُ العَذارى بَينَها

وَتَغَنَّينَ بِهِ حَتّى اِنتَشَر

وَتَغَنَّينَ بِهِ حَتّى اِنتَشَر

And the maidens exchanged it as a gift among themselves,

The young women passed it between them

And sang it until it spread.

And sang it until it spread

قُلتُ قَولاً لِسُلَيمى مُعجِباً

قُلتُ قَولاً لِسُلَيمى مُعجِباً

مِثلَ ما قالَ جَميلٌ وَعُمَر

مِثلَ ما قالَ جَميلٌ وَعُمَر

I spoke pleasing words to Sulayma,

I said words about Sulayma in admiration

Like what Jamil and Umar said.

Like what Jamīl and ‘Umar said

لَو رَأَينا لِسُلَيمى أَثَراً

لَو رَأَينا لِسُلَيمى أَثَراً

لَسَجَدنا أَلفَ أَلفٍ لِلأَثَر

لَسَجَدنا أَلفَ أَلفٍ لِلأَثَر

If we saw a trace of Sulayma,

If we saw traces of Sulayma

We would prostrate ourselves a million times before that trace,

We would bow down thousands of times to the traces

وَاِتَّخَذناها إِماماً مُرتَضىً

وَاِتَّخَذناها إِماماً مُرتَضىً

وَلَكانَت حَجَّنا وَالمُعتَمَر

وَلَكانَت حَجَّنا وَالمُعتَمَر

And take her as our chosen guide;

And we would take her as a chosen imam

And she would be our greater and lesser pilgrimages.

She would be our pilgrimage and place of worship

إِنَّما بِنتُ سَعيدٍ قَمَرٌ

إِنَّما بِنتُ سَعيدٍ قَمَرٌ

هَل حَرِجنا إِن سَجَدنا لِلقَمَر

هَل حَرِجنا إِن سَجَدنا لِلقَمَر

Sa'id's daughter is but a moon;

She is but the daughter of Saʿīd, a moon

Would we sin if we prostrated ourselves to the moon?

Is it shameful if we bowed to the moon?