أرى سلمى تصد وما صددنا

أرى سلمى تصد وما صددنا

وغيرَ صُدودها كنّا أردنا

وغيرَ صُدودها كنّا أردنا

I see Salma turning away, though we have not turned away.

I see Salma turn away though we sought her not,

And we had desired something other than her rejection.

And we wished for naught but her embrace.

لقد بَخَلت بنائِلِها علينا

لقد بَخَلت بنائِلِها علينا

ولو جادت بنائِلها حَمِدنا

ولو جادت بنائِلها حَمِدنا

She has indeed withheld her favors from us.

She was miserly with her glances towards us,

Had she been generous with her favors, we would have praised her.

Had she been generous we would have praised her.

وقد ضنّت بما وعدت وأمست

وقد ضنّت بما وعدت وأمست

تَغَيّرَ عهدُها عما عهدنا

تَغَيّرَ عهدُها عما عهدنا

And she has begrudged what she promised, and now

She was sparing of her promises, and changed

Her pledge has changed from what we once knew.

From the troth we knew, to what we knew not.

ولو علمت بما لاقيتُ سلمى

ولو علمت بما لاقيتُ سلمى

فتُخبرني وتعلم ما وجدنا

فتُخبرني وتعلم ما وجدنا

If Salma knew what I have endured,

If Salma but knew what I have endured,

Then she would tell me, and know what we have felt.

She would inform me, and learn what we found.

تُلِمّ على تنائي الدارِ منّا

تُلِمّ على تنائي الدارِ منّا

فيُسهِرُنا الخيالُ إذا رقدنا

فيُسهِرُنا الخيالُ إذا رقدنا

She visits, though her dwelling is far from us,

The distances of the abode torment me,

So her phantom keeps us awake when we lie down.

When we sleep, yearning keeps us awake.

ألم تر أننا لما ولِينا

ألم تر أننا لما ولِينا

أموراً خُرّقت فَوَهت سَدَدنا

أموراً خُرّقت فَوَهت سَدَدنا

Have you not seen that, when we took charge

Have you not seen, when we turned away,

Of affairs torn apart and weakened, we set them right?

Matters crumbling, our resolve broken?

رأينا الفتق حين وهى عليهم

رأينا الفتق حين وهى عليهم

وكم مثله من صدعٍ رَفأنا

وكم مثله من صدعٍ رَفأنا

We saw the breach when it worsened for them,

We saw the cleft when it gaped over them,

And how many a rift like it we have stitched shut!

And many a breach like it we have patched.

إذا هاب الكريهة من يليها

إذا هاب الكريهة من يليها

وأعظمها الهيوبُ لها عمدنا

وأعظمها الهيوبُ لها عمدنا

When the one facing battle dreads it,

When fear departs those who harbor it,

And the fainthearted deems it daunting, we head straight for it.

And we build the greatest ramparts for them.

وجَبّارٍ تركناه كليلاً

وجَبّارٍ تركناه كليلاً

وقائدَ فتنةٍ باغٍ أزلنا

وقائدَ فتنةٍ باغٍ أزلنا

And many a tyrant we have left spent,

We left the tyrant frail, the rebel violent,

And we have removed a rebellious leader of strife.

The maker of strife and corruption we removed.

فلا تَنسوا مَواطننا فإنّا

فلا تَنسوا مَواطننا فإنّا

إذا ما عاد أهل الجُرم عُدنا

إذا ما عاد أهل الجُرم عُدنا

So do not forget our stands in battle, for we

So forget not our abodes, for when

Return whenever the wrongdoers return.

The sinful return, we shall come back.

وما هِيضَت مَكاسرُ من جَبَرنا

وما هِيضَت مَكاسرُ من جَبَرنا

ولا جُبِرَت مُصيبةُ مَن هَدَدنا

ولا جُبِرَت مُصيبةُ مَن هَدَدنا

And the broken bones of those we healed were never broken again,

Nor will the fortunes of those we forced, wane,

Nor was the calamity of those we shattered ever remedied.

Nor will the misfortune of those we threatened, be mended.

ألا من مُبلغٌ عَنّي هِشاماً

ألا من مُبلغٌ عَنّي هِشاماً

فما منا البلاءُ وما بَعُدنا

فما منا البلاءُ وما بَعُدنا

Now, who will carry a message from me to Hisham?

Oh you who will meet Hisham, say to him:

For the trouble was not of our making, nor did we keep away.

We did not seek calamity, nor did we flee from it.

وما كنا إلى الخلفاء نُفضي

وما كنا إلى الخلفاء نُفضي

ولا كنا نُؤخَّرُ إن شَهِدنا

ولا كنا نُؤخَّرُ إن شَهِدنا

Nor did we use to have access to the caliphs,

We did not divulge our secrets to the Caliphs,

Nor were we kept back when we attended.

Nor did we delay if we were present and called.

ألم يكُ بالبلاءِ لنا جزاءٌ

ألم يكُ بالبلاءِ لنا جزاءٌ

فنُجزى بالمحاسنِ أم حُسِدنا

فنُجزى بالمحاسنِ أم حُسِدنا

Was no reward due to us for our service,

Was not calamity our recompense,

That we might be repaid with kindness—or were we envied?

So we are rewarded with favors or envied?

وقد كان الملوك يَرون حقاً

وقد كان الملوك يَرون حقاً

لوافِدِنا فنُكرمُ إن وَفَدنا

لوافِدِنا فنُكرمُ إن وَفَدنا

And kings used to recognize a right

Kings saw rights upon our arriving envoys,

For our envoy, and we were honored whenever we came.

We were honored if we came, we hosted if they came.

وَلينا الناس أزماناً طِوالاً

وَلينا الناس أزماناً طِوالاً

وسُسْناهم ودُسناهم وقُدنا

وسُسْناهم ودُسناهم وقُدنا

We governed the people for long ages,

We led the people for ages long,

And we ruled them, trampled them, and led them.

We protected them, guided them, and lit their paths.

وكان أبوك قد أسدى إلينا

وكان أبوك قد أسدى إلينا

جَسيمةَ أمرهِ وبه سَعدنا

جَسيمةَ أمرهِ وبه سَعدنا

And your father had entrusted us with

Your father did right by us,

His weighty affairs, and through him we prospered.

His great affair brought us fortune.

كذلك أول الخلفاء كانوا

كذلك أول الخلفاء كانوا

بنا جدّوا كما بهُم جدَدنا

بنا جدّوا كما بهُم جدَدنا

Such, too, were the earliest caliphs:

So too the first Caliphs,

Through us they prospered, as through them we prospered.

Were earnest with us, as we were earnest with them.

همُ آباؤنا وهُم بَنونا

همُ آباؤنا وهُم بَنونا

لنا جُبلوا كما لهم جُبلنا

لنا جُبلوا كما لهم جُبلنا

They are our fathers, and they are our sons;

They are our fathers, and their sons are ours,

They were fashioned for us, as we were fashioned for them.

Molded for us, as we were molded for them.

ونَكوي بالعداوة مَن بغانا

ونَكوي بالعداوة مَن بغانا

ونُسعِدُ بالمودّة مَن وَدِدنا

ونُسعِدُ بالمودّة مَن وَدِدنا

And we sear with enmity whoever assails us,

We shun with enmity those who wronged us,

And we support with affection those we love.

And befriend with affection those who befriended us.

نرى حقاً لسائلِنِا علينا

نرى حقاً لسائلِنِا علينا

فنَحبوه ونُجزلُ إن وعَدنا

فنَحبوه ونُجزلُ إن وعَدنا

We recognize our petitioner's claim upon us,

We see rights upon us for our petitioners,

So we give him gifts, and give lavishly when we promise.

So we love them and give abundantly if we promise.

ونَضمَنُ جارنا ونراه منّا

ونَضمَنُ جارنا ونراه منّا

فنَرفُدُه ونجزِلُ إن رَفَدنا

فنَرفُدُه ونجزِلُ إن رَفَدنا

And we safeguard our neighbor and count him as one of us,

We guarantee our neighbor, seeing him as ours,

So we help him, and give lavishly whenever we give aid.

So we give generously if he gives generously.

وما نَعتدّ دون المجد مالاً

وما نَعتدّ دون المجد مالاً

إذا يُغلى بمكرُمة أفدنا

إذا يُغلى بمكرُمة أفدنا

And we set no store by wealth apart from glory;

We covet no wealth beyond glory,

When a noble deed makes it precious, we acquire it.

If we are munificent we gain more to give.

وأتلدُ مجدِنا أنّا كرامٌ

وأتلدُ مجدِنا أنّا كرامٌ

بِحدّ المشرفيّةِ عنه ذُدنا

بِحدّ المشرفيّةِ عنه ذُدنا

And our most ancient glory is that we are noble:

Our glory is engendered, for we are generous,

With the edge of Mashrafi swords we defended it.

We were shielded from baseness by noble lineage.