فلِلَّه عَينا مَن رَأى كَقضيةٍ

فلِلَّه عَينا مَن رَأى كَقضيةٍ

قَضى لي بِها قَرمُ العِراقِ المُهلَّبُ

قَضى لي بِها قَرمُ العِراقِ المُهلَّبُ

To God belong the eyes of whoever saw a judgment like

Blessed are the eyes that saw my case

the one Iraq’s noble chief, al-Muhallab, gave in my favor!

As judged by the chief judge of Iraq

قَضى أَلفَ دينارٍ بِجارٍ أَجَرتُهُ

قَضى أَلفَ دينارٍ بِجارٍ أَجَرتُهُ

مِنَ الطَّيرِ إِذ يَبكي شَجاه وَيندُبُ

مِنَ الطَّيرِ إِذ يَبكي شَجاه وَيندُبُ

He awarded a thousand dinars for a neighbor I had sheltered,

He ruled I pay a thousand gold coins

a bird, as it wept its sorrow and lamented.

To a neighbor whose bird I made weep and mourn

رَماها حَبيبُ بن المُهلِّبِ رَميَةً

رَماها حَبيبُ بن المُهلِّبِ رَميَةً

فَأَثبَتها بِالسَّهمِ والسَّهم يَغرُبُ

فَأَثبَتها بِالسَّهمِ والسَّهم يَغرُبُ

Habib son of al-Muhallab loosed a shot at her,

Shot by Habib ibn al-Muhallab’s arrow

and struck her down with the arrow as it pierced deep.

That pierced it as the sun began to set

فَأَلزَمَهُ عَقل القَتيلِ ابن حُرَّةٍ

فَأَلزَمَهُ عَقل القَتيلِ ابن حُرَّةٍ

وَقال حَبيب إِنَّما كُنتُ أَلعَبُ

وَقال حَبيب إِنَّما كُنتُ أَلعَبُ

So a free woman’s son made him pay blood-money for the slain,

So he charged me with the blood-price of the slain

and Habib said, “I was only playing.”

And Habib said, “I was only playing!”

فَقال زيادٌ لا يُرَوِّعُ جارُهُ

فَقال زيادٌ لا يُرَوِّعُ جارُهُ

وَجارةُ جارِي مثلُ جلدي وَأَقرَبُ

وَجارةُ جارِي مثلُ جلدي وَأَقرَبُ

Then he said, “Ziyad’s neighbor must not be frightened;

But Ziyad said, “One must not frighten his neighbor.

and my neighbor’s neighbor is like my skin, and closer still.”

A neighbor of my neighbor is like my own skin and kin.”