1. Take me back, though the journey be far,
To the blissful life that once was most plenteous.

2. Blessed be this face that lit up the years,
And sweet was the jesting and flower-gathering.

3. Losing you was like losing my youth—can a man
Reclaim his youth when it once slipped away?

4. Losing you, though, meant losing not just one—
My heart, my hopes, my guidance were lost.

5. You left me with only three things—
My love for you, my sickness, my ceaseless yearning.

6. O valley of pomegranates, you were no true valley
If she never strolled in your shade.

7. O valley of pomegranates, your taste turned bitter
When I could no longer reach out my hand to your fruits.

8. O valley of pomegranates, alas! Among them
It's wrong for the grieving to sigh.

9. It's as if I never dwelled in your land,
Never loved your people, never knew them.

10. No sweetheart ever poured me the wine-cup,
With the cup, herself, my succor and guide.

11. No poem did she recite, nor I sing verses for her,
Nor trill any song, nightingale-wise.

12. My brother, my dear one, I hoped you'd be happy.
May the Merciful forgive you your cheerlessness.

13. Did you not see me in Egypt seeking a cure,
Looking to you to save me from the abyss?

14. Did you not see me tossing sleepless in bed,
Spinning endlessly, drifting without anchor?

15. Strange that we are alike in our love—
For the ones we desire, could we master our yearning?