ألا إن قلبي يوم بنتم وسرتم

ألا إن قلبي يوم بنتم وسرتم

غدا حائما خلف الظعون يطير

غدا حائما خلف الظعون يطير

Lo, indeed my heart, the day you parted and journeyed away,

Alas! My heart, when you left and departed,

Behold, my heart—on the day you departed and journeyed on—

began circling, flying behind the departing caravans,

Became the next day wandering behind the gazelles flying.

Took to the air, hovering behind the departing litters.

يقاسي مرار الموت من ألم الجوى

يقاسي مرار الموت من ألم الجوى

فما لي إلا أنةٌ وزفير

فما لي إلا أنةٌ وزفير

suffering death’s bitterness from the pain of lovesickness;

Enduring the bitterness of death from the pain of love.

Enduring the bitterness of death from the pain of burning passion,

so I have nothing but a moan and a sigh.

I have nothing left but sighing and moaning.

With nothing left to me but a moan and a deep sigh.

وحلتم وسرتم لو رحمتم فبينكم

وحلتم وسرتم لو رحمتم فبينكم

لحظي يوم للبلاء عسير

لحظي يوم للبلاء عسير

And you turned away and journeyed on—if only you had shown mercy! For your parting

You left and went away, had you been merciful, between us

You set out and traveled; had you shown mercy, your parting

is for me a grievous day of affliction.

My day of ordeal would have been easier.

Was a day of harsh tribulation for my fate.

وكنت ليوم البين أعددت عدة

وكنت ليوم البين أعددت عدة

وفي الظن ما أعددته لكبير

وفي الظن ما أعددته لكبير

And I had made preparations for the day of separation,

I had prepared for the day we parted,

I had prepared a shield for the day of separation,

and in my estimation what I had prepared was indeed ample.

But what I prepared did not help.

Believing that what I had readied was formidable.

فخان الذي أعددته لفراقكم

فخان الذي أعددته لفراقكم

وولت جيوش الصبر وهي غرور

وولت جيوش الصبر وهي غرور

Yet what I had prepared for parting from you betrayed me,

What I prepared for being away from you failed me

But what I prepared for your departure betrayed me,

and the armies of patience fled—they were a delusion.

And the armies of patience deserted me and were illusions.

And the armies of patience fled, proving to be but an illusion.

فلو أنكم يوم الفراق أعرتم

فلو أنكم يوم الفراق أعرتم

قلوبكم لي إنّني لصبور

قلوبكم لي إنّني لصبور

So, if on the day of parting you had lent

If on the day we parted you had lent

For had you, on the day of parting, lent

your hearts to me, I would surely have been patient.

Your hearts to me, I surely am patient.

Your hearts to me, I would indeed have been patient.