بعَينِ اللَّهِ هجرُك لا بعَيني

بعَينِ اللَّهِ هجرُك لا بعَيني

لعلَّ الفَرقَ بينَ النَّظرتَينِ

لعلَّ الفَرقَ بينَ النَّظرتَينِ

Your forsaking me is before God's eye, not mine.

In God's eyes I left you, not in my eyes,

Perhaps the difference between the two gazes

Perhaps the difference between the two gazes,

تردُّكَ أو تَردُّ علَيَّ صَبري

تردُّكَ أو تَردُّ علَيَّ صَبري

عَليكَ فإنَّها إحدَى اثنَتَينِ

عَليكَ فإنَّها إحدَى اثنَتَينِ

Will bring you back, or restore my patience

Would bring you back, or bring back my patience,

With you—for it is one of the two.

On you, as it is one of two.

وشَت بَيني وبَينَكَ لامِعاتٌ

وشَت بَيني وبَينَكَ لامِعاتٌ

قَواطعُ بينَ لَذَّاتي وبَيني

قَواطعُ بينَ لَذَّاتي وبَيني

Gleaming strands have sown discord between me and you,

And barriers shone between me and you,

Barriers between my pleasures and me.

Barriers between my joys and me.

كقُضبانِ اللُّجَينِ مُعلَّقاتٌ

كقُضبانِ اللُّجَينِ مُعلَّقاتٌ

وبِئسَ الحَليُ قُضبانُ اللُّجَينِ

وبِئسَ الحَليُ قُضبانُ اللُّجَينِ

Hanging like rods of silver,

Like the bars of prison, suspended,

And rods of silver are wretched adornment.

And wretched is the jewelry that is prison bars.

رَمَتني الأربَعُونَ بها فأصمَت

رَمَتني الأربَعُونَ بها فأصمَت

فصارَت تَطرِفُ المرآةُ عَيني

فصارَت تَطرِفُ المرآةُ عَيني

Forty years shot me with them and struck me dead,

The forties have targeted me with them, so my eyes became silent,

So now the mirror wounds my eye.

And the mirror became just blinking my eyes.

وما مُترنِّمٌ يَعدُو فيَحدُو

وما مُترنِّمٌ يَعدُو فيَحدُو

ليَقطَعَ حِينَ سفرته بحَيني

ليَقطَعَ حِينَ سفرته بحَيني

And no singer runs along, chanting to the camels,

And no humming bard, runs and sings,

To shorten his journey's time at the cost of my death.

To cut off when traveling between Hain.

تأنَّ فإنَّهنَّ غُصونُ بانٍ

تأنَّ فإنَّهنَّ غُصونُ بانٍ

مَنابتُ غَرسِهنَّ رِكابُ بَينِ

مَنابتُ غَرسِهنَّ رِكابُ بَينِ

Go slowly, for they are bān-tree boughs,

Wait, for they are drooping branches,

Their planting beds are camels of parting.

Whose roots were planted on camel litters.

خَلَوتَ وقَد مَلأتَ يديك فَاعطِف

خَلَوتَ وقَد مَلأتَ يديك فَاعطِف

لِمَملُوءِ الحَشَى خِلوِ اليَدينِ

لِمَملُوءِ الحَشَى خِلوِ اليَدينِ

You are unburdened, with both hands full; show compassion

You have solitude while your hands are full, so turn back,

To one whose heart is full and whose hands are empty.

To the one whose belly is full and hands are empty.

أتأمَنُ أن نكونَ عَلى سَقامي

أتأمَنُ أن نكونَ عَلى سَقامي

وبرئِك مرَّةً مُتعاقبينِ

وبرئِك مرَّةً مُتعاقبينِ

Can you be sure we shall not, in my sickness

Can I trust that we will take turns being sick

And your health, one day exchange places,

And your health once alternates?

وأنتَ تَرى النَّهارَ وما يَليهِ

وأنتَ تَرى النَّهارَ وما يَليهِ

عَلى ما فيهما مُتَقلِّبَينِ

عَلى ما فيهما مُتَقلِّبَينِ

While you see the day and what follows it

While you see the day and what comes after it,

Alternating, with all that lies within them?

Turning over what is in them.

كأنَّكَ قد أخَذت عَلى اللَّيالي

كأنَّكَ قد أخَذت عَلى اللَّيالي

عُهوداً مِن سِباعِ بن الحُسَينِ

عُهوداً مِن سِباعِ بن الحُسَينِ

As though you had secured against the nights

As if you have taken a pledge from the nights,

Pledges from Sibāʿ ibn al-Ḥusayn.

From among the lions, son of Al-Hussein.

فإن تَذهَب فأنتَ إذاً طَليقٌ

فإن تَذهَب فأنتَ إذاً طَليقٌ

لطَلقِ الوَجهِ طَلقِ الرَّاحتَينِ

لطَلقِ الوَجهِ طَلقِ الرَّاحتَينِ

So if you depart, you are then a freedman

So if you leave then you are divorced,

Of one with a cheerful face and open palms,

For the ease of face, and ease of both sides.

لماضِي الحَزمِ ماضِي العَزمِ فيها

لماضِي الحَزمِ ماضِي العَزمِ فيها

إذا امتَنَعت منيعَ الجانِبَينِ

إذا امتَنَعت منيعَ الجانِبَينِ

Of one firm in judgment, firm in resolve amid them,

To my firm resolve, firm determination in it,

When they resist, unassailable on either flank.

Impenetrable on both sides if you deny me.

دنَت أخلاقُه وعَلَت عُلاهُ

دنَت أخلاقُه وعَلَت عُلاهُ

مجالِسُنا جَليسُ الفَرقَدَينِ

مجالِسُنا جَليسُ الفَرقَدَينِ

His manners are approachable, and his eminence is lofty;

His morals approached while his pride rose high,

Our companion is companion to the two Farqad stars.

Our gatherings, the companion of the two quilts.

لِشِيمتِه وهمتِه اختِلافٌ

لِشِيمتِه وهمتِه اختِلافٌ

وليسَ يَضرُّ جمعُ الضَرَّتينِ

وليسَ يَضرُّ جمعُ الضَرَّتينِ

His disposition and his ambition differ,

For his traits and his zeal disagreement,

Yet uniting the two rival wives does no harm.

And it does not harm to combine the two hurts.

أتاكَ أوانُ نُسكِكَ وهو يأتي

أتاكَ أوانُ نُسكِكَ وهو يأتي

عليكَ بما يسرُّك حَقَّتينِ

عليكَ بما يسرُّك حَقَّتينِ

The time of your devotion has come, and it brings

Has the time of your devotion come, and it comes to you,

You what delights you—two assured blessings.

With what delights you truly.

وأنتَ تَصونُ هَذا الثَّغر فيه

وأنتَ تَصونُ هَذا الثَّغر فيه

وصَونُكَ فائِزٌ بالحُسنَيَينِ

وصَونُكَ فائِزٌ بالحُسنَيَينِ

While you guard this frontier during it,

While you protect this mouth that is in it,

And your guardianship wins the two finest rewards.

And your protection is winning with both beauties.

وما أنا مُقتَضيكَ الرِّزقَ إلا

وما أنا مُقتَضيكَ الرِّزقَ إلا

وقد أنفقتُ جُملتَه بدَينِ

وقد أنفقتُ جُملتَه بدَينِ

And I ask you for provision only

I only claim from you livelihood,

When I have already spent it all on credit.

Although I have spent all of it in loans.

فإنَّك إن سَدَدتَ خِلالَ حالي

فإنَّك إن سَدَدتَ خِلالَ حالي

سَدَدتُ بما أقولُ الخافِقَينِ

سَدَدتُ بما أقولُ الخافِقَينِ

For if you fill the gaps in my fortunes,

For if you guide the course of my situation,

I shall fill both horizons with what I say.

I will guide with what I say the confused.