رحلت؟كلا، ولكن قلبي ارتحلا

رحلت؟كلا، ولكن قلبي ارتحلا

فمن يقول إذا أقبلت حيهلا؟

فمن يقول إذا أقبلت حيهلا؟

Has she departed? No—but my heart has departed.

Have you left? No, but my heart has departed

Who, then, will say 'Welcome!' when I arrive?

So who will say "welcome back" when you return?

ومن يسافر في قلبي يرى أملا

ومن يسافر في قلبي يرى أملا

عذبا" ويبصر في أطرافه وجلا؟

عذبا" ويبصر في أطرافه وجلا؟

And who will journey through my heart, seeing hope

And who will travel in my heart and find hope

so sweet, and glimpse fear at its edges?

Sweet, and see its horizons fearful?

ومن يصفف شعر الليل،لا رقصت

ومن يصفف شعر الليل،لا رقصت

نجومه بعد أن غبنا ولا احتفلا؟

نجومه بعد أن غبنا ولا احتفلا؟

And who will comb the night's hair? They have not danced—

And who will braid the hair of night after

its stars—since we went away, nor has night celebrated.

Its stars have danced, now that we've parted and celebrated no more?

ومن يلقن ضوء البدر أغنية

ومن يلقن ضوء البدر أغنية

كنا نكتمها عن غيره خجلا؟

كنا نكتمها عن غيره خجلا؟

And who will teach the full moon's light a song

And who will teach the moonlight a song

we used to hide from all but it, out of shyness?

We used to whisper to it, shy before others?

ومن يطمئن نفسي بعد وحشتها

ومن يطمئن نفسي بعد وحشتها

ومن يجفف دمعي بعد ما انهملا؟

ومن يجفف دمعي بعد ما انهملا؟

And who will reassure my soul after its loneliness,

And who will reassure my soul after its loneliness

and who will dry my tears after they have streamed down?

And dry my tears after they have flooded forth?

ومن يرد إلى صبري كرامته

ومن يرد إلى صبري كرامته

من بعد ماضاق عن جرحي وما احتملا؟

من بعد ماضاق عن جرحي وما احتملا؟

And who will restore to my patience its dignity

And who will restore dignity to my patience

after it grew too narrow for my wound and could not bear it?

After it cracked from my wound and could bear no more?

رحلت؟كلا، ولكن بسمتي رحلت

رحلت؟كلا، ولكن بسمتي رحلت

وكل مايجلب الأفراح لي رحلا

وكل مايجلب الأفراح لي رحلا

Has she departed? No—but my smile has departed,

You've not left, but my smile has departed

and everything that brings me joy has departed.

And all that brought joy to me is gone

هذا هو الفجر قد جفت منابعه

هذا هو الفجر قد جفت منابعه

كأنه شفة لم تعرف القبلا

كأنه شفة لم تعرف القبلا

This is the dawn; its springs have dried up,

This is dawn, its springs are dry

as though it were a lip that had never known kisses.

Like lips that have never been kissed

وسافرت في مداها الشمس واجمة

وسافرت في مداها الشمس واجمة

وجوم فاتنة تستعطف الأملا

وجوم فاتنة تستعطف الأملا

And the sun journeyed through her expanse, downcast,

The sun travels in its expanse, sullen

with the forlorn silence of a beauty imploring hope's compassion.

Fair stars plead for hope

باتت وفي أذنيها صوت فارسها

باتت وفي أذنيها صوت فارسها

وأصبحت تتلقى خطبها الجللا

وأصبحت تتلقى خطبها الجللا

She spent the night with her knight's voice in her ears,

Night has come with your voice in its ear

and in the morning faced her grievous calamity.

And morning receives your majestic discourse

يامن تسطر في سفر الفؤاد هوى

يامن تسطر في سفر الفؤاد هوى

قد صار للسحر من تأثيره مثلا

قد صار للسحر من تأثيره مثلا

O you who inscribe in the heart's book a love

O you who inscribe love in the heart's journey

that, through its power, has become an exemplar for magic:

So magic has an example in its effect

أقفلت باب الرضا بعد الرحيل فهل

أقفلت باب الرضا بعد الرحيل فهل

علمت أن حصان الشوق قد جفلا

علمت أن حصان الشوق قد جفلا

You shut the door of contentment after leaving; did you

I've locked the door of acceptance after you left. Do you

know that the steed of longing has bolted,

Know the steed of passion has grown restless?

وأن أرضي التي غادرتها لبست

وأن أرضي التي غادرتها لبست

ثوب الجفاف وصارت بعدكم طللا

ثوب الجفاف وصارت بعدكم طللا

and that my land, which you left, has donned

That the land you left has donned

the robe of drought and become, since you left, a ruin,

The garb of drought and after you become only hills?

وأن ذاكرتي صارت مغلقة

وأن ذاكرتي صارت مغلقة

عن غير ذكراك لم تحفل بما حصلا

عن غير ذكراك لم تحفل بما حصلا

and that my memory has become closed

That my memory has closed

to all but the memory of you, heedless of what has happened,

To all but thoughts of you, heeding nothing else?

وأن طعم حياتي صار بعدكموا

وأن طعم حياتي صار بعدكموا

مرا،وكان بكم فيما مضى عسلا

مرا،وكان بكم فيما مضى عسلا

and that the taste of my life, since you left, has turned

That the taste of my life after you

bitter, though with you, in days gone by, it was honey?

Has become bitter, and with you was sweet as honey?

ماذا دعاك إلى بعد جعلت به

ماذا دعاك إلى بعد جعلت به

قلبي الحزين لأصناف الأسى نزلا؟

قلبي الحزين لأصناف الأسى نزلا؟

What drew you to a separation through which you made

What called you to distance that has

my sorrowful heart a lodging for grief's varied forms?

Made my sad heart host to kinds of sorrow?

أما علمت بأني يامعذبتي

أما علمت بأني يامعذبتي

حملت قلبا" بحبل الرقة اتصلا؟

حملت قلبا" بحبل الرقة اتصلا؟

Did you not know that I, O you who torment me,

Don't you know I, my tormentor,

have borne a heart bound to the cord of tenderness?

Bore a heart bound in the fetter of kindness?

أبيت أحمل هم الناس أحسبني

أبيت أحمل هم الناس أحسبني

من أجلهم شاعرا" عن نفسه شغلا

من أجلهم شاعرا" عن نفسه شغلا

I spend the night bearing people's cares, thinking myself

I refused to take on others' concerns. Did you think me

for their sake a poet distracted from himself.

A poet too busy with them to mind himself?

ماحيلتي في فؤاد لست أملكه

ماحيلتي في فؤاد لست أملكه

كم سار في طرقات الهم وانتقلا

كم سار في طرقات الهم وانتقلا

What recourse have I with a heart I do not own?

My state within a heart I don't own

How often it has traveled through worry's lanes and wandered on!

Has journeyed down roads of worry and changed

إني أقول ونفسي عنك راضية

إني أقول ونفسي عنك راضية

والصبر فتح في قلبي له سبلا:

والصبر فتح في قلبي له سبلا:

I say this, my soul content with you,

I say, my soul content with you,

and patience has opened paths for itself in my heart:

And patience within me has opened its paths:

لا تسأليني عن الحزن الذي قطفت

لا تسأليني عن الحزن الذي قطفت

يداه جذع ابتساماتي بما حملا

يداه جذع ابتساماتي بما حملا

Do not ask me about the sorrow that plucked

Don't ask about the sadness your hands

the trunk of my smiles with its two hands, through what they bore.

Have plucked from the trunk of my smiles in their burdens

لا تسأليني فلي رب ألوذ به

لا تسأليني فلي رب ألوذ به

ولست أبغي به من خلقه بدلا

ولست أبغي به من خلقه بدلا

Do not ask me, for I have a Lord in whom I seek refuge,

Don't ask, for I have a Lord I take refuge in

and I seek none of His creation as a substitute for Him.

And do not wish for other than Him a substitute

كم حاسد همه استعباد موهبتي

كم حاسد همه استعباد موهبتي

لو صح للسهل أن يستعبد الجبلا

لو صح للسهل أن يستعبد الجبلا

How many an envious man is bent on enslaving my talent—

How many enviers whose goal is enslaving my talent

if the plain could ever enslave the mountain!

Would succeed if the plain could enslave the mountain!

يامن إذا أقبلت جاء الربيع على

يامن إذا أقبلت جاء الربيع على

آثارها وإذا ماغادرت نكلا

آثارها وإذا ماغادرت نكلا

O you at whose coming spring follows in

O you at whose return comes Spring upon

her footsteps, and when she leaves, it recoils:

Her traces, and when you depart, it is despoiled

عرفت إحساس قلبي فارحميه وإن

عرفت إحساس قلبي فارحميه وإن

قتلت حبي،فكوني خير من قتلا!!

قتلت حبي،فكوني خير من قتلا!!

You know my heart's feeling; have mercy on it, and if

You know the feelings of my heart, so have mercy, and if

you kill my love, then be the best of those who kill!

You've killed my love, at least be better than a killer!