طربي إلى ماء الحمى ونزيلهِ

طربي إلى ماء الحمى ونزيلهِ

غالَ الفؤادَ ببثهِ وغليله

غالَ الفؤادَ ببثهِ وغليله

My yearning for the water of the protected pasture and its dweller

My heart yearns for the water of love and its anguish,

consumed my heart with its sorrow and burning thirst.

It boils with his mention and turmoil.

أو كلَّما علقتْ يداي بحاضر

أو كلَّما علقتْ يداي بحاضر

منهُ منيتُ ببينهِ ورحيله

منهُ منيتُ ببينهِ ورحيله

Or whenever my hands cling to one who is present

Whenever my hands grasp the present of him,

there, am I stricken by his parting and departure?

I wish for our separation and his departure.

قلب تنقَّل في بيوت بدوره

قلب تنقَّل في بيوت بدوره

وجوىً أقام بسائراتِ حموله

وجوىً أقام بسائراتِ حموله

A heart that wandered through the tents of its full moons,

A heart that roams about visiting his abodes,

and anguish that lodged among its traveling laden camels.

And a love that resides in the most sublime of places.

آهاً له في الحبِّ إذ شاورتهُ

آهاً له في الحبِّ إذ شاورتهُ

فأطعتهُ وعصيتُ أمر عذوله

فأطعتهُ وعصيتُ أمر عذوله

Ah for it in love, when I sought its counsel,

Alas for it in love when I consulted it,

then obeyed it and disobeyed its reprover's command!

So I obeyed it and disobeyed the command of my reason.

أشفي على قصر الوصال وعهده الـ

أشفي على قصر الوصال وعهده الـ

ـماضي ومن ليلِ الصُّدود وطوله

ـماضي ومن ليلِ الصُّدود وطوله

I verge on death over union's brevity and its days—

I am healed of the palace of union and its past covenant,

now past—and from the night of rejection and its length.

And the long night of estrangement.

عنت البدورُ لأنجمٍ فارقتها

عنت البدورُ لأنجمٍ فارقتها

والصبح ما خاض الدجى بحجوله

والصبح ما خاض الدجى بحجوله

The full moons bowed before stars I had parted from,

The abodes became too narrow for stars that I parted from,

while dawn had not waded into darkness on its white-stockinged feet.

And the dawn that plunged into the darkness with its groups.

من لي بمعتدل القوام رشيقهِ

من لي بمعتدل القوام رشيقهِ

وبفاتر الطرف السقيم كحيله

وبفاتر الطرف السقيم كحيله

Who will bring me one whose stature is well-proportioned and slender,

Who is there for me of moderate stature, graceful,

and whose gaze is languid, ailing, and kohl-dark?

And of languid eyelids, sickly coquetry.

وبسفح أعلام الثنيَّة منزل

وبسفح أعلام الثنيَّة منزل

نحرتْ ركاب الغيث بين طلوله

نحرتْ ركاب الغيث بين طلوله

And at the foot of the pass's peaks lies a dwelling;

And of a place of descent the banners of undulation,

the rain's riding camels were slaughtered among its ruins.

Where the feet of rain tread between its elevations.

مرَّت به بكر الشباب حميدةً

مرَّت به بكر الشباب حميدةً

وكفى نهارَ الشيب ذمُّ أصيله

وكفى نهارَ الشيب ذمُّ أصيله

Youth's mornings passed there, worthy of praise,

The prime of youth passed by it commendably,

and blame for its late afternoon suffices for the day of gray hair.

And the day of old age sufficed, the blame of its origin.

وسألتُ عن صبري وعن سكَّانه

وسألتُ عن صبري وعن سكَّانه

ذهبتْ بثينةُ عامرٍ بجميله

ذهبتْ بثينةُ عامرٍ بجميله

And I asked about my patience and its inhabitants:

And I asked about my patience and its inhabitants,

Buthayna of ʿAmir carried off its Jamil.

Thabeenah of a populated place went away with its beauty.

باناتها طوع النسيم فلو مشت

باناتها طوع النسيم فلو مشت

أعطافها لتعثَّرت بذيوله

أعطافها لتعثَّرت بذيوله

Her ban trees obey the breeze; were they to walk,

Its houses obeying the breeze, so if it walked,

their boughs would stumble over its trailing hems.

Its trains would stumble over its tails.

ويشوقني بعدَ القدود موائساً

ويشوقني بعدَ القدود موائساً

رقصُ الغصون على غناء هديله

رقصُ الغصون على غناء هديله

And, after swaying figures, what stirs my longing is

And after the period of estrangement I yearn for evenings,

the branches' dance to the song of its cooing.

The dancing of branches to the singing of its murmur.

وزماُ لهو بالشآم وموقفٍ

وزماُ لهو بالشآم وموقفٍ

يشتاقُ قاتلهُ فوادُ قتيله

يشتاقُ قاتلهُ فوادُ قتيله

And a time of merriment in al-Sham, and a place of encounter

And a time of playfulness in Syria and a stand,

where his victim's heart yearns for his slayer.

The heart of its killer longs for its slain.

أبكي لمبتسم الجمال وتارةً

أبكي لمبتسم الجمال وتارةً

أشكو إلى قاسي الفؤاد ملوله

أشكو إلى قاسي الفؤاد ملوله

I weep for a smiling beauty, and at times

I cry over the smiling beauty and at times,

complain to one whose heart is hard and soon grows weary.

I complain to the cruel heart its twisting.

ماضي اللَّحاظ فداء عزّ جفزنهِ

ماضي اللَّحاظ فداء عزّ جفزنهِ

ما راض من جفني ومن تذليله

ما راض من جفني ومن تذليله

Piercing of glance—may his eyelid's pride be ransomed

The saliva of my eyelids is ransom for the honor of its cheeks,

by what he has tamed of my eyelid and by its abasement.

It did not accept from my eyelids or my humbling.

أجرى سوابقه على عاداتها

أجرى سوابقه على عاداتها

خذٌ أسال الدمعَ حسنُ أسيله

خذٌ أسال الدمعَ حسنُ أسيله

Its swift steeds were set racing in their accustomed way

It let loose its precedents according to their customs,

by a cheek whose smooth beauty made tears flow.

A wound, I asked the tear the beauty of its flow.

وسنان ساجي المقلتين ضعيفُ عقد الـ

وسنان ساجي المقلتين ضعيفُ عقد الـ

ـخصر أعدى الجسم فرط نحوله

ـخصر أعدى الجسم فرط نحوله

Drowsy, tranquil-eyed, frail at the knot of the

And teeth overpowering the slightly split pearls,

waist—his extreme thinness has infected the body.

Weaker than the waistline, the body exceeded its leanness.

خوطيّةٌ حركاته لم يعده

خوطيّةٌ حركاته لم يعده

من رمحه الخطّي غير ذبوله

من رمحه الخطّي غير ذبوله

Bough-like are his movements; he lacks nothing

Myrtle-like are its movements, he did not prepare for it,

of his Khatti spear except its dryness.

Anything but withering from his myrtle spear.

أشتاقُ من كلفي إلى عسَّاله

أشتاقُ من كلفي إلى عسَّاله

وأهيم من ظمأي إلى معسوله

وأهيم من ظمأي إلى معسوله

I yearn, in my infatuation, for his quivering spear,

I long from my emaciation to its honey-maker,

and, in my thirst, I pine for his honeyed sweetness.

And I rave from my thirst to its sweetened drink.

سكرت شمائله فلولا خجلةٌ

سكرت شمائله فلولا خجلةٌ

في كأسه ما أحمرَّ خدُّ شموله

في كأسه ما أحمرَّ خدُّ شموله

His graces grew drunk; were it not for bashfulness

The features of him intoxicated me, so if it were not for shyness,

in his cup, his wine's cheek would not have reddened.

In his cup, the cheek of its drinker would not have reddened.

قمرٌ هديتُ إلى الغرام بنوره

قمرٌ هديتُ إلى الغرام بنوره

وعن الهدوّ ضللتُ يوم أفوله

وعن الهدوّ ضللتُ يوم أفوله

A moon—by his light I was guided to passionate love,

A moon I was guided by its light to passion,

and from repose I strayed on the day of his setting.

And from guidance I went astray the day of its setting.