يا زمانَ الحمى عليك السَّلامُ

يا زمانَ الحمى عليك السَّلامُ

ضايقتني في أهلك الأيَّام

ضايقتني في أهلك الأيَّام

O days of the sanctuary, peace be upon you!

O time of fever, peace be upon you,

The days hemmed me in among your people.

You have distressed me through your days,

وأطافت به الوشاة فلو يسـ

وأطافت به الوشاة فلو يسـ

ـري خيالٌ لم يمكن الإلمام

ـري خيالٌ لم يمكن الإلمام

And talebearers encircled it; even if there wandered by night

And slanderers have surrounded him, if only

a phantom, no visit would be possible.

An imagination could master this,

فسقاك الحيا ولولا ذياد الشـ

فسقاك الحيا ولولا ذياد الشـ

ـرع عنها قلنا سقاك المدام

ـرع عنها قلنا سقاك المدام

May rain water you; were it not for religious law's prohibition

So life made you drink, and were it not for Ziyad's legislation

against it, we would say: may wine water you.

We would say intoxication made you drink,

وعدتني الأحلام عنك وهيـ

وعدتني الأحلام عنك وهيـ

ـهات ومن لي أن تصدق الأحلام

ـهات ومن لي أن تصدق الأحلام

Dreams made me promises about you—but alas!

And dreams have turned you away from me,

And who can assure me that dreams come true?

Alas! And who am I that dreams speak truth?

غايةٌ للنوى يضيق بها الصد

غايةٌ للنوى يضيق بها الصد

ر وتضنى من دونها الأجسام

ر وتضنى من دونها الأجسام

An utmost reach of separation that constricts the breast,

An aim of resolve that constricts the chest

and bodies waste away before they reach it.

And without which bodies languish,

فشهورٌ كالدَّهر طولاً وأيَا

فشهورٌ كالدَّهر طولاً وأيَا

مُ فراقٍ كأنها أعوام

مُ فراقٍ كأنها أعوام

So months are as long as eternity, and days

So months are like an epoch in length

of separation seem like years.

And days of separation like years,

يا ولاة الديون هل لي إلى الـ

يا ولاة الديون هل لي إلى الـ

ـحق سبيلٌ وأنتمُ الحكام

ـحق سبيلٌ وأنتمُ الحكام

O masters of debts, is there any path for me to

O guardians of debts, have I a path to truth

my due, when you yourselves are the judges?

While you are the rulers?

نمتم عن سهاد ليلي ولا يعـ

نمتم عن سهاد ليلي ولا يعـ

ـلم ما ضرَّ ساهرٍ من ينام

ـلم ما ضرَّ ساهرٍ من ينام

You slept, heedless of my sleepless night; nor does

You have slept from my vigil, and none knows

one who sleeps know what afflicts one kept awake.

What hurts a wakeful sleeper when one sleeps,

ما رعيتم حقَّ الجوار وإن كا

ما رعيتم حقَّ الجوار وإن كا

ن بأدنى الجوار يرعى الذمام

ن بأدنى الجوار يرعى الذمام

You did not honor the rights of neighbors, though

You have not kept the rights of a neighbor, though

the bond of honor is kept even with the slightest neighborly tie.

Even the humblest neighbor is kept by the protector,

أترجى الصّبا وما نفحاُت البا

أترجى الصّبا وما نفحاُت البا

نِ عنكم إلاَّ الأسى والغرام

نِ عنكم إلاَّ الأسى والغرام

I put my hopes in the east wind, yet the moringa's wafts

Do you hope for the zephyr when its breezes

from you are nothing but sorrow and consuming passion.

Bring nothing from you but sorrow and passion?

وبروحي تلك الإشارات ما أحـ

وبروحي تلك الإشارات ما أحـ

ـلى حديثاً يلذُّه المستهام

ـلى حديثاً يلذُّه المستهام

And I'd ransom those gestures with my soul—how sweet

By my soul those signals are not

a conversation that the lovesick one savors!

Sweeter discourse for one who understands,

ومقام عرَّست فيه على اللَّهـ

ومقام عرَّست فيه على اللَّهـ

ـو وسوقُ السرور فيه تقام

ـو وسوقُ السرور فيه تقام

And a place where I halted amid revelry,

And a place I wedded to God,

where the market of joy is held,

Where happiness thrives,

في نثار من السحائب لمَّا

في نثار من السحائب لمَّا

رقص الدوح حين غنَّى الحمام

رقص الدوح حين غنَّى الحمام

amid showers scattered by the clouds, when

In showers from clouds when

the great trees danced as the doves sang.

The lote-tree danced as the doves sang,

ونديمي والليل كالطرَّة السو

ونديمي والليل كالطرَّة السو

داء منه بدرُ الخدود التَّمام

داء منه بدرُ الخدود التَّمام

And my boon companion—night like his black forelock—

And my friend and the night like the black

had cheeks like a moon at its fullest.

Tent, the full moons of his cheeks complete,

يخجل الشمس منه والظُّبي والـ

يخجل الشمس منه والظُّبي والـ

ـبانةَ وجهٌ ومقلةٌ وقوام

ـبانةَ وجهٌ ومقلةٌ وقوام

He puts the sun, the gazelle, and

Ashamed before him the sun, the oryx, and Venus,

the moringa tree to shame with his face, his eye, and his stature.

A face, an eyelash, and a slender form,

حبَّذا تلكم الخيام المنيرا

حبَّذا تلكم الخيام المنيرا

تُ فهالُ الأقمار تلك الخيام

تُ فهالُ الأقمار تلك الخيام

How lovely are those radiant tents!

Goodly were those bright tents,

For those tents are halos around the moons.

For them the moons are those tents,

بسنا حسنهنَّ يستنزل القطـ

بسنا حسنهنَّ يستنزل القطـ

ـر ويشفى من القلوب الأوام

ـر ويشفى من القلوب الأوام

By the radiance of their beauty, rain is called down,

We were cured by their beauty, the Pleiades descend

and hearts are cured of their burning thirst.

And hearts are healed of injuries,

فاتناتٌ بأعين كحلها السّحـ

فاتناتٌ بأعين كحلها السّحـ

ـر بها صحَّة لنا وسقام

ـر بها صحَّة لنا وسقام

Enchantresses, with eyes whose kohl is sorcery,

Charmers with kohl-lined eyes, magic in them,

in them lie both our health and our sickness.

Through them we have health and sickness,

طال لومي فيها وليس يقلـ

طال لومي فيها وليس يقلـ

ـل الصّبر إلاَّ إذ تكثر اللوَّام

ـل الصّبر إلاَّ إذ تكثر اللوَّام

Long have I been reproached over them; nothing lessens

Long has been my blame upon them, though

patience except when the reproachers grow numerous.

Patience lessens not but as blame grows,

يقظاتٌ للحظ لو نام عنها الد

يقظاتٌ للحظ لو نام عنها الد

دهر والدهر صرفه لا ينام

دهر والدهر صرفه لا ينام

Watchful for fortune, even were Time to sleep, heedless of them—

Wakeful of glance, should time sleep from them

yet Time's vicissitudes never sleep.

Yet time's alternation does not sleep,

ما وصال الحبيب إلاَّ حياةٌ

ما وصال الحبيب إلاَّ حياةٌ

وفراقُ الوزير إلاَّ حمامُ

وفراقُ الوزير إلاَّ حمامُ

Union with the beloved is nothing but life,

Nothing is the union of the beloved but life

and separation from the vizier is nothing but death.

And parting from the vizier but worry,