صَبَا نَجْدٍ أَلاَ هُبِّي عَلَيْنَا

صَبَا نَجْدٍ أَلاَ هُبِّي عَلَيْنَا

فَإِنَّا لَنَا عَلَى مَسْرَاكِ دَيْنَا

فَإِنَّا لَنَا عَلَى مَسْرَاكِ دَيْنَا

East wind of Najd, ah, blow upon us!

O breeze of Najd, blow to us now

O gentle breeze of Najd, come blow upon us,

For we have a debt to claim along your nightly course.

For we are indebted for your path

For truly, we have a claim upon your night journey.

فَرُبَّتَمَا بَرَدْتِ غَلِيلِ صَبٍّ

فَرُبَّتَمَا بَرَدْتِ غَلِيلِ صَبٍّ

يَحِنُّ إِلَى بُثَيْنَةَ أَوْ رُدَيْنَا

يَحِنُّ إِلَى بُثَيْنَةَ أَوْ رُدَيْنَا

For often you cooled the burning thirst of a lovesick lover

Often you cooled a hot thirst

For perhaps you might cool the burning thirst of a lover,

who yearns for Buthayna or Rudayna.

Yearning for Buthaina or our Rudeina

Who yearns for Buthaynah or Rudaynah.

أَجَدَّكِ هَلْ رَأَيْتِ وَلَنْ تَرَيْهَا

أَجَدَّكِ هَلْ رَأَيْتِ وَلَنْ تَرَيْهَا

بُدُوراً كَانَ مَطْلَعُهُمْ لَدَيْنَا

بُدُوراً كَانَ مَطْلَعُهُمْ لَدَيْنَا

Tell me truly: have you seen—and never will you see them—

Your vehemence - have you seen - you'll never see it

I earnestly ask you: have you seen—though you shall never see their like—

full moons whose rising-place was among us?

Their abodes whose rising was in our hands

Full moons whose place of rising was once among us?

سَمَوْا صُعُداً إِلَى مَهْفَاكِ شَوْقاً

سَمَوْا صُعُداً إِلَى مَهْفَاكِ شَوْقاً

إِلَيْهِ فَاسْتَرَاحُوا وَاكْتَوَيْنَا

إِلَيْهِ فَاسْتَرَاحُوا وَاكْتَوَيْنَا

They soared aloft toward where you blow, longing

They ascended the heights longing for your passion

They ascended upward in longing toward the place from where you blow,

for it; they found repose, while we were scorched.

There they rested while we attained satisfaction

And found rest within it, while we were left to burn.

فَهَلْ شَاهَدْتِ طَلْعَتَهُمْ فَتَدْرِيْ

فَهَلْ شَاهَدْتِ طَلْعَتَهُمْ فَتَدْرِيْ

بِأَنَّ نَوَاهُمُ مَا كَانَ هَيْنَا

بِأَنَّ نَوَاهُمُ مَا كَانَ هَيْنَا

Have you, then, beheld their countenance, so that you know

Did you witness their ascent so you would know

Have you beheld their radiant faces, so you might know

that their departure was no light matter?

Their intention was not base

That their departure was no easy thing to bear?

وَهَلْ شِمْتِ الَّلوَامِعَ مِنْ سَنَاهُمْ

وَهَلْ شِمْتِ الَّلوَامِعَ مِنْ سَنَاهُمْ

فَتَدْرِيْ قَدْرَ بَيْنِهِمُ عَلَيْنَا

فَتَدْرِيْ قَدْرَ بَيْنِهِمُ عَلَيْنَا

And have you glimpsed the flashes of their radiance,

Did you smell the radiance of their teeth

And have you glimpsed the brilliant flashes of their light,

so that you know the weight of their parting upon us?

So you would know our debt between them is great

To understand the heavy toll of their separation upon us?

وَهَلْ سُفْتِ النَّوَاسِمَ مِنْ شَذَاهُمْ

وَهَلْ سُفْتِ النَّوَاسِمَ مِنْ شَذَاهُمْ

فَلاَ تَلْحَيْ فَتىً أَصْلَوْهُ بَيْنَا

فَلاَ تَلْحَيْ فَتىً أَصْلَوْهُ بَيْنَا

And have you inhaled the wafts of their fragrance?

Did you perceive the softness of their breath

And have you smelled the gentle breezes carrying their fragrance,

Then do not reproach a youth they scorched with parting.

So deform not a youth made wholesome by us

So you would not reproach a youth they have scorched with parting?

وَهَلْ آنَسْتِ شَيْئاً مِنْ حُلاَهُمْ

وَهَلْ آنَسْتِ شَيْئاً مِنْ حُلاَهُمْ

فَلاَ تُزْرِيْ عَلَيْنَا إِنْ بَكَيْنَا

فَلاَ تُزْرِيْ عَلَيْنَا إِنْ بَكَيْنَا

And have you perceived anything of their charms?

Did you notice anything of their beauty

And have you perceived anything of their sweet graces,

Then do not look down on us if we weep.

Then heap not blame if Buthaina is recalled

So you would not fault us if we weep?

فَأُقْسِمُ لَوْ عَلِمْتِ بِذَاكَ يَوْماً

فَأُقْسِمُ لَوْ عَلِمْتِ بِذَاكَ يَوْماً

لَمَا أَدَّيْتِ نَشْرَهُمُ إِلَيْنَا

لَمَا أَدَّيْتِ نَشْرَهُمُ إِلَيْنَا

For I swear, had you ever known that,

I swear if you knew one day

For I swear, had you ever known of that,

you would not have carried their fragrance to us,

You would not have conveyed their tale to us

You would never have carried their scent to us,

وَغِرْتِ مِنْ تَشَوُّقِنَا إِلَيْهِمْ

وَغِرْتِ مِنْ تَشَوُّقِنَا إِلَيْهِمْ

وَلاَ كَجَمِيلٍإِنْ ذُكِرَتْ بُثَيْنَا

وَلاَ كَجَمِيلٍإِنْ ذُكِرَتْ بُثَيْنَا

and you would have envied our yearning for them,

You would blame our craving for them

And you would have grown jealous of our longing for them—

with a jealousy unlike Jamil's when Buthayna is mentioned;

And not a kind one if Buthaina is recalled

A jealousy greater than Jamil's when Buthaynah was mentioned!

وَصِرْتِ مِنْ عِدَانَا فِي هَوَاهُمْ

وَصِرْتِ مِنْ عِدَانَا فِي هَوَاهُمْ

وَحُزْتِ قَسَاوَةً وَنَبَذْتِ لِينَا

وَحُزْتِ قَسَاوَةً وَنَبَذْتِ لِينَا

and become one of our enemies in our love for them,

You would be vexed by our passion for them

And you would have become our rival in loving them,

and embraced hardness and cast off gentleness.

And reject gentleness and don bitterness

Acquiring cruelty and casting aside your gentleness.

لَئِنْ سَارُوا بِأَقْمَارِ الدَّيَاجِي

لَئِنْ سَارُوا بِأَقْمَارِ الدَّيَاجِي

وَكَانَ السَّيْرُ لِلأَقْمَارِ زَيْنَا

وَكَانَ السَّيْرُ لِلأَقْمَارِ زَيْنَا

If indeed they journeyed with the moons of dark nights,

If they travelled with the full moons of the nights

Even if they departed with the moons of the dark nights—

and journeying was an adornment to the moons,

And the journey was an adornment for the moons

And journeying is but an adornment for the moons—

فَزَادُوا مَشْرِقَ الأَنْوَارِحُسْناً

فَزَادُوا مَشْرِقَ الأَنْوَارِحُسْناً

فَسُرْبِلَ مَغْرِبُ الأَكْدَارِ شَيْنَا

فَسُرْبِلَ مَغْرِبُ الأَكْدَارِ شَيْنَا

they added beauty to the east of lights,

Then they enhanced the rising of the lights in beauty

They have only added beauty to the eastern source of lights,

so the west of sorrows was robed in ugliness.

While the setting of gloom was clad in disgrace

While the western realm of sorrows was cloaked in gloom.

لَقَدْ أَشْلَوْا وَحَقِّهِمُ عَلَيْنَا

لَقَدْ أَشْلَوْا وَحَقِّهِمُ عَلَيْنَا

بِبَيْنِهِمُ الْمُذِيبِ الصَّخْرَ حَيْنَا

بِبَيْنِهِمُ الْمُذِيبِ الصَّخْرَ حَيْنَا

Indeed, they have unleashed—by their claim upon us—

They enfeebled while they have a claim over us

By their undeniable right over us, they have indeed brought about,

doom through their parting, which melts rock.

With their melting love whenever we walked

Through their rock-melting separation, our ultimate doom.

فَهَا الأَلْبَابُ مِنْ شَوْقٍ إِلَيْهِمْ

فَهَا الأَلْبَابُ مِنْ شَوْقٍ إِلَيْهِمْ

تُرَقِّصُهَا الرِّيَاحُ مَتَى سَرَيْنَا

تُرَقِّصُهَا الرِّيَاحُ مَتَى سَرَيْنَا

See how our minds, from longing for them,

So the hearts from longing for them

And so our minds, out of profound longing for them,

are set dancing by the winds whenever we journey by night.

Are tossed by the winds whenever we travelled

Are made to dance by the winds whenever they blow at night.

وَهَا الأَكْبَادُ لاَ تَأْلُو اصْطَلاَءً

وَهَا الأَكْبَادُ لاَ تَأْلُو اصْطَلاَءً

بِجَمْرِ جَوىً كَأَنَّ بِهِنَّ قَيْنَا

بِجَمْرِ جَوىً كَأَنَّ بِهِنَّ قَيْنَا

And see how our livers never cease to burn

And the livers do not cease burning

And here are our hearts, unceasingly roasting

on embers of love's anguish, as though a smith were within them.

With the embers of passion as if there were sores in them

On embers of passion, as though tended by a blacksmith.

لَقَدْ كُنَّا وَمَا نَخْشَى فِرَاقاً

لَقَدْ كُنَّا وَمَا نَخْشَى فِرَاقاً

إِذَا نُدْعَى إِلَى كَمَدٍ أَبَيْنَا

إِذَا نُدْعَى إِلَى كَمَدٍ أَبَيْنَا

Indeed, we once lived without fearing separation;

We were not fearing separation

We once lived with no fear of parting,

when summoned to grief, we refused.

If called to a wineskin we would refuse

Whenever summoned to sorrow, we would boldly refuse.

وَإِنْ حَادَتْ بِنَا الأَهْوَاءُ يَوْماً

وَإِنْ حَادَتْ بِنَا الأَهْوَاءُ يَوْماً

إِذَا شِمْنَا سَناً لَهُمُ اهْتَدَيْنَا

إِذَا شِمْنَا سَناً لَهُمُ اهْتَدَيْنَا

And if desires led us astray one day,

And if passions turned us away one day

And if desires ever caused us to stray from our path,

when we glimpsed a radiance of theirs, we found our way.

When we sensed their brilliance we were guided

A mere glimpse of their light would guide us back.

فَصِرْنَا وَاللِّقَاءُ أَعَزُّ شَيْءٍ

فَصِرْنَا وَاللِّقَاءُ أَعَزُّ شَيْءٍ

مَتَى يَصْرُخْ بِنَا غَمٌّ رَدَيْنَا

مَتَى يَصْرُخْ بِنَا غَمٌّ رَدَيْنَا

So we have come to this—with reunion the rarest of things—

So we became while the meeting is the dearest thing

But now we are left where meeting is the rarest of things,

whenever grief cries out to us, we perish.

Whenever sadness shrieks at us we will return

And whenever anguish cries out to us, we perish.

وَهَوَّنَ وَجْدَنَا أَنَّا مَتَى مَا

وَهَوَّنَ وَجْدَنَا أَنَّا مَتَى مَا

تَلَذَّذْنَا بِذِكْرِهِمُ انْتَشَيْنَا

تَلَذَّذْنَا بِذِكْرِهِمُ انْتَشَيْنَا

And our anguish is eased by this: whenever we

And it lightened when we found that whenever

Yet what soothes our torment is that whenever

delight in remembering them, we grow intoxicated;

We delighted in recalling them we were vivified

We savor their remembrance, we become deeply intoxicated.

وَأَنَّا حَيْثُمَا تُقْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ

وَأَنَّا حَيْثُمَا تُقْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ

نَرَاهُمْ بِالْبَصَائِرِ فِي يَدَيْنَا

نَرَاهُمْ بِالْبَصَائِرِ فِي يَدَيْنَا

and wherever we yearn for them,

And that wherever we turn to them

And that wherever we yearn for them,

we see them through inner sight, in our hands.

We see them in insights within our hands

We see them with our inner sight, right in our hands.

وَمِنْ فَقْدٍ نَعُدُّ الْبُعْدَ قُرْباً

وَمِنْ فَقْدٍ نَعُدُّ الْبُعْدَ قُرْباً

وَمِنْ بُعْدٍ نَعُدُّ الْفِكْرَ أَيْنَا

وَمِنْ بُعْدٍ نَعُدُّ الْفِكْرَ أَيْنَا

And through loss we reckon distance as nearness,

And from absence we reckon nearness a proximity

Out of sheer loss, we count the distance as nearness,

and through distance we reckon thought as weariness;

And from farness we reckon thought a deliverance

And out of vast distance, we count mere thought as a place.

وَأَنَّا نَرْتَجِي لَهُمْ بَشِيراً

وَأَنَّا نَرْتَجِي لَهُمْ بَشِيراً

يَقُولُ أَلاَ انْعَمُوا بِالْقَوْمِ عَيْنَا

يَقُولُ أَلاَ انْعَمُوا بِالْقَوْمِ عَيْنَا

and we hope for a bearer of glad news of them,

And that we hope for them a bearer of good news

And that we still hope for a bearer of glad tidings,

who says, 'Ah, let your eyes delight in these people!'

Who will say behold enjoy the company of the people, our eyes

Saying: "Rejoice, and let your eyes be delighted by these beloveds!"