سَهِرتُ مِن بَعدِكَ اللَيالي

سَهِرتُ مِن بَعدِكَ اللَيالي

كَأَنَّما الجَمرُ لي فِراشُ

كَأَنَّما الجَمرُ لي فِراشُ

I lay awake through the nights after you,

I stayed up the nights after you

I stayed awake the nights after you were gone,

as though embers were my bed.

As if embers were my bed

As though burning embers were my bed.

شَرِقتُ بِالدَمعِ رُمتُ ريّي

شَرِقتُ بِالدَمعِ رُمتُ ريّي

بِهِ وَشُرّابُهُ عِطاشُ

بِهِ وَشُرّابُهُ عِطاشُ

I choked on tears, seeking to slake my thirst

I shone with tears, my fluid overflowed

I choked on tears when I sought to quench my thirst,

with them, though their drinkers are thirsty.

With it, and its pourer was thirst

By them—though those who drink of them remain parched.

شَرِبتُ مِنهُ الحَميمَ صِرفاً

شَرِبتُ مِنهُ الحَميمَ صِرفاً

فَهَل مِنَ الغَيثِ لي رشاشُ

فَهَل مِنَ الغَيثِ لي رشاشُ

I drank scalding water from them, unmixed;

I drank the pure heat from it

I drank pure scalding water from the cup of grief,

is there, then, a sprinkling of rain for me?

Is there any rain for me, a sprinkler?

So is there for me even a sprinkle of rain?

شِبتُ فَقالوا اِرتَعَشتُ ضعفاً

شِبتُ فَقالوا اِرتَعَشتُ ضعفاً

فَقُلتُ في الصارِمِ اِرتِعاشُ

فَقُلتُ في الصارِمِ اِرتِعاشُ

I grew gray; they said I trembled from weakness,

I grew old, and they said I trembled in weakness

I turned grey, and they said I trembled from weakness,

so I said, "The keen sword, too, has a tremor."

So I said, in the keen there is trembling

But I replied: In the sharp sword, there is also trembling.

شختُ وَلَو مَرَّ طَرفهُ بي

شختُ وَلَو مَرَّ طَرفهُ بي

لَم يَعنِهِ أَنَّهُ حُشاشُ

لَم يَعنِهِ أَنَّهُ حُشاشُ

I grew old; were his glance to pass over me,

I became withered, and if his glance passed me

I have aged, and were his glance to pass over me,

he would not care that I was but a remnant of life.

It wouldn’t mean that he is a reviver

He would not care that I am but a fading breath.

شُواظُ نارٍ بِلا نُحاسٍ

شُواظُ نارٍ بِلا نُحاسٍ

أَنا وَأَعدائي الفراشُ

أَنا وَأَعدائي الفراشُ

A blaze of fire without smoke

Embers of fire without copper

A flame of fire, smokeless and pure—

am I, and my enemies are moths.

I and my enemies are the bedfellows

Such am I, and my enemies are the moths.

شُدَّت بِكَ العضدُ ثُمَّ جُدت

شُدَّت بِكَ العضدُ ثُمَّ جُدت

فَلا طِعانٌ وَلا بِطاشُ

فَلا طِعانٌ وَلا بِطاشُ

My arm was strengthened by you, then severed;

With you, my arm was strengthened, then I strived

My arm was strengthened by you, then it was severed,

so there is no spear-thrusting, no fierce striking.

So no exhaustion, no violence

So now there is no thrusting, nor any striking blow.

شُلَّت يَدي بَل سَلَبتنيها

شُلَّت يَدي بَل سَلَبتنيها

وَحُقَّ لِلأَخذَمِ اِنكِماشُ

وَحُقَّ لِلأَخذَمِ اِنكِماشُ

My hand was paralyzed—rather, you robbed me of it;

My hand was slackened, rather, it was taken from me

My hand became paralyzed—nay, you robbed me of it,

and withdrawal befits one whose hand is severed.

And it is right for the weak to shrink

And it is only right for the severed stump to wither.

شَقَقتُ قَلبي كَمِثلِ ثكلى

شَقَقتُ قَلبي كَمِثلِ ثكلى

فَفَنّدوني وَلَم يُحاشوا

فَفَنّدوني وَلَم يُحاشوا

I tore my heart like a bereaved mother;

I split my heart like a bereaved woman

I tore at my heart like a bereaved mother,

so they called me foolish and did not hold back.

Yet they did not spare me

And they rebuked me, sparing no criticism.

شَرُّ المُحِبّينَ مَعشَرٌ قَد

شَرُّ المُحِبّينَ مَعشَرٌ قَد

أَزمَعَ أَحبابُهُم فَعاشوا

أَزمَعَ أَحبابُهُم فَعاشوا

The worst of lovers are people whose

The evilest lovers are a folk who

The worst of lovers are the company who,

beloveds resolved to depart, yet they lived on.

Their loved ones intended, so they lived

When their loved ones depart, continue to live on.

شِهابُ مَجدٍ وَسَهمُ فَهم

شِهابُ مَجدٍ وَسَهمُ فَهم

عَهِدتُهُ بِالحِجا يُراشُ

عَهِدتُهُ بِالحِجا يُراشُ

A meteor of glory and an arrow of understanding

A meteoric glory and an arrow of intellect

A meteor of glory and an arrow of understanding,

I knew him to be, fletched with reason.

I knew them in pilgrimage to be sprinklers

That I knew to be feathered with wisdom.

شَهِدتُ دَهيا بَطَشتُ مِنها

شَهِدتُ دَهيا بَطَشتُ مِنها

لَو شَهِدَتها العِدى لَطاشوا

لَو شَهِدَتها العِدى لَطاشوا

I witnessed a calamity and lashed out because of it;

I witnessed astonishing things and endured from them

I witnessed a calamity before which I reeled;

had my foes witnessed it, they would have lost their wits.

If the enemies witnessed them, they would have erupted

Had the enemies witnessed it, they would have lost their minds.

شَهيقهُ وَالجَبينُ يندى

شَهيقهُ وَالجَبينُ يندى

وَالنَفسُ مِن حسنِهِ تناسُ

وَالنَفسُ مِن حسنِهِ تناسُ

His gasping breath, his brow growing moist,

His panting, and the forehead dewing

His final gasp, while his forehead grew damp,

and the soul is stirred by his beauty.

And the soul from his beauty rests

And the soul was torn away from his beauty.

شِدَّةُ كَربٍ وَلا ذُنوبٌ

شِدَّةُ كَربٍ وَلا ذُنوبٌ

وَلا حِسابٌ وَلا نِقاشُ

وَلا حِسابٌ وَلا نِقاشُ

Bitter anguish, yet no sins,

The severity of distress, and no sins

Such severity of anguish, yet without sins,

and no reckoning, and no scrutiny.

No reckoning, and no dispute

With no reckoning to face, nor interrogation.

شَمَمت روحَ الخُلودِ فَأَمن

شَمَمت روحَ الخُلودِ فَأَمن

بُلَّ ضَنىً وَاِستَراحَ جاشُ

بُلَّ ضَنىً وَاِستَراحَ جاشُ

I smelled the breath of immortality; then came peace—

I sensed the scent of eternity, so I felt safe

I inhaled the breeze of eternity, finding safety;

wasting illness was healed, and the heart found rest.

yes, grieved, and the turbulent calmed

The wasting sickness was cured, and the heaving chest found rest.