تَذَكَّرْتُ مِنْ رَامةٍ مَوْرِدا

تَذَكَّرْتُ مِنْ رَامةٍ مَوْرِدا

إِلى مَائِهِ العَذْبِ أَشْكُو الصَّدا

إِلى مَائِهِ العَذْبِ أَشْكُو الصَّدا

I remembered a watering place at Rāma,

I remembered a watering place in Ramah;

To whose sweet water I lament my thirst:

To its sweet water I complain of thirst.

مَنَازِلُ قَدْ نَزَلَتْهَا سُعَادُ

مَنَازِلُ قَدْ نَزَلَتْهَا سُعَادُ

وَإِلاَّ فَمَا الطَّيْرُ فِيهِا شَدا

وَإِلاَّ فَمَا الطَّيْرُ فِيهِا شَدا

Dwellings where Suʿād once alighted—

Dwellings where Su'ad had stayed—

Else why would any bird have sung there?

Otherwise, the birds would not have sung there.

لَثَمْتُ ثَرَى أَرْضِهَا بِالجُفُونِ

لَثَمْتُ ثَرَى أَرْضِهَا بِالجُفُونِ

ومِنْ شَغَفِي خِلْتُهَا أَثْمَدا

ومِنْ شَغَفِي خِلْتُهَا أَثْمَدا

I kissed the soil of her land with my eyelids,

I kissed the dust of their land with my eyelids,

And in my passion imagined it antimony for my eyes.

And in my ardor I took it for kohl.

وَصَوَّرَهَا الوَجْدُ لِي كَعْبَةً

وَصَوَّرَهَا الوَجْدُ لِي كَعْبَةً

فَأَلْزَمَنِي الشَّوْقُ أَنْ أَسْجُدا

فَأَلْزَمَنِي الشَّوْقُ أَنْ أَسْجُدا

Longing fashioned it for me into a Kaaba,

And ardent love pictured it to me as a Kaaba,

And yearning compelled me to prostrate myself.

So longing compelled me to prostrate myself.

أُقبِّلُ مُبْيَضَ أَرْكَانِهَا

أُقبِّلُ مُبْيَضَ أَرْكَانِهَا

كَتَقْبِيليَ الحَجَرَ الأَسْوَدا

كَتَقْبِيليَ الحَجَرَ الأَسْوَدا

I kiss the gleaming white of its corners,

I kiss the white of its corners,

As I would kiss the Black Stone.

As I kiss the Black Stone.