جِد يا صبا لِحَليف الوَجدِ وَالسقم

جِد يا صبا لِحَليف الوَجدِ وَالسقم

يَراح ذِكرى أَخلائي بِذي سلم

يَراح ذِكرى أَخلائي بِذي سلم

Be generous, O east wind, to the companion of longing and sickness,

Strive, O gentle breeze, for the distressed lover in anguish,

with the wine of remembrance of my dear friends at Dhu Salam.

May the memory of my dear friends in Salam bring relief,

وَاِستَفت حالي لِما هُم عَن لَظى ظَمىء

وَاِستَفت حالي لِما هُم عَن لَظى ظَمىء

وَاِنظُر لِحالي وَدَعني والِها بِهِم

وَاِنظُر لِحالي وَدَعني والِها بِهِم

And question my plight: why are they far from a thirsty one’s blaze?

Consider my state, thirsty for their sweet union,

And look upon my plight, and leave me distraught with love for them.

Look upon my condition, leave me be, make them long for me,

مَرت لَيالِ بِشَهد الاِنس حالِيَة

مَرت لَيالِ بِشَهد الاِنس حالِيَة

لكِنَّها في الهوى مَرَّت لِبُعدِهِم

لكِنَّها في الهوى مَرَّت لِبُعدِهِم

Nights passed, sweet with the honey of companionship,

Nights passed in sweet company and delight,

But in love they turned bitter because of their distance.

Yet in love they passed, distanced from them,

وَاِستَخدَموا مُهجَتي في الحُبِّ وَاِقتَدَروا

وَاِستَخدَموا مُهجَتي في الحُبِّ وَاِقتَدَروا

وَكَلَّفوني بِصَبرٍ فيهِ مُنعَدِم

وَكَلَّفوني بِصَبرٍ فيهِ مُنعَدِم

And they pressed my soul into love’s service and held sway,

They made use of my love, and took it for granted,

And demanded patience of me where none exists.

Burdening me with patience, in which I am lacking,

زادوا ضَيا مُقلَتي ضِعفَينِ اِذ حَضَروا

زادوا ضَيا مُقلَتي ضِعفَينِ اِذ حَضَروا

وَضاعَفوا النَقص في تَغييبِ طَيفِهِم

وَضاعَفوا النَقص في تَغييبِ طَيفِهِم

They doubled my eye’s light when they were present,

They increased the loss of my weeping eyes twofold when they came,

And doubled its dimming by keeping their dream-image away.

And doubled the imperfection in their absence,

صانوا صَدى اِسفى عَن سَمعِ عاذِلِهِم

صانوا صَدى اِسفى عَن سَمعِ عاذِلِهِم

لكِنَّهُم مَزَجوا دَمعاً جَرى بِدَمِ

لكِنَّهُم مَزَجوا دَمعاً جَرى بِدَمِ

They kept the echo of my sorrow from their reprover’s ears,

They shielded the echo of my cries from their blamer’s hearing,

But they mingled the flowing tears with blood.

Yet they mixed a tear that flowed with blood,

عَرب لَهُم في لَيالي الهَجرِ لامِعَة

عَرب لَهُم في لَيالي الهَجرِ لامِعَة

وَفي النَهارِ نُفور زاد في أَلَم

وَفي النَهارِ نُفور زاد في أَلَم

Arabs, theirs is a gleam in the nights of separation,

Radiant nights of estrangement they spent weeping,

And by day an aloofness that deepened pain.

And days of aloofness, increasing my pain,

ما حيلَتي مُذ نَأَوا عَني بِجانِبِهِم

ما حيلَتي مُذ نَأَوا عَني بِجانِبِهِم

الاِرجاء وِصال الطيف في الحِلم

الاِرجاء وِصال الطيف في الحِلم

What recourse have I since they turned their sides away from me,

I have no stratagem since they distanced themselves,

Except to hope for union with the phantom in a dream?

Except hoping to meet their image in a dream,

لا عَن رِضاما جَرى مِن بَعدِهِم فَجَرى

لا عَن رِضاما جَرى مِن بَعدِهِم فَجَرى

مِن بَعدِهِم غَيثُ دَمعَ واكِف الديم

مِن بَعدِهِم غَيثُ دَمعَ واكِف الديم

Not out of acceptance of what followed their departure; so there flowed

I am not pleased with what transpired after their absence,

after their departure a rain of tears in ceaseless, pouring showers.

After them came a flood of tears, ceaseless in flow,

فَما لِعَيني اِن قلت اِكففا همتا

فَما لِعَيني اِن قلت اِكففا همتا

وَما لِقَلبي اِن قُلتُ اِستَفِق يَهم

وَما لِقَلبي اِن قُلتُ اِستَفِق يَهم

Why then do my eyes stream when I tell them both, ‘Stop’?

Why should my eyes cease, if I say stop your weeping?

And why does my heart wander when I say, ‘Come to your senses’?

Why should my heart awaken, if I say be conscious, my care!

روحي الفِداءُ لِمَن بانوا فَما سَتَرَت

روحي الفِداءُ لِمَن بانوا فَما سَتَرَت

شُؤن عَيني ما بِالقَلبِ مِن ضرم

شُؤن عَيني ما بِالقَلبِ مِن ضرم

My soul be a ransom for those who departed; not concealed

My soul is sacrificed for those who distanced themselves, uncovered,

by my eyes’ tear ducts was the blaze within my heart.

No longer veiled are the affairs of my eyes and heart,

وَبي مِنَ الغيد من أَلهت شَمائِلُه

وَبي مِنَ الغيد من أَلهت شَمائِلُه

فُؤاد عاشِقِهِ عَن جيرَة العِلم

فُؤاد عاشِقِهِ عَن جيرَة العِلم

And I pine for one of the slender beauties whose graces distracted

Of beauty are those who distracted me from the region of knowledge,

his lover’s heart from the neighbors of learning.

Engrossing the heart of their lover away from the path of learning,

حب أَرى قَدمى تَسعى لِساحَتِه

حب أَرى قَدمى تَسعى لِساحَتِه

وَما عَلِمَت هَواهُ كَم اِراقَ دَمى

وَما عَلِمَت هَواهُ كَم اِراقَ دَمى

A beloved toward whose courtyard I see my foot hasten,

A love that I see my feet striving towards its courtyard,

And it knew not how much of my blood his love had shed.

Unaware how much blood it has shed,

عَلاقَتي في الهَوى أَضحَت مَبرَأَة

عَلاقَتي في الهَوى أَضحَت مَبرَأَة

وَذِمَّتي اِن نَسوا جَلَت عَن الرَتم

وَذِمَّتي اِن نَسوا جَلَت عَن الرَتم

My attachment in love has become blameless,

My attachment in love is now disavowed,

And my pledge, should they forget, stands above reminder-knots.

And my conscience, if forgotten, is free of blame,

وَعِفَّتي في الهَوى العَذرى ناصرتي

وَعِفَّتي في الهَوى العَذرى ناصرتي

وَعِصمَتي عِصمَتي عَن زِلة الوَصمِ

وَعِصمَتي عِصمَتي عَن زِلة الوَصمِ

And my chastity is my ally in chaste love,

My chastity in love, my aid and protection,

And my purity is my safeguard against a slip into disgrace.

And my honor, my honor safe from the stain of disgrace.