أَزَينَ نِساءِ العالَمينَ أَجيبي

دُعاءَ مَشوقٍ بِالعِراقِ غَريبِ

The most beautiful of all women, answer my call

A yearning prayer from a stranger in Iraq

كَتَبتُ كِتابي ما أُقيمُ حُروفَهُ

لِشِدَّةِ إِعوالي وَطولِ نَحيبي

I wrote my letter, though unable to construct it

Because of my anguish and prolonged lament

أَخُطُّ وَأَمحو ما خَطَطتُ بِعَبرَةٍ

تَسُحُّ عَلى القُرطاسِ سَحَّ غُروبِ

I scribble and erase what I've penned in sorrow

My tears blotting the paper as sun sets

أَيا فَوزُ لَو أَبصَرتِني ما عَرَفتِني

لِطولِ شُجوني بَعدَكُم وَشُحوبي

Oh Fawz, if you saw me, you wouldn't recognize me

After our separation, emaciated and wan

وَأَنتِ مِنَ الدُنيا نَصيبي فَإِن أَمُت

فَلَيتَكِ مِن حورِ الجِنانِ نَصيبي

You were my share of life, and if I die

Let you be my share of the heavenly houri

سَأَحفَظُ ما قَد كانَ بَيني وَبَينَكُم

وَأَرعاكُمُ في مَشهَدي وَمَغيبي

I'll remember what was between us

And your memory will stay with me in life and death

وَكُنتُم تَزينونَ العِراقَ فَشانَهُ

تَرَحُّلُكُم عَنهُ وَذاكَ مُذيبي

You adorned Iraq, so it gained prominence

But your travel from it caused my dissolution

وَكُنتُم وَكُنّا في جِوارٍ بِغِبطَةٍ

نُخالِسُ لَحظَ العَينِ كُلَ رَقيبِ

We were neighbors in joy and contentment

Exchanging glances free of all restraint

فَإِن يَكُ حالَ الناسُ بَيني وَبَينَكُم

فَإِنَّ الهَوى وَالوِدَّ غَيرُ مَشوبِ

If people come between me and you

Passion and love remain unadulterated

فَلا ضَحِكَ الواشونَ يا فَوزُ بَعدَكُم

وَلا جَمَدَت عَينٌ جَرَت بِسُكوبِ

No laughing coquette after you, Oh Fawz

No eyes rained tears of sadness

وَإِنّي لَأَستَهدي الرِياحَ سَلامَكُم

إِذا أَقبَلَت مِن نَحوِكُم بِهُبوبِ

I ask the winds for news of your wellbeing

When they blow from your direction

وَأَسأَلُها حَملَ السَلامِ إِلَيكُمُ

فَإِن هِيَ يَوماً بَلَّغَت فَأَجيبي

And I ask them to convey my greetings

If one day they deliver, I will answer

أَرى البَينَ يَشكوهُ المُحِبونَ كُلُّهُم

فَيا رَبُّ قَرِّب دارَ كُلِّ حَبيبِ

All the sundered lovers complain of separation

Oh Lord, bring near the abode of every beloved

وَأَبيَضَ سَبّاقٍ طَويلٍ نِجادُهُ

أَشَمَّ خَصيبِ الراحَتَينِ وَهوبِ

A tall white thoroughbred, long is his pedigree

He scented the scent of the two Harams and leapt

أَنافَ بِضَبعَيهِ إِلى فَرعِ هاشِمٍ

نَجيبٌ نَماهُ ماجِدٌ لِنَجيبِ

A refined steed, raised by the glorious for the refined

He approached and when he sensed my lightning and rained

لَحاني فَلَمّا شامَ بَرقي وَأَمطَرَت

جُفوني بَكى لي موجَعاً لِكُروبي

My eyes wept for me in pain and sadness

I said, worship God, you have saddened a heart

فَقُلتُ أَعَبد اللَهُ أَسعَدتَ ذا هَوىً

يُحاوِلُ قَلباً مُبتَلاً بِنُكوبِ

Stricken with passion and overwhelmed with anguish

I will give you to drink my regret in a cup

سَأَسقيكَ نَدماني بِكَأسٍ مِزاجُها

أَفانينُ دَمعٍ مُسبَلٍ وَسَروبِ

Whose mixture is tears pouring and dripping

Don't you see that love has dignified my kin

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ الحُبَّ أَخلَقَ جِدَّتي

وَشَيَّبَ رَأسي قَبلَ حينِ مَشيبي

And whitened my hair before the time of graying?

Oh you who weep from the sorrows of passion

أَلا أَيُّها الباكونَ مِن أَلَمِ الهَوى

أَظُنُّكُمُ أُدرِكتُمُ بِذَنوبِ

I think you have been afflicted with sins

Come, let us defend our hearts with all our might

تَعالَوا نُدافِع جُهدَنا عَن قُلوبِنا

فَيوشِكُ أَن نَبقى بِغَيرِ قُلوبِ

Else we will remain without hearts

As if Fawz was never a neighbor to your family

كَأَن لَم تَكُن فَوزٌ لِأَهلِكَ جارَةً

بِأَكنافِ شَطٍّ أَو تَكُن بِنَسيبِ

On the banks of the Shaṭṭ or related to you

I say this while my abode is Iraq and hers

أَقولُ وَداري بِالعِراقِ وَدارُها

حِجازيَّةٌ في حَرَّةٍ وَسُهوبِ

A Hejazi in Harrah and its wastes

Every neighbor of the house will one day

وَكُلُّ قَريبِ الدارِ لا بُدَ مَرَّةً

سَيُصبِحُ يَوماً وَهوَ غَيرُ قَريبِ

Become not a neighbor, this is my dissolution

He quenched a home between ‘Aqīq and Wāqim

سَقى مَنزِلاً بَينَ العَقيقِ وَواقِمٍ

إِلى كُلِّ أُطمٍ بِالحِجازِ وَلوبِ

To every dune in the Hejaz and its sands

Pounding rain whose buckets the thunder shakes

أَجَشُّ هَزيمُ الرَعدِ دانٍ رَبابُهُ

يَجودُ بِسُقيا شَمأَلٍ وَجَنوبِ

Watering a thirsty Samāl and Janūb

They circumambulated God's house, passing Yathrib

أَزوّارَ بَيت اللَهَ مُرّوا بِيَثرِبٍ

لِحاجَةِ مَتبولِ الفُؤادِ كَئيبِ

For the need of the cloaked heart, dejected and sad

When you come to Yathrib, begin with it

إِذا ما أَتَيتُم يَثرِباً فَاِبدَؤوا بِها

بِلَطمِ خُدودٍ أَو بِشَقِّ جُيوبِ

By slapping cheeks or rending garments

And say to them, O people of Yathrib, give glad tidings

وَقولوا لَهُم يا أَهلَ يَثرِبَ أَسعِدوا

عَلى جَلَبٍ لِلحادِثاتِ جَليبِ

Of drawing near calamities, harbinger

We left behind in Iraq a brother sick with love

فَإِنّا تَرَكنا بِالعِراقِ أَخا هَوىً

تَنَشَّبَ رَهناً في حِبالِ شَعوبِ

Shackled in the bonds of passion

He has an illness that has wearied all physicians

بِهِ سَقَمٌ أَعيا المُداوينَ عِلمُهُ

سِوى ظَنَّهُم مِن مُخطِئٍ وَمُصيبِ

Except their guess, between mistaken and correct

When we squeeze water onto him, he is delirious

إِذا ما عَصَرنا الماءَ فيهِ مَجَّهُ

وَإِن نَحنُ نادَينا فَغَيرُ مُجيبِ

If we call him, he does not answer

Tread gently, and explicitly name me as his cause

تَأَنَّوا فَبَكّوني صُراحاً بِنِسبَتي

لِيَعلَمَ ما تَعنونَ كُلُّ غَريبِ

So every stranger may know your intention

If you do this, you will get from her

فَإِنَّكُمُ إِن تَفعَلوا ذاكَ تَأتِكُم

أَمينَةُ خَودٍ كَالمَهاةِ لَعوبِ

A mouthful in a bottle, listen, she is his cure

And go, if when you reach me I have some life

عَزيزٌ عَلَيها ما وَعَت غَيرَ أَنَّها

نَأَت وَبَناتُ الدَهرِ ذاتُ خُطوبِ

With pounding in my breast and slight warmth

Sprinkle rosewater on my face, I will awaken from my affliction

فَقولوا لَها قولي لِفَوزٍ تَعَطَّفي

عَلى جَسَدٍ لا رَوحَ فيهِ سَليبِ

The Lord of the Throne will reward you well

If my family asks what you have brought

خُذوا لِيَ مِنها جُرعَةً في زُجاجَةٍ

أَلا إِنَّها لَو تَعلَمونَ طَبيبي

Each stranger is adept at making excuses

Tell them we brought it from Zamzam water

وَسيروا فَإِن أَدرَكتُمُ بي حُشاشَةً

لَها في نَواحي الصدرِ وَجسُ دَبيبِ

To cure him of an illness caused by sins

If you come and fate has come between me and you

فَرُشّوا عَلى وَجهي أُفِق مِن بَليَّتي

يُثيبُكُمُ ذو العَرشِ خَيرُ مُثيبِ

And a day of death has arrived, swift

And I have become, from the world, at the bottom of a grave

فَإِن قالَ أَهلي ما الَّذي جِئتُمُ بِهِ

وَقَد يُحسِنُ التَعليلَ كُلُّ أَريبِ

Ally to a sealed plank and a mound

Sprinkle some water on my grave and mourn

فَقولوا لَهُم جِئناهُ مِن ماءِ زَمزَمٍ

لِنَشفيهِ مِن داءٍ بِهِ بِذَنوبِ

For one killed by pining, not killed in battles

وَإِن أَنتُمُ جِئتُم وَقَد حيلَ بَينَكُم

وَبَيني بِيَومٍ لِلمَنونِ عَصيبِ

وَصِرتُ مِنَ الدُنيا إِلى قَعرِ حُفرَةٍ

حَليفَ صَفيحٍ مُطبَقٍ وَكَثيبِ

فَرُشّوا عَلى قَبري مِنَ الماءِ وَاِندُبوا

قَتيلَ كَعابٍ لا قَتيلَ حُروبِ