أَرادَ اليَومَ جِيرَتُكَ الغِيارا

أَرادَ اليَومَ جِيرَتُكَ الغِيارا

رَواحاً أَم أرادُوهُ اِبتِكارا

رَواحاً أَم أرادُوهُ اِبتِكارا

Did your fiercely protective neighbors intend today

Did your neighbors plan to leave today—

to leave at evening—or did they mean to set out at dawn?

in the evening, or did they plan an early start?

قَرِيبٌ كُلُّ ذاكَ وَإِن يَبِينُوا

قَرِيبٌ كُلُّ ذاكَ وَإِن يَبِينُوا

يَزيدُ وَالقَلبَ صَدعاً مُستَطارا

يَزيدُ وَالقَلبَ صَدعاً مُستَطارا

Either hour is near; and if they part,

All that is close at hand; and if they depart,

the heart’s fissure will widen, spreading far—

it deepens a spreading rift in the heart,

بِقَلبي وَالنَوى أَعدى عَدُوٍّ

بِقَلبي وَالنَوى أَعدى عَدُوٍّ

لَئِن لَم تُبقِ لي بِالجَلسِ جارا

لَئِن لَم تُبقِ لي بِالجَلسِ جارا

in my heart, whose fiercest foe is separation.

in my heart; and separation is the fiercest foe,

Though separation has left me no neighbor at al-Jals,

if it has left me no neighbor in al-Jals.

بَلى أَبقَت مِنَ الجِيرانِ حَولي

بَلى أَبقَت مِنَ الجِيرانِ حَولي

أُناساً ما أُلائِمُهُم كِثارا

أُناساً ما أُلائِمُهُم كِثارا

it has indeed left some neighbors around me—

Yes, it has left among the neighbors around me

people with whom I am far from at ease.

many people with whom I cannot get along.

وَماذا كَثرَةُ الجِيرانِ مُغنٍ

وَماذا كَثرَةُ الجِيرانِ مُغنٍ

إِذا ما بانَ مَن تَهوى فَسارا

إِذا ما بانَ مَن تَهوى فَسارا

What use is any multitude of neighbors

And what use is a multitude of neighbors

when the one you love departs and journeys away?

when the one you love has departed and gone?

أَذُودُ النَفسَ وَهِيَ تَتُوقُ شَوقاً

أَذُودُ النَفسَ وَهِيَ تَتُوقُ شَوقاً

وَأَمنَعُها حَياءً وَاِستِتارا

وَأَمنَعُها حَياءً وَاِستِتارا

I let my soul go freely as it yearns with longing,

I restrain my soul as it yearns with longing,

yet restrain it, out of modesty and a wish for concealment,

and hold it back out of modesty, seeking concealment,

كَما ذادَ المُنَهنِهُ عَن حِياضٍ

كَما ذادَ المُنَهنِهُ عَن حِياضٍ

عِذابِ الماءِ صادِيَةً حِرارا

عِذابِ الماءِ صادِيَةً حِرارا

as a herdsman, shooing, drives back from the pools

as a keeper drives away from pools

of sweet water beasts parched with thirst and heat.

of sweet water a thirsty, parched herd.

فَلَمّا أَن رَأَيتُ المُكثَ عَجزاً

فَلَمّا أَن رَأَيتُ المُكثَ عَجزاً

وَأَنَّ عُلَيَّ في سَفَرٍ مَسارا

وَأَنَّ عُلَيَّ في سَفَرٍ مَسارا

Then, when I saw that lingering was helplessness,

So when I saw that staying was helplessness,

that I had a road of travel to take,

and that I had a journey to undertake,

وَأَنَّ الحَيَّ ما عَجِلُوا بِبَينٍ

وَأَنَّ الحَيَّ ما عَجِلُوا بِبَينٍ

وَتَركِ بِلادِنا إِلّا ضِرارا

وَتَركِ بِلادِنا إِلّا ضِرارا

and that the clan had hastened their parting

and that the clan had hastened to depart

and left our land for nothing but spite,

and leave our land only to cause harm,

ثَوى جَسَدي وَشيَّعهُم فُؤادي

ثَوى جَسَدي وَشيَّعهُم فُؤادي

وَعَيني ما تَجِفُّ لَهُم غِزارا

وَعَيني ما تَجِفُّ لَهُم غِزارا

my body stayed, while my heart went to see them off;

my body remained, while my heart escorted them,

and my eye never dries for them, but streams in torrents.

and my eye never dries, streaming for them.

أَكُفُّ الدَمعَ عَن خَديَّ مِنها

أَكُفُّ الدَمعَ عَن خَديَّ مِنها

وَيَأبى دَمعُها إِلّا اِنحِدارا

وَيَأبى دَمعُها إِلّا اِنحِدارا

I hold its tears back from my cheek,

I hold its tears back from my cheeks,

yet its tears refuse to do anything but stream down.

but its tears insist on flowing down.