حَنَّتْ فَأَذْكتْ لَوْعَتي حَنينا

حَنَّتْ فَأَذْكتْ لَوْعَتي حَنينا

أَشْكُو من البَيْن وتشكو البِينا

أَشْكُو من البَيْن وتشكو البِينا

They moaned with yearning, and kindled my anguish.

My longing stirred and my grief awoke

I lament separation; they lament the long stretches of land.

I complain of separation, and so does the distance between us

قد عاثَ في أشخاصِها طُولُ السُّرى

قد عاثَ في أشخاصِها طُولُ السُّرى

بقَدرِ ما عاثَ الفِراقُ فِينا

بقَدرِ ما عاثَ الفِراقُ فِينا

Long night-travel has ravaged their bodies

It has ravaged their features, the lengthy parting,

As much as separation has ravaged us.

Just as parting has ravaged us

فخَلِّها تَمْشِي الهُوَيْنا طالما

فخَلِّها تَمْشِي الهُوَيْنا طالما

أَضْحَتْ تُباري الريح في البُرِينا

أَضْحَتْ تُباري الريح في البُرِينا

So let them walk gently, since for so long

So let them walk freely, though far,

They have raced the wind in their nose-rings.

Competing with the wind across the hills

فكيف لا نَأْوِي لها وهي التي

فكيف لا نَأْوِي لها وهي التي

بها قَطَعْنا السَّهْل والحُزونا

بها قَطَعْنا السَّهْل والحُزونا

How could we not pity them, when they are the ones

Why then should we not shelter them, they who

On whom we crossed level ground and rugged terrain?

Across plain and mountain we traversed with

ها قد وَجَدْنا البَرّ بَحْرَاً زاخِراً

ها قد وَجَدْنا البَرّ بَحْرَاً زاخِراً

فهل وجدتُم غيرَها سَفِينا

فهل وجدتُم غيرَها سَفِينا

Behold, we have found dry land a surging sea;

Did you find any but them a vessel?

So have you found any ships other than them?

If they utter no word of complaint to us

إنْ كُنّ لا يُفصِحْنَ بالشَّكوى لنا

إنْ كُنّ لا يُفصِحْنَ بالشَّكوى لنا

فهُنَّ بالإرزامِ يَشْتَكينا

فهُنَّ بالإرزامِ يَشْتَكينا

If they do not plainly voice their complaints to us,

Still, by their writhing, they ache

They still complain through their low moans.

My liver is galled by their groans

قد أَقْرَحَتْ بما تَئِنُّ كَبِدي

قد أَقْرَحَتْ بما تَئِنُّ كَبِدي

إنّ الحزين يَرْحَمُ الحزينا

إنّ الحزين يَرْحَمُ الحزينا

Their groaning has ulcerated my liver;

For the sorrowful pity the sorrowful

Indeed, the sorrowful pity the sorrowful.

Had my tears been their torment, never

لو عَذُبَتْ لها دموعي لم تَبِتْ

لو عَذُبَتْ لها دموعي لم تَبِتْ

هِيماً عِطاشاً وترى المَعينا

هِيماً عِطاشاً وترى المَعينا

If my tears were sweet to them, they would not spend the night

Would they wander parched, though water be seen

Thirst-maddened and parched, with running water in sight.

You have joined with them unjustly

وقد تياسرتَ بهِنّ جائراً

وقد تياسرتَ بهِنّ جائراً

عن الحِمى فاعْدِل بها يَمينا

عن الحِمى فاعْدِل بها يَمينا

And you have veered left with them, straying

So do justice, yield to the right

From the protected grounds; turn them to the right,

I pass by ruins whose signs have faded

نُحَيِّ أطلالاً عفا آياتِها

نُحَيِّ أطلالاً عفا آياتِها

تَعاقُبُ الأيام والسِّنينا

تَعاقُبُ الأيام والسِّنينا

So we may greet ruins whose traces were effaced

As the days and years go by

By the succession of days and years.

My friends say "Can you see their traces?"

يقولُ صَحْبِي أَتَرَى آثارَهم

يقولُ صَحْبِي أَتَرَى آثارَهم

نعم ولكن لا أرى القَطينا

نعم ولكن لا أرى القَطينا

My companions say, 'Do you see their traces?'

Yes, but I cannot see the encampments

'Yes, but I do not see the inhabitants.'

Had their lands not grieved like we grieved

لو لم تَجِدْ رُبوعُهم كَوَجْدِنا

لو لم تَجِدْ رُبوعُهم كَوَجْدِنا

للبَيْنِ لم تَبْلَ كما بَلينا

للبَيْنِ لم تَبْلَ كما بَلينا

Had their dwellings not felt anguish like ours

Parting would not have overwhelmed us thus

At separation, they would not have wasted away as we have.

Whoever saw their litter yet glimpsed them

ومن رأى قَبْلَ اللِّحاظِ أَنْصُلاً

ومن رأى قَبْلَ اللِّحاظِ أَنْصُلاً

أَرْدَتْ وما فارقَتِ الجُفونا

أَرْدَتْ وما فارقَتِ الجُفونا

And who, before these glances, ever saw blades

Looked, and could not part eyelid from eye

That killed without ever leaving their sheaths?

Each time a gleam caught my eye

أكُلَّما لاحَ لعَيْني بارِقٌ

أكُلَّما لاحَ لعَيْني بارِقٌ

بَكَتْ فَأَبْدتْ سِرِّيَ المَصونا

بَكَتْ فَأَبْدتْ سِرِّيَ المَصونا

Whenever lightning flashes before my eye,

It wept, revealing my secret anguish

Must it weep, revealing my guarded secret?

Blame not my heart for my tormented state

لا تأخذوا قلبي بذَنبِ مُقلَتي

لا تأخذوا قلبي بذَنبِ مُقلَتي

وعاقِبوا الخائنَ لا الأمينا

وعاقِبوا الخائنَ لا الأمينا

Do not hold my heart guilty for my eye's sin;

Punish the traitor, not the true

And punish the betrayer, not the trustworthy one.

The leaves did not conceal themselves in green

ما اسْتَتَرتْ بالورَقِ الوَرْقاءُ كي

ما اسْتَتَرتْ بالورَقِ الوَرْقاءُ كي

تَصْدُقَ لمّا علَتِ الغُصونا

تَصْدُقَ لمّا علَتِ الغُصونا

The gray dove did not hide among the leaves in order

To verify what was raised on the branch

To speak truthfully when she climbed the boughs.

How often the bereft found comfort

كم وَكَلَتْ بكلّ باكٍ شَجْوَهُ

كم وَكَلَتْ بكلّ باكٍ شَجْوَهُ

يُعينُه إنْ عَدِمَ المُعينا

يُعينُه إنْ عَدِمَ المُعينا

How often she has charged each weeper's grief

In one who aided when help was gone

To aid him if he lacks a helper.

This is how she wept, and her companion was near

هذا بُكاها والقَرينُ حاضرٌ

هذا بُكاها والقَرينُ حاضرٌ

فكيف مَن قد فارَق القَرينا

فكيف مَن قد فارَق القَرينا

This is her weeping while her mate is present;

Imagine one whose companion is far

How, then, must one weep who has parted from a mate?

I swore the meadow, when it raised its borders

أقسمتُ ما الرَّوض إذا ما بَعَثَتْ

أقسمتُ ما الرَّوض إذا ما بَعَثَتْ

أرجاؤُه الخِيرِيَّ والنِّسْرينا

أرجاؤُه الخِيرِيَّ والنِّسْرينا

I swear: no garden, whenever

Pure and sweet basil

Its expanses put forth wallflowers and wild roses,

When its streams were sweet and its fruits appeared

وعَذُبَتْ أنهارُه وأدركتْ

وعَذُبَتْ أنهارُه وأدركتْ

ثِمارُه وأبدَتِ المَكْنونا

ثِمارُه وأبدَتِ المَكْنونا

And its rivers grow sweet, and ripe are

And disclosed its treasures

Its fruits, revealing what lay hidden,

Was neither finer, nor more blissful, nor truer

أَشْهَى ولا أَبْهَى ولا أَوْفَى ولا

أَشْهَى ولا أَبْهَى ولا أَوْفَى ولا

أَحْلَى بعَيْني لينا

أَحْلَى بعَيْني لينا

Is more desirable, more splendid, fuller, or

Nor sweeter to my eye

Sweeter to my eye in softness,

Than her stature, face, lips

مِن قَدِّها ووجهها وثَغرِها

مِن قَدِّها ووجهها وثَغرِها

وشَعرِها فاستمِع اليَقينا

وشَعرِها فاستمِع اليَقينا

Than her figure, her face, and her mouth,

And hair - so hear my avowal

And her hair—so hear the certain truth.