رِقَابَ العَقلِ لو تدرينَ ما بي

رِقَابَ العَقلِ لو تدرينَ ما بي

بَكَيتش مهن اغترابي لاقترَابي

بَكَيتش مهن اغترابي لاقترَابي

O Riqab al-ʿAql, if you knew what ails me,

If reason's necks could know what's inside me

You would weep for my exile, not my nearness.

You'd weep at my estrangement, not nearness to me

فإني ما أبيتُ الليلَ إلاَّ

فإني ما أبيتُ الليلَ إلاَّ

وقلبي من غَرَامِكِ في اضطرابِ

وقلبي من غَرَامِكِ في اضطرابِ

For I never spend the night except

For I've not slept a night except

With my heart in turmoil from love for you.

With my heart crazed with love of you

يُذَكِّرُنِيكِ تَهتَافُ القَمَارِى

يُذَكِّرُنِيكِ تَهتَافُ القَمَارِى

ويذكرنيكِ تَشحاجُ الغُرَاب

ويذكرنيكِ تَشحاجُ الغُرَاب

The cooing of turtledoves reminds me of you,

The shouting of gamblers reminds me of you

And the crow's cawing reminds me of you.

And cawing of crows reminds me of you

وإن ذَكَرتكِ نَفسِى في شَرَابٍ

وإن ذَكَرتكِ نَفسِى في شَرَابٍ

اكَادُ أغُصُّ مِن ذاك الشرابِ

اكَادُ أغُصُّ مِن ذاك الشرابِ

And if my soul remembers you while I drink,

And if my soul remembers you in drink

I nearly choke on that drink.

I almost choke on that drink

وإن رَفَعَ السَّرابُ على تَنَاءِ

وإن رَفَعَ السَّرابُ على تَنَاءِ

بَلاَدكِ ظَلتُ مُرتَقِبَ السَّرَابِ

بَلاَدكِ ظَلتُ مُرتَقِبَ السَّرَابِ

And if the mirage raises up, from afar,

And if the mirage raised over

Your lands, I remain watching the mirage.

Your countries, I awaited the mirage

ولَم أكُ قَد نَأيتُكِ باختِيَارِى

ولَم أكُ قَد نَأيتُكِ باختِيَارِى

ولم يَكُ عن قِلاَىَ لَكِ إغتَرَابي

ولم يَكُ عن قِلاَىَ لَكِ إغتَرَابي

And I did not leave you of my own choosing,

And I had not distanced you by my choice

Nor was my exile caused by hatred of you.

Nor was my heart estranged from you

لَعَمرُكِ ما نَأيتُكِ عن مَلاَلٍ

لَعَمرُكِ ما نَأيتُكِ عن مَلاَلٍ

ولَكِن مَنجَنُونُ قَضاً جَرَى بي

ولَكِن مَنجَنُونُ قَضاً جَرَى بي

By your life, I did not leave you out of weariness,

By your life, I did not distance you out of boredom

But fate's waterwheel carried me along.

But fate's course drove me mad

وما قاَمَت مقَامَكِ لى تُرابٌ

وما قاَمَت مقَامَكِ لى تُرابٌ

وكيف وأنتِ فائقةُ التراب

وكيف وأنتِ فائقةُ التراب

And no other soil has taken your place for me,

And no dust took your place for me

And how could it, when you surpass all earth?

How could it, when you transcend dust?

وأترَابي لَدَيكِ وفيكِ أنسِى

وأترَابي لَدَيكِ وفيكِ أنسِى

ورُوحِى واحتِرَامِى واحتِرَابي

ورُوحِى واحتِرَامِى واحتِرَابي

And my companions are with you, and in you is my solace,

And my companionship, in you and through you, is my intimacy

And my soul, my reverence, and my battles.

My spirit, my reverence, my turmoil

سَقضاكِ من الحَيَا الدَّلوي غَيَّثٌ

سَقضاكِ من الحَيَا الدَّلوي غَيَّثٌ

غزيرُ خَوالِفِ الأسرَابِ رَابِ

غزيرُ خَوالِفِ الأسرَابِ رَابِ

May rain pour upon you as from a bucket,

An abundant rain of changeable clouds

Copious and swelling, with successive flocks of clouds,

Poured over you from the dewy life

فَتُضحِى في الرَّوابشى والتَناهِى

فَتُضحِى في الرَّوابشى والتَناهِى

تناويرُ الأزاهرِ كالزرابي

تناويرُ الأزاهرِ كالزرابي

So that, on the hillocks and in the hollows,

So you become in the meadows and slopes

The flowers' blossoms become like carpets.

Like flowers' embroideries, like needles' eyes

وتُحسَبُ من تَلِوِّنِها مساءاً

وتُحسَبُ من تَلِوِّنِها مساءاً

اعارَتهَا تُلوَّنَها الحِرَابي

اعارَتهَا تُلوَّنَها الحِرَابي

And from their changing colors at evening, one imagines

And from their changing hues in the evening

That chameleons have lent them their own hues.

You'd think the heat lent them its changes