سَلِ الدَمعَ عَن عَيني وَعَن جَسَدي المُضنى

سَلِ الدَمعَ عَن عَيني وَعَن جَسَدي المُضنى

وَهَل لَقِيَت عَينايَ بَعدَكُمُ غُمضا

وَهَل لَقِيَت عَينايَ بَعدَكُمُ غُمضا

Ask the tears about my eye and my wasted body,

Ask the tears about my eyes, and my weary body,

And whether my eyes have known sleep since you left.

Have my eyes met with any sleep after you?

وَأَينَ الهَوى مِنّي وَقَد عَضَّتِ النَوى

وَأَينَ الهَوى مِنّي وَقَد عَضَّتِ النَوى

عَلى كَبِدي الحَرّى بِأَنيابِها عَضّا

عَلى كَبِدي الحَرّى بِأَنيابِها عَضّا

And what is love to me, when separation has bitten

Where is passion from me, now that separation has bitten

Into my burning liver with its fangs, biting hard?

My burning liver with its fangs violently

تَكُدُّ بِنا بَرّاً وَبَحراً تَعَسُّفاً

تَكُدُّ بِنا بَرّاً وَبَحراً تَعَسُّفاً

وَتورِدُنا أَرضاً وَتُصدِرُنا أَرضا

وَتورِدُنا أَرضاً وَتُصدِرُنا أَرضا

It drives us harshly over land and sea,

It drives us uncomfortably by land and sea

And brings us into one land and sends us forth to another.

And settles us in a land and sends us off from a land

فَلَو أَنَّ ما بي بِالجِبالِ تَضَعضَعَت

فَلَو أَنَّ ما بي بِالجِبالِ تَضَعضَعَت

وَبِالماءِ لَم يَعذُب وَبِالنَجمِ لاِنقَضّا

وَبِالماءِ لَم يَعذُب وَبِالنَجمِ لاِنقَضّا

For if the mountains bore what I bear, they would crumble,

If only what is in me trembled with the mountains

And water would lose its sweetness, and the star would fall.

And did not flow with sweet water and did not glitter with stars

سَأَخلَعُ ثَوبَ اللَهوِ بَعدَ أَحِبَّتي

سَأَخلَعُ ثَوبَ اللَهوِ بَعدَ أَحِبَّتي

وَأَرفُضُ طيبَ العَيشِ بَعدَهُمُ رَفضا

وَأَرفُضُ طيبَ العَيشِ بَعدَهُمُ رَفضا

I shall cast off the garment of pleasure now my loved ones are gone,

I will take off the clothes of playfulness after my loved ones

And utterly reject the sweetness of life after them.

And refuse the sweetness of life after them, refusal

كَفى حَزَناً أَنَّ الخُطوبَ سَعَت بِنا

كَفى حَزَناً أَنَّ الخُطوبَ سَعَت بِنا

وَأَنَّ بَناتِ الدَهرِ تَركُضُنا رَكضا

وَأَنَّ بَناتِ الدَهرِ تَركُضُنا رَكضا

It is grief enough that calamities have swept us along,

It is enough of sorrow that disasters have spread around us

And that the daughters of Time drive us relentlessly,

And that the daughters of fate chase us, chasing

وَأَنِّيَ وَقفٌ بَينَ بَثٍّ وَلَوعَةٍ

وَأَنِّيَ وَقفٌ بَينَ بَثٍّ وَلَوعَةٍ

فَلا فَرَحٌ يُرجى وَلا أَجَلٌ يُقضى

فَلا فَرَحٌ يُرجى وَلا أَجَلٌ يُقضى

And that I am held between anguish and burning grief,

And that I stand between misery and agony

So no joy is hoped for, nor does my allotted life end.

So there is no joy hoped for or any term coming to an end

أَقولُ وَقَد عيلَ اِصطِباري مِنَ النَوى

أَقولُ وَقَد عيلَ اِصطِباري مِنَ النَوى

وَأَصبَحَ دَمعُ العَينِ لِلشَّوقِ مُرفَضّا

وَأَصبَحَ دَمعُ العَينِ لِلشَّوقِ مُرفَضّا

I say, with my endurance exhausted by separation,

I say, and my patience from the beloved has weakened

And my eye's tears now streaming with longing,

And the tear of the eye for longing has shed, shedding

كَما قالَ قَيسٌ حينَ ضاقَ مِنَ الهَوى

كَما قالَ قَيسٌ حينَ ضاقَ مِنَ الهَوى

فَلَم يَستَطِع في الحُبِّ بَسطاً وَلا قَبضا

فَلَم يَستَطِع في الحُبِّ بَسطاً وَلا قَبضا

As Qays said when love hemmed him in,

As Qais said when he was strapped by passion

And in love he could neither reach out nor draw back:

And he could not have amplitude or restraint in love

كَأَنَّ بِلادَ اللَهِ حَلقَةُ خاتَمٍ

كَأَنَّ بِلادَ اللَهِ حَلقَةُ خاتَمٍ

عَلَيَّ فَما تَزدادُ طولاً وَلا عَرضا

عَلَيَّ فَما تَزدادُ طولاً وَلا عَرضا

As though God's lands were the hoop of a ring

It is as if the countries of God are a ring’s band

Around me, expanding neither in length nor in breadth.

That does not grow longer or wider on me

وَأَنّى أَرى بِالقَيرَوانِ أَحِبَّتي

وَأَنّى أَرى بِالقَيرَوانِ أَحِبَّتي

وَأَعتاضُ مِن ضَنكٍ مُنيتُ بِهِ خَفضا

وَأَعتاضُ مِن ضَنكٍ مُنيتُ بِهِ خَفضا

And how can I see my loved ones in Kairouan,

And how can I see my loved ones in Qayrawan

And exchange the hardship that befell me for ease?

And I complain of hardship I was lowered into lowering

وَيَجمَعُنا دَهرٌ سَعى بِفُراقِنا

وَيَجمَعُنا دَهرٌ سَعى بِفُراقِنا

وَيَرجِعُ غُصنٌ ناعِمٌ قَد ذَوى غَضّا

وَيَرجِعُ غُصنٌ ناعِمٌ قَد ذَوى غَضّا

And can Time, which sought to part us, reunite us,

And time will unite us after it drove our separation

And a tender branch that withered grow fresh again?

And a soft branch that faded will return, returning green

إِلى اللَهِ أَشكو كُربَتي وَتَغَرُّبي

إِلى اللَهِ أَشكو كُربَتي وَتَغَرُّبي

وَما رابَ مِن صَرفِ الزَمانِ وَما مَضّا

وَما رابَ مِن صَرفِ الزَمانِ وَما مَضّا

To God I complain of my anguish and exile,

To God I complain of my distress and estrangement

And what troubled me in Time's turns, and what pained me.

And the turns of fate and what has passed, passed

بِحَبلِ أَبي مَروانَ أَعلَقتُ عُروَتي

بِحَبلِ أَبي مَروانَ أَعلَقتُ عُروَتي

وَحَسبِيَ إِعلاقي صَريحَ العُلا مَحضا

وَحَسبِيَ إِعلاقي صَريحَ العُلا مَحضا

I have fastened my loop to Abu Marwan's rope,

With the rope of Abu Marwan I tied my bond

And clinging to pure, unalloyed nobility is enough for me.

And it suffices me to tie the clear ascent purely

كَريمٌ حَوى فَخرَ الأَنامِ وُجودَهُم

كَريمٌ حَوى فَخرَ الأَنامِ وُجودَهُم

يَرى الحَمدَ غُنماً وَاِستِدامَتَهُ فَرضا

يَرى الحَمدَ غُنماً وَاِستِدامَتَهُ فَرضا

A generous man who holds mankind's glory and bounty,

A generous man who contained the pride of people, their generosity

He regards praise as gain, and sustaining it as a duty.

Sees praise as profit and its continuity as duty

كَفانا مِنَ الآمالِ مُعضِلَ أَمرِها

كَفانا مِنَ الآمالِ مُعضِلَ أَمرِها

فَلا كاشِحٌ يَرجو لِإِبرامِهِ نَقضا

فَلا كاشِحٌ يَرجو لِإِبرامِهِ نَقضا

He has resolved for us the hardest matters of our hopes,

Spare us from hopes that complicate their matter

So no ill-wisher hopes to unravel what he has firmly bound.

So there is no complainer hoping for its undoing, undoing

تَراهُ إِذا ما جِئتَهُ مُتَهَلِّلاً

تَراهُ إِذا ما جِئتَهُ مُتَهَلِّلاً

تَهَلُّلَ بَدرِ التِمِّ بَل وَجهُهُ أَوضا

تَهَلُّلَ بَدرِ التِمِّ بَل وَجهُهُ أَوضا

You see him beaming whenever you come to him,

You see him when you come happy, happiness

With the radiance of the full moon—rather, his face is brighter.

The happiness of the full moon, rather, his face brighter

فَتىً ما يُبالي مَن دَنا مِن فِنائِهِ

فَتىً ما يُبالي مَن دَنا مِن فِنائِهِ

أَيَسخَطُ تَصريفُ الحُوادِثِ أَم يَرضى

أَيَسخَطُ تَصريفُ الحُوادِثِ أَم يَرضى

A youth: whoever draws near his courtyard need not care

A young man who does not care who comes near his domain

Whether the course of events is angry or content.

Is he displeased by the course of events or is he content

أَياديكَ قَد حَمَّت وَعَمَّت مَعاشِراً

أَياديكَ قَد حَمَّت وَعَمَّت مَعاشِراً

مِنَ الناسِ يَتلو بَعضُها أَبَداً بَعضا

مِنَ الناسِ يَتلو بَعضُها أَبَداً بَعضا

Your favors have arrived and embraced communities

Your hands have protected and covered peoples

Of people, one forever following another.

One after another for eternity, eternity