مَريضِيَ بي إِن عُدتُهُ لِيَ عائِدٌ

مَريضِيَ بي إِن عُدتُهُ لِيَ عائِدٌ

وَعائِدُهُ خَوفاً عَلَيهِ مَريضُ

وَعائِدُهُ خَوفاً عَلَيهِ مَريضُ

My sick beloved, ill because of me, visits me if I visit him;

My beloved, if his absence returns to me,

And his visitor is sick with fear for him.

Its return is out of fear for him, my beloved.

أَلا إِنَّ عُذرَ السُهدِ في العَينِ واضِحٌ

أَلا إِنَّ عُذرَ السُهدِ في العَينِ واضِحٌ

لَدَيَّ وَفي أَمرِ المَنامِ غُموضُ

لَدَيَّ وَفي أَمرِ المَنامِ غُموضُ

Ah, the excuse for sleeplessness is clear in the eye,

Behold, the excuse of wakefulness is evident to me

To me, while the matter of sleep is obscure.

In my eye, while the matter of sleep is ambiguous.

وَبي مَرَضٌ ما الوَصفُ فيهِ بِمُنهِضي

وَبي مَرَضٌ ما الوَصفُ فيهِ بِمُنهِضي

وَلا لِقُوى صَبري عَلَيهِ نُهوضُ

وَلا لِقُوى صَبري عَلَيهِ نُهوضُ

And I have an illness no description can lift me from,

And I have an illness which no description of it invigorates me,

Nor can the strength of my patience rise against it.

Nor does my patience have the strength to stand against it.

يُقَوّيهِ ضَعفٌ لِلحَبيبِ مُضاعَفٌ

يُقَوّيهِ ضَعفٌ لِلحَبيبِ مُضاعَفٌ

وَيُعلِنُهُ صَوتُ الأَنينِ خَفيضُ

وَيُعلِنُهُ صَوتُ الأَنينِ خَفيضُ

The beloved's redoubled weakness strengthens it,

It is strengthened by a weakness for the beloved which is multiplied,

And the faint sound of moaning proclaims it.

And its muted groans proclaim it.

أَما وَفُؤادي إِنَّهُ مِنكَ طائِرٌ

أَما وَفُؤادي إِنَّهُ مِنكَ طائِرٌ

لَما كانَ حَزماً أَن يَطيرَ مَهيضُ

لَما كانَ حَزماً أَن يَطيرَ مَهيضُ

Ah, by my heart—it takes flight because of you—

As for my heart, it flies because of you,

Surely it was not prudent for one with broken wings to fly.

Since it was never apt to fly at first.

وَما عُدتُ إِلّا عِلَّتي بِلِقائِهِ

وَما عُدتُ إِلّا عِلَّتي بِلِقائِهِ

وَإِن غَضَّ طَرفي الطَرفَ وَهوَ غَضيضُ

وَإِن غَضَّ طَرفي الطَرفَ وَهوَ غَضيضُ

And in meeting him, I visited nothing but my own illness,

I have returned only because of my illness over meeting him,

Though my glance lowered his already downcast gaze.

Even if he looks at me askance with contracting eyes.

وَعِندِيَ لِلأَيّامُ فيكَ قَوارِصُ

وَعِندِيَ لِلأَيّامُ فيكَ قَوارِصُ

أَبى عِندَها مِن أَن يَضيعَ قَريضُ

أَبى عِندَها مِن أَن يَضيعَ قَريضُ

I have stinging reproaches for the days on your account;

To me the days have talons in you,

Before them, verse has refused to be lost.

With them no verse would be lost.

سَتَبيَضُّ أَيّامي بِصِحَّةِ بَدرِها

سَتَبيَضُّ أَيّامي بِصِحَّةِ بَدرِها

وَأَيّامُ إِتمامِ الأَهِلَّةِ بيضُ

وَأَيّامُ إِتمامِ الأَهِلَّةِ بيضُ

My days will turn white with their full moon's recovery,

My days will be whitened by the full moon of their health,

And days when crescent moons reach fullness are white.

And the days of completing the crescent moon, whitened.

وَتَحتَ وِكاءِ الصَبرِ أَيَّةُ عَبرَةٍ

وَتَحتَ وِكاءِ الصَبرِ أَيَّةُ عَبرَةٍ

وَلَكِن تَفيضُ النَفسُ قَبلَ تَفيضُ

وَلَكِن تَفيضُ النَفسُ قَبلَ تَفيضُ

And beneath patience's binding—what a tear!

And beneath the shelter of patience, what lesson?

Yet the soul flows out before the tear can flow.

But the soul overflows before it overflows.

إِذا رُحَضاءُ الداءِ جَلَّلَ جِسمَهُ

إِذا رُحَضاءُ الداءِ جَلَّلَ جِسمَهُ

فَإِنَّ لِباسَ العُمرِ مِنكَ رَحيضُ

فَإِنَّ لِباسَ العُمرِ مِنكَ رَحيضُ

When the sweat of sickness cloaks his body,

When the pounding of the pain clothes his body,

Then the robe of life you wear is washed.

The garb of life depends on you to patch it.