دمعٌ جَرَى فأخجلَ الغماما

دمعٌ جَرَى فأخجلَ الغماما

سَقَّى الديارَ قطرُهُ انسجاما

سَقَّى الديارَ قطرُهُ انسجاما

Tears flowed, putting the rainclouds to shame;

Tears flowed, putting the clouds to shame;

their streaming drops watered the dwellings.

their drops watered the dwellings in a steady stream.

مدامعٌ تُخبركُمْ عن لوعةٍ

مدامعٌ تُخبركُمْ عن لوعةٍ

قد قعدَ القلبُ لها وقاما

قد قعدَ القلبُ لها وقاما

Tears that tell you of a burning anguish

Tears that tell you of a burning anguish

for which the heart has both sat and risen.

that has made the heart sit down and rise.

أذلتُها من بعدِ صوني برهةً

أذلتُها من بعدِ صوني برهةً

لها فأثبتُّ بها الغراما

لها فأثبتُّ بها الغراما

I humbled them after guarding them awhile,

I let them flow, after a time of guarding

and through them proved my passion.

them, and through them proved my ardent love.

وكنتُ مِن قبلِ ولُوعي بالهَوَى

وكنتُ مِن قبلِ ولُوعي بالهَوَى

أرى انبجاسَ مائها حراما

أرى انبجاسَ مائها حراما

Before my infatuation with love,

And before my infatuation with love,

I deemed the bursting of their waters forbidden.

I used to deem the gushing of their water forbidden.

يا جيرةً أصبحَ صبحُ عيشتي

يا جيرةً أصبحَ صبحُ عيشتي

مِن بعدِ ما ترحَّلوا ظلاما

مِن بعدِ ما ترحَّلوا ظلاما

O neighbors, the morning of my life became,

O neighbors, the morning of my life has become

after they departed, darkness.

darkness since they departed.

عهدي بأوطانِكُمُ آهلةً

عهدي بأوطانِكُمُ آهلةً

تكْنُفُ مِن سكانِها أراما

تكْنُفُ مِن سكانِها أراما

I remember your homelands full of inhabitants,

I remember your homelands well inhabited,

sheltering white gazelles among their people—

sheltering white gazelles among their inhabitants:

مِن كلَّ هيفاءَ يُعيرُ قدُّها ال

مِن كلَّ هيفاءَ يُعيرُ قدُّها ال

غصنَ إذا ما خطرتْ قواما

غصنَ إذا ما خطرتْ قواما

each a slender beauty whose stature lends the—

each a slender-waisted maiden whose figure lends the

branch, whenever she sways, its graceful form;

bough its graceful bearing whenever she sways past.

بهنانةٌ ممكورةٌ خَمصانَةٌ

بهنانةٌ ممكورةٌ خَمصانَةٌ

قد جرَّدتْ مِن لحظِها حُساما

قد جرَّدتْ مِن لحظِها حُساما

a soft, rounded beauty, slender-waisted,

Sweet-scented, shapely, slender-bellied,

who unsheathed a sword from her glance.

she has drawn a keen sword from her glance.

كأنَّني كنتُ أرى وِصالَها

كأنَّني كنتُ أرى وِصالَها

زمانَ جادَتْ لي بهِ مناما

زمانَ جادَتْ لي بهِ مناما

It seemed that I beheld union with her

It is as though I used to regard union with her,

when once she granted it to me—as a dream.

when she bestowed it on me, as a dream.

والعيشُ لا تصحَبُهُ لذاذةٌ

والعيشُ لا تصحَبُهُ لذاذةٌ

اِلاّ إذا ما أشبَهَ الأحلاما

اِلاّ إذا ما أشبَهَ الأحلاما

Life is accompanied by no delight

And life is never accompanied by delight

unless it resembles dreams.

unless it resembles dreams.

ما مزنةٌ أرخَتْ غزيرَ وبلِها

ما مزنةٌ أرخَتْ غزيرَ وبلِها

فروَّتِ الوهادَ والآكاما

فروَّتِ الوهادَ والآكاما

No raincloud that loosed its heavy downpour,

No rain cloud that let loose its abundant downpour,

watering the lowlands and the hills,

drenching the hollows and the hills,

جرَّتْ على وجهِ الثرى ذيولَها

جرَّتْ على وجهِ الثرى ذيولَها

كأنَّها تُشافِهُ الرَّغاما

كأنَّها تُشافِهُ الرَّغاما

and trailed its hems across the face of earth

and trailed its skirts across the face of the earth,

as though pressing its lips against the dust,

as though it touched the dust with its lips,

عادتْ بهِ الأوشالُ في لصوبِها

عادتْ بهِ الأوشالُ في لصوبِها

مترعةً مِن دمعِها جِماما

مترعةً مِن دمعِها جِماما

beneath whose rain the scant pools became

turning the trickles in their narrow ravines

brimming basins, filled with its tears,

into brimming pools filled with its tears,

مثلَ دموعي يومَ قيلَثَوَّروا

مثلَ دموعي يومَ قيلَثَوَّروا

عيسَهُمُ وقوَّضوا الخِياما

عيسَهُمُ وقوَّضوا الخِياما

could equal my tears the day it was said, “Rouse

could match my tears the day it was said, 'They roused

their pale camels, and strike the tents.”

their pale camels and struck the tents.'

باللهِ يا ريحَ الجَنُوبِ بلَّغي

باللهِ يا ريحَ الجَنُوبِ بلَّغي

عنّي إلى أحبابيَ السلاما

عنّي إلى أحبابيَ السلاما

By God, O south wind, carry

By God, O south wind, convey

my greetings to my beloved.

my greetings to my loved ones.

وعَرَّفيهمْ أنَّني في دارِهمْ

وعَرَّفيهمْ أنَّني في دارِهمْ

أَعلَّمُ النوحَ بها الحماما

أَعلَّمُ النوحَ بها الحماما

And tell them that, within their dwelling,

And tell them that I, in their dwelling,

I teach the doves themselves to lament.

teach the doves there to lament.

منازلٌ أرعى ذِمامَ أهِلها

منازلٌ أرعى ذِمامَ أهِلها

اِنَّ الكريمَ يحفظُ الذماما

اِنَّ الكريمَ يحفظُ الذماما

These are dwellings whose people’s covenant I honor,

Dwellings: I keep faith with their people;

for the noble always keeps the covenant.

indeed, the noble man preserves the bonds of loyalty.

أصبحَ صبري ناقصاً ولوعتي

أصبحَ صبري ناقصاً ولوعتي

يزدادُ وَقْدُ حرَّها ضِراما

يزدادُ وَقْدُ حرَّها ضِراما

My patience has diminished, while my anguish—

My patience has dwindled, and my anguish—

the burning of its heat—flares ever fiercer.

the blaze of its heat grows ever fiercer.