أَجيراني بِذي سَلَمٍ عَلَيكُم

أَجيراني بِذي سَلَمٍ عَلَيكُم

وَإِن شَطَّت دِيارُكُمُ سَلامي

وَإِن شَطَّت دِيارُكُمُ سَلامي

O my neighbors at Dhu Salam, to you—

My messenger greets you with peace

though your homes lie far away—my greetings.

Even if your homelands have become turbulent, my peace remains

أَحِنُّ إِلَيكُمُ فَأُجَنُّ شَوقاً

أَحِنُّ إِلَيكُمُ فَأُجَنُّ شَوقاً

وَأُبدي ما أُجِنُّ مِنَ الغَرامِ

وَأُبدي ما أُجِنُّ مِنَ الغَرامِ

I yearn for you, and so am driven mad with longing,

I yearn for you, overwhelmed by longing

And I reveal the passion I keep concealed.

Revealing the passion I harbor

وَأُشفِقُ كُلَّما ناحَت سُحَيراً

وَأُشفِقُ كُلَّما ناحَت سُحَيراً

حَمامٌ أَن يُفاجِئَني حِمامي

حَمامٌ أَن يُفاجِئَني حِمامي

And I fear, whenever they mourn just before dawn—

I worry whenever a dove coos

the doves—that my death will take me unawares.

Lest my own dove surprise me

وَأَهوى النَّومَ لا لِلنَّومِ لَكِن

وَأَهوى النَّومَ لا لِلنَّومِ لَكِن

لَعَلَّ الطَيفَ يَطرُقُ في المَنامِ

لَعَلَّ الطَيفَ يَطرُقُ في المَنامِ

And I love sleep, not for sleep itself, but

I crave sleep not for sleep's sake

in the hope that the apparition will visit me in my sleep.

But hoping your phantom might visit in a dream

وَلَو وافى إِلَيَّ الطَّيفُ لَيلاً

وَلَو وافى إِلَيَّ الطَّيفُ لَيلاً

خَفيتُ عَلَيهِ مِن فَرطِ السَقامِ

خَفيتُ عَلَيهِ مِن فَرطِ السَقامِ

And even if the apparition came to me at night,

And if your phantom came to me at night

I would be invisible to it, so severe is my illness.

I would feign illness, so overcome with love

وَلَستُ بِآيِسٍ مِن طَيفِ سَلمى

وَلَستُ بِآيِسٍ مِن طَيفِ سَلمى

فَرُبَّةَ رَميَةٍ مِن غَيرِ رامي

فَرُبَّةَ رَميَةٍ مِن غَيرِ رامي

And I do not despair of Salma's apparition,

I do not despair of my Salma's phantom

For many a shot comes from one who is no archer.

For many an arrow finds its mark though no archer aimed it