تَلَفَّتُّ وَالرَملُ ما بَينَنا

تَلَفَّتُّ وَالرَملُ ما بَينَنا

وَأَعلامُ ذي بَقَرٍ أَو رُباهُ

وَأَعلامُ ذي بَقَرٍ أَو رُباهُ

I looked back, with the sand between us,

The sands lie between us,

and the peaks of Dhū Baqar, or its hills.

and the signs of the cattle herders or their riders,

فَقُلتُ عَلى طَرَباتِ الهَوى

فَقُلتُ عَلى طَرَباتِ الهَوى

عَسى الطَرفُ يَبلُغُهُم أَوكَراهُ

عَسى الطَرفُ يَبلُغُهُم أَوكَراهُ

So I said, amid the stirrings of love:

so I said hoping my gaze would reach them,

Perhaps the eye—or its slumber—will reach them.

or that they would dislike and resent it.

فَما لَقِيَ الحُبُّ إِلّا الجَوى

فَما لَقِيَ الحُبُّ إِلّا الجَوى

وَلا بَلَغَ الطَرفُ إِلّا قَذاهُ

وَلا بَلَغَ الطَرفُ إِلّا قَذاهُ

But love met nothing but burning grief,

Love found nothing but sorrow,

nor did the eye reach anything but its mote.

and my gaze reached nothing but their hostility.

بِذِكري أَشُمُّ ثَرى أَرضِهِ

بِذِكري أَشُمُّ ثَرى أَرضِهِ

عَلى نَأيِهِ وَبِقَلبي أَراهُ

عَلى نَأيِهِ وَبِقَلبي أَراهُ

Through memory I smell the moist earth of his land,

With my memory I inhale the earth they tread

despite his remoteness, and with my heart I see him.

in their absence, yet I see them in my heart.

عَسى مَن رَمى بِالمُحِبِّ الغَري

عَسى مَن رَمى بِالمُحِبِّ الغَري

بِ مَرمىً بَعيداً يُقَضّي نَواهُ

بِ مَرمىً بَعيداً يُقَضّي نَواهُ

May he who cast the exiled lover

May he who shot at the lover from afar

far away bring his separation to an end,

with a distant arrow, fulfill his intention.

وَتَدنو الدِيارُ بِسُكّانِها

وَتَدنو الدِيارُ بِسُكّانِها

تَمَنّي اِمرِىءٍ ما عَراكُم عَراهُ

تَمَنّي اِمرِىءٍ ما عَراكُم عَراهُ

and may the dwellings draw near with their people—

The homelands approach with their inhabitants,

the wish of a man beset by what beset you.

the wish of a man you did not know his condition.

أَصاحِ تَرى البَرقَ في لَمعِهِ

أَصاحِ تَرى البَرقَ في لَمعِهِ

تَخَلُّجَ أَيمٍ يُلَوّي مَطاهُ

تَخَلُّجَ أَيمٍ يُلَوّي مَطاهُ

O friend, do you see in the lightning's flash

O friend, do you see the lightning in its shine

a serpent's writhing as it twists its back?

twisting with grief to coil its rope?

وَقالوا سَناهُ عَلى رامَةٍ

وَقالوا سَناهُ عَلى رامَةٍ

وَيا بُعدَ مَوقِفِنا مِن سَناهُ

وَيا بُعدَ مَوقِفِنا مِن سَناهُ

And they said its radiance was over Rāmah;

And they said his tooth is at Ramah,

and oh, how far we stand from its radiance!

while how far our stance is from his tooth!

دَعِ القَلبَ يَأرَقُ مِن ذِكرِهِم

دَعِ القَلبَ يَأرَقُ مِن ذِكرِهِم

فَقَد ذاقَ مِن بَينِهِم ما كَفاهُ

فَقَد ذاقَ مِن بَينِهِم ما كَفاهُ

Let the heart lie sleepless at the thought of them;

Let the heart stay awake with their memory

for it has tasted enough of parting from them.

for it has tasted amongst them what suffices it.

فَلا حَطَّ إِلّا بِهِم رَحلَهُ

فَلا حَطَّ إِلّا بِهِم رَحلَهُ

وَلا جادَ إِلّا عَليهِم حَياهُ

وَلا جادَ إِلّا عَليهِم حَياهُ

So may it set down its saddle only among them,

So it lowered its luggage but with them

and may its rain pour on none but them.

and spent its life but upon them.