يا رَوضَ ذي الأَثلِ مِن شَرقَيِّ كاظِمَةٍ

يا رَوضَ ذي الأَثلِ مِن شَرقَيِّ كاظِمَةٍ

قَد عاوَدَ القَلبُ مِن ذِكراكَ أَديانا

قَد عاوَدَ القَلبُ مِن ذِكراكَ أَديانا

O meadow of Dhū al-Athl, east of Kāẓimah,

O garden of graceful branches in the east of Kadhimah

At the thought of you, the heart has returned to its old ways.

My heart has returned again and again to the remembrance of you

أَمُرُّ بِالرَكبِ مُجتازاً بِذي سَلَمٍ

أَمُرُّ بِالرَكبِ مُجتازاً بِذي سَلَمٍ

لَو ما شَرَيتُكَ بِالأَوطانِ أَوطانا

لَو ما شَرَيتُكَ بِالأَوطانِ أَوطانا

I pass with the caravan, crossing Dhū Salam;

I pass by the caravan at Dhi Salam

if only I had not exchanged you for homeland after homeland.

If only I had not made you alternately homelands!

شَغَلتَ عَيني دُموعاً وَالحَشى حُرَقاً

شَغَلتَ عَيني دُموعاً وَالحَشى حُرَقاً

فَكَيفَ أَلَّفتَ أَمواهاً وَنيرانا

فَكَيفَ أَلَّفتَ أَمواهاً وَنيرانا

You have filled my eye with tears and my heart with burning pains;

You preoccupied my eyes with tears and seared my breast

so how have you united waters and fires?

How then did you accustom them to love and passion?

أَشُمُّ مِنكَ نَسيماً لَستُ أَعرِفُهُ

أَشُمُّ مِنكَ نَسيماً لَستُ أَعرِفُهُ

أَظُنُّ شَمياءَ جَرَّت فيكَ أَردانا

أَظُنُّ شَمياءَ جَرَّت فيكَ أَردانا

I breathe from you a breeze I do not recognize;

I scent from you a breeze I do not recognize

I think Shamyāʾ has trailed her sleeves through you.

I fancy the north wind blew through you myrrh

أَشبَهتَ أَظعانَ ذاكَ الحَيِّ مِن يَمَنٍ

أَشبَهتَ أَظعانَ ذاكَ الحَيِّ مِن يَمَنٍ

طيباً وَحُسناً وَأَغصاناً وَكُثبانا

طيباً وَحُسناً وَأَغصاناً وَكُثبانا

You resemble the camel-borne women of that tribe from Yemen,

You resembled the most aromatic places in Yemen

in fragrance and beauty, in boughs and dunes.

With perfume, beauty, branches and sand dunes

لَو أَستَطيعُ لَما سافَتكَ سائِفَةٌ

لَو أَستَطيعُ لَما سافَتكَ سائِفَةٌ

وَلا جَناكَ فَتىً رَنداً وَلا بانا

وَلا جَناكَ فَتىً رَنداً وَلا بانا

If I could, none would breathe your fragrance,

If I were able, neither traveller nor dashing youth would visit you

nor would a youth pluck laurel or bān trees from you.

I met you with a heart cleansed of the filth of passion

أَلقاكَ وَالقَلبُ صافٍ مِن رَجيعِ هَوىً

أَلقاكَ وَالقَلبُ صافٍ مِن رَجيعِ هَوىً

وَأَنثَني عَنكَ بِالأَشواقِ نَشوانا

وَأَنثَني عَنكَ بِالأَشواقِ نَشوانا

I meet you with my heart free of love's recurrent stirrings,

And desire made me twist and bend in longing for you

and turn away from you intoxicated with longing.

I took no cure for the wounds that pierced my liver

وَلا تَداوَيتُ مِن قَرحٍ فَرى كَبِدي

وَلا تَداوَيتُ مِن قَرحٍ فَرى كَبِدي

وَلا سَقانِيَ راقي الحَيِّ سُلوانا

وَلا سَقانِيَ راقي الحَيِّ سُلوانا

Nor have I sought a cure for a wound that tore my liver,

Nor did the healer of life give me a potion to drink

nor has the tribe's charm-healer given me forgetfulness to drink.

My friends say, wearied by my disturbance:

يَقولُ صَحبي وَقَد أَعياهُمُ طَرَبي

يَقولُ صَحبي وَقَد أَعياهُمُ طَرَبي

بَعضَ الأُسى إِنَّما أَحبَبتَ إِنسانا

بَعضَ الأُسى إِنَّما أَحبَبتَ إِنسانا

My companions, exhausted by my ardor, say:

“He loved only a mortal, some of the sorrow was for a human's sake”

"Ease your sorrow; you have loved only a human being."

Where are the tents we used to take refuge in

أَينَ الخِيامُ الَّتي كُنّا نَلوذُ بِها

أَينَ الخِيامُ الَّتي كُنّا نَلوذُ بِها

بِالأَبرَقَينِ وَأَينَ الحَيُّ مُذ بانا

بِالأَبرَقَينِ وَأَينَ الحَيُّ مُذ بانا

Where are the tents in which we used to take refuge

By Al-Abraqayn? And where is the camp since it was struck?

at al-Abraqayn—and where is the tribe, now that it has departed?

I stir up no prey for myself after being apart from them

لا هِجتُ لي قَنَصاً مِن بَعدِ بَينِهِمُ

لا هِجتُ لي قَنَصاً مِن بَعدِ بَينِهِمُ

وَلا ذَعَرتُ عَنِ الأَطلاءِ غِزلانا

وَلا ذَعَرتُ عَنِ الأَطلاءِ غِزلانا

I have roused no quarry for myself since their departure,

Nor did I shy from hill-tops or fawns there

nor frightened gazelles away from their fawns.

You made me forget people when you reminded me of them

أَنسَيتَني الناسَ إِذ أَذكَرتَني بِهِمُ

أَنسَيتَني الناسَ إِذ أَذكَرتَني بِهِمُ

يا مُهدِياً لِيَ تَذكاراً وَنِسيانا

يا مُهدِياً لِيَ تَذكاراً وَنِسيانا

You made me forget all people when you reminded me of them,

O you who guided me alternately to remembrance and forgetfulness!

O you who give me remembrance and forgetfulness!