سِلْكانِ لِلدَّمعِ مَحْلولٌ وَمَعْقُودُ

سِلْكانِ لِلدَّمعِ مَحْلولٌ وَمَعْقُودُ

عَلَى التي لَحْدُها في القَلْبِ مَلْحُودُ

عَلَى التي لَحْدُها في القَلْبِ مَلْحُودُ

Two strands of tears: one loose, one knotted,

My tears flow easily, knotted

Over her whose grave is hollowed within the heart.

To the one whose grave in my heart is dug

ما سَوَّدَ الحزْنُ مُبْيَضَّ السُّرورِ بِها

ما سَوَّدَ الحزْنُ مُبْيَضَّ السُّرورِ بِها

إِلا وَأَيَّامُ عُمْري بَعْدَها سُودُ

إِلا وَأَيَّامُ عُمْري بَعْدَها سُودُ

No sooner did sorrow blacken the white of the joy she brought

Grief has not darkened the days of joy with her

Than the days of my life after her were black.

Except that after her my life's days are blackened

عَنَّتْ يَدُ الدَّمْعِ في خَدِّي عِنانَ دَمٍ

عَنَّتْ يَدُ الدَّمْعِ في خَدِّي عِنانَ دَمٍ

كأنَّهُ مِنْ أَديمِ القَلْبِ مَقْدُودُ

كأنَّهُ مِنْ أَديمِ القَلْبِ مَقْدُودُ

The hand of tears fastened a rein of blood upon my cheek,

The hand of tears loosened in my cheek the reigns of blood

As though cut from the skin of the heart.

As if it were squeezed from the leather of my heart

ما اسْتَعْبَرَ الغَيْثُ إِلا عِنْدَ عَبْرَتِهِ

ما اسْتَعْبَرَ الغَيْثُ إِلا عِنْدَ عَبْرَتِهِ

فَخَدُّ وَجْهِ الثَّرى لِلْغَيْثِ مَخْدُودُ

فَخَدُّ وَجْهِ الثَّرى لِلْغَيْثِ مَخْدُودُ

The rain broke into weeping only at that tear;

The rain clouds did not weep except at their weeping

So the cheek of the earth's face is furrowed by rain.

So the cheek of the ground for the rain is wiped

مَنْ لي بِرَحْمَةِ قَلْبٍ ليسَ يَرْحَمُني

مَنْ لي بِرَحْمَةِ قَلْبٍ ليسَ يَرْحَمُني

كأَنَّ نُقْصانَ وَجْدي فيهِ تَزْييدُ

كأَنَّ نُقْصانَ وَجْدي فيهِ تَزْييدُ

Who can bring me mercy from a heart that will not pity me,

Who will have mercy on me with a heart that has no mercy

As though lessening my anguish within it were an increase?

As if my increased anguish in it gives increase

تولد النار فيهِ ماء سَلْوَتِهِ

تولد النار فيهِ ماء سَلْوَتِهِ

فَاعْجَبْ لنارٍ لها في الماءِ تَوْليدُ

فَاعْجَبْ لنارٍ لها في الماءِ تَوْليدُ

The fire brings forth within it the water of its solace;

Fire is born in it, from its composed water

So marvel at a fire that gives birth to water.

So wonder at a fire that gives birth in water

كَمْ بِتُّ أَرْجُمُ أَعضائِي بِجَمْرِ غَضاً

كَمْ بِتُّ أَرْجُمُ أَعضائِي بِجَمْرِ غَضاً

وَالفَجْرُ في صَفَدِ الظَّلْماءِ مَصْفُودُ

وَالفَجْرُ في صَفَدِ الظَّلْماءِ مَصْفُودُ

How often I spent the night pelting my limbs with ghada embers,

How often I hurl my limbs with burning embers

While dawn lay fettered in the shackles of darkness.

While dawn in the shackles of darkness is chained

نامَتْ عيونُ عُداتي إِذ زَفَرْتُ وَلي

نامَتْ عيونُ عُداتي إِذ زَفَرْتُ وَلي

من مَغْمَدِ الدَّمْعِ في عَيْنَيَّ تجريدُ

من مَغْمَدِ الدَّمْعِ في عَيْنَيَّ تجريدُ

My enemies' eyes slept when I sighed, while I

The eyes of my enemies slept when I sighed, and I had

Unsheathed tears from their scabbard within my eyes.

From the sheath of tears in my eyes, a pulling out

لَولا عَلائقُ بَيْنٍ مِنْكِ تَعْلَقُ بي

لَولا عَلائقُ بَيْنٍ مِنْكِ تَعْلَقُ بي

لَقُلْتُ إِنَّ اقتِرابي مِنْكِ تَبعيدُ

لَقُلْتُ إِنَّ اقتِرابي مِنْكِ تَبعيدُ

Were it not for the bonds of parting from you that cling to me,

If not for tender ties between us that cling to me

I would say that my nearness to you drove me far away.

I would say that my drawing near to you is a repulsion

وَلَيْتَ بَعْدَكِ تسويد البَياضِ فَلي

وَلَيْتَ بَعْدَكِ تسويد البَياضِ فَلي

بالدَّمْعِ في صُحُفِ الأَحْزانِ تَسْويدُ

بالدَّمْعِ في صُحُفِ الأَحْزانِ تَسْويدُ

Would that after you the white were blackened; for I

And would that after you the blackening of whiteness, so let me

Blacken the pages of sorrow with tears.

With tears on the pages of sorrows do blackening

فَلا صَفا كَدَرُ الدُّنْيا لِمُصْفِيَةٍ

فَلا صَفا كَدَرُ الدُّنْيا لِمُصْفِيَةٍ

ما جاهَدَتْ فيكِ أنْفاسي المَجاهيدُ

ما جاهَدَتْ فيكِ أنْفاسي المَجاهيدُ

May the world's murk never clear for one who would purify it,

So no purity, the turbidity of the world disturbed a strained one

As long as my exhausted breaths struggle for you.

My soul struggled against regarding you, the struggler

إِنْ أَزْمَعَتْ عنكِ صَبْراً أُبْدِلَتْ بِجَوىً

إِنْ أَزْمَعَتْ عنكِ صَبْراً أُبْدِلَتْ بِجَوىً

مَعْدومُهُ بِكِ طُولَ الدَّهْرِ مَوْجودُ

مَعْدومُهُ بِكِ طُولَ الدَّهْرِ مَوْجودُ

If they resolve to endure without you, they are exchanged for anguish,

If I intended patience from you, it was changed into love-longing

Whose very absence, through you, is present for all time.

Lost through you, lasting eternally found

لازالَ خدِّي تَريباً فوقَ تُرْبَتِها

لازالَ خدِّي تَريباً فوقَ تُرْبَتِها

ما دارَ في خَلَدِ الأَيَّامِ تَخْليدُ

ما دارَ في خَلَدِ الأَيَّامِ تَخْليدُ

May my cheek remain dust-covered upon her grave,

My cheek remains moist above its soil

As long as immortality passes through the mind of days.

As long as cycles of days endure

جَبُنْتُ مِنْ عَسْكَرَيْ دَمْعي فشجَّعَني

جَبُنْتُ مِنْ عَسْكَرَيْ دَمْعي فشجَّعَني

قلبٌ له في انْحِدارِ الدَّمْعِ تَصْعِيدُ

قلبٌ له في انْحِدارِ الدَّمْعِ تَصْعِيدُ

I quailed before the two armies of my tears, but was emboldened

I quailed before my troops of tears, so emboldened me

By a heart that rises as the tears descend.

A heart whose descent of tears gives ascent

متى يُبالي ثَرىً أَنْ لا يَرى مطراً

متى يُبالي ثَرىً أَنْ لا يَرى مطراً

فَمُسْبَلُ الدَّمع مِنِّي وهو مَوْرُودُ

فَمُسْبَلُ الدَّمع مِنِّي وهو مَوْرُودُ

When should earth care that it sees no rain,

When would earth care not to see rain

For tears stream from me, and it is visited by them?

While my pouring of tears is spurned

هَا قَدْ تَأَمَّلْتُ بالعُتْبى الَّتي سَلَفَتْ

هَا قَدْ تَأَمَّلْتُ بالعُتْبى الَّتي سَلَفَتْ

أَنْ لا يُعاوِدَني من بَعْدِها عِيدُ

أَنْ لا يُعاوِدَني من بَعْدِها عِيدُ

Behold, in light of the reconciliation gone by, I have reflected

Ah, I have considered the reproach that is past

That no festival shall return to me after it.

That no holiday would repeat itself after it

ودَّعْتُها وَبِنَحْري مِنْ مَدَامِعِها

ودَّعْتُها وَبِنَحْري مِنْ مَدَامِعِها

نَحْرٌ وفي جيدِها مِنْ مَدْمَعِي جِيدُ

نَحْرٌ وفي جيدِها مِنْ مَدْمَعِي جِيدُ

I bade her farewell; upon my throat, from her tears, was

I bade it farewell, and with my throat from its tears

A throat, and upon her neck, from my tears, a neck.

A slaughter, and on its cheek from my tears, a wound

فبرَّدَتْ حرَّ أَنفاسي عَلى بَرَدٍ

فبرَّدَتْ حرَّ أَنفاسي عَلى بَرَدٍ

كأنَّهُ مِنْ صَديدِ النَّفسِ مَصْدُودُ

كأنَّهُ مِنْ صَديدِ النَّفسِ مَصْدُودُ

So she cooled the heat of my breaths against hail,

So it cooled the heat of my breath into coldness

As though it were kept away from the soul's pus.

As if it were blocked from the breast's obstruction

وَاسْتُدْعِيَتْ فأَجابَتْ بعد ما ظَهَرَتْ

وَاسْتُدْعِيَتْ فأَجابَتْ بعد ما ظَهَرَتْ

في وَجْنَةِ الفَجرِ قبلَ الصُّبحِ تَوريدُ

في وَجْنَةِ الفَجرِ قبلَ الصُّبحِ تَوريدُ

And she was summoned and answered, after there appeared

And it was called so it answered after it appeared

A rosy flush on dawn's cheek, before morning.

In the cheek of dawn before the morning, a blushing

وصُوِّرت في مِراةِ الأُفق صورتُها

وصُوِّرت في مِراةِ الأُفق صورتُها

فلي إليها برُسلِ اللحظِ تَرديدُ

فلي إليها برُسلِ اللحظِ تَرديدُ

And her image was pictured in the horizon's mirror;

And her image was depicted in the mirror of the horizon

So I keep sending her the messengers of my gaze.

So to it through the messengers of sight I have a returning

جَاهَدْتُ بِالصَّبْرِ في إِثْرِ العَزاءِ فَمَا

جَاهَدْتُ بِالصَّبْرِ في إِثْرِ العَزاءِ فَمَا

رَجَعْتُ إِلا وَصَبْرِي عَنْكِ مَفْقُودُ

رَجَعْتُ إِلا وَصَبْرِي عَنْكِ مَفْقُودُ

I strove with patience in pursuit of consolation, but I

I struggled with patience after consolation yet

Returned only with my patience in your absence gone.

I did not return except with my patience from you lost