سَأُضمِرُ وَجدي في فُؤادي وَأَكتُمُ

سَأُضمِرُ وَجدي في فُؤادي وَأَكتُمُ

وَأَسهَرُ لَيلي وَالعَواذِلُ نُوَّمُ

وَأَسهَرُ لَيلي وَالعَواذِلُ نُوَّمُ

I shall hide my longing in my heart and keep it secret.

I will conceal my love within my heart, and keep it hidden

And keep vigil through my night while the reproachers sleep.

I will stay up through the night while others sleep

وَأَطمَعُ مِن دَهري بِما لا أَنالُهُ

وَأَطمَعُ مِن دَهري بِما لا أَنالُهُ

وَأَلزَمُ مِنهُ ذُلَّ مَن لَيسَ يَرحُمُ

وَأَلزَمُ مِنهُ ذُلَّ مَن لَيسَ يَرحُمُ

And hope to gain from my fate what I cannot attain.

I will hope for what I cannot attain from fate

And endure from it the humiliation dealt by one who shows no mercy.

And accept the humiliation from one who shows no mercy

وَأَرجو التَداني مِنكِ يا اِبنَةَ مالِكٍ

وَأَرجو التَداني مِنكِ يا اِبنَةَ مالِكٍ

وَدونَ التَداني نارُ حَربٍ تَضَرَّمُ

وَدونَ التَداني نارُ حَربٍ تَضَرَّمُ

And hope to draw near to you, O daughter of Malik.

I long for your affection, O daughter of Malik

And barring that closeness is a blazing fire of war.

Without it, there is a raging fire of war

فَمُنّي بِطَيفٍ مِن خَيالِكِ وَاِسأَلي

فَمُنّي بِطَيفٍ مِن خَيالِكِ وَاِسأَلي

إِذا عادَ عَنّي كَيفَ باتَ المُتَيَّمُ

إِذا عادَ عَنّي كَيفَ باتَ المُتَيَّمُ

So favor me with an apparition of your likeness, and ask it,

Appear to me in a dream, and ask

When it returns from me, how the lovesick one spent the night.

How the bereaved one spent the night when you were gone

وَلا تَجزَعي إِن لَجَّ قَومُكِ في دَمي

وَلا تَجزَعي إِن لَجَّ قَومُكِ في دَمي

فَما لِيَ بَعدَ الهَجرِ لَحمٌ وَلا دَمُ

فَما لِيَ بَعدَ الهَجرِ لَحمٌ وَلا دَمُ

And do not grieve if your people persist in seeking my blood.

Do not fret if your people seek my blood

For after estrangement I have neither flesh nor blood.

Without you, I am but flesh and blood no more

أَلَم تَسمَعي نَوحَ الحَمائِمِ في الدُجى

أَلَم تَسمَعي نَوحَ الحَمائِمِ في الدُجى

فَمِن بَعضِ أَشجاني وَنَوحي تَعَلَّموا

فَمِن بَعضِ أَشجاني وَنَوحي تَعَلَّموا

Have you not heard the doves' lament in the darkness of night?

Did you not hear the cooing of doves in the darkness?

For they learned it from some of my sorrows and my lament.

From my laments and sorrows they learned their song

وَلَم يَبقَ لي يا عَبلَ شَخصٌ مُعَرَّفٌ

وَلَم يَبقَ لي يا عَبلَ شَخصٌ مُعَرَّفٌ

سِوى كَبِدٍ حَرّى تَذوبُ فَأَسقَمُ

سِوى كَبِدٍ حَرّى تَذوبُ فَأَسقَمُ

And no recognizable form of me remains, O Abla,

None remains whom I know, O Abala

Except a burning liver that melts, and so I grow ill.

Save for a burning liver that makes me ill

وَتِلكَ عِظامٌ بالِياتٌ وَأَضلُعٌ

وَتِلكَ عِظامٌ بالِياتٌ وَأَضلُعٌ

عَلى جِلدِها جَيشُ الصُدودِ مُخَيِّمُ

عَلى جِلدِها جَيشُ الصُدودِ مُخَيِّمُ

And these are decaying bones and ribs,

These are just withered bones and ribs

Upon their skin the army of rejection is encamped.

Upon them an army of foes encamped

وَإِن عُشتُ مِن بَعدِ الفُراقِ فَما أَنا

وَإِن عُشتُ مِن بَعدِ الفُراقِ فَما أَنا

كَما أَدَّعي أَنّي بِعَبلَةَ مُغرَمُ

كَما أَدَّعي أَنّي بِعَبلَةَ مُغرَمُ

And if I live on after parting, then I am not

If I live after we part, I am not the one

As I claim I am, in love with Abla.

Who claimed to be enamored with Abala

وَإِن نامَ جَفني كانَ نَومي عُلالَةً

وَإِن نامَ جَفني كانَ نَومي عُلالَةً

أَقولُ لَعَلَّ الطَيفَ يَأتي يُسَلِّمُ

أَقولُ لَعَلَّ الطَيفَ يَأتي يُسَلِّمُ

And if my eyelid sleeps, my sleep is but a brief respite.

When sleep takes me, it is the sleep of anguish

I say, 'Perhaps the apparition will come to offer greetings.'

I say "Perhaps the apparition will come to greet me"

أَحِنُّ إِلى تِلكَ المَنازِلِ كُلَّما

أَحِنُّ إِلى تِلكَ المَنازِلِ كُلَّما

غَدا طائِرٌ في أَيكَةٍ يَتَرَنَّمُ

غَدا طائِرٌ في أَيكَةٍ يَتَرَنَّمُ

I yearn for those dwellings whenever

I yearn for those dwellings whenever

A bird goes forth in the morning, warbling in a thicket.

A bird sings longingly upon the branch

بَكَيتُ مِنَ البَينِ المُشِتِّ وَإِنَّني

بَكَيتُ مِنَ البَينِ المُشِتِّ وَإِنَّني

صَبورٌ عَلى طَعنِ القَنا لَو عَلِمتُم

صَبورٌ عَلى طَعنِ القَنا لَو عَلِمتُم

I wept at sundering separation, though I am

I wept from the bitter separation, though I

Steadfast under spear-thrusts, if you only knew.

Have patience for the stab of a spear, if you but knew