لِمَن طَلَلٌ بِوادي الرَملِ بالي

لِمَن طَلَلٌ بِوادي الرَملِ بالي

مَحَت آثارَهُ ريحُ الشَمالِ

مَحَت آثارَهُ ريحُ الشَمالِ

Whose is this worn ruin in the valley of sand?

For whom are the ruins in the valley of sand, worn away?

The north wind has erased its traces.

Its traces erased by the north wind.

وَقَفتُ بِهِ وَدَمعي مِن جُفوني

وَقَفتُ بِهِ وَدَمعي مِن جُفوني

يَفيضُ عَلى مَغانيهِ الخَوالي

يَفيضُ عَلى مَغانيهِ الخَوالي

I stood beside it, and my tears from my eyelids

I stood there, with tears flowing from my eyelids

Poured over its deserted dwelling-places.

Streaming down onto its love songs.

أُسائِلُ عَن فَتاةِ بَني قُرادٍ

أُسائِلُ عَن فَتاةِ بَني قُرادٍ

وَعَن أَترابِها ذاتِ الجَمالِ

وَعَن أَترابِها ذاتِ الجَمالِ

I ask about the maiden of Banu Qurad,

I asked about the maiden of the Banu Qurad

And about that beautiful maiden's peers.

And her beautiful companions.

وَكَيفَ يُجيبُني رَسمٌ مُحيلٌ

وَكَيفَ يُجيبُني رَسمٌ مُحيلٌ

بَعيدٌ لا يُرَدُّ عَلى سُؤالي

بَعيدٌ لا يُرَدُّ عَلى سُؤالي

And how can a faded remnant answer me,

How can a barren vestige respond to me,

Remote, with no reply given to my question?

Far, unable to answer my question?

إِذا صاحَ الغُرابُ بِهِ شَجاني

إِذا صاحَ الغُرابُ بِهِ شَجاني

وَأَجرى أَدمُعي مِثلَ اللَآلي

وَأَجرى أَدمُعي مِثلَ اللَآلي

When the raven caws there, it grieves me

When the raven lamented there woefully

And sets my tears flowing like pearls.

And my tears flowed copiously like the droplets of night,

وَأَخبَرَني بِأَصنافِ الرَزايا

وَأَخبَرَني بِأَصنافِ الرَزايا

وَبِالهُجرانِ مِن بَعدِ الوِصالِ

وَبِالهُجرانِ مِن بَعدِ الوِصالِ

And tells me of the kinds of calamity,

And told me of all the kinds of misery,

And of estrangement after union.

And separation after union.

غُرابَ البَينِ ما لَكَ كُلَّ يَومٍ

غُرابَ البَينِ ما لَكَ كُلَّ يَومٍ

تُعانِدُني وَقَد أَشغَلتَ بالي

تُعانِدُني وَقَد أَشغَلتَ بالي

O raven of separation, why do you, every day,

O raven of estrangement, why do you cross me each day?

Oppose me, when you have already troubled my mind?

You’ve distracted me and occupied my thoughts.

كَأَنّي قَد ذَبَحتُ بِحَدِّ سَيفي

كَأَنّي قَد ذَبَحتُ بِحَدِّ سَيفي

فِراخَكَ أَو قَنَصتُكَ بِالحِبالِ

فِراخَكَ أَو قَنَصتُكَ بِالحِبالِ

As though I had slaughtered with my sword's edge

As if I slaughtered your chicks with the edge of my sword,

Your fledglings, or caught you with ropes.

Or hunted you down with ropes.

بِحَقِّ أَبيكَ داوي جُرحَ قَلبي

بِحَقِّ أَبيكَ داوي جُرحَ قَلبي

وَرَوِّح نارَ سِرّي بِالمَقالِ

وَرَوِّح نارَ سِرّي بِالمَقالِ

For your father's sake, heal my heart's wound,

For the sake of your father Daw’, heal the wound of my heart.

And cool my inward fire with words.

And relieve the heat of my secret with speech.

وَخَبِّر عَن عُبَيلَةَ أَينَ حَلَّت

وَخَبِّر عَن عُبَيلَةَ أَينَ حَلَّت

وَما فَعَلَت بِها أَيدي اللَيالي

وَما فَعَلَت بِها أَيدي اللَيالي

And tell me of Ubayla—where she has settled,

And tell me where did Ubayla settle?

And what the hands of the nights have done to her.

And what did the hands of nights do to her?

فَقَلبي هائِمٌ في كُلِّ أَرضٍ

فَقَلبي هائِمٌ في كُلِّ أَرضٍ

يُقَبِّلُ إِثرَ أَخفافِ الجِمالِ

يُقَبِّلُ إِثرَ أَخفافِ الجِمالِ

For my heart wanders, love-struck, through every land,

For my heart roams in every land,

Kissing the tracks of the camels' padded feet.

Kissing the trace of delicate steps.

وَجِسمي في جِبالِ الرَملِ مَلقىً

وَجِسمي في جِبالِ الرَملِ مَلقىً

خَيالٌ يَرتَجي طَيفَ الخَيالِ

خَيالٌ يَرتَجي طَيفَ الخَيالِ

And my body lies cast amid the mountains of sand,

And my body lies discarded in the sand dunes,

A phantom hoping for the phantom's apparition.

A specter hoping for the apparition of a specter.

وَفي الوادي عَلى الأَغصانِ طَيرٌ

وَفي الوادي عَلى الأَغصانِ طَيرٌ

يَنوحُ وَنَوحُهُ في الجَوِّ عالي

يَنوحُ وَنَوحُهُ في الجَوِّ عالي

And in the valley, upon the branches, a bird

And in the valley on the branches is a bird,

Laments, and its lament is high in the air.

Crying woefully, its lament carried high.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ وَقَد أَبدى نَحيب

فَقُلتُ لَهُ وَقَد أَبدى نَحيب

دَعِ الشَكوى فَحالُكَ غَيرُ حالي

دَعِ الشَكوى فَحالُكَ غَيرُ حالي

So I said to it, as it gave voice to its sobs:

So I said to it when it expressed its wailing:

Stop complaining, for your state is unlike mine.

“Stop your complaining, for your state is not my state.

أَنا دَمعي يَفيضُ وَأَنتَ باكٍ

أَنا دَمعي يَفيضُ وَأَنتَ باكٍ

بِلا دَمعٍ فَذاكَ بُكاءُ سالي

بِلا دَمعٍ فَذاكَ بُكاءُ سالي

As for me, my tears overflow, while you weep

I am shedding tears while you are crying

Without tears—that is the weeping of one free of grief.

Without tears – that is easy weeping”.

لَحى اللَهُ الفِراقَ وَلا رَعاهُ

لَحى اللَهُ الفِراقَ وَلا رَعاهُ

فَكَم قَد شَكَّ قَلبي بِالنِبالِ

فَكَم قَد شَكَّ قَلبي بِالنِبالِ

May God curse separation and give it no protection,

God has dissolved the separation and had no mercy on it,

For how often it has pierced my heart with arrows!

How my heart has been split open by the arrows!

أُقاتِلُ كُلَّ جَبّارٍ عَنيدٍ

أُقاتِلُ كُلَّ جَبّارٍ عَنيدٍ

وَيَقتُلني الفِراقُ بِلا قِتالِ

وَيَقتُلني الفِراقُ بِلا قِتالِ

I fight every stubborn tyrant,

I fight every stubborn tyrant

Yet separation kills me without a fight.

And separation kills me without a fight.