أَفِدَ الرَحيلُ وَحَثَّني صَحبي

أَفِدَ الرَحيلُ وَحَثَّني صَحبي

وَالنَفسُ مُشرِفَةٌ عَلى النَحبِ

وَالنَفسُ مُشرِفَةٌ عَلى النَحبِ

Departure drew near, and my companions urged me on,

Departure was imminent, and my companions hurried me,

while my soul stood on the brink of death.

While my soul teetered on the verge of grief.

لَمّا رَأَيتُ الهَمَّ مُجتَنِحاً

لَمّا رَأَيتُ الهَمَّ مُجتَنِحاً

في القَلبِ وَالعَينانِ في سَكَبِ

في القَلبِ وَالعَينانِ في سَكَبِ

When I saw grief settling

When I saw sorrow perched

in the heart, and both eyes streaming,

In my heart and eyes awash with tears,

وَالبَينُ قَد أَفِدَت رَكائِبُهُ

وَالبَينُ قَد أَفِدَت رَكائِبُهُ

وَالقَومُ مِن طَرِبٍ وَمِن صَبِّ

وَالقَومُ مِن طَرِبٍ وَمِن صَبِّ

and separation's riding-camels had drawn near,

And those I loved were far away,

and the company were some distraught, some lovesick,

My people distraught and forlorn,

نادَيتُ إِنَّ الحُبَّ أَشعَرَني

نادَيتُ إِنَّ الحُبَّ أَشعَرَني

قَتلاً وَما أَحدَثتُ مِن ذَنبِكسكس

قَتلاً وَما أَحدَثتُ مِن ذَنبِكسكس

I cried out: love has made me feel

I cried, “Love has inspired in me

death, though I have committed no sin [corrupt ending].

Murder though I’ve done no wrong!”

أَهدى لِعَيني ذِكرُكُم سَهَداً

أَهدى لِعَيني ذِكرُكُم سَهَداً

مِن غَيرِ ما سَقَمٍ وَلا طَبَِّ

مِن غَيرِ ما سَقَمٍ وَلا طَبَِّ

The thought of you gave my eye sleeplessness,

The memory of you brought sleeplessness to my eyes

without any sickness or sorcery,

Without sickness or distress.

إِلّا التَمَنّي أَن أَفوزَ بِكُم

إِلّا التَمَنّي أَن أَفوزَ بِكُم

فَتَحَرَّجي يا عَبدَ مِن غَضَبي

فَتَحَرَّجي يا عَبدَ مِن غَضَبي

only the wish to win you.

Save for wishing I might win you -

So beware my anger, O ʿAbd.

So rouse yourself, servant, from anger!

لَو تَسمَعينَ وَكُنتِ شاهِدَةً

لَو تَسمَعينَ وَكُنتِ شاهِدَةً

ما يَقرَأَ الرُهبانُ في الكُتبِ

ما يَقرَأَ الرُهبانُ في الكُتبِ

If you heard, and were there to witness,

Had you heard or witnessed

what the monks read in the books,

What monks read in their books,

لَوَجَدتِ حُبَّكِ قاتِلي عَجَلاً

لَوَجَدتِ حُبَّكِ قاتِلي عَجَلاً

إِن لَم يُفَرِّج كاشِفُ الكَربِ

إِن لَم يُفَرِّج كاشِفُ الكَربِ

you would find love for you killing me swiftly,

You’d have found your love kills me outright

unless the Dispeller of Distress brought relief.

If the Deliverer of sorrows doesn’t intervene.

وَعَلامَةٌ مِنكُم مُبَيَّنَةٌ

وَعَلامَةٌ مِنكُم مُبَيَّنَةٌ

حَسبي بِها مِن حُبِّكُم حَسبي

حَسبي بِها مِن حُبِّكُم حَسبي

And a plain sign concerning you—

A sign from you, clear to see,

enough to attest my love for you, enough—

Would suffice me, from your love suffice me,

أَنّي أُكِبُّ إِذا ذَكَرتُكُمُ

أَنّي أُكِبُّ إِذا ذَكَرتُكُمُ

مِن مَجلِسِ القُرّاءِ وَالشَربِ

مِن مَجلِسِ القُرّاءِ وَالشَربِ

is that I fall face down whenever I remember you,

For I slip away when I recall you

from my seat among reciters and drinking companions,

From the gathering of reciters and drinkers,

حَتّى يَقولُ الناسُ بَينَهُمُ

حَتّى يَقولُ الناسُ بَينَهُمُ

شَغَفُ المُرَعَّثِ داخِلُ الحُبِّ

شَغَفُ المُرَعَّثِ داخِلُ الحُبِّ

until people say among themselves:

Until people say among themselves:

Al-Muraʿʿath's passion is love deep within.

“How smitten is the disheveled one with love!”

مازِلتُ أَذكُرُكُم وَلَيلَكُمُ

مازِلتُ أَذكُرُكُم وَلَيلَكُمُ

حَتّى جَفا عَن مَضجَعي جَنبي

حَتّى جَفا عَن مَضجَعي جَنبي

I kept recalling you and your night,

I went on recalling you and your nights

until my side shunned my bed.

Until my ribs were sapped of repose.

وَعَلِمتُ أَنَّ الصَرمَ شيمَتُكُم

وَعَلِمتُ أَنَّ الصَرمَ شيمَتُكُم

في النَأيِ وَالهِجرانَ في القُربِ

في النَأيِ وَالهِجرانَ في القُربِ

And I knew that severing ties was your custom

And I learned that aloofness was your way -

when far away, and estrangement when near.

In absence and estrangement even when near.

فَظَلِلتُ لا أَدري أُقيمُ عَلى ال

فَظَلِلتُ لا أَدري أُقيمُ عَلى ال

هِجرانِ أَو أَغدو مَعَ الرَكبِ

هِجرانِ أَو أَغدو مَعَ الرَكبِ

So I remained unsure: should I stay amid the

So I wavered, not knowing whether to stay

estrangement, or set out with the caravan?

Estranged or join the caravan.

فَلَئِن غَدَوتُ لَقَد أُصِبتُ بِكُم

فَلَئِن غَدَوتُ لَقَد أُصِبتُ بِكُم

وَلِئَن أَقَمتُ لَمُسهَبُ اللُبِّ

وَلِئَن أَقَمتُ لَمُسهَبُ اللُبِّ

For if I leave, I am indeed stricken by you;

For if I depart, I will attain you,

and if I stay, I am surely bereft of reason.

And if I remain, my heart will pine.

قامَت تَراءى لي لِتَقتُلَني

قامَت تَراءى لي لِتَقتُلَني

في القُرطِ وَالخَلخالِ وَالإِتبِ

في القُرطِ وَالخَلخالِ وَالإِتبِ

She stood, showing herself to me to kill me,

You appeared to me, to kill me outright,

in an earring, an anklet, and a sleeveless tunic.

In anklets, bracelets, and cloak.

فَدَعَوتُ رَبّي دَعوَةً جَمَعَت

فَدَعَوتُ رَبّي دَعوَةً جَمَعَت

رَغبَ المُحِبِّ وَشِدَّةَ الرَهبِ

رَغبَ المُحِبِّ وَشِدَّةَ الرَهبِ

So I called upon my Lord with a prayer that united

So I prayed to my Lord a prayer that joined

the lover's longing and the intensity of fear:

Lover’s desire and dreadful caution:

أَلا تَراكِ بِنا مُتَيَّمَةً

أَلا تَراكِ بِنا مُتَيَّمَةً

فَأَجابَ دَعوَةَ عاشِقٍ رَبّي

فَأَجابَ دَعوَةَ عاشِقٍ رَبّي

Oh, to see you enslaved by love for us!

“Do not appear to me possessed!”

So my Lord answered a lover's prayer.

And my Lord answered a lover’s prayer.

أَهذي بِكُم ما عِشتُ إِنَّكُمُ

أَهذي بِكُم ما عِشتُ إِنَّكُمُ

يا حِبُّ وافَقَ شِعبُكُم شِعبي

يا حِبُّ وافَقَ شِعبُكُم شِعبي

I rave about you as long as I live; indeed,

I rave about you - as long as I live you are

O beloved, your mountain path has matched mine.

My love, and my path aligns with yours!

وَرَأَت عُجاباً شَيبَتي فَبَكَت

وَرَأَت عُجاباً شَيبَتي فَبَكَت

جَزَعاً لَها وَالدَهرُ ذو شَغبِ

جَزَعاً لَها وَالدَهرُ ذو شَغبِ

And she found my gray hair astonishing, and wept

And my white hair wept in wonder at me,

in distress over it; Time is full of turmoil.

Grieving for it, though time is unruly.

لا تُكثِرِنَّ بِشَيبَتي عَجَباً

لا تُكثِرِنَّ بِشَيبَتي عَجَباً

إِنَّ العَجائِبَ في أَبي حَربِ

إِنَّ العَجائِبَ في أَبي حَربِ

Do not marvel so much at my gray hair:

Do not overly wonder at my white hair;

the wonders are in Abu Harb.

Wonders belong to my warring father!

وَلَقَد أَتانا أَنَّ غانِيَةً

وَلَقَد أَتانا أَنَّ غانِيَةً

أُخرى وَكُنتُ بِهِنَّ كَالنَصبِ

أُخرى وَكُنتُ بِهِنَّ كَالنَصبِ

And word indeed reached us that a fair woman,

Though we were approached by other singers,

another one—and I was like a target among them;

To me they were like adversaries.

يَأمُلنَني وَيَرَينَ مَنقَصَتي

يَأمُلنَني وَيَرَينَ مَنقَصَتي

عِندَ الرِضا عَنها وَفي العَتبِ

عِندَ الرِضا عَنها وَفي العَتبِ

they long for me and see my failing,

They hoped I’d notice their flaws

when pleased with it and when reproaching—

When pleased with them or vexed.

لَمّا مَرَرتُ بِها مُسَتَّرَةً

لَمّا مَرَرتُ بِها مُسَتَّرَةً

في الحَيِّ بَينَ خَرائِدٍ عُربِ

في الحَيِّ بَينَ خَرائِدٍ عُربِ

when I passed her, veiled,

When I passed by her covert

in the quarter, among coy, amorous maidens,

Among the dwellings of Bedouin encampments,

قالَت لِنِسوَتِها عَلى عَجَلٍ

قالَت لِنِسوَتِها عَلى عَجَلٍ

أَنّى لَنا بِمُصدَّعِ القَلبِ

أَنّى لَنا بِمُصدَّعِ القَلبِ

said hastily to her women:

She hastily said to her handmaidens:

How can we get the man with the shattered heart?

“Where can we find the heart-pierced one?”

لَسَماعُهُ إِن كانَ يُسمِعُنا

لَسَماعُهُ إِن كانَ يُسمِعُنا

أَشهى إِلى قَلبي مِنَ العَذبِ

أَشهى إِلى قَلبي مِنَ العَذبِ

Surely hearing him—if he would let us hear—

“To hear him, if he might hear us,

is more pleasing to my heart than sweet water.

Would be dearer to my heart than life itself!”

فَأَجَبنَها إِنَّ الفَتى غَزِلٌ

فَأَجَبنَها إِنَّ الفَتى غَزِلٌ

وَأَحَبُّ مَن يَمشي عَلى التُربِ

وَأَحَبُّ مَن يَمشي عَلى التُربِ

They answered her: the young man is flirtatious,

They replied: “The lad is a flirt,

and the best-loved of all who tread the earth.

And I love whoever walks on the soil!”

لا تُعجِلينا أَن نُواعِدَهُ

لا تُعجِلينا أَن نُواعِدَهُ

فَيَكونَ مَجلِسُنا عَلى خِصبِ

فَيَكونَ مَجلِسُنا عَلى خِصبِ

Do not hurry us into arranging to meet him,

“Do not hurry us to meet with him,

so that our gathering may be full of plenty,

So our gathering might be on fertile ground,

وَتَنالَ مِنهُ غَير واحِدَةٍ

وَتَنالَ مِنهُ غَير واحِدَةٍ

إِنَّ السَماعَ لَأَهوَنُ الخَطبِ

إِنَّ السَماعَ لَأَهوَنُ الخَطبِ

and more than one woman may have her share of him.

And more than one of us attains him -

Listening is surely the simplest part of the affair.

For hearing is less arduous than discourse!”