قِفْ بالدّيَارِ وحَيّ الأربُعَ الدُّرُسا

قِفْ بالدّيَارِ وحَيّ الأربُعَ الدُّرُسا

ونادِها فعَساهَا أن تجيبَ عَسَى

ونادِها فعَساهَا أن تجيبَ عَسَى

Stop at the dwellings and greet the effaced encampments.

Stand in the abodes and neighborhoods of Al-Arba'a Dowrusa

And call to them: perhaps they may answer—perhaps.

And call out to it, for perhaps it will answer, hopefully

وإنْ أَجَنَّكَ ليلٌ مِن تَوَحّشِهَا

وإنْ أَجَنَّكَ ليلٌ مِن تَوَحّشِهَا

فاشعَلْ من الشَّوق في ظَلمائِها قبسا

فاشعَلْ من الشَّوق في ظَلمائِها قبسا

And if a night of their desolation enfolds you,

And if the night prevents you with its wilderness

Then kindle a flame of longing in their darkness.

Then ignite from yearning a spark in its darkness

يا هل دَرَى النّفَرُ الغادونَ عن كَلِفٍ

يا هل دَرَى النّفَرُ الغادونَ عن كَلِفٍ

يبيتُ جِنْحَ اللّيالي يَرْقُب الغَلَسا

يبيتُ جِنْحَ اللّيالي يَرْقُب الغَلَسا

Ah, did the band departing at dawn know of a lovesick man

O you who knew the companions who left Kaleef

Who spends his nights in darkness, watching for dawn's twilight?

Spending the night wings observing dusk

فإن بَكَى في قِفَارٍ خِلْتَها لُججاً

فإن بَكَى في قِفَارٍ خِلْتَها لُججاً

وإن تَنَفّس عادتْ كُلّهَا يَبَسا

وإن تَنَفّس عادتْ كُلّهَا يَبَسا

For if he weeps in barren wastes, you would take them for deep seas;

So if it cried in the barrens of its emptied ruins

And if he sighs, they all become dry land again.

And if it sighed, it all returned parched

فَذو المَحاسِنِ لا تُحْصَى محاسْنُهُ

فَذو المَحاسِنِ لا تُحْصَى محاسْنُهُ

وبارِعُ الأُنْسِ لا أَعْدمْ به أُنُسا

وبارِعُ الأُنْسِ لا أَعْدمْ به أُنُسا

For the one endowed with beauty has charms beyond counting,

The one with unmatched beauty, his beauties countless

And he is peerless in companionship—may I never lack solace in him.

And most friendly of company, never lacking company

كم زارني والدّجى يَرْبدّ من حَنَقٍ

كم زارني والدّجى يَرْبدّ من حَنَقٍ

والزهْرُ تبسِمُ عن وَجْهِ الذي عَبَسَا

والزهْرُ تبسِمُ عن وَجْهِ الذي عَبَسَا

How often he visited me while the darkness grew black with rage,

How often he visited me while gloom sneered

And the stars smiled from the face of the one who frowned.

And blossoms smiled from the face of the one who frowned

وابتَزَّ قلبيَ قَسراً قُلتُ مَظْلَمةً

وابتَزَّ قلبيَ قَسراً قُلتُ مَظْلَمةً

يا حاكمَ الحبّ هذا القلبُ لِمْ حُبِسا

يا حاكمَ الحبّ هذا القلبُ لِمْ حُبِسا

And he seized my heart by force; I said in protest:

And forcibly broke my heart, I said wronged

O judge of love, why has this heart been imprisoned?

O judge of love, why was this heart imprisoned?

غَرَسْتُ باللّحظ وَرْداً فوقَ وجنَتِهِ

غَرَسْتُ باللّحظ وَرْداً فوقَ وجنَتِهِ

حقٌّ لطَرْفَيَ أنْ يَجني الذي غرسا

حقٌّ لطَرْفَيَ أنْ يَجني الذي غرسا

I planted roses with my glance upon his cheek;

I planted with a glance a rose above his cheek

My eye has the right to reap what it planted.

My eyes deserved to reap what they planted

فإن أَبَى فالأقاحي منهُ لي عِوَضٌ

فإن أَبَى فالأقاحي منهُ لي عِوَضٌ

مَنْ عُوّض الدُّرّ عن زهرٍ فما بخِسا

مَنْ عُوّض الدُّرّ عن زهرٍ فما بخِسا

And if he refuses, then daisies from him are my recompense;

If he refuses, the thorns are compensation enough

Whoever receives pearls in place of flowers has not been shortchanged.

Who compensates pearls for a flower, has he shortchanged?

إنْ صالَ صِلُّ عِذَارَيْهِ فلا حَرَجٌ

إنْ صالَ صِلُّ عِذَارَيْهِ فلا حَرَجٌ

أنْ يجْنِ لَسْعاً وأني أجتَني لَعَسَا

أنْ يجْنِ لَسْعاً وأني أجتَني لَعَسَا

If the viper of his sideburns strikes, there is no blame

If he who is blamed is reconciled, no harm done

In its inflicting stings while I harvest his lips' dusky hue.

That I was stung, while I gained fruit, hopefully

كم باتَ طَوْعَ يدي والوصلُ يجمعُنا

كم باتَ طَوْعَ يدي والوصلُ يجمعُنا

في بُرْدَتَيْهِ التّقى لا نعرِفُ الدّنَسا

في بُرْدَتَيْهِ التّقى لا نعرِفُ الدّنَسا

How often he spent the night yielding to my hand, while union brought us together;

How often he spent the night obedient to my hand

Within his two cloaks was piety; we knew no defilement.

While union gathered us, we knew no filth

تلكَ اللّيالي التي أعدَدْتُ من عُمُري

تلكَ اللّيالي التي أعدَدْتُ من عُمُري

معَ الأحِبّةِ كانت كُلّها عُرُسا

معَ الأحِبّةِ كانت كُلّها عُرُسا

Those nights I counted as part of my life,

Those nights I appointed from my life

Spent with loved ones, were all a wedding feast.

With loved ones, were each one a wedding

لم يحلُ للعينِ شيء بعدَ بُعْدِهِم

لم يحلُ للعينِ شيء بعدَ بُعْدِهِم

والقلبُ مُذْ آنس التّذكارَ ما أَنِسا

والقلبُ مُذْ آنس التّذكارَ ما أَنِسا

Nothing was sweet to the eye after their departure;

Nothing was permitted to the eye after their absence

And the heart, since it knew remembrance, has known no solace.

And the heart since it enjoyed reminiscing has not enjoyed

يا جَنّةً فارَقَتْهَا النفسُ مُكْرَهةً

يا جَنّةً فارَقَتْهَا النفسُ مُكْرَهةً

لولا التّأسّي بدارِ الخُلْدِ مُتُّ أسى

لولا التّأسّي بدارِ الخُلْدِ مُتُّ أسى

O paradise that the soul left against its will,

O paradise the soul left reluctantly

Were it not for solace in the eternal abode, I would have died of grief.

If not for consolation in the eternal abode, it would have despaired