تذكّرَ والذّكرى تَهيجُ المُتيّما

تذكّرَ والذّكرى تَهيجُ المُتيّما

فأبدى اشتياقا كانَ قبلُ مكتما

فأبدى اشتياقا كانَ قبلُ مكتما

He remembered—and remembrance stirs the love-stricken—

The memory awakened longing in the lovelorn one,

and revealed a yearning he had previously kept concealed.

Who then revealed a passion that was once concealed.

تراهُ لأرواحِ الرِّياحِ مُسائلاً

تراهُ لأرواحِ الرِّياحِ مُسائلاً

اذا نسمت هوجُ الرّياحِ تَنسّما

اذا نسمت هوجُ الرّياحِ تَنسّما

You see him questioning the spirits of the winds;

You see him questioning the spirits of the winds,

when the raging winds stir, he draws in their breath.

Whenever the zephyrs blow, inhaling their breeze.

مُحُبٌّ اذا ما الريحُ هبّت عليلةً

مُحُبٌّ اذا ما الريحُ هبّت عليلةً

غدا بضرامِ الوجدِ منها مضُرّما

غدا بضرامِ الوجدِ منها مضُرّما

A lover who, whenever the wind blows gently,

A lover, whenever the wind blows sickly,

is set ablaze by it with longing's fire.

Becomes, from the fervor of passion, feverish.

حليفُ سُهادٍ لا يني مُتقلّقاً

حليفُ سُهادٍ لا يني مُتقلّقاً

يراقبُ مِن نهرِ المجرّةِ أنجُما

يراقبُ مِن نهرِ المجرّةِ أنجُما

A companion of sleeplessness, ceaselessly restless,

The confidante of insomnia cannot sleep,

he watches stars in the river of the Milky Way.

Gazing at the river of stars in the galaxy.

فلا يُطعمُ الاغفاءَ الّا توهُّماً

فلا يُطعمُ الاغفاءَ الّا توهُّماً

اذا انصاعَ في أُخرى الليالي مُهوِّما

اذا انصاعَ في أُخرى الليالي مُهوِّما

He tastes no slumber save in imagination,

So slumber gratifies him only as a fantasy,

when he drifts off drowsily in the last hours of night.

When, in some later night, he tosses, anxious.

يُصيّر أُغفاءَ الجفونِ حِبالةً

يُصيّر أُغفاءَ الجفونِ حِبالةً

لطيفٍ عساهُ أن يُلِمَّ مُسلّما

لطيفٍ عساهُ أن يُلِمَّ مُسلّما

He makes his eyelids' slumber a snare

He makes the drowsing of his eyelids a rope

for a phantom, hoping it will visit him with a greeting.

For the beloved, hoping it will bring them together.

وقد كان لا يرضى بوصلِ مواصلٍ

وقد كان لا يرضى بوصلِ مواصلٍ

يُسلّمُ سالٍ بل يُسلّمُ مُغرَمغ

يُسلّمُ سالٍ بل يُسلّمُ مُغرَمغ

And once he would not accept union with one

He was never satisfied with the intimacy of intimates;

who greeted him without love, but only with one who greeted him enamored.

No, he submits only to the submitter of love.

فكيف وقد شطّت بهِ غربةُ النّوى

فكيف وقد شطّت بهِ غربةُ النّوى

وجالت مهارى البينِ يخدينَ رُسّما

وجالت مهارى البينِ يخدينَ رُسّما

How, then, now that separation's exile has carried him far away,

So how, when remoteness from the beloved assailed him,

and parting's swift riding-camels have ranged, trotting with long strides,

And the landmarks of separation wandered freely?

وحالت جبالُ الشامِ دونَ مطالبٍ

وحالت جبالُ الشامِ دونَ مطالبٍ

هززتُ لها رمحاً وجرَّدتُ مِخذَما

هززتُ لها رمحاً وجرَّدتُ مِخذَما

and the mountains of al-Sham stand between me and desires

When the mountains of Syria stood between him and his hopes,

for which I brandished a spear and drew a keen-edged sword?

I shook my spear at them and bared my sword.

فهل تجمع الأيامُ مِن بعدِ فُرقةٍ

فهل تجمع الأيامُ مِن بعدِ فُرقةٍ

بتألِيفنا شَملاً غدا مُتقسّما

بتألِيفنا شَملاً غدا مُتقسّما

Will the days, after separation, gather

Can the days, after our separation,

our scattered union again by bringing us together,

Unite us again, when once we were together?

أُقابلُ منه البدرَ تحت دُجنّةٍ

أُقابلُ منه البدرَ تحت دُجنّةٍ

من الشَّعرِ فوقَ السّمهريِّ مُسنّما

من الشَّعرِ فوقَ السّمهريِّ مُسنّما

so I may behold in him the full moon beneath a dark canopy

I glimpse the full moon beneath the shade

of hair, raised high above the straight lance,

Of my hair over my brow, braided.

وأرشفُ مِن فيه الزُّلال مُصفّقاً

وأرشفُ مِن فيه الزُّلال مُصفّقاً

بصهباءَ تستهوي الأعفَّ المُصمِّما

بصهباءَ تستهوي الأعفَّ المُصمِّما

and sip from his mouth pure water, blended

And I sip, from his lips, the pure water, gushing,

with tawny wine that entices the most resolutely chaste?

At a beauty that allures the resolved and firm.

فيا مُسعفي بالوصلِ لِم صرتَ هاجري

فيا مُسعفي بالوصلِ لِم صرتَ هاجري

ويا مُكرمي لِم صرتَ بي مُتبرِّما

ويا مُكرمي لِم صرتَ بي مُتبرِّما

O you who granted me union, why have you become my forsaker?

So why, my union's grantor, have you shunned me,

And O you who honored me, why have you grown weary of me?

And why, my honorer, have you now frowned at me?

أتجرحُني من كان مِن قبلُ ودُّهُ

أتجرحُني من كان مِن قبلُ ودُّهُ

لقلبي مِن جُرحِ التقاطعِ مَرهما

لقلبي مِن جُرحِ التقاطعِ مَرهما

Do you wound me—you whose love once was

Do you wound me, you who once showed me love,

a balm for my heart against the wound of estrangement?

And whose love was a salve for my heart's hurt?

تباعدتَ عنّي حيث قرَّبكَ الهوى

تباعدتَ عنّي حيث قرَّبكَ الهوى

فجرَّعتني صاباً ببعدِكَ عَلقما

فجرَّعتني صاباً ببعدِكَ عَلقما

You drew away from me where love had brought you near,

You've grown distant where passion brought you near,

so, by staying away, you made me swallow sap bitter as colocynth.

So you made me drink aloe by your remoteness.

اذا ما تبدّى اللّيلُ أسبلتُ أدمُعاً

اذا ما تبدّى اللّيلُ أسبلتُ أدمُعاً

تحدّرُ في خَدّيَّ دُرّاً وعَندما

تحدّرُ في خَدّيَّ دُرّاً وعَندما

When night appears, I let fall tears

Whenever night falls, I let fall tears

that stream down my cheeks as pearls and crimson dye.

That flow down my cheek in drops, continuously.

جَرينَ دموعاً ثمَّ قرّحن مقلتي

جَرينَ دموعاً ثمَّ قرّحن مقلتي

فسِلنَ نجيعاً عندَ تقريحِها دَما

فسِلنَ نجيعاً عندَ تقريحِها دَما

They flowed as tears, then ulcerated my eye,

My tears channeled, then gashed my eyelids,

and, once it was ulcerated, streamed as gore, as blood.

So they painfully oozed blood as they gashed.

يُكلّمُني فيكَ الغرامُ فأنثني

يُكلّمُني فيكَ الغرامُ فأنثني

على كبِدي مِن خشيةٍ أن تكلّما

على كبِدي مِن خشيةٍ أن تكلّما

Passion for you wounds me, so I bend

Passion for you speaks to me, so I bend

over my liver, for fear that it may be wounded.

Over my liver in dread that it will speak.

أصدُّ بنفسي عن سواكَ تضنناً

أصدُّ بنفسي عن سواكَ تضنناً

وأبذلُها للوجدِ فيكَ تكرُّما

وأبذلُها للوجدِ فيكَ تكرُّما

I keep myself from all but you, jealously,

I restrain my soul from all but you, covetously,

and give myself to longing for you, generously.

And lavish it upon passion for your eminence.

وانِّي وان طالَ الفراقُ لحافظٌ

وانِّي وان طالَ الفراقُ لحافظٌ

عهودَ زمانٍ قد مَضى وتصرَّما

عهودَ زمانٍ قد مَضى وتصرَّما

And I, however long the separation, will surely preserve

Though our separation has lingered, I'll keep

the pledges of a time that has passed and ended.

The pledges of days gone by and passed.

فكن مرسلاً نحوي السلامَ اذا انبرت

فكن مرسلاً نحوي السلامَ اذا انبرت

نسيمُ الصّبا مِن نحوِ دارِك مُنعِما

نسيمُ الصّبا مِن نحوِ دارِك مُنعِما

So send your greeting toward me when

So send your greetings my way, whenever

the east wind's breeze rises from the direction of your home, as a kindness;

The morning breeze blows gently from your abode,

لعلّي بآسيِّ السلامِ أجد شِفاً

لعلّي بآسيِّ السلامِ أجد شِفاً

فأصبحَ مِن داءِ الجفاءِ مُسلّما

فأصبحَ مِن داءِ الجفاءِ مُسلّما

perhaps, with your greeting as my healer, I may find a cure,

That by the wretchedness of your greeting I may find

and be delivered from the sickness of estrangement.

A cure, and recover from the malady of estrangement.