تُرى ثغرُ ذاك الثغرِ بالقربِ يَبْسِمُ

تُرى ثغرُ ذاك الثغرِ بالقربِ يَبْسِمُ

فأغدو وعيشِى مثل ما كان مَعْكُمُ

فأغدو وعيشِى مثل ما كان مَعْكُمُ

Will that port’s mouth, I wonder, smile at reunion,

The mouth of that mouth smiles near

so I rise, my life as it once was with you?

So I live as I used to live with you

لياليَ لا طَرْفِي من الدمع مُكْثِر

لياليَ لا طَرْفِي من الدمع مُكْثِر

عليكم ولا قلبي من الصبر مُعْدِم

عليكم ولا قلبي من الصبر مُعْدِم

Nights when my eye shed no copious tears

Nights my eyes do not shed many tears for you

for you, nor was my heart bereft of patience,

Nor does my heart lack patience

ولا زَفَراتُ الشوقِ تحدو تأسُّفِى

ولا زَفَراتُ الشوقِ تحدو تأسُّفِى

فتُنجِد ما بين الضولع وَتُتْهِم

فتُنجِد ما بين الضولع وَتُتْهِم

nor did longing’s sighs drive my sorrow onward,

Nor do the sighs of longing complain my regret

then climb to Najd and descend to Tihamah between my ribs.

To help what is between the ribs and blame

ليالٍ كأوساطِ الآلى فسِلْكُها

ليالٍ كأوساطِ الآلى فسِلْكُها

يُفصَّلُ باللذات فينا ويُنْظَم

يُفصَّلُ باللذات فينا ويُنْظَم

Nights like the central pearls, whose string

Nights like the middles of pain so its course

is interspersed with pleasures among us and strung together.

Is separated in us with pleasures and composed

كأني وذاك العيشُ طيفٌ تَبرَّعتْ

كأني وذاك العيشُ طيفٌ تَبرَّعتْ

به سِنَةٌ لم يَرْوَ منها مُهَوِّم

به سِنَةٌ لم يَرْوَ منها مُهَوِّم

As though I and that life were a vision freely bestowed

As if I and that life were an apparition

by a brief slumber from which no dozing sleeper drank his fill.

A year gifted with which no worrier saw