يا مَن قَرُبتَ مِنَ الفُؤادِ

يا مَن قَرُبتَ مِنَ الفُؤادِ

وَأَنتَ عَن عَيني بَعيد

وَأَنتَ عَن عَيني بَعيد

O you who have drawn near to my heart,

O you who drew near my heart

O you who have drawn near to my heart,

Though you are far from my eyes,

While you remain far from my eyes

While remaining far from my sight,

شَوقي إِلَيكَ أَشَدَّ مِن

شَوقي إِلَيكَ أَشَدَّ مِن

شَوقِ السَليمِ إِلى الهُجود

شَوقِ السَليمِ إِلى الهُجود

My longing for you is stronger than

My yearning for you is greater than

My longing for you is more intense

A snake-bitten man's longing for sleep.

The yearning of the thirsty for water

Than the snake-bitten man's longing for sleep,

أَهوى لِقاءَكَ مِثلَما

أَهوى لِقاءَكَ مِثلَما

يَهوى أَخو الظَمءِ الوُرود

يَهوى أَخو الظَمءِ الوُرود

I long to meet you, just as

I crave meeting you as

I desire to meet you just as

A thirsty man longs to reach water.

The brother of thirst craves flowers

The parched man desires the watering hole,

وَتَصُدُّني عَنكَ النَوى

وَتَصُدُّني عَنكَ النَوى

وَأَصُدُّ عَن هَذا الصُدود

وَأَصُدُّ عَن هَذا الصُدود

And separation keeps me from you,

Intentions prevent me from you

Though distance bars me from you,

And I turn away from this estrangement.

And I prevent myself from this deterrence

I turn away from this obstruction,

وَرَدَت نَميقَتَكَ الَّتي

وَرَدَت نَميقَتَكَ الَّتي

جُمِعَت مِنَ الدُرِّ النَضيد

جُمِعَت مِنَ الدُرِّ النَضيد

Your letter has arrived, the one

Your soft voice returned to me

Your adorned letter arrived,

Composed of pearls neatly strung.

Assembled from precious pearls

Gathered from pearls strung in order,

فَكَأَنَّ لَفظَكَ لُؤلُؤٌ

فَكَأَنَّ لَفظَكَ لُؤلُؤٌ

وَكَأَنَّما القِرطاسُ جيد

وَكَأَنَّما القِرطاسُ جيد

So your words seem like pearls,

Your words seem like pearls

As if your words were pearls,

And the paper like a neck.

As if the paper itself is fine

And the paper was a neck.

أَشكو إِلَيك وَلا يُلامُ

أَشكو إِلَيك وَلا يُلامُ

إِذا شَكى العاني القُيود

إِذا شَكى العاني القُيود

I complain to you—and none is blamed

I complain to you, and blame is not deserved

I complain to you—and one is not blamed

When a captive complains of chains—

If the suffering complains of shackles

When the captive complains of his chains—

دَهراً بَليداً ما يُنيلُ

دَهراً بَليداً ما يُنيلُ

وِدادَهُ إِلّا بَليد

وِدادَهُ إِلّا بَليد

Of a dull-witted age that grants

An indifferent time that does not give

Of a dull age that grants

Its affection only to a dullard,

Its affection except to the indifferent

Its affection to none but the dull,

وَمَعاشِراً ما فيهُمُ

وَمَعاشِراً ما فيهُمُ

إِن جِئتَهُم غَيرُ الوُعود

إِن جِئتَهُم غَيرُ الوُعود

And of companions who have nothing,

And companions among whom

And of a people among whom there is nothing,

If you come to them, but promises:

Promises are never fulfilled

If you approach them, save empty promises,

مُتَفَرنِجين وَما التَفَرنُجُ

مُتَفَرنِجين وَما التَفَرنُجُ

عِندَهُم غَيرُ الجُحود

عِندَهُم غَيرُ الجُحود

Europeanized men—yet European ways

Boastful, their boasting is nothing

Posing as Westerners, yet Western ways

To them mean nothing but ingratitude.

But falsehood and denial

Are to them nothing but denial.

لا يَعرِفونَ مِنَ الشَجاعَةِ

لا يَعرِفونَ مِنَ الشَجاعَةِ

غَيرَ ما عَرِفَ القُرود

غَيرَ ما عَرِفَ القُرود

They know nothing of courage

They know nothing of courage

They know nothing of courage

Beyond what monkeys have known.

Except what monkeys have known

Except what is known by monkeys.

سَيّانِ قالوا بِالرِضى

سَيّانِ قالوا بِالرِضى

عَنّي أَوِ السُخطُ الشَديد

عَنّي أَوِ السُخطُ الشَديد

It is all the same whether they speak with approval

It's all the same if they speak

It is all the same whether they speak with approval

Of me or with fierce displeasure.

Of contentment with me or anger

Of me, or with intense wrath,

مَن لَيسَ يَصدُقُ في الوُعودِ

مَن لَيسَ يَصدُقُ في الوُعودِ

فَلَيسَ يَصدُقُ في الوَعيد

فَلَيسَ يَصدُقُ في الوَعيد

Whoever is not truthful in his promises

One who does not honor promises

For he who is not truthful in promises

Is not truthful in his threats either.

Will not honor threats

Will not be truthful in threats.

نَفَرٌ إِذا عُدَّ الرِجالُ

نَفَرٌ إِذا عُدَّ الرِجالُ

عَدَدتُهُم طَيَّ اللَحُد

عَدَدتُهُم طَيَّ اللَحُد

A group whom, when men are counted,

Some men, when men are counted

A group that, when men are counted,

I count as lying within the grave.

I count them as snakes in the burrows

I count as buried within the grave.

تَأبى السَماحَ طِباعَهُم

تَأبى السَماحَ طِباعَهُم

ما كُلُّ ذي مالٍ يَجود

ما كُلُّ ذي مالٍ يَجود

Their natures refuse generosity;

Their nature refuses gentleness

Their natures refuse generosity,

Not everyone with wealth gives freely.

Not everyone with wealth is generous

For not every possessor of wealth gives freely.

أَسخاهُمُ بِنُضارِهِ

أَسخاهُمُ بِنُضارِهِ

أَقسى مِنَ الحَجَرِ الصَلود

أَقسى مِنَ الحَجَرِ الصَلود

The most generous of them with his gold

The kindest of them with his freshness

The most generous among them with his gold

Is harder than unyielding stone.

Is harder than solid rock

Is harder than solid rock.

جَعدُ البَنانُ بِعِرضِهِ

جَعدُ البَنانُ بِعِرضِهِ

يَفدي اللُجَينَ مِنَ الوُفود

يَفدي اللُجَينَ مِنَ الوُفود

Tight-fisted, at the cost of his honor,

The curly haired with his honor

Stingy of hand, with his honor

He ransoms his silver from visitors.

Would sacrifice refugees for delegations

He ransoms his silver from guests,

وَيَخافُ مِن أَضيافِهِ

وَيَخافُ مِن أَضيافِهِ

خَوفَ الصَغيرِ مِنَ اليَهود

خَوفَ الصَغيرِ مِنَ اليَهود

And he fears his guests

And is afraid of his guests

And he fears his visitors

As a little child fears the Jews.

Like a little child fears Jews

As a small child fears the Jews.

تَعِسَ اِمرُؤٌ لا يَستَفيدُ

تَعِسَ اِمرُؤٌ لا يَستَفيدُ

مِنَ الرِجال وَلا يُفيد

مِنَ الرِجال وَلا يُفيد

Woe to a man who gains no benefit

Wretched is the man who does not benefit

Wretched is the man who neither benefits

From men and gives none.

From men nor benefits them

From others, nor is of use to them;

وَأَرى عَديمَ النَفعِ أَنَّ

وَأَرى عَديمَ النَفعِ أَنَّ

وُجودُهُ ضَرَرُ الوُجود

وُجودُهُ ضَرَرُ الوُجود

And I see that, for one who is of no use,

And I see that one useless

And I see the one devoid of use—

His existence harms existence itself.

His existence harms existence

His very existence is a harm to existence.