هو البعد آلامه تقتل

هو البعد آلامه تقتل

محبا به الصبر لا يجملُ

محبا به الصبر لا يجملُ

It is separation—its pains can kill.

It is separation: its pains kill

For one who loves him, patience is unbecoming.

a lover for whom patience is not fitting.

وإني أرى البعد عن وجهكم

وإني أرى البعد عن وجهكم

ردى من حبائله اجفل

ردى من حبائله اجفل

Indeed, I see separation from your face

And I regard separation from your face

as a death fairer than its snares.

as death, from whose snares I recoil.

ذهلت بموقف توديعكم

ذهلت بموقف توديعكم

وموقف توديعكم يذهل

وموقف توديعكم يذهل

I was stunned at the moment of bidding you farewell;

I was stunned at the scene of bidding you farewell;

the very moment of bidding you farewell bewilders.

and the scene of bidding you farewell leaves one stunned.

وكم ليلة بتها ساهداً

وكم ليلة بتها ساهداً

كمن بين أحشائه مرجل

كمن بين أحشائه مرجل

How many a night I spent sleepless,

And many a night I spent sleepless,

like one with a cauldron seething in his entrails.

like one with a cauldron among his entrails.

أحن إلى منهل من خصال

أحن إلى منهل من خصال

وورد من الشم لا يذبل

وورد من الشم لا يذبل

I yearn for a spring of virtues,

I yearn for a wellspring of virtues,

and roses of embraces that never wither.

and a rose that does not wither when smelled.

وأصبو إلى عذب ألفاظكم

وأصبو إلى عذب ألفاظكم

كأنك في مسمعي البلبل

كأنك في مسمعي البلبل

I long for the sweetness of your words,

And I long for the sweetness of your words,

as though in my ear you were the nightingale.

as though, to my ear, you were a nightingale.

يهاجمني الدهر لكنني

يهاجمني الدهر لكنني

إزاء صوارمه أعزل

إزاء صوارمه أعزل

Fate assails me, yet I

Time attacks me, yet I

stand unarmed before its sharp swords.

am unarmed before its sharp swords.

لقد بعدت شقة بيننا

لقد بعدت شقة بيننا

ولو أن حلفاً لكم منزل

ولو أن حلفاً لكم منزل

A vast distance now lies between us,

Indeed, the distance between us has grown vast,

even if Halfa were your dwelling.

even though Halfa is your home.

كأن دارك رأس الرجا

كأن دارك رأس الرجا

ء وداري في بعدها الموصل

ء وداري في بعدها الموصل

As though your home were the Cape of Good Hope,

As though your home were the Cape of Good Hope,

while mine, far from it, were Mosul.

and mine, in its remoteness, were Mosul.

وقد كدست حولي المشكلا

وقد كدست حولي المشكلا

ت وبعدك مشكلها المعضل

ت وبعدك مشكلها المعضل

Troubles have piled up around me—

And problems have been piled up around me,

and your absence is the most intractable of them.

and your absence is their intractable problem.

وصرت وحالي تسر العدى

وصرت وحالي تسر العدى

وقد ناء بالنفس ما تحمل

وقد ناء بالنفس ما تحمل

I have come to such a pass that my state delights the foe,

And now my plight delights my foes,

and what the soul must bear weighs heavily upon it.

and what the soul bears has weighed it down.

فرفقاً بمن قد نآى مرغماً

فرفقاً بمن قد نآى مرغماً

وأدمعه حسرة تهطل

وأدمعه حسرة تهطل

So be gentle with one driven far away against his will,

So be gentle with one who has unwillingly gone far away,

whose tears pour down in heartbreak,

while his tears pour down in sorrow,

بقلب يميل لورد الهوى

بقلب يميل لورد الهوى

ونفس لورد العلا أميل

ونفس لورد العلا أميل

with a heart inclined toward the roses of love,

with a heart drawn to love's roses,

and a soul still more inclined toward the roses of glory.

and a soul more drawn to the roses of glory.

وأدبر ما سر من حظه

وأدبر ما سر من حظه

فهل بعد إدباره يقبل

فهل بعد إدباره يقبل

All that once gladdened him in his fortune has turned away;

And what gladdened him in his fortune has turned away;

once it has turned away, will it return?

so will it return after turning away?

هو الحب أحسبه سائغاً

هو الحب أحسبه سائغاً

ولكنما طعمه الحنظل

ولكنما طعمه الحنظل

It is love—I had thought it sweet to swallow,

It is love—I think it palatable,

but its taste is bitter colocynth.

and yet its taste is colocynth.

فصب تجرع من صابه

فصب تجرع من صابه

متى من حلاوته ينهل

متى من حلاوته ينهل

An ardent lover has swallowed draughts of its bitter sap;

So a lovesick lover who has swallowed its bitter sap—

when will he drink deeply of its sweetness?

when will he drink his fill of its sweetness?

كلانا لهذا النوى جازع

كلانا لهذا النوى جازع

فماذا إزاء النوى نفعل

فماذا إزاء النوى نفعل

Both of us are distraught by this separation;

Both of us are distraught at this separation;

what, then, can we do in the face of separation?

so what shall we do in the face of separation?

وكل المحبين من قبلنا

وكل المحبين من قبلنا

بزلزال آلامه زلزلوا

بزلزال آلامه زلزلوا

And all the lovers before us

And all the lovers before us

were shaken by the earthquake of its pains.

were shaken by the earthquake of its pains.

ومن لم يكن في الهوى صابراً

ومن لم يكن في الهوى صابراً

فترك الغرام له أفضل

فترك الغرام له أفضل

Whoever cannot be patient in love

And whoever is not patient in love

is better off forsaking passion.

is better off abandoning passion.

اذا كنت قربان هذا الهوى

اذا كنت قربان هذا الهوى

فما أنا قربانه الأول

فما أنا قربانه الأول

If I am a sacrifice to this love,

If I am a sacrifice to this love,

I am not its first victim.

then I am not its first sacrifice.

فلا ضيع الله أجر المحب

فلا ضيع الله أجر المحب

وخيب آمال من يعذل

وخيب آمال من يعذل

May God never let the lover’s reward be lost,

So may God never let the lover's reward be lost,

and may He dash the hopes of whoever reproaches.

and dash the hopes of whoever reproaches him.