إذا اومض البرق من أرضها

يخيل لي أنها تبسم

When lightning flashes from her land,

it seems to me that she is smiling.

وأذكرها في المحل الجذيب

فيخصبه دمعي المسجم

And I remember her in the barren place,

and my streaming tears make it fertile.

يروق لعيني جنا خدها

ويعجبني طرفها الأحوم

The fruit of her cheek delights my eye,

and her dark gaze enchants me.

تجور على الصب في حكمها

عليه فيرضى بما تحكم

She is unjust to the lovesick lover in her judgment

against him, yet he accepts whatever she decrees.

جرى دمعها يوم ودعتها

كدر على خدها ينظم

Her tears flowed the day I bade her farewell,

like pearls being strung upon her cheek.

وروعها البين لما أتى

على غفلة وهي لا تعلم

And parting frightened her when it came

without warning, while she was unaware.

وقالت اتتركني هكذا

وتذهب والله ما ترحم

And she said, “Will you leave me like this

and go? By God, you show no mercy!”

ففاضت دموعي على وجنتي

وأبديت للبين ما اكتم

Then my tears overflowed upon my cheek,

and I revealed to parting what I kept hidden.

وقلت إلى الله أشكو الهوى

كلانا قتيل الهوى مغرم

And I said, “To God I complain of love;

we are both slain by love, enthralled.”

فولت تسارقني لحظها

وتومي إليَّ بما أفهم

Then she turned away, stealing glances at me,

and signaling to me in ways I understood.

وترمي باسمهم إلحاظها

فوأدي ويا حبذا الأسهم

And she shot the arrows of her glances [apparent intended reading]

at my heart—how welcome those arrows!

فها أنا ذا منذ فارقتها

أليم جريح الحشا مولم

So here I am, ever since I parted from her,

aching, wounded at heart, tormented.

ونومي حرام وكل امرئ

به لوعة نومه يحرم

And sleep is forbidden to me, and anyone

with burning anguish is denied sleep.

أحبابنا ضقت ذرعا بكم

نأيتم ولا صبر لي عنكم

Our beloved ones, I am at my wits’ end because of you;

you have gone far away, and I cannot endure your absence.

وكان كنت ممن يطيع الهوى

ويعرف ما الحب لولاكم

And I would not have been among those who obey love [apparent intended reading],

and know what love is, were it not for you.