قِفِى يَا اُمَيمَ القَلبِ نَقضِ لُبَانَةً

قِفِى يَا اُمَيمَ القَلبِ نَقضِ لُبَانَةً

ونَشكُ الهَوى ثُمَّ افعَلى ما بَدَالكِ

ونَشكُ الهَوى ثُمَّ افعَلى ما بَدَالكِ

Stay, O Umaym of my heart; let us fulfill a longing,

Stop, O dove of my heart, undoing a dress,

and lament love; then do whatever you please.

And complain of passion, then do whatever comes to you,

سَلِى البانَةَ الغَنَّاءَ بِالأَبطَحِ الَّذِى

سَلِى البانَةَ الغَنَّاءَ بِالأَبطَحِ الَّذِى

بِهِ الماءُ هَل حيَّيتُ أَطلالَ دَارِكِ

بِهِ الماءُ هَل حيَّيتُ أَطلالَ دَارِكِ

Ask the leafy ban-tree at al-Abtah, where

Ask the singer at Al-Abtah, where is the water,

the water lies, whether I greeted the ruins of your dwelling.

If you have revived the ruins of her house,

وَهَل قُمتُ بَعدَ الرائِحينَ عَشِيَّةً

وَهَل قُمتُ بَعدَ الرائِحينَ عَشِيَّةً

مَقَامَ أخى البَغضاءِ واختَرتُ ذلكِ

مَقَامَ أخى البَغضاءِ واختَرتُ ذلكِ

And whether one evening, after the travelers departed, I stood

And if you stood after the basil in the evening,

like a man possessed of hatred, and chose to do so.

In the standing place of the hated sister, and you chose that,

وهَل كَفكَفَت عَيناىَ في الدّارِ عَبرةً

وهَل كَفكَفَت عَيناىَ في الدّارِ عَبرةً

فُرَادَى كَنَظمِ البُّؤلُؤِ المُتَهَالِكِ

فُرَادَى كَنَظمِ البُّؤلُؤِ المُتَهَالِكِ

And whether my eyes held back tears at the dwelling,

And if tears flowed from my eyes in the house copiously,

one by one, like a string of pearls falling apart.

Like scattered pearls, destroyed,

فَيابانَةَ الوادى أَلَيسَت مُصِيبَةً

فَيابانَةَ الوادى أَلَيسَت مُصِيبَةً

مِنَ اللهِ أَن تُحمَى عَلَينَا ظِلالُكِ

مِنَ اللهِ أَن تُحمَى عَلَينَا ظِلالُكِ

Then, O ban-tree of the valley, is it not a calamity

O dove of the valley, is it not a tribulation,

from God that your shade should be forbidden to us?

From God, that your shadows are forbidden to us,

ويابانَةَ الوادى أَثِيبى مُتَيَّماً

ويابانَةَ الوادى أَثِيبى مُتَيَّماً

أَخا سَقَمٍ لَبَّستِهِ في حِبَالِكِ

أَخا سَقَمٍ لَبَّستِهِ في حِبَالِكِ

And O ban-tree of the valley, reward a love-stricken man,

And O dove of the valley, console the lovesick one,

a sickly man whom you entangled in your snares.

A sick brother whom you dressed in your robes,

وكلَّفتِنى مَن لا أُطِيقُ كَلاَمَهُ

وكلَّفتِنى مَن لا أُطِيقُ كَلاَمَهُ

نَهَاراً وَلاَ لَيلاً وَلاَ بينَ ذَلِكِ

نَهَاراً وَلاَ لَيلاً وَلاَ بينَ ذَلِكِ

And you made me love one I cannot speak to,

And charged me with one whose talk I cannot bear,

by day, nor by night, nor in between.

Day or night or in between,

هَوِيتُ ولم تَهوَى وكُنتِ ضَعيفَةً

هَوِيتُ ولم تَهوَى وكُنتِ ضَعيفَةً

فهذا بَلاَءٌ قَد بُلِيتُ بِذَلِكِ

فهذا بَلاَءٌ قَد بُلِيتُ بِذَلِكِ

I loved, but you did not love, and you were weak;

I loved and you did not love, and you were weak,

so this is an ordeal; I have indeed been afflicted with it.

So this is an ordeal I have suffered from that,

وأَذهَبُ غَضبَاناً وأرجِعُ راضياً

وأَذهَبُ غَضبَاناً وأرجِعُ راضياً

وأُقسِمُ ما أَرضَيتِنى بَينَ ذلكِ

وأُقسِمُ ما أَرضَيتِنى بَينَ ذلكِ

And I go away angry and return content,

And I go angry and return pleased,

and I swear you did not appease me in between.

And I swear you did not satisfy me in between that,

يَقُولونَ ذَرها وَاعتَزِلها وَإِنّما

يَقُولونَ ذَرها وَاعتَزِلها وَإِنّما

يُسَاوِى ذَهابَ النَّفسِ عِندى اعتزِالُك

يُسَاوِى ذَهابَ النَّفسِ عِندى اعتزِالُك

They say, 'Leave her and keep away from her'; but

They say leave her and avoid her, but to me,

to me, leaving you is the same as losing my life.

Avoiding you equals losing my soul,

عَدِمتُكِ مِن نَفسِ فَأَنتِ سَقَيتنى

عَدِمتُكِ مِن نَفسِ فَأَنتِ سَقَيتنى

كُؤُوسَ الرَّى في حُبِّ مَن لَم يُبَالِكِ

كُؤُوسَ الرَّى في حُبِّ مَن لَم يُبَالِكِ

May I be rid of you, O soul, for you made me drink

I missed you from my soul so you quenched my thirst,

cups to quench my thirst, in love for one who cared nothing for you.

With cups of water in the love of one who did not care,

وَمَنَّيتِنى لُقيَانَ مَن لَستُ لاقياً

وَمَنَّيتِنى لُقيَانَ مَن لَستُ لاقياً

نضهَار ولا لَيلى بَينَ ذَلِكِ

نضهَار ولا لَيلى بَينَ ذَلِكِ

And you gave me hopes of meeting one I shall not meet,

And made me hope to meet those I will not meet,

by day [uncertain reading], nor in my night, nor in between.

Neither by day nor night in between that,

فما بِكِ من صَبرٍ ولا مِن جَلادَةٍ

فما بِكِ من صَبرٍ ولا مِن جَلادَةٍ

ولا مِن عَزاءٍ فَاهلِكى في الهَوَالِكِ

ولا مِن عَزاءٍ فَاهلِكى في الهَوَالِكِ

So there is no patience in you, nor fortitude,

You have neither patience, nor endurance,

nor consolation; so perish among the perishing.

No consolation, so destroy yourself among the perished,

لِيَهنِك إِمساكى بِكَفِّى عَلَى الحَشا

لِيَهنِك إِمساكى بِكَفِّى عَلَى الحَشا

وإِذرَاء عَينى دَمعَها فِى زِيالِكِ

وإِذرَاء عَينى دَمعَها فِى زِيالِكِ

May it please you that I clutch my breast with my palm,

It will make me happy to restrain my hand on the gravel,

and that my eye scatters its tears at your departure.

And let my eyes shed their tears on your ground,

وَلَو قُلتِ طَأ في النَّارِ أَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

وَلَو قُلتِ طَأ في النَّارِ أَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

هُدًى مِنكِ أَو مُدنٍ لَنَا مِن وِصَالِكِ

هُدًى مِنكِ أَو مُدنٍ لَنَا مِن وِصَالِكِ

And if you said, 'Step into the fire,' and I knew it was

And if you said, tread in the fire, I know

guidance from you, or something bringing us nearer to union with you,

It is guidance from you, or cities for us from uniting with you,

لَقَدَّمتُ رِجلى نَحوَهَا فَوَطئتُهَا

لَقَدَّمتُ رِجلى نَحوَهَا فَوَطئتُهَا

هُدًى مِنكِ لى أَوغَيَّةً مِن ضَلاَلِكِ

هُدًى مِنكِ لى أَوغَيَّةً مِن ضَلاَلِكِ

I would surely advance my foot toward it and tread upon it,

I would lead my feet towards it and tread on it,

as guidance from you for me, or error born of your misguidance.

As guidance from you, or misguidance from your misguidance,

وَيُسقَى مُحِبٌّ مِن شَرَابِكِ شَربَةً

وَيُسقَى مُحِبٌّ مِن شَرَابِكِ شَربَةً

يَعيشُ بِها إِذ حِيلَ دُونَ حَلالِكِ

يَعيشُ بِها إِذ حِيلَ دُونَ حَلالِكِ

And a lover is given a draught of your drink,

And a lover is given a sip of your drink,

by which he lives, since lawful union with you is barred.

With which he lives when your lawfulness is out of reach,

أَرَى النّاسَ يَرجُونَ الرَّبِيعَ وإِنّما

أَرَى النّاسَ يَرجُونَ الرَّبِيعَ وإِنّما

رَجائى الّذى أَرجو جَداً مِن نَوَالِكِ

رَجائى الّذى أَرجو جَداً مِن نَوَالِكِ

I see people hoping for spring, while

I see people hoping for spring, but my hope,

the only hope I cherish is a gift from your bounty.

Which I hope for earnestly, is to attain you,

أَينِى افِى يُمنى يَدَيكِ جَعلتِنى

أَينِى افِى يُمنى يَدَيكِ جَعلتِنى

فَأَفرَحَ أَم صَيَّرتِنى في شِمَالِكِ

فَأَفرَحَ أَم صَيَّرتِنى في شِمَالِكِ

Tell me [uncertain reading]: have you placed me in your right hand,

Where did I stand in your right hand, did you make me happy,

so that I may rejoice, or have you put me in your left?

Or put me on your left side?

لَئِن ساءَنى أَن نِلتِنى بِمَسَاءِةٍ

لَئِن ساءَنى أَن نِلتِنى بِمَسَاءِةٍ

لَقَد سَرَّنى أَنّى خَطَرتُ ببالِكِ

لَقَد سَرَّنى أَنّى خَطَرتُ ببالِكِ

If indeed it grieved me that you treated me badly,

If being mistreated by you upset me,

it surely pleased me that I crossed your mind.

I was delighted that I crossed your mind,