وما كنتُ أهْوى ربْعَ سَلْمى وإنّما

وما كنتُ أهْوى ربْعَ سَلْمى وإنّما

أحِبُّ الحِمَى من أجْلِ مَن سَكَن الحِمَى

أحِبُّ الحِمَى من أجْلِ مَن سَكَن الحِمَى

I did not love Salma's dwelling; rather,

I loved not the gardens of Salma, but rather

I love the sanctuary for the sake of the one who dwelt there.

I love the sands, for the one who dwelt in the sands

وما كنتُ أدْري أنّ سهْمَ لحاظِها

وما كنتُ أدْري أنّ سهْمَ لحاظِها

يُصيبُ فؤادَ المُسْتَهامِ إذا رَمَى

يُصيبُ فؤادَ المُسْتَهامِ إذا رَمَى

Nor did I know that the arrow of her glances

And I knew not that the glance of her eyes

strikes the love-crazed heart when loosed.

Would strike the heart of the enamored when she glanced

وقد كانَ قَلبي يحْذَرُ الحبَّ جُهْدَهُ

وقد كانَ قَلبي يحْذَرُ الحبَّ جُهْدَهُ

وما كان ذاكَ الحِذْرُ إلا ليَسْلَما

وما كان ذاكَ الحِذْرُ إلا ليَسْلَما

My heart had guarded against love with all its strength,

My heart was wary of love and its toil

and that caution was only to keep it safe,

That wariness was only to be safe

إلى أنْ بَدا للقَلبِ لمّا بَدا لهُ

إلى أنْ بَدا للقَلبِ لمّا بَدا لهُ

مُحيّاً يفوقُ الشّمسَ في أفُقِ السّما

مُحيّاً يفوقُ الشّمسَ في أفُقِ السّما

until my heart thought otherwise, when there appeared to it

Until it appeared to the heart when it appeared to it

a face outshining the sun on the horizon of the sky.

Radiant, outshining the sun on the horizon of the sky

وللهِ دُرٌّ راقَ منْ ثغْرِها الذي

وللهِ دُرٌّ راقَ منْ ثغْرِها الذي

سَقاني كُؤوسَ الحُبِّ حينَ تبسّما

سَقاني كُؤوسَ الحُبِّ حينَ تبسّما

And praise be to God for the lovely pearls of her mouth, which

By God, she has a lovely pearl-like smile

gave me cups of love to drink when it smiled.

That gave me cups of love when she smiled

فمَهْما رنَتْ تحْكي غَزالاً مُمَنَّعاً

فمَهْما رنَتْ تحْكي غَزالاً مُمَنَّعاً

ومهْما انثَنَتْ تَحْكي قَضيباً مُنعَّما

ومهْما انثَنَتْ تَحْكي قَضيباً مُنعَّما

Whenever she gazes, she resembles an unapproachable gazelle;

So no matter how she moves coquettishly like a shy gazelle

and whenever she sways, she resembles a tender bough.

Or sways delicately like a supple branch

ويا لِغرامٍ قد ثَوى بجوانحِي

ويا لِغرامٍ قد ثَوى بجوانحِي

فأنْجَدَ ما بيْنَ الضّلوعِ وأتْهَما

فأنْجَدَ ما بيْنَ الضّلوعِ وأتْهَما

And oh, the passion that has lodged within my breast,

Oh, for a love that dwelt in my heart

ranging through Najd's heights and Tihama's lowlands between my ribs!

So it cried out between my ribs and blamed

غزَتْ قلْبي المُضْنى المَشوقَ جُنودُهُ

غزَتْ قلْبي المُضْنى المَشوقَ جُنودُهُ

فأصبَحَ في أيْدي الصّبابةِ مَغْنَما

فأصبَحَ في أيْدي الصّبابةِ مَغْنَما

Its armies invaded my exhausted, yearning heart,

The yearning army invaded my heart

so it became booty in the hands of longing.

So it became spoils in the hands of youths

فَيا لَيْتَ سَلْمى تبعَثُ الطّيْفَ في الكَرى

فَيا لَيْتَ سَلْمى تبعَثُ الطّيْفَ في الكَرى

لتُرْوِي قُلوباً بالصّبابةِ حُوَّما

لتُرْوِي قُلوباً بالصّبابةِ حُوَّما

Oh, if only Salma would send her phantom in sleep,

Would that Salma sent an apparition in the meadows

to quench hearts parched by longing.

To quench hearts inflamed by the youths

ويا لَيتَها تُهْدي سَلاماً معَ الصَّبا

ويا لَيتَها تُهْدي سَلاماً معَ الصَّبا

ليَنقَعَ قلْباً جمرُهُ قد تضرَّما

ليَنقَعَ قلْباً جمرُهُ قد تضرَّما

And if only she would send a greeting with the east wind,

Would that she sent greetings with the morning breeze

to cool a heart whose embers have flared up.

To soak a heart whose embers have died down

تَهُبُّ علَى جسمي صَباها عَليلةً

تَهُبُّ علَى جسمي صَباها عَليلةً

فيَبْرأُ ما قدْ كان منهُ تألَّما

فيَبْرأُ ما قدْ كان منهُ تألَّما

Her east wind blows gently over my body,

Her morning breeze blows upon my ailing body

so whatever in it had ached is healed.

So what pained me is cured

ومهْما هَمى دَمْعي وصَوْبُ غَمامةٍ

ومهْما هَمى دَمْعي وصَوْبُ غَمامةٍ

فوَاللهِ ما أدْري مَنِ الغَيثُ مِنْهُما

فوَاللهِ ما أدْري مَنِ الغَيثُ مِنْهُما

And whenever my tears and a cloud's downpour fall,

No matter how my tears flowed or the clouds poured

then, by God, I cannot tell which of the two is the rain.

By God, I know not which of the two gave rain

فَما بجُفوني غيرُ صيِّبِ أدْمُعٍ

فَما بجُفوني غيرُ صيِّبِ أدْمُعٍ

وما بفُؤادي غيرُ خَبْلٍ تحَكّما

وما بفُؤادي غيرُ خَبْلٍ تحَكّما

There is nothing in my eyelids but a downpour of tears,

Naught is in my eyelids but tears flowing down

and nothing in my heart but madness holding sway.

Naught is in my heart but sorrows holding sway

وأظْهَرَ دمْعي ما بقَلْبي من الهَوى

وأظْهَرَ دمْعي ما بقَلْبي من الهَوى

وقد كان سِرّاً في ضُلوعي مُكَتَّما

وقد كان سِرّاً في ضُلوعي مُكَتَّما

And my tears revealed the love within my heart,

My tears revealed the love in my heart

though it had been a secret kept hidden within my ribs.

Which had been a secret guarded in my chest

فإن لُمْتُهُ أن باحَ بالحُبِّ للوَرى

فإن لُمْتُهُ أن باحَ بالحُبِّ للوَرى

فيُنشِدُ هلْ كان الغَرامُ ليُكتَما

فيُنشِدُ هلْ كان الغَرامُ ليُكتَما

So if I reproach them for revealing love to the world,

If you blame me for confessing my love openly

they recite: 'Was passion ever meant to be concealed?'

I will recite, can love remain hidden?

ويا أيّها القلبُ المَشوقُ إلى مَتى

ويا أيّها القلبُ المَشوقُ إلى مَتى

تَبيتُ كما شاءَ الغَرامُ مُتَيَّما

تَبيتُ كما شاءَ الغَرامُ مُتَيَّما

And O yearning heart, how long

Oh longing heart, how long will you

will you spend the night love-enslaved, as passion has willed?

Pass the night as love decreed, sleepless?

لَئِن مُنِعَ الوصْلُ الذي فيه راحَتي

لَئِن مُنِعَ الوصْلُ الذي فيه راحَتي

فَما يُمْنَعُ المشتاقُ أن يتوهّما

فَما يُمْنَعُ المشتاقُ أن يتوهّما

Even if union, in which my comfort lies, is denied,

If union on which my comfort depends is denied

the yearning lover cannot be kept from imagining it.

That cannot prevent the lover from imagining

سأطْمَعُ في وصْلٍ وإنْ طالَ هجْرُها

سأطْمَعُ في وصْلٍ وإنْ طالَ هجْرُها

وأقْطَعُ دهْري في عَسى ولعلّما

وأقْطَعُ دهْري في عَسى ولعلّما

I shall hope for union, even if her estrangement lasts long,

I will hope for union though her estrangement be long

and spend my lifetime in 'perhaps' and 'maybe.'

And spend my life hoping and perhaps

وقد زعَمَ الواشونَ أنّيَ تارِكٌ

وقد زعَمَ الواشونَ أنّيَ تارِكٌ

هَواها ومرْآها وأصْبِرُ عنهُما

هَواها ومرْآها وأصْبِرُ عنهُما

And the tale-bearers have claimed that I am forsaking

The slanderers claimed I forsook

my love for her and the sight of her, and can endure without both.

Her love and sight of her and am patient without them

فظنّتْ بأنّي قد سلوْتُ عنِ الهَوى

فظنّتْ بأنّي قد سلوْتُ عنِ الهَوى

وأنّي إذاً لا أسْهَرُ الليلَ مُغْرَما

وأنّي إذاً لا أسْهَرُ الليلَ مُغْرَما

So she thought I had grown indifferent to love,

She thought I was diverted from love

and that I therefore no longer stayed awake through the night, love-stricken.

And that I no longer pass the night lovesick

وهَيْهاتَ يمْحو الدّهْرُ أو ينسخُ العِدَى

وهَيْهاتَ يمْحو الدّهْرُ أو ينسخُ العِدَى

لَها في حَصاةِ القلْبِ ما قد ترسَّما

لَها في حَصاةِ القلْبِ ما قد ترسَّما

But never shall time erase, or foes efface,

Never! Time cannot erase or destiny undo

what has been inscribed for her in the core of my heart.

What she etched into the tablets of my heart