لَو حانَ مِن كَوكَب الإِسعادِ إِشراقُ

لَو حانَ مِن كَوكَب الإِسعادِ إِشراقُ

ما حارَ في غَيهَبِ الأَبعادِ مُشتاقُ

ما حارَ في غَيهَبِ الأَبعادِ مُشتاقُ

Had light dawned from the star of good fortune,

If happiness would shine from its planet,

No yearning lover would have wandered in the darkness of separation.

The longing one would not get lost in the abyss of dimensions.

يا بَدرَ تَمٍّ دَمي في خَدِّهِ شَفَقٌ

يا بَدرَ تَمٍّ دَمي في خَدِّهِ شَفَقٌ

أَما لَدَيكَ لِما أَلقاهُ إِشفاقُ

أَما لَدَيكَ لِما أَلقاهُ إِشفاقُ

O full moon, on whose cheek my blood is a twilight glow,

O full moon whose cheek is reddened with shyness,

Have you no compassion for what I endure?

Don't you feel sympathy for the one your separation has made suffer?

وَكَيفَ أَخطُبُ وَصلاً وَالخُطُوبُ عَدَت

وَكَيفَ أَخطُبُ وَصلاً وَالخُطُوبُ عَدَت

لَكن فُؤادِي لِغيدِ الإِنسِ تَوّاقُ

لَكن فُؤادِي لِغيدِ الإِنسِ تَوّاقُ

How can I seek union when calamities have assailed me?

And how can I propose when barriers abound?

Yet my heart yearns for the graceful women of humankind.

But my heart yearns for the society of humans.

هَل أَرتَجي عَدلَ أَيّامِي وَقِسمَتَها

هَل أَرتَجي عَدلَ أَيّامِي وَقِسمَتَها

لِلحالِ وَالبالِ إِملاقٌ وَإِقلاقُ

لِلحالِ وَالبالِ إِملاقٌ وَإِقلاقُ

Can I hope for fairness from my days and their allotment,

Can I hope for just days and a good destiny,

When poverty is my lot, and disquiet fills my mind?

When sorrow and affliction persist and grow?

وَكَم أَرومُ صُعُودِي وَهُوَ مُختَلَقٌ

وَكَم أَرومُ صُعُودِي وَهُوَ مُختَلَقٌ

وَكَم أَرومُ سُعُودي وَهُوَ إِخلاق

وَكَم أَرومُ سُعُودي وَهُوَ إِخلاق

How often I seek my ascent, yet it is a fiction;

How much I long to ascend yet stumble,

How often I seek my good fortune, yet it is only decay.

And how much I long to be happy yet sin!

إِذا حَلا مَورِدٌ حَلأتُ عَنهُ فَمِي

إِذا حَلا مَورِدٌ حَلأتُ عَنهُ فَمِي

وبِالذماءِ مِن الإِظماءِ إِحراقُ

وبِالذماءِ مِن الإِظماءِ إِحراقُ

Whenever a watering place grows sweet, I keep my mouth from it,

Whenever I arrive at a watering place, I avoid it,

And thirst burns the last spark of life within me.

And with thirst I burn instead of quenching it.

أَما كَفى خَفَقانٌ بِتّ شاكِيَهُ

أَما كَفى خَفَقانٌ بِتّ شاكِيَهُ

حَتّى يُرادَ مِن الآمالِ إِخفاقُ

حَتّى يُرادَ مِن الآمالِ إِخفاقُ

Was the palpitation I spent the night lamenting not enough?

Has not enough fluttering weakened this lamenting lover

Must failure be wished upon my hopes as well?

That failure is intended for all his hopes?

رَوضُ السَماحِ دَعانِي لاقتِطافِ جَنىً

رَوضُ السَماحِ دَعانِي لاقتِطافِ جَنىً

فَقالَ سُقمِي وَلا للعُرفِ إِنشاقُ

فَقالَ سُقمِي وَلا للعُرفِ إِنشاقُ

The garden of generosity called me to gather ripe fruit,

The garden of generosity called me to pluck its fruits.

Then my sickness said, 'Not even its fragrance may be inhaled.'

But my sickness said: No! Custom should not be broken!

رُحمَاكَ يا سَقَمِي يَكفيكَ مِن أَلَمِي

رُحمَاكَ يا سَقَمِي يَكفيكَ مِن أَلَمِي

خَدٌّ بِفَيضِ دَمِي قَد خَدَّهُ الماقُ

خَدٌّ بِفَيضِ دَمِي قَد خَدَّهُ الماقُ

Mercy, O my sickness! Let this much of my pain suffice you:

Have mercy, oh my sickness! My pain should suffice you -

A cheek the eye's corner has furrowed with my streaming blood.

A cheek reddened by my streaming blood.

اللَهَ في رَمَقي قَد ذُبتُ مِن حُرَقِي

اللَهَ في رَمَقي قَد ذُبتُ مِن حُرَقِي

وَعاثَ في حَدَقِي دَمعٌ وَإِيراقُ

وَعاثَ في حَدَقِي دَمعٌ وَإِيراقُ

For God's sake, spare my last breath; I have melted in my burning grief,

Oh God, I have melted from my burning,

And tears and sleeplessness have ravaged my eyes.

And my tears flow and fall from my eyes.

أَشتاقُ نَحوَ أَحِبّائِي وَتَحجبُني

أَشتاقُ نَحوَ أَحِبّائِي وَتَحجبُني

أَلَم تَبت قَطُّ لِلأَحبابِ تَشتاقُ

أَلَم تَبت قَطُّ لِلأَحبابِ تَشتاقُ

I yearn for my loved ones, yet you keep me away;

I long for my beloved though they are veiled from me -

Have you never spent a night longing for loved ones?

Does longing for loved ones ever cease?

تَراكَ نَزّهتَ أَحبابِي وَحُقَّ لَهُم

تَراكَ نَزّهتَ أَحبابِي وَحُقَّ لَهُم

عَن أَن تُؤَلَّفَ أَقمارٌ وَأَرماقُ

عَن أَن تُؤَلَّفَ أَقمارٌ وَأَرماقُ

Have you, I wonder, spared my loved ones—and rightly so—

I see you made my loved ones taboo, though they deserve

The joining of moons with mere remnants of life?

That moons and full moons be associated with them.

يا سائِلي عَن شَكاتِي بَعدَ مَن بَعُدُوا

يا سائِلي عَن شَكاتِي بَعدَ مَن بَعُدُوا

طالَ الفِراقُ فَما لِلشَكوِ إِفراقُ

طالَ الفِراقُ فَما لِلشَكوِ إِفراقُ

O you who ask of my suffering since they went far away:

Oh you who ask about my sorrows after those dear have gone -

Separation has grown long; my lament has no respite.

Separation was long so there is no use to complain!

سَأَشتَكي بُخلَ أَزماني إِلى كَرَمٍ

سَأَشتَكي بُخلَ أَزماني إِلى كَرَمٍ

إِن جاءَهُ مَلَقِي لَم يَبقَ إِملاقُ

إِن جاءَهُ مَلَقِي لَم يَبقَ إِملاقُ

I shall complain of my days' miserliness to generosity;

I will complain about the stinginess of my time to one generous -

If my flattery reaches him, no poverty will remain.

If one who meets me comes, stinginess will not remain.

وَأَنتَضي ذا نِفارٍ مِن ظُبا فِقَري

وَأَنتَضي ذا نِفارٍ مِن ظُبا فِقَري

إِن هُزّ في فَيلَقٍ فِالهامُ أَفلاقُ

إِن هُزّ في فَيلَقٍ فِالهامُ أَفلاقُ

And I shall draw a fearsome blade from the keen edges of my verses;

I will set out with fury, barefoot and poor,

If brandished amid an army, skulls become fragments.

If passion shakes the spear, slicing is its function.

وَأَدرِكُ الثَأرَ بِالنَقعِ المثارِ لَهُ

وَأَدرِكُ الثَأرَ بِالنَقعِ المثارِ لَهُ

بِكُلّ ما تُدرِكُ الأَحداقَ إِحداقُ

بِكُلّ ما تُدرِكُ الأَحداقَ إِحداقُ

And I shall take revenge in the dust raised for it,

And I will take revenge with a cutting sword,

With everything that meets the eyes on every side.

As gazes take revenge on each other with gazing.

بِالنصل أَقرَعُ بابَ النَصرِ لا بِفَمِي

بِالنصل أَقرَعُ بابَ النَصرِ لا بِفَمِي

النَصرُ مفتاحُهُ وَالشعرُ مِغلاقُ

النَصرُ مفتاحُهُ وَالشعرُ مِغلاقُ

With the blade I knock at victory's door, not with my mouth.

With my sword I will strike the door of victory, not with my mouth -

Victory is its key, and poetry a lock.

Victory's key is the sword and poetry is closed.

أَجُوبُ كُلَّ بِلادٍ زانَها كَلِمِي

أَجُوبُ كُلَّ بِلادٍ زانَها كَلِمِي

كَأَنَّما زُيِّنَت بِالحَليِ أَعناقُ

كَأَنَّما زُيِّنَت بِالحَليِ أَعناقُ

I traverse every land my words have adorned,

I roam all countries adorned by my words

As though necks had been adorned with jewels.

As if adorned with necklaces on necks.

أَنّي يَضيعُ بِصُنعٍ مِصقَعٌ نَكَلٌ

أَنّي يَضيعُ بِصُنعٍ مِصقَعٌ نَكَلٌ

لِسانَهُ مُفلَقٌ وَالعَضبُ مِفلاقُ

لِسانَهُ مُفلَقٌ وَالعَضبُ مِفلاقُ

How could an eloquent, formidable man go to waste in an undertaking,

I waste away due to the work of an ungrateful slanderer -

Whose tongue dazzles and whose keen sword cleaves?

His tongue split and the canine tooth split.

أُسايِرُ النَجمَ حَتّى أَجتَلِي قَمَراً

أُسايِرُ النَجمَ حَتّى أَجتَلِي قَمَراً

سَناهُ لِلشَمسِ مَحّاءٌ وَمَحّاقُ

سَناهُ لِلشَمسِ مَحّاءٌ وَمَحّاقُ

I keep pace with the star until I behold a moon

I follow the star until I find a moon -

Whose radiance erases and obliterates the sun.

Its radiance to the sun apparent and hidden.