أشاقكَ سَلْعٌ أم هَفَتْ بك ذِكْراهُ

أشاقكَ سَلْعٌ أم هَفَتْ بك ذِكْراهُ

فَساعاتُ هذا اللَّيلِ عِنْدكَ أشْبَاهُ

فَساعاتُ هذا اللَّيلِ عِنْدكَ أشْبَاهُ

Has Salʿ stirred your longing, or has its memory carried you away?

Do you pine for Sallu or has the mention of him

So that the hours of this night all seem alike to you?

Made the hours of this night seem like him to you?

وهل ذا البُريْقُ التاحَ من نَحْوِ رامةٍ

وهل ذا البُريْقُ التاحَ من نَحْوِ رامةٍ

وإلّا فَلِمْ باتَتْ جفونُكَ تَرْعاهُ

وإلّا فَلِمْ باتَتْ جفونُكَ تَرْعاهُ

And did this little flash appear from the direction of Rāma?

Is this lingering fragrance from the direction of Ramma

If not, why have your eyelids watched it all night?

Or have your eyelids been keeping watch for him?

وهل ما سَرَتْ من نَسَمةٍ ريحُ أرْضِها

وهل ما سَرَتْ من نَسَمةٍ ريحُ أرْضِها

وإلّا فَهذا الجَوُّ تَعْبَقُ رَيَّاهُ

وإلّا فَهذا الجَوُّ تَعْبَقُ رَيَّاهُ

And was the breeze that drifted by night a wind from its land?

Was it a breeze from her land that blew by

If not, why is this air rich with its fragrance?

Or is it just that the air here bears her scent?

نَعمْ شاقَني سَلعٌ وذكرى عُهودِه

نَعمْ شاقَني سَلعٌ وذكرى عُهودِه

فآهٌ لأيامٍ تَقَضَّتْ بهِ آهُ

فآهٌ لأيامٍ تَقَضَّتْ بهِ آهُ

Yes, Salʿ and the memory of its bygone days have stirred my longing.

Yes, I pine for Sallu and the memory of our days together

Ah, for the days that passed there—ah!

Oh, for the days gone by with their sighs!

وما القَصْدُ سَلْعٌ أنْ نظرتَ ورامَةٌ

وما القَصْدُ سَلْعٌ أنْ نظرتَ ورامَةٌ

ولكنْ لِجَرِّي من غَدا فيهِ مثواهُ

ولكنْ لِجَرِّي من غَدا فيهِ مثواهُ

Yet Salʿ and Rāma are not my object, if you reflect,

It’s not that Sallu or Ramma when you look

But rather the one whose dwelling has come to be there.

But my soul has made its home in grieving for him

أُحِبُّ وَميضَ البرقِ قصْدَ جِهاتِه

أُحِبُّ وَميضَ البرقِ قصْدَ جِهاتِه

وأهْوى نَسِيْمَ الرِّيحِ مِن أجل مَسراهُ

وأهْوى نَسِيْمَ الرِّيحِ مِن أجل مَسراهُ

I love the flash of lightning toward his quarters,

I love the lightning flashing in his direction

And cherish the breeze for its nightly course.

And adore the wind blowing for his sake

وما بيَ إلّا نَظْرَةٌ حاجِريَّةٌ

وما بيَ إلّا نَظْرَةٌ حاجِريَّةٌ

رَمى سَهْمَها عَمداً فُؤادي فَأصْماهُ

رَمى سَهْمَها عَمداً فُؤادي فَأصْماهُ

Nothing ails me but a glance from Ḥājir:

I had but a single quick glance from her

He deliberately shot its arrow at my heart and slew it outright.

That deliberately shot its arrow into my heart, piercing it

حَسِبتُ اغتِراراً أنَّ جُنَّةَ صَبْرِهِ

حَسِبتُ اغتِراراً أنَّ جُنَّةَ صَبْرِهِ

تَقيهِ فأغشاهُ الَّذي كنتُ أخْشاهُ

تَقيهِ فأغشاهُ الَّذي كنتُ أخْشاهُ

I thought, deluded, that the shield of its patience

I foolishly thought that the armor of patience

Would protect it; but what I feared engulfed it.

Would protect him from what I had feared

أحِبَّةَ قَلْبي أهْلَ نَجْدٍ بِعَيْشِكُمْ

أحِبَّةَ قَلْبي أهْلَ نَجْدٍ بِعَيْشِكُمْ

تُرى يَبْلُغُ المُشْتاقُ ما يَتَمنَّاهُ

تُرى يَبْلُغُ المُشْتاقُ ما يَتَمنَّاهُ

O beloved ones of my heart, people of Najd, by your lives,

O beloved friends in Nejd, with your life

Will the yearning lover, I wonder, attain what he desires?

Can the ardent lover attain what he yearns for?

نَشدتُكُمُ العَهْدَ القَديمَ ترفَّقُوا

نَشدتُكُمُ العَهْدَ القَديمَ ترفَّقُوا

عَلى رَمَقٍ لم يَبْقَ مِنِّيَ إِلّاهُ

عَلى رَمَقٍ لم يَبْقَ مِنِّيَ إِلّاهُ

I implore you by the old covenant: be gentle

I implore you by our ancient pact—have mercy

With this last spark of life, the only thing left of me.

On a last gasp, all that remains of me

أعِندَكُم إن بِنْتُمُ أنَّ مُقْلَتي

أعِندَكُم إن بِنْتُمُ أنَّ مُقْلَتي

تَنامُ وأن الَقْلبَ تَسكُنُ بَلواهُ

تَنامُ وأن الَقْلبَ تَسكُنُ بَلواهُ

Do you think, if you depart, that my eye

Do you think my tears fall asleep

Will sleep, and that my heart's torment will subside?

While my heart is assuaged of its sorrows?

إذنْ قُرِّحَتْ عَيْني ولا قَرَّ خاطِري

إذنْ قُرِّحَتْ عَيْني ولا قَرَّ خاطِري

وكانَ حَسيبي أو حَسِيبَكمُ اللهُ

وكانَ حَسيبي أو حَسِيبَكمُ اللهُ

Then may my eye be ulcerated, and my mind find no rest,

So my eye was hurt and my mind unsettled

And may God be my judge—or yours.

And God was the Reckoner, mine and yours

قُضاةَ الهوى رِفْقاً بِشاكٍ بِكْم لَكُمْ

قُضاةَ الهوى رِفْقاً بِشاكٍ بِكْم لَكُمْ

ولولا انبتاتُ الصبر لم تبدُ شكواهُ

ولولا انبتاتُ الصبر لم تبدُ شكواهُ

O judges of love, be gentle with one complaining of you to you;

O judges of love—be gentle with a wretched lover,

And had his patience not broken, his complaint would not have shown.

If not for the shoots of patience, he’d have no complaints

ألا فارْحَمُوا ذا عِزَّةٍ ذَلَّ لِلْهَوى

ألا فارْحَمُوا ذا عِزَّةٍ ذَلَّ لِلْهَوى

وما كانَ يرْضَى قَطُّ بالذلِّ لَوْلاهُ

وما كانَ يرْضَى قَطُّ بالذلِّ لَوْلاهُ

Ah, have mercy on a man of dignity humbled by love,

Won’t you take pity on one once high now abased by love

Who would never accept humiliation, were it not for love.

Who never consented to disgrace but for it!

وعاذِلةٍ لم تَدْرِ قدرَ بَلِيَّتي

وعاذِلةٍ لم تَدْرِ قدرَ بَلِيَّتي

ألا بِدَمِ المُشتاقِ مَنْ ظلَّ يَلْحاهُ

ألا بِدَمِ المُشتاقِ مَنْ ظلَّ يَلْحاهُ

And many a reproachful woman knew not the depth of my affliction—

And a harsh beloved who does not know

Ah, whoever keeps reproaching him must answer for the yearning lover's blood.

The worth of my misery—not with the blood of the ardent has she tinted him!

أعاذِلَ لا عَيْنيكِ تَجْرحُ أدْمُعي

أعاذِلَ لا عَيْنيكِ تَجْرحُ أدْمُعي

ولا أنتِ تَلقَيْنَ الَّذي أنا ألقاهُ

ولا أنتِ تَلقَيْنَ الَّذي أنا ألقاهُ

O woman who chides me, my tears do not wound your eyes,

I blame not, neither your eyes that have wounded my tears

Nor do you suffer what I suffer.

Nor you, whom I meet with that blame

ذَريني لأَوْجالي فَرُوحي سَليمةٌ

ذَريني لأَوْجالي فَرُوحي سَليمةٌ

فربَّتما أعْدَى الطَّبيبَ مُعَنَّاهُ

فربَّتما أعْدَى الطَّبيبَ مُعَنَّاهُ

Leave me to my fears, and go your way unharmed,

Leave me to my ailments—my soul is unblemished

For often a patient has infected his physician.

Perhaps the cure will pain the doctor more!

خَليلَيَّ مِن نَجدٍ بِوُدِّكُما انْشَقا

خَليلَيَّ مِن نَجدٍ بِوُدِّكُما انْشَقا

نَسيمَ الصَّبا هَل عَطَّر البانُ ريَّاهُ

نَسيمَ الصَّبا هَل عَطَّر البانُ ريَّاهُ

My two friends, by your affection, breathe in from Najd

Two companions of mine from Nejd—with your love, cleave

The east wind's breeze—has the bān tree perfumed its scent?

Open the fragrant southerly breeze—did it perfume his cloak?

وهل جَرَّ أرْدانا على أجْرعِ الحِمى

وهل جَرَّ أرْدانا على أجْرعِ الحِمى

فأهْدَى تَحايا رَنْدِه وخُزاماهُ

فأهْدَى تَحايا رَنْدِه وخُزاماهُ

And has it trailed its sleeves over the protected pasture's sandy plain,

And did it drag its train on the cheeks of the fevered

And thus brought greetings from its bay trees and lavender?

Proffering its necklaces and bracelets as gifts?

ألا هَلْ إلىً نَجْدٍ سبيلٌ لِذي هَوىً

ألا هَلْ إلىً نَجْدٍ سبيلٌ لِذي هَوىً

سَقَى مَدْمعُ العُشَّاقِ نَجداً وحَيَّاهُ

سَقَى مَدْمعُ العُشَّاقِ نَجداً وحَيَّاهُ

Ah, is there a way to Najd for one in love?

Oh won’t someone find me a way back to Nejd

May lovers' tears water Najd and greet it.

The tears of lovers have watered it, giving it life!

ولا بَرحت أنْفاسُهُمْ تفضَحُ الصَّبا

ولا بَرحت أنْفاسُهُمْ تفضَحُ الصَّبا

هُبوباً لَدى أسحارِهِ وعَشاياهُ

هُبوباً لَدى أسحارِهِ وعَشاياهُ

And may their sighs never cease to shame the east wind,

Their souls never ceased disclosing to the morning breezes

In their blowing at its predawn hours and evenings.

Secrets at nightfall and dusk all around