وَحياتكم يا ساكني أُمِّ القُرى

وَحياتكم يا ساكني أُمِّ القُرى

ما كانَ حبُّكمُ حَديثاً يُفترى

ما كانَ حبُّكمُ حَديثاً يُفترى

By your lives, O dwellers of Umm al-Qura,

By your lives, O dwellers of the mother of towns

my love for you was never a fabricated tale.

Your love was never false or made up

أَهوى ديارَكمُ الَّتي من حلَّها

أَهوى ديارَكمُ الَّتي من حلَّها

حلَّ الجنانَ بها وعلَّ الكوثرا

حلَّ الجنانَ بها وعلَّ الكوثرا

I love your dwellings, where whoever settles

I yearn for your abodes, from which

dwells there in Paradise's gardens and drinks deep of al-Kawthar.

Paradise itself came, and over which flowed Kauthar

واهاً لهنَّ منازِلاً ومراتعاً

واهاً لهنَّ منازِلاً ومراتعاً

تَرعى الظِباءَ بهنَّ آسادُ الشَرى

تَرعى الظِباءَ بهنَّ آسادُ الشَرى

Ah, for those dwellings and pastures,

Alas, what dwellings and meadows they were

where the lions of al-Shara tend the gazelles.

Where the gazelles grazed, prey to lions

إِن هزَّت الآرامُ سُمرَ قدودِها

إِن هزَّت الآرامُ سُمرَ قدودِها

هزَّت ضراغمُها الوَشيجَ الأَسمرا

هزَّت ضراغمُها الوَشيجَ الأَسمرا

If the white gazelles sway their tawny forms,

If the beautiful ones swayed their slender waists

their lions brandish the brown spears.

They would sway their braids, dark as the night

اِنظر بعينك هَل ترى فيها سوى

اِنظر بعينك هَل ترى فيها سوى

رشأً يَصيدُ بمقلَتيهِ قَسورا

رشأً يَصيدُ بمقلَتيهِ قَسورا

Look with your own eyes: do you see there anything but

Look with your eyes, do you see anything but

a gazelle fawn who hunts a lion with his two eyes,

A fawn who hunts lynxes with its eyelashes?

أو ليثِ عاديةٍ تنمَّر غائراً

أو ليثِ عاديةٍ تنمَّر غائراً

يَحمي بأَنياب الأَسِنَّة جؤذَرا

يَحمي بأَنياب الأَسِنَّة جؤذَرا

or a charging lion, turned leopard-fierce with jealousy,

Or a wild lioness lurking, baring

guarding an antelope calf with the fangs of spearheads?

Its sharp teeth to tear its prey asunder

اللَه أَكبرُ كم يَرُعنَ ومن رأى

اللَه أَكبرُ كم يَرُعنَ ومن رأى

تلك الجآذرَ وَالقساورَ كبَّرا

تلك الجآذرَ وَالقساورَ كبَّرا

God is greatest! How they inspire awe! And whoever sees

God is greatest! How much they grazed, and who saw

those antelope calves and lions proclaims, 'God is greatest!'

Those lynxes and lions declare "God is great!"

وَبمهجتي رشأٌ أَغنُّ إذا جفا

وَبمهجتي رشأٌ أَغنُّ إذا جفا

جفت العيونُ لصدِّه طيبَ الكرى

جفت العيونُ لصدِّه طيبَ الكرى

And I would give my lifeblood for a soft, nasal-voiced fawn; when he turns away,

In my soul there is a fawn whose song, when fate frowns

the eyes forsake sweet slumber at his rejection.

Revives the eyes though kin may be harsh

يوفي على الشمس المنيرة في الضحى

يوفي على الشمس المنيرة في الضحى

حُسناً إِذا حَسرَ اللثامَ وأَسفرا

حُسناً إِذا حَسرَ اللثامَ وأَسفرا

He surpasses the radiant sun at midmorning

It rivals the radiant sun at dawn

in beauty, when he draws back his face-veil and reveals his face.

In beauty, when it unveils itself from its veil

لَم يسلُ قَلبي عشقَ أَحمَرِ خدِّه

لَم يسلُ قَلبي عشقَ أَحمَرِ خدِّه

حَتّى أسال لي العذارَ الأَخضرا

حَتّى أسال لي العذارَ الأَخضرا

My heart did not forget its passion for the red of his cheek

My heart never asked to love his rosy cheek

until he let his green cheek-down flow for me.

Until I was pierced by love's green arrows

قال العَذولُ وقد أَطالَ مَلامَتي

قال العَذولُ وقد أَطالَ مَلامَتي

فيه ألا تُصغي فَقُلتُ أَلا تَرى

فيه ألا تُصغي فَقُلتُ أَلا تَرى

The reproacher said, after rebuking me at length

The critic chided me long for my love of him

over him, 'Will you not listen?' I said, 'Do you not see

"Won't you listen?" he asked. I said "Do you not see?

هَذا الَّذي جعلَ القُلوبَ لحسنه

هَذا الَّذي جعلَ القُلوبَ لحسنه

رِقّاً وما اِبتاعَ القُلوبَ ولا اِشتَرى

رِقّاً وما اِبتاعَ القُلوبَ ولا اِشتَرى

this one, who by his beauty has made hearts

He who made hearts tender for his beauty

slaves, though he has neither bought those hearts nor purchased them?'

Melting, though he never bought or traded hearts

لا وَالَّذي فتنَ العقولَ بحُسنِه

لا وَالَّذي فتنَ العقولَ بحُسنِه

ما اِرتابَ قَلبي في هواهُ ولا اِمترى

ما اِرتابَ قَلبي في هواهُ ولا اِمترى

No, by the one who bewitched minds with his beauty,

No, by Him who seduced minds with his beauty

my heart has neither doubted its love for him nor wavered.

My heart never doubted its love for him, nor strayed

فارقتُه كَرهاً وواصلتُ النَوى

فارقتُه كَرهاً وواصلتُ النَوى

قَسراً وأَضحى الصَبرُ مُنفصمَ العُرى

قَسراً وأَضحى الصَبرُ مُنفصمَ العُرى

I parted from him unwillingly and joined myself to separation,

I parted from him unwillingly, and ardently wished

under compulsion, and patience's bonds fell apart.

To meet him, while patience's reins were severed

لَم أَدرِ أَيُّ الغُصَّتين أسيغُها

لَم أَدرِ أَيُّ الغُصَّتين أسيغُها

إن عنَّ لي ذكرُ الفراق أَو اِعتَرى

إن عنَّ لي ذكرُ الفراق أَو اِعتَرى

I did not know which of the two choking griefs I could swallow,

I know not which grief is worse for me

if the thought of parting came to me or overtook me:

Longing's pangs, or parting's agonies

أَفراقَ إِلفي أم فراقَ مَواطني

أَفراقَ إِلفي أم فراقَ مَواطني

وَكلاهما لهبٌ بِقَلبيَ قد وَرى

وَكلاهما لهبٌ بِقَلبيَ قد وَرى

parting from my beloved, or parting from my native places?

Parting from one I love, or leaving my dwellings

And both are flames that have flared within my heart.

Both are flames scorching my heart that blaze

لِلَّه أَيّامي بمكّةَ والصبا

لِلَّه أَيّامي بمكّةَ والصبا

تهدي إلى فَوديَّ مِسكاً أَذفَرا

تهدي إلى فَوديَّ مِسكاً أَذفَرا

God bless my days in Mecca, when the east wind

By God, my days in Mecca and youth

brought richly fragrant musk to my two temples!

Bring musk to my love that wafts its fragrance

أَشري بكلِّ الدَهر منها ساعةً

أَشري بكلِّ الدَهر منها ساعةً

لَو أَنَّها مِمّا تُباع وَتُشتَرى

لَو أَنَّها مِمّا تُباع وَتُشتَرى

I would buy one hour of those days with all of time,

Of all time, I crave but an hour from them

if it were something that could be sold and bought.

Even if I had to buy it or barter for it