طَائِرُ القَلبِ طار عن وكرِي

طَائِرُ القَلبِ طار عن وكرِي

مِن ثَنَايَا الضُّلُوع

مِن ثَنَايَا الضُّلُوع

The bird of my heart flew from my nest,

The bird of my heart flew from my nest

from the folds of the ribs.

From between my ribs

وَرَضَى بِالنَّوَى ولَم أدرِ

وَرَضَى بِالنَّوَى ولَم أدرِ

هَل لَهُ مِن رُجُوع

هَل لَهُ مِن رُجُوع

And it was content with separation, and I did not know

And was content with fate though I did not know

whether it would ever return.

If it would return

آه منِ لَوعَة بَرَدت كَبِدشي

آه منِ لَوعَة بَرَدت كَبِدشي

يَومَ حَثُّوا الرّكَاب

يَومَ حَثُّوا الرّكَاب

Ah, the anguish that wore away my liver,

Oh what burning anguish chilled its liver

on the day they urged the camels onward,

The day they hurried to saddle up

حِينَ بِعتٌُ الحِجَا يداً بيَدِ

حِينَ بِعتٌُ الحِجَا يداً بيَدِ

واشتَرَيتُ العَذَاب

واشتَرَيتُ العَذَاب

when I sold reason, hand to hand,

When the pilgrims were sold hand in hand

and bought torment.

And I bought torment

وَمَضَت مُهجَتِي بِلاَ قَوَدِ

وَمَضَت مُهجَتِي بِلاَ قَوَدِ

بَينَ تِلكَ القِبَاب

بَينَ تِلكَ القِبَاب

And my heart's blood was lost without requital

And my love went away without supplies

among those domed tents.

Between those tents

تَرَكُونِي مُلاَزِمَ الفِكرِ

تَرَكُونِي مُلاَزِمَ الفِكرِ

وَاقَِفاً بِالرّبُوع

وَاقَِفاً بِالرّبُوع

They left me bound to thought,

They left me absorbed in thought

standing at the encampments.

Standing at the hillsides

أسألُ الليلَ عن ضِيَا الفَجرِ

أسألُ الليلَ عن ضِيَا الفَجرِ

هَل لَهُ مِن طُلُوع

هَل لَهُ مِن طُلُوع

I ask the night about the dawn's light:

I ask the night about the light of dawn

will it ever rise?

Will it rise again

لاَ وَسِحرِ الجفونِ لم أنسَا

لاَ وَسِحرِ الجفونِ لم أنسَا

عَهدَنَا بِالحِمَى

عَهدَنَا بِالحِمَى

No, by the spell of eyelids, I have not forgotten

No, by the sorcery of eyelids I do not forget

our days in the sanctuary,

Our days of fever

إذ رَشَفنَا مُرَاشِفاً لُعسا

إذ رَشَفنَا مُرَاشِفاً لُعسا

وَاعتصَرنَا اللَّمَا

وَاعتصَرنَا اللَّمَا

when we sipped at dusky lips

When we lay close, sipping

and pressed out their dusky hue,

And squeezed the citrus

وَشَرِبنَا مِن كاسِها شَمسَا

وَشَرِبنَا مِن كاسِها شَمسَا

كُلِّلَت أَنجُمَا

كُلِّلَت أَنجُمَا

and drank a sun from its cup,

And drank from its cup, crowned

crowned with stars,

With stars

وفَنَائِي بِمُنيَةِ الصَّدرِ

وفَنَائِي بِمُنيَةِ الصَّدرِ

مَعَ ظَبيٍ مَرُوع

مَعَ ظَبيٍ مَرُوع

nor my loss of self at Munyat al-Sadr,

And my demise with the death of my chest

with a startled gazelle,

With a frightened gazelle

مايِسِ القَدّ نَاحِلِ الخِصر

مايِسِ القَدّ نَاحِلِ الخِصر

سَالِبٍ كُل رُوعٌ

سَالِبٍ كُل رُوعٌ

swaying in stature, slender of waist,

Weak in the knees and hips

stealing every heart.

Robbed of all calm

إي يَدُ البين صَيرت جسمي

إي يَدُ البين صَيرت جسمي

مَرتَعاً لِلسِّقَام

مَرتَعاً لِلسِّقَام

Yes, separation's hand made my body

Oh hand of separation you made my body

a pasture for sickness.

A pasture for sickness

صَيَّرَتنِي بِهِ قُوَى عَزمِي

صَيَّرَتنِي بِهِ قُوَى عَزمِي

حَابِساً للِغَرَام

حَابِساً للِغَرَام

Through it, my strength of will made me

You made me, with it, my strong will

a jailer of passion.

A prisoner of passion

صِحتُ مذ أنحَلَ الهَوَى رَسمِي

صِحتُ مذ أنحَلَ الهَوَى رَسمِي

طَامِعاً فِي السَّلاَم

طَامِعاً فِي السَّلاَم

I have cried out since love wasted my form,

I recovered when love's tattoo on me faded

hoping for peace:

Yearning for peace

شَفَّني الوَجدُ فاقبلوا عُذرِي

شَفَّني الوَجدُ فاقبلوا عُذرِي

وَاعدِلُوا بِالرّجُوع

وَاعدِلُوا بِالرّجُوع

Longing has worn me thin, so accept my excuse

Passion healed me so accept my apology

and do me justice by returning.

And return

وَمِنَ الوَجدِ هِمتُ لاَ أدرِي

وَمِنَ الوَجدِ هِمتُ لاَ أدرِي

لَذّةً لِلهُجُوع

لَذّةً لِلهُجُوع

And from longing I wandered, knowing no

And from passion I craved, not knowing

pleasure in sleep.

The joy of famishing

لاَ وَحَقّ الوِدَادِ لاَ أسلُو

لاَ وَحَقّ الوِدَادِ لاَ أسلُو

حُسن تِلكَ اللَّيال

حُسن تِلكَ اللَّيال

No, by love's sacred claim, I shall not forget

No, and by the sincerity of love, I won't forget

the beauty of those nights,

The beauty of those nights

إذ ثَوَينَا بِسَجعِهَا نَخلُو

إذ ثَوَينَا بِسَجعِهَا نَخلُو

لَم يَرُعنَا الزّوال

لَم يَرُعنَا الزّوال

when we dwelt amid their cooing, alone together;

When we rested in its valleys, alone

their passing did not frighten us.

Unworried by time

وَرَشَفنَا مَرَاشِفاً تَحلُو

وَرَشَفنَا مَرَاشِفاً تَحلُو

لَم تَدُم بِالمطَال

لَم تَدُم بِالمطَال

And we sipped at lips that tasted sweet,

And we lay close, sweetly

which did not keep us waiting.

Lasting endlessly

وَأدَرنا الأكواس مِن خمرٍ

وَأدَرنا الأكواس مِن خمرٍ

مَا يُثِيرُ الوُلُوع

مَا يُثِيرُ الوُلُوع

And we passed round cups of wine

And we passed cups of wine

that stirs ardent longing.

To awaken fervor

وَقَضَينَا مِن غَفلة الدّهرِ

وَقَضَينَا مِن غَفلة الدّهرِ

إرباً بِالرّبُوع

إرباً بِالرّبُوع

And, while Time was heedless, we fulfilled

And spent the heedlessness of time

a desire at the encampments.

Profitably at the hillsides