من يشتري لِي أَشجانْ

من يشتري لِي أَشجانْ

أُضيفُها للأَحْزانْ

أُضيفُها للأَحْزانْ

Who will buy my sorrows for me?

Who will buy me sorrows

I would add them to all other sorrows,

that I may add them to my griefs

أُضرمها بِنيرانْ

أُضرمها بِنيرانْ

على فؤاد حرّان

على فؤاد حرّان

kindle them with flames

and kindle them with fires

upon a fevered heart—

upon a heart burning with thirst?

وهو فؤادي الحيران

وهو فؤادي الحيران

ويستحق الأَلْوانْ

ويستحق الأَلْوانْ

my own bewildered heart—

It is my bewildered heart,

which deserves every kind

and it deserves every kind

من النَّوى والهِجْرانْ

من النَّوى والهِجْرانْ

فَرَّط في غُصْنِ البَان

فَرَّط في غُصْنِ البَان

of separation and abandonment.

of separation and estrangement.

It was careless of the slender ben-tree bough,

It neglected the ban-tree’s bough,

ونامَ عنهُ أَوبَانْ

ونامَ عنهُ أَوبَانْ

كمِثْل فِعلِ رَضْوان

كمِثْل فِعلِ رَضْوان

while eyelids slept, heedless of it,

and Awban slept, heedless of him,

just as Riḍwān did

just as Ridwan did

إِذ بات وهْوَ وسْنان

إِذ بات وهْوَ وسْنان

ففرّ منه غَضْبَانْ

ففرّ منه غَضْبَانْ

when he spent the night drowsing:

when he spent the night drowsing:

an angry one fled from him,

so he fled from him in anger,

وفارَقَتْهُ الولْدَان

وفارَقَتْهُ الولْدَان

وصار ملْكي مَجَّان

وصار ملْكي مَجَّان

and the heavenly youths forsook him,

and the youths deserted him.

and what was mine became free for the taking.

And he became mine for nothing,

فظلْتُ عنه كسلانْ

فظلْتُ عنه كسلانْ

توثُّقاً واطمئنانْ

توثُّقاً واطمئنانْ

Thus I remained heedless of him, indolent,

so I remained heedless of him,

out of trust and complacent assurance,

feeling secure and reassured

من حُرْقَةٍ وحِرْمَانِ

من حُرْقَةٍ وحِرْمَانِ

فسرقتْهُ الجِيران

فسرقتْهُ الجِيران

safe, I thought, from searing anguish and deprivation.

against anguish and deprivation.

Then the neighbors stole him—

Then the neighbors stole him—

بل خطفته العُقْبَانْ

بل خطفته العُقْبَانْ

فابكوا مَعِي يا إِخوان

فابكوا مَعِي يا إِخوان

no, the eagles snatched him away.

nay, the eagles snatched him away.

So weep with me, brothers!

So weep with me, O brothers:

راح وخلَّى الخِلاَّن

راح وخلَّى الخِلاَّن

قَسَا وطالما لان

قَسَا وطالما لان

He departed and abandoned his intimates;

he has gone and left his dear friends.

he hardened, though for so long he had been tender.

He grew hard, though so often tender,

فراح كلُّ وَلْهان

فراح كلُّ وَلْهان

من الهمومِ ملآن

من الهمومِ ملآن

And every love-distraught soul became

so every love-dazed soul became

brimming with cares.

brimming with cares.

وللهمومِ طُغْيان

وللهمومِ طُغْيان

وفي الحشا حَرّان

وفي الحشا حَرّان

For sorrow holds tyrannous sway,

And cares run wild,

and the heart within is aflame.

and in the breast is burning thirst.

وتاب كلُّ ندمان

وتاب كلُّ ندمان

وعشَّئتْ في الأَدنان

وعشَّئتْ في الأَدنان

Every remorseful soul repented.

And every drinking companion repented,

Yet among the lowliest creatures there fell in love

and in the wine-jars nested

طيرُ بناتِ ورْدَان

طيرُ بناتِ ورْدَان

وخرَّسَتْ للعِيدان

وخرَّسَتْ للعِيدان

the winged daughters of Wardān—the cockroaches—

the winged daughters of Wardan—cockroaches.

and before the lutes fell silent

And in the lutes fell silent

فصاحةٌ وأَلحان

فصاحةٌ وأَلحان

وانهدّ ذاك البُنيان

وانهدّ ذاك البُنيان

eloquence and melodies.

eloquence and melodies.

That edifice collapsed.

And that edifice collapsed.

لا عجبَاً فالأَوطان

لا عجبَاً فالأَوطان

تَخْرَبُ بَعْد السّكان

تَخْرَبُ بَعْد السّكان

No wonder: homelands

No wonder, for homelands

fall to ruin after their inhabitants depart.

fall into ruin after their inhabitants leave.

وأَين أَين السُّلوانْ

وأَين أَين السُّلوانْ

وكيف كيف النِسْيان

وكيف كيف النِسْيان

Where—where is consolation?

And where, where is solace?

How—how can there be forgetting?

And how, how can one forget?

مالي على ذَا سلْطان

مالي على ذَا سلْطان

ولا عَلَى ذَا أَعوانْ

ولا عَلَى ذَا أَعوانْ

I have no power over this,

I have no power over this,

nor helpers against it;

nor any helpers in that.

بل لي عليه عَيْنَانْ

بل لي عليه عَيْنَانْ

تُذْري الدّموعَ عقْبان

تُذْري الدّموعَ عقْبان

I have only two eyes fixed upon it,

But I have two eyes for him,

pouring forth tears one after another.

scattering tears like eagles.

سبحان ربي سبحانْ

سبحان ربي سبحانْ

خالقِ غصنِ ريحان

خالقِ غصنِ ريحان

Glory be to my Lord—glory!

Glory to my Lord, glory!

Creator of a fragrant basil sprig

Creator of a sprig of basil

يحمل أَلف بستانْ

يحمل أَلف بستانْ

من الرُّواءِ رَيَانْ

من الرُّواءِ رَيَانْ

bearing a thousand gardens,

that bears a thousand gardens,

lush with fresh beauty.

drenched in loveliness.

الحسن فيه طوفانْ

الحسن فيه طوفانْ

والبدرُ منه غيْران

والبدرُ منه غيْران

Beauty is a deluge within him,

Beauty in him is a deluge,

and the full moon is jealous of him.

and the full moon envies him.

وكلَّ يوم في شانْ

وكلَّ يوم في شانْ

من الجَمال الفتان

من الجَمال الفتان

And every day he is in some state

And every day he has a new aspect

of captivating beauty.

of bewitching beauty.

وحسنُه والإِحسانْ

وحسنُه والإِحسانْ

كلاهما صَدِيقان

كلاهما صَدِيقان

His beauty and his graciousness

And his beauty and kindness

are both companions;

are friends, both of them.

ووجهُه كالإِيمان

ووجهُه كالإِيمان

أَشرَق فيه البُرْهان

أَشرَق فيه البُرْهان

his face is like faith,

And his face is like faith:

with proof shining forth within it.

the proof shines bright within it.

ويلي عليه وَيْلاَنْ

ويلي عليه وَيْلاَنْ

لو أَن إِلْفي قد خان

لو أَن إِلْفي قد خان

Woe is me for him—woe upon woe!

Woe is me for him—twofold woe!

Had it been my beloved who betrayed me,

Had my beloved betrayed me,

لكان أَمري قَدْ هانْ

لكان أَمري قَدْ هانْ

لكنَّ قَلْبي الخوّان

لكنَّ قَلْبي الخوّان

my plight would truly have been easy;

my plight would indeed have been easier.

but it was my own treacherous heart.

But my treacherous heart

جانبَ فِعْل الفتيان

جانبَ فِعْل الفتيان

وباعَه بِخُسران

وباعَه بِخُسران

It shunned the conduct of gallant youths

shunned the ways of gallant youths

and sold him at a loss.

and sold him at a loss.

ما كنتُ فيه إِنسانْ

ما كنتُ فيه إِنسانْ

ورحت عنْه عطشان

ورحت عنْه عطشان

In this I showed no humanity,

I was no man in that affair,

and I went away from him still thirsting,

and I departed from him thirsty,

كمثل ذاك الخفقان

كمثل ذاك الخفقان

ما كان ليت لا كانْ

ما كان ليت لا كانْ

like that very throbbing—

like that throbbing heart—

what happened—would that it never had!

what happened—would that it had never been!