بَكَيتُكِ بالْعَينِ التي أَنْتِ أُختُها

بَكَيتُكِ بالْعَينِ التي أَنْتِ أُختُها

وشمسُ الضحى تبكيك إِذ أَنتِ بنتُها

وشمسُ الضحى تبكيك إِذ أَنتِ بنتُها

I wept for you with the eye whose sister you are;

I wept for you with the eye whose sister you are;

and the noonday sun weeps for you, since you are her daughter.

and the midmorning sun weeps for you, for you are her daughter.

وتَضحَكُ غِزْلانُ الفَلاةِ لأَنَّني

وتَضحَكُ غِزْلانُ الفَلاةِ لأَنَّني

بعينيك لمَّا أَنْ نظرتُ فضحْتُها

بعينيك لمَّا أَنْ نظرتُ فضحْتُها

The gazelles of the wilderness laugh, because I—

And the gazelles of the wilderness laugh, because I,

when I looked with your eyes—put them to shame.

when I gazed, put them to shame with your eyes.

ويا منيةً يا ليتني لم أَفز بها

ويا منيةً يا ليتني لم أَفز بها

وأمنيةً يا لَيْتَني ما بلغْتُها

وأمنيةً يا لَيْتَني ما بلغْتُها

O heart’s desire, would that I had never won her!

And O heart's desire—if only I had never won her,

O cherished wish, would that I had never attained her!

and cherished hope—if only I had never attained her.

شهدْتُ بأَنيَّ فيك أَلأَمُ ثاكل

شهدْتُ بأَنيَّ فيك أَلأَمُ ثاكل

لليلةِ بَيْن مِتِّ فيها وعشتُها

لليلةِ بَيْن مِتِّ فيها وعشتُها

I bear witness that I suffer the anguish of one bereaved

I bear witness that in your loss I am the basest of bereaved parents,

because of a night in which I both died and lived.

for you died on the night of parting, and I lived through it.

أَفادِيتي يا ليت أَنِّي فديتُها

أَفادِيتي يا ليت أَنِّي فديتُها

وسابقتي يا ليت أَنِّي سَبَقْتُها

وسابقتي يا ليت أَنِّي سَبَقْتُها

Did you ransom me? Ah, would that I had ransomed her!

O you who ransomed me—if only I had ransomed her;

She outstripped me—ah, would that I had preceded her!

and you who went before me—if only I had gone before her.

وقد كنتِ عندي نعمةً وكأَنني

وقد كنتِ عندي نعمةً وكأَنني

وقد عِشْتُ يوماً بعدها قد كفرتُها

وقد عِشْتُ يوماً بعدها قد كفرتُها

You were indeed a blessing in my keeping, and it is as though I—

And you were a blessing to me, and it is as though I,

having lived one day after her—have denied that blessing.

having lived a day after her, had been ungrateful for it.

وما بال نفسي فيِك ما كان بخْتُها

وما بال نفسي فيِك ما كان بخْتُها

مماتي لمَّا لم يَعِش مِنْك بختُها

مماتي لمَّا لم يَعِش مِنْك بختُها

What ails my soul? Why was it not its good fortune in you

What ails my soul, that in losing you its lot was not

to die when you died, since none of its good fortune in you survived?

my death, when its share of you did not survive?

نعَمْ كبِدي لا وَجْنتي مُذْ لطمْتُها

نعَمْ كبِدي لا وَجْنتي مُذْ لطمْتُها

عليكِ وعيشي لا ثيابي شققْتُها

عليكِ وعيشي لا ثيابي شققْتُها

Yes, it was my heart’s core—not my cheek—that I struck

Yes, it is my liver, not my cheek, that has borne my blows

for you; and my life—not my garments—that I tore apart.

in mourning you; and my life, not my clothes, that I have torn.

أَيا دهر قد أَوجَدتْني مُذْ وَجدتها

أَيا دهر قد أَوجَدتْني مُذْ وَجدتها

فما لك لا أَعْدمْتني إِذْ عَدِمتُها

فما لك لا أَعْدمْتني إِذْ عَدِمتُها

O Time, you brought me into being when I found her;

O Time, you brought me into being when I found her;

why did you not annihilate me when I lost her?

so why did you not unmake me when I lost her?

تطلَّبتها من ناظِرِي بعد فقدِها

تطلَّبتها من ناظِرِي بعد فقدِها

فضَاعَتْ ولكن في فؤادِي وَجدْتُها

فضَاعَتْ ولكن في فؤادِي وَجدْتُها

After losing her, I sought her within my very sight;

I sought her in my eye after losing her;

I redoubled my search, yet found her in my heart.

she was lost, but I found her in my heart.

ثكلتكِ بدراً في فؤادِي شروقُه

ثكلتكِ بدراً في فؤادِي شروقُه

وفاكهةً في جنةِ الخلد نبْتُها

وفاكهةً في جنةِ الخلد نبْتُها

I lost you—a full moon whose rising was in my heart,

I lost you—a full moon rising in my heart,

a fruit whose growth was in the Garden of Eternity.

and a fruit growing in the Garden of Eternity.

على رغْمِها خانتْ عُهُودِي وإِنَّه

على رغْمِها خانتْ عُهُودِي وإِنَّه

جزاءٌ لأَنِّي كمْ وفتْ لي وخنتُها

جزاءٌ لأَنِّي كمْ وفتْ لي وخنتُها

Against her will, she broke her covenants with me; and that

Against her will she broke faith with me; and this indeed

is just recompense—for how often she was faithful while I betrayed her.

is repayment, for how often she was true to me, and I betrayed her.

وأَنفقتُ من تِبْرِ المدامِع للأَسى

وأَنفقتُ من تِبْرِ المدامِع للأَسى

كنوزاً لهذا اليوم كُنْتُ ذخَرْتُها

كنوزاً لهذا اليوم كُنْتُ ذخَرْتُها

In sorrow I spent, from the pure gold of tears,

And in grief I spent, from the gold dust of tears,

treasures I had stored up for this day.

treasures I had stored for this day.

وسَالت على خدَّيَّ م لوْعَة الجَوى

وسَالت على خدَّيَّ م لوْعَة الجَوى

سيُولُ دموع خُضْتُها ثم عُمْتُها

سيُولُ دموع خُضْتُها ثم عُمْتُها

Down my cheeks, from the burning anguish of consuming grief, flowed

And down my cheeks flowed, from the searing ache of grief,

torrents of tears that I waded through, then swam.

torrents of tears I waded through, then swam in.

لآلئُ دمعي من لآلئَ ثغْرها

لآلئُ دمعي من لآلئَ ثغْرها

ففي وَقْتِ لثْمي كُنْتُ منهُ سرقتُها

ففي وَقْتِ لثْمي كُنْتُ منهُ سرقتُها

The pearls of my tears came from the pearls of her mouth:

The pearls of my tears are from the pearls of her mouth;

when I kissed her, I had stolen them from there.

for I had stolen them from it as I kissed.

قد اعتذرت نفسي بأَنَّ بقاءَها

قد اعتذرت نفسي بأَنَّ بقاءَها

لتندَبها لكنَّني ما عَذرتُها

لتندَبها لكنَّني ما عَذرتُها

My soul pleaded that its survival was

My soul has pleaded in excuse that it remains alive

so that it might mourn her—but I did not excuse it.

to lament her, but I have not excused it.

وجُهْدِي إِمَّا زفرةٌ قد حَبَسْتُها

وجُهْدِي إِمَّا زفرةٌ قد حَبَسْتُها

عَلْيها وإِمَّا دمْعةٌ قد سَكبْتُها

عَلْيها وإِمَّا دمْعةٌ قد سَكبْتُها

All I can manage is either a sigh I have stifled

And all I can muster is either a sigh I have stifled

for her, or else a tear I have shed.

over her, or a tear I have shed.

أَصارتْ حصاة القلبِ مني حقيقةً

أَصارتْ حصاة القلبِ مني حقيقةً

حصاةً لأَنِّي بعدها قد نَبَذْتُها

حصاةً لأَنِّي بعدها قد نَبَذْتُها

Has my heart’s hard core truly become

Has my heart's core truly become

a pebble—a pebble because, after her, I cast it away?

a pebble, since after her I have cast it away?

ومعشوقةٍ لي لسْتُ أَعشقُ بَعدها

ومعشوقةٍ لي لسْتُ أَعشقُ بَعدها

نعَمْ لي أُخرى بَعْدها قد عشِقْتُها

نعَمْ لي أُخرى بَعْدها قد عشِقْتُها

She was a beloved: after her I love no one—

And a beloved of mine—I love no one after her;

yes, I have another whom, after her, I have come to love:

yes, I have another, whom I have loved after her.

عَشِقْتُ على رَغْم الحياةِ مَنيَّتي

عَشِقْتُ على رَغْم الحياةِ مَنيَّتي

تراني لمَّا أَن عَشِقْتُ أَغرْتُها

تراني لمَّا أَن عَشِقْتُ أَغرْتُها

against life’s will, I fell in love with my death;

I have fallen in love with my death, in defiance of life;

you see me—when I loved death, I made life jealous.

do you think that, when I fell in love, I made her jealous?

أَزورُ فؤادِي كلما اشْتقْتُ قبْرها

أَزورُ فؤادِي كلما اشْتقْتُ قبْرها

غرَاماً لأَني في فؤادِي دفنْتُها

غرَاماً لأَني في فؤادِي دفنْتُها

Whenever I long for her grave, I visit my heart,

I visit my heart whenever I long for her grave,

out of ardent love—for it was in my heart that I buried her.

out of love, for I buried her in my heart.

وأَشرَقُ بالماءِ الَّذي قد شربتُهُ

وأَشرَقُ بالماءِ الَّذي قد شربتُهُ

وما شرَقي إِلاَّ لأَنِّي ذكرْتُها

وما شرَقي إِلاَّ لأَنِّي ذكرْتُها

I drink from the water that she once drank,

And I choke on the water I have drunk;

and I choke only because I remember her.

and I choke only because I have remembered her.

وأَمْنحُها نفْسِي ورُوحي وأَدْمُعِي

وأَمْنحُها نفْسِي ورُوحي وأَدْمُعِي

ولو طلبتْ مني الزِّيادَةَ زِدْتُها

ولو طلبتْ مني الزِّيادَةَ زِدْتُها

I offer her my soul, my spirit, and my tears;

And I give her myself, my soul, and my tears;

and if she asked me for more, I would give her more.

and if she asked more of me, I would give her more.

محاسِنُها تحت الثرى ما تغَيبت

محاسِنُها تحت الثرى ما تغَيبت

كذا بجَناني لا بعَقْليَ خِلْتُها

كذا بجَناني لا بعَقْليَ خِلْتُها

Her beauties have never vanished beneath the earth;

Her beauties have not vanished beneath the soil;

thus I picture her with my heart, not my reason.

thus I imagined her with my heart, not my reason.

ولو بَلِيت تلك الحُلى وتنكَّرتْ

ولو بَلِيت تلك الحُلى وتنكَّرتْ

وأَبصرتَها بعد البلى لعرَفْتُها

وأَبصرتَها بعد البلى لعرَفْتُها

Even if those ornaments decayed and became unrecognizable,

And even if those adornments decayed and grew unrecognizable,

were I to see her after decay, I would know her.

and you beheld her after decay, I would recognize her.

يُريني خيالي شخْصَها وبهاءَها

يُريني خيالي شخْصَها وبهاءَها

ونضْرتَها حتى كأَنِّي نظرْتُها

ونضْرتَها حتى كأَنِّي نظرْتُها

My imagination shows me her form and her splendor,

My imagination shows me her form and her splendor,

her radiance, until it is as though I see her.

and her freshness, until it is as though I have seen her.

غدتْ في ثرَاها عَاطِلاً وبجيدِها

غدتْ في ثرَاها عَاطِلاً وبجيدِها

عقودُ لآلٍ من دُمُوعِي نظمْتُها

عقودُ لآلٍ من دُمُوعِي نظمْتُها

In her earth she has become unadorned, yet around her neck

She lies unadorned in her earth, yet around her neck

are strings of pearls from my tears, which I have threaded.

are necklaces of pearls I have strung from my tears.

فيَا لحدَها يا ليت أَنِّي سَكنْتُه

فيَا لحدَها يا ليت أَنِّي سَكنْتُه

وأَكْفانَها يا ليْتَ أَنِّي لبسْتُها

وأَكْفانَها يا ليْتَ أَنِّي لبسْتُها

O her grave—would that I had dwelt in it!

So, O her grave's niche—if only I had dwelt in it;

O her shrouds—would that I had worn them!

and her shrouds—if only I had worn them.

فلا تجحدي إِن قلت قبرُك جَنَّةٌ

فلا تجحدي إِن قلت قبرُك جَنَّةٌ

فرائحةُ الفردوسِ منه شمَمْتُها

فرائحةُ الفردوسِ منه شمَمْتُها

So do not deny it when I say: your grave is a garden;

So do not deny it if I say your grave is a paradise;

for from it I have breathed the fragrance of Paradise.

for from it I have smelled the fragrance of Paradise.