جَلَسْتُ بِبُسْتان الجليسِ ودَارهِ

جَلَسْتُ بِبُسْتان الجليسِ ودَارهِ

فَهَيَّج لي مِمَّا تناسَيْتُه ذِكْرَا

فَهَيَّج لي مِمَّا تناسَيْتُه ذِكْرَا

I sat in al-Jalis’s garden and his house,

I sat in the garden of my companion and his home

and it stirred in me a memory of what I had tried to forget.

So it stirred in me what I had forgotten to remember

وَسُقِّيتُ كَأْسَ النَّجْمِ سَاعَةَ ذِكْرِه

وَسُقِّيتُ كَأْسَ النَّجْمِ سَاعَةَ ذِكْرِه

فَلَمْ يَسْتَطعْ في ليْلِ هَمِّيَ مِنْ مَسْرى

فَلَمْ يَسْتَطعْ في ليْلِ هَمِّيَ مِنْ مَسْرى

And I was given the star’s cup to drink as I remembered him,

And I was served a cup of starlight in the hour of remembering him

yet it could make no journey through the night of my sorrow.

But it could not find in the night of my worry any comfort

فيا ساقِي الكأَسِ التي قَدْ شَرِبتها

فيا ساقِي الكأَسِ التي قَدْ شَرِبتها

رويدَك إِنَّ القلب في أُمَّةٍ أُخْرَى

رويدَك إِنَّ القلب في أُمَّةٍ أُخْرَى

So, O pourer of the cup that I have drunk,

O server of the cup I drank from

gently now: my heart is in another state.

Go gently, for my heart belongs to another nation

ويا أُفْقُ لو كانَ الحبيبُ مُضَاجِعِي

ويا أُفْقُ لو كانَ الحبيبُ مُضَاجِعِي

لما سأَلَتْكَ النفسُ أَنْ تُطْلِع البَدْرَا

لما سأَلَتْكَ النفسُ أَنْ تُطْلِع البَدْرَا

And O horizon, were my beloved lying beside me,

O horizon, if my beloved were lying next to me

my soul would not ask you to bring forth the full moon.

My soul would not have asked you to bring forth the full moon

ولو وُصِلَتْ سُودُ الليالي بِشَعره

ولو وُصِلَتْ سُودُ الليالي بِشَعره

لما خَشِيتْ مِنْ غَير غرَّته فَجْرا

لما خَشِيتْ مِنْ غَير غرَّته فَجْرا

And were the black nights joined to his hair,

If the blackness of the nights was connected to his hair

they would fear no dawn save from his radiant brow.

I would have feared no dawn but his dawn

تذكَّرتُ وَرْداً للحَبِيبِ محجَّباً

تذكَّرتُ وَرْداً للحَبِيبِ محجَّباً

يَمُدُّ عليه ظلُّ أَهْدَابِه سِتْرا

يَمُدُّ عليه ظلُّ أَهْدَابِه سِتْرا

I remembered the beloved’s veiled rose,

I remembered a rose belonging to the beloved, veiled

over which the shadow of his lashes spreads a veil.

Its petals cast a shadow covering it

فصرت أُجَارِي القَلْب مِن أَجْلِ ذِكْرِه

فصرت أُجَارِي القَلْب مِن أَجْلِ ذِكْرِه

فيقتلني ذِكْراً وأَقتله صَبْرا

فيقتلني ذِكْراً وأَقتله صَبْرا

So I began to contend with my heart because I remembered him;

So I started to race my heart because of remembering him

so it kills me with remembrance, and I kill it with endurance.

Remembrance kills me and I kill it with patience

أَقبِّل ذاك الطَّلَّ أَحْسَبُه اللَمى

أَقبِّل ذاك الطَّلَّ أَحْسَبُه اللَمى

وأَلثُم ذَاكَ الزَّهر أَحْسَبُه الثغرا

وأَلثُم ذَاكَ الزَّهر أَحْسَبُه الثغرا

I kiss that dew, taking it for his lips’ dusky hue,

I kiss that curve thinking it the beloved's cheek

and kiss that blossom, taking it for his mouth.

And I kiss that flower thinking it the beloved's mouth

وكم لاَئِمٍ لي في الَّذي قَدْ فَعَلْتُه

وكم لاَئِمٍ لي في الَّذي قَدْ فَعَلْتُه

وكم قائلٍ دَعْه لعلَّ لَهُ عُذْرا

وكم قائلٍ دَعْه لعلَّ لَهُ عُذْرا

And how many blame me for what I have done,

How many blame me for what I have done

and how many say, “Leave him; perhaps he has an excuse.”

And how many say leave him, perhaps he has an excuse

لأَجلِكَ يا من أَوْحشَ العينَ شَخْصُه

لأَجلِكَ يا من أَوْحشَ العينَ شَخْصُه

أَنِسْتُ بدمعٍ يَمْنَعُ العينَ أَن تَكْرَى

أَنِسْتُ بدمعٍ يَمْنَعُ العينَ أَن تَكْرَى

For your sake, O you whose form has left my eye desolate,

Because of you, whom your departure has saddened

I found solace in tears that keep my eye from sleeping.

I found comfort in tears that prevent the eyes from being wearied

وقاسيت مِنْكَ الغدرَ والهَجْرَ والقِلى

وقاسيت مِنْكَ الغدرَ والهَجْرَ والقِلى

وأَنفقْتُ منك الشعر والعمر والدهرا

وأَنفقْتُ منك الشعر والعمر والدهرا

And I endured from you betrayal, abandonment, and hatred,

And from you I suffered betrayal, abandonment, and paucity

and because of you I spent my poetry, my life, and all my time.

And spent on you poetry, life, and time

وأفلس طرفي حين أنفق دمعه

وأفلس طرفي حين أنفق دمعه

فأجرى فَمِي دَمْعاً يُسَمُّونَه شِعْرا

فأجرى فَمِي دَمْعاً يُسَمُّونَه شِعْرا

And my eye went bankrupt when it spent its tears,

My eyes went bankrupt when they spent their tears

so my mouth poured forth tears they call poetry.

So my mouth flowed with tears they call poetry

وفارقْتُ عزّاً بالشآم لأَلتَقي

وفارقْتُ عزّاً بالشآم لأَلتَقي

بِمِصْرَ الَّذي من حُسْنِهِ فَضَّلوا مِصْرَا

بِمِصْرَ الَّذي من حُسْنِهِ فَضَّلوا مِصْرَا

And I left honor in al-Sham to meet

And I left glory in Damascus to meet

in Egypt the one whose beauty led them to prefer Egypt.

Egypt, which in its beauty they preferred over Egypt

لئن طِبْتُ في مُسْتَنْزَهٍ لم تَكُنْ بِهِ

لئن طِبْتُ في مُسْتَنْزَهٍ لم تَكُنْ بِهِ

فلا زلتُ أَلْقى عِنْدَكَ الصَّدَّ والهَجْرَا

فلا زلتُ أَلْقى عِنْدَكَ الصَّدَّ والهَجْرَا

If ever I am happy in a pleasure-ground where you are not,

If I recovered in a garden where you were not

then may I always meet rejection and abandonment from you.

Still, I met with you only rejection and estrangement

فلو كنت في عَدْنٍ وأَنْتَ بِغَيرِها

فلو كنت في عَدْنٍ وأَنْتَ بِغَيرِها

وحُوشِيتُ آثرتُ الخروجَ إِلى بَرَّا

وحُوشِيتُ آثرتُ الخروجَ إِلى بَرَّا

For if I were in Eden while you were elsewhere,

If I were in Eden while you were elsewhere

(may I be spared that), I would choose to go outside.

In my loneliness, I would prefer to go out to the wild

ولو كنتُ في بُصْرى وَحَسْبُك لم أَقُلْ

ولو كنتُ في بُصْرى وَحَسْبُك لم أَقُلْ

أَيا بَصَري لا تنظرنَّ إِلى بُصْرَى

أَيا بَصَري لا تنظرنَّ إِلى بُصْرَى

And were I in Busra—let that suffice you—I would not say:

If I were in Basra while you were not, I would not say

“O my sight, never look toward Busra.”

O Basra, do not look upon Basra