أُودِّعُ منك الصَّدرَ والبدْرَ والبَحْرَا

أُودِّعُ منك الصَّدرَ والبدْرَ والبَحْرَا

وأَوُدع قَلْبي بَعْد فُرْقَتِكَ الجَمْرا

وأَوُدع قَلْبي بَعْد فُرْقَتِكَ الجَمْرا

In you I bid farewell to the chief, the full moon, and the sea.

I bid farewell to your chest, the full moon, and the sea,

And after parting from you, I lodge embers in my heart.

And I bid farewell to my heart after our separation, a burning coal.

أَذمُّ مسيري عَنْك حِين حمِدتُه

أَذمُّ مسيري عَنْك حِين حمِدتُه

إِليك ولولا أَنت لَمْ أَحْمَد المَسْرى

إِليك ولولا أَنت لَمْ أَحْمَد المَسْرى

I condemn my journey away from you, though I praised it

I blame my journey away from you, though I had praised it

Toward you; but for you, I would not have praised the night journey.

To reach you, without you I would not have praised the journey.

سأَعْدِم صَبْرِي حين آتي مودِّعاً

سأَعْدِم صَبْرِي حين آتي مودِّعاً

وأَغْدُو كمُوسى حين لم يَسْتَطِع صَبْرا

وأَغْدُو كمُوسى حين لم يَسْتَطِع صَبْرا

I shall lose my patience when I come to bid farewell,

I will lose my patience when I come to bid farewell,

And become like Moses when he could not remain patient.

And I will be like Moses when he could not bear to be patient.

لأَنْسَيْتَني أَهْلِي وَمَا زِلْتُ نَاسِياً

لأَنْسَيْتَني أَهْلِي وَمَا زِلْتُ نَاسِياً

لِنِسْيَانِهِمْ أَو ذاكراً لهمُ ذِكْرا

لِنِسْيَانِهِمْ أَو ذاكراً لهمُ ذِكْرا

You have indeed made me forget my family, and I remain forgetful

You made me forget my family though I was still forgetting them,

Of having forgotten them, or mindful of them in recollection.

Either forgetting them or remembering them with remembrance.

وعوّضتَني عَنْ منزلٍ بمنازلٍ

وعوّضتَني عَنْ منزلٍ بمنازلٍ

وأَبْدَلْتني مِنْ والدٍ والداً برَّا

وأَبْدَلْتني مِنْ والدٍ والداً برَّا

And you compensated me for one home with many homes,

And you substituted for me a home with homes,

And gave me, in place of a father, a kindly father.

And replaced for me a father with a dutiful father.

حَلاَ في ذُارَكَ الْعَيْشُ أَو خلته لمىً

حَلاَ في ذُارَكَ الْعَيْشُ أَو خلته لمىً

ورقَّ إِلى أَن كِدْتُ أَحْسَبُه خَصْرا

ورقَّ إِلى أَن كِدْتُ أَحْسَبُه خَصْرا

Life grew sweet in your shelter—or I fancied it the dusky tint of lips,

Life turned sweet in your company, or you made it a tender young branch,

And grew so delicate that I almost took it for a waist.

It flowed until I almost thought it was a wrist.

رماني إِليك الدَّهرُ حتَّى لو أَنَّني

رماني إِليك الدَّهرُ حتَّى لو أَنَّني

ظفِرْتُ بكفِّ الدَّهر قبَّلتها عَشْرَا

ظفِرْتُ بكفِّ الدَّهر قبَّلتها عَشْرَا

Time cast me toward you, so that, if I

Fate cast me to you until if I grasped the palm of fate,

Could grasp Time's hand, I would kiss it ten times.

I would have kissed it ten times.

ظَمِئت إِلى شُكرٍ يَقُومُ بِحَقِّهِ

ظَمِئت إِلى شُكرٍ يَقُومُ بِحَقِّهِ

وأَعْجِبْ بظمآنٍ وقد جاوز البَحْرَا

وأَعْجِبْ بظمآنٍ وقد جاوز البَحْرَا

I thirsted for gratitude that would do him justice,

I thirsted to give thanks befitting it,

And marvel at a thirsty man who has already crossed the sea!

And I was amazed by a thirst that crossed the sea.

فإِن غبتُ فاذكرني فإِنِّيَ مؤمنٌ

فإِن غبتُ فاذكرني فإِنِّيَ مؤمنٌ

ولا مؤمنٌ إِلاَّ وتَنْفعُه الذِّكْرَى

ولا مؤمنٌ إِلاَّ وتَنْفعُه الذِّكْرَى

So if I am absent, remember me, for I am a believer,

So if I am absent remember me, for I am a believer,

And there is no believer whom remembrance does not benefit.

No believer except remembrance benefits him.