رحلوا فلستُ مسائِلاً عن دَارِهمْ

رحلوا فلستُ مسائِلاً عن دَارِهمْ

أَنا باخِعٌ نَفْسِي على آثارِهم

أَنا باخِعٌ نَفْسِي على آثارِهم

They have departed, so I do not ask about their dwelling.

They departed, so I no longer ask about their homes

I am grieving myself to death over their traces,

I tread my own soul in their footsteps

أَسفاً لأَنْ بَانَ الذين قُدُودُهم

أَسفاً لأَنْ بَانَ الذين قُدُودُهم

من بَانِهم وخدُودُهم مِنْ نَارِهمْ

من بَانِهم وخدُودُهم مِنْ نَارِهمْ

In sorrow that those have departed whose slender forms

Lamenting that those whose necks were long are gone

Are of their bān trees, and whose cheeks are of their fire.

Whose necks and cheeks were of their fires

ودموع عيني بل عيونُ مدَامِعي

ودموع عيني بل عيونُ مدَامِعي

لجوارِ حُسْنِهمُ وحُسنِ جِوارِهمْ

لجوارِ حُسْنِهمُ وحُسنِ جِوارِهمْ

And my eye's tears—rather, the springs of my tears—

And tears of my eyes, nay the eyes of my tear ducts

Are for nearness to their beauty, and the beauty of their nearness.

For the company of their beauty and the beauty of their company

عهدي بهم والدّر من حَصْبَائِهم

عهدي بهم والدّر من حَصْبَائِهم

في الدَّار والياقوتُ من أَحجارهم

في الدَّار والياقوتُ من أَحجارهم

I remember them when pearls were among their pebbles

My pact with them, and pearls from their sea shells

In the dwelling, and rubies among their stones.

In the house, and ruby from their stones

والمسكُ والكافورُ تُرْبَةُ أَرضِهم

والمسكُ والكافورُ تُرْبَةُ أَرضِهم

فيها وماءُ الورد من أَنْهارِهم

فيها وماءُ الورد من أَنْهارِهم

And musk and camphor were the soil of their land

And musk and camphor, the dust of their land

There, and rosewater came from their rivers.

In it, and the water of roses from their rivers

لا ينظر البَدْرُ المنيرُ إِليهمُ

لا ينظر البَدْرُ المنيرُ إِليهمُ

حَذَراً على عَيْنيه من أَنْوَارِهِم

حَذَراً على عَيْنيه من أَنْوَارِهِم

The radiant full moon does not look at them,

The shining full moon does not look upon them

For fear their radiance might harm its eyes.

Fearing for its eyes from their lights

ولقد رأَيتُ الشَّمسَ منها كُوّرت

ولقد رأَيتُ الشَّمسَ منها كُوّرت

من بعد أَنْ ركبوا على أَكْوارِهم

من بعد أَنْ ركبوا على أَكْوارِهم

And indeed I saw the sun rolled up because of those lights,

And I saw the sun folded away from it

After they had mounted their camel saddles.

After they rode on their Notus winds

شَرِهَتْ نَوَاهُم فاغْتَدَتْ بِرجالهم

شَرِهَتْ نَوَاهُم فاغْتَدَتْ بِرجالهم

ونِسائهم وصغارِهم وكبارِهم

ونِسائهم وصغارِهم وكبارِهم

Their separation grew ravenous, then breakfasted on their men,

Their departure wrenched away their men

And their women, their young, and their old,

And their women, children and elders

وخيولِهم وجمالِهم وقِطاطِهم

وخيولِهم وجمالِهم وقِطاطِهم

وكِلابهم وعبيدِهم وجِوارهم

وكِلابهم وعبيدِهم وجِوارهم

And their horses, their camels, and their cats,

And their horses, camels and kittens

And their dogs, their male slaves, and their slave girls.

And their dogs, slaves and neighbors

حمَّ النَّسيمُ لبُعْدِهمْ فكأَنَّما

حمَّ النَّسيمُ لبُعْدِهمْ فكأَنَّما

خَلَعوا هواجَرهم على أَسْحَارِهم

خَلَعوا هواجَرهم على أَسْحَارِهم

The breeze grew feverish at their absence, as though

The breeze blew hot for their absence as though

They had cast their midday heat upon their hours before dawn.

They had taken off their veils at dawn

ولبُعْدهم طالت ذوائبُ ليلِهم

ولبُعْدهم طالت ذوائبُ ليلِهم

فيها يُغَطَّى نورُ وجه نهارهم

فيها يُغَطَّى نورُ وجه نهارهم

And in their absence the tresses of their night grew long;

And for their absence, the tresses of their night lengthened

Within them, the light of their day's face is veiled.

In which the light of their day is covered

والعاشِقُ المسكينُ في أَطْلالِهم

والعاشِقُ المسكينُ في أَطْلالِهم

مِثْلُ المنَاطِق جُلنْ في أَخْصَارِهم

مِثْلُ المنَاطِق جُلنْ في أَخْصَارِهم

And the wretched lover among their ruins

And the lovesick poor soul among their ruins

Is like the girdles that circled their waists.

Is like the girdled, wrapped in their bosoms

يأتي ويذهبُ آيساً أَو راجِياً

يأتي ويذهبُ آيساً أَو راجِياً

لمَزارِ قُرْبهمُ وقُرْبِ مَزارِهم

لمَزارِ قُرْبهمُ وقُرْبِ مَزارِهم

He comes and goes, despairing or hopeful,

Coming and going, hopeless or hopeful

For a visit to their vicinity, and nearness to their visiting-place.

For the sanctuary of their nearness and the nearness of their sanctuary

وتجول لوعتُه عِرَاصَ بيُوتهم

وتجول لوعتُه عِرَاصَ بيُوتهم

وتجوسُ دمعتُه خِلاَلَ دِيارِهم

وتجوسُ دمعتُه خِلاَلَ دِيارِهم

And his anguish roams the courtyards of their houses,

Her craving wandered through their homes

And his tear prowls through their dwellings.

And her tear crept through their dwellings

يبكي فلا تَسْأَلْه عن أَخباره

يبكي فلا تَسْأَلْه عن أَخباره

وَلَهاً إِذا سأَلُوه عَنْ أَخْبَارِهِم

وَلَهاً إِذا سأَلُوه عَنْ أَخْبَارِهِم

He weeps—so do not ask him how he fares—

Crying, do not ask him for news

Distraught whenever they ask him for news of them.

Delirious when they ask about their news

ومليحةٍ في الظَّاعنين مَليّةٍ

ومليحةٍ في الظَّاعنين مَليّةٍ

للعاشِقِين ببرّهِمْ وبَوَارِهمْ

للعاشِقِين ببرّهِمْ وبَوَارِهمْ

And a beauty among the departing, well able

And a beautiful doe, twisting among the restless

To grant her lovers kindness and ruin.

For lovers, in their righteousness and devotion

فوصالُها لنعيمِهم وصدودُها

فوصالُها لنعيمِهم وصدودُها

لشقائِهم ورحيلُها لدمَارهم

لشقائِهم ورحيلُها لدمَارهم

So union with her brings them bliss, and her turning away

For union with them is bliss, and her rejection

Brings them misery, and her departure brings their destruction.

Is misery, and her departure their ruin

وإِذا هيَ اسْتترتْ صدوداً عَنْهمُ

وإِذا هيَ اسْتترتْ صدوداً عَنْهمُ

فانظرْ لما هَتَكَتْهُ من أَسْتَارِهم

فانظرْ لما هَتَكَتْهُ من أَسْتَارِهم

And when she veils herself, turning away from them,

And if she hid from them in rejection

Then look at the veils of theirs she has torn away.

Look what she tore away from their veils

لا ينقضي يوْمٌ لها لَمَّا نَأَتْ

لا ينقضي يوْمٌ لها لَمَّا نَأَتْ

إِلاَّ وقَد أَخذَتْه من أَعمَارِهم

إِلاَّ وقَد أَخذَتْه من أَعمَارِهم

No day passes for her, since she went far away,

No day passes for her, but she takes

Without her having taken it from their lifespans.

From their lifespans when she comes

وغدت تحدِّث عنهمُ أِشعارُهم

وغدت تحدِّث عنهمُ أِشعارُهم

فيها بما كَتَمُوه من أَسْرَارِهم

فيها بما كَتَمُوه من أَسْرَارِهم

And their poems have come to speak of them,

And their poetry started telling about them

About her, revealing the secrets they concealed.

What they had concealed of their secrets

أَنا شيخُهم في عِشْقِها وعَليَّ قد

أَنا شيخُهم في عِشْقِها وعَليَّ قد

قَرَءوا الذَّي نَظَمُوهُ من أَشْعارِهم

قَرَءوا الذَّي نَظَمُوهُ من أَشْعارِهم

I am their master in loving her, and to me they have

I am their elder in loving her, and they read to me

Recited the poems they composed.

What they composed of their poetry

أَمنوا انبساطَ العَذْل من عذَّالِهم

أَمنوا انبساطَ العَذْل من عذَّالِهم

ثِقَةً بما بَسَطُوه من أَعْذَارهِمْ

ثِقَةً بما بَسَطُوه من أَعْذَارهِمْ

They felt safe from their reproachers' outpouring of blame,

Trusting the loosening of the scolder’s knot from their scolders

Trusting in the excuses they had laid out.

In what they presented of their excuses

لم يُقْبل العذَّال لمّا أَقْبلُوا

لم يُقْبل العذَّال لمّا أَقْبلُوا

لكِنَّهم ولَّوْا على أَدْبَارِهم

لكِنَّهم ولَّوْا على أَدْبَارِهم

The reproachers were not received when they approached,

The scolder did not accept when they came near

But they turned their backs and went away.

But they turned their backs