أَتانِيَ عَن مَروانَ بِالغَيبِ أَنَّهُ

أَتانِيَ عَن مَروانَ بِالغَيبِ أَنَّهُ

مُقيدٌ دَمي أَو قاطِعٌ مِن لِسانِيا

مُقيدٌ دَمي أَو قاطِعٌ مِن لِسانِيا

Word reached me by hearsay about Marwan: he

News of Marwan came to me from afar that he

would take my blood in retribution, or cut off part of my tongue.

Has fettered my blood or cut out my tongue

فَفي العيسِ مَنجاةٌ وَفي الأَرضِ مَذهَبٌ

فَفي العيسِ مَنجاةٌ وَفي الأَرضِ مَذهَبٌ

إِذا نَحنُ رَفَّعنا لَهُنَّ المَثانِيا

إِذا نَحنُ رَفَّعنا لَهُنَّ المَثانِيا

In the pale camels there is escape, and in the earth a way out,

So in Jesus there is salvation, and on earth there is refuge

when we raise the doubled reins for them.

When we lift up the skirts for them

وَرَدَّ الهَوى أُثنانُ حَتّى اِستَفَزَّني

وَرَدَّ الهَوى أُثنانُ حَتّى اِستَفَزَّني

مِنَ الحُبِّ مَعطوفُ الهَوى مِن بِلادِيا

مِنَ الحُبِّ مَعطوفُ الهَوى مِن بِلادِيا

And Uthnan rekindled longing, until I was driven

And desire brought the two of us together until it provoked me

from my homeland by love's returning passion.

The confidant of love from my country

أَقولُ لِداعي الحُبِّ وَالحِجرُ بَينَنا

أَقولُ لِداعي الحُبِّ وَالحِجرُ بَينَنا

وَوادي القُرى لَبَّيكَ لَمّا دَعانِيا

وَوادي القُرى لَبَّيكَ لَمّا دَعانِيا

I say to love's caller—with al-Hijr between us

I say to the caller of love, and the wall between us

and Wadi al-Qura—'Here I am!' when he calls me.

And Wadi Qura, I am at your service when you called me

وَعاوَدتُ مِن خِلٍّ قَديمٍ صَبابَتي

وَعاوَدتُ مِن خِلٍّ قَديمٍ صَبابَتي

وَأَظهَرتُ مِن وَجدي الَّذي كانَ خافِيا

وَأَظهَرتُ مِن وَجدي الَّذي كانَ خافِيا

And I renewed my yearning for a beloved of old,

And I returned from an old passion to my infatuation

and revealed the passion in me that had been hidden.

And I revealed the ardor that was hidden

وَقالوا بِهِ داءٌ عَياءٌ أَصابَهُ

وَقالوا بِهِ داءٌ عَياءٌ أَصابَهُ

وَقَد عَلِمَت نَفسي مَكانَ دَوائِيا

وَقَد عَلِمَت نَفسي مَكانَ دَوائِيا

And they said, 'An incurable sickness has afflicted him,'

And they said he has a fatal love sickness

yet my soul knows where my cure lies.

And my soul knew where my remedy was

أَمَضروبَةٌ لَيلى عَلى أَن أَزورَها

أَمَضروبَةٌ لَيلى عَلى أَن أَزورَها

وَمُتَّخِذٌ ذَنباً لَها أَن تَرانِيا

وَمُتَّخِذٌ ذَنباً لَها أَن تَرانِيا

Is Layla to be beaten because I visit her,

She is angry at me that I visit her

and does someone count her seeing me as a sin against her?

And she takes my sin upon herself that she sees me

هِيَ السِحرُ إِلّا أَنَّ لِلسِحرِ رُقيَةً

هِيَ السِحرُ إِلّا أَنَّ لِلسِحرِ رُقيَةً

وَإِنِّيَ لا أُلفي لَها الدَهرَ راقِيا

وَإِنِّيَ لا أُلفي لَها الدَهرَ راقِيا

She is magic, except that magic has a healing charm,

It is magic, except magic has an antidote

yet I can never find a healer to lift her spell.

And I cannot find for it, time has a healer

أُحِبُّ الأَيامى إِذ بُثَينَةُ أَيِّمٌ

أُحِبُّ الأَيامى إِذ بُثَينَةُ أَيِّمٌ

وَأَحبَبتُ لَمّا أَن غَنيتِ الغَوانِيا

وَأَحبَبتُ لَمّا أَن غَنيتِ الغَوانِيا

I love the unmarried, since Buthayna is unwed;

I love the beautiful women, for Buthaina is a beauty

and when you married, I loved married women.

And I loved when you sang the melodies

أُحِبُّ مِنَ الأَسماءِ ما وافَقَ اِسمَها

أُحِبُّ مِنَ الأَسماءِ ما وافَقَ اِسمَها

وَأَشبَهَهُ أَو كانَ مِنهُ مُدانِيا

وَأَشبَهَهُ أَو كانَ مِنهُ مُدانِيا

Among names I love whatever matches her name,

I love from the names what suits her name

and resembles it, or comes close to it.

And resembles it or is derived from it

وَدِدتُ عَلى حُبِّ الحَياةِ لَوَ اَنَّها

وَدِدتُ عَلى حُبِّ الحَياةِ لَوَ اَنَّها

يُزادُ لَها في عُمرِها مِن حَياتِيا

يُزادُ لَها في عُمرِها مِن حَياتِيا

Despite my love of life, I have wished that she

I wished for the love of life that it

might have her lifespan lengthened with some of my own life.

Would be increased for it from my lifetime

وَأَخبِرتُماني أَنَّ تَيماءَ مَنزِلٌ

وَأَخبِرتُماني أَنَّ تَيماءَ مَنزِلٌ

لِلَيلى إِذا ما الصَيفُ أَلقى المَراسِيا

لِلَيلى إِذا ما الصَيفُ أَلقى المَراسِيا

And you two told me that Tayma is a dwelling

And you told me Taima is a dwelling place

for Layla when summer casts its anchors.

For Layla when summer casts down the tents

فَهَذي شُهورُ الصَيفِ عَنّا قَدِ اِنقَضَت

فَهَذي شُهورُ الصَيفِ عَنّا قَدِ اِنقَضَت

فَما لِلنَوى تَرمي بِلَيلى المَرامِيا

فَما لِلنَوى تَرمي بِلَيلى المَرامِيا

So these summer months have already passed us by;

So these are the months of summer, from us they have passed

so why does separation fling Layla to distant reaches?

Why does the passion throw Layla with missiles?

وَأَنتِ الَّتي إِن شِئتِ أَشقَيتِ عيشَتي

وَأَنتِ الَّتي إِن شِئتِ أَشقَيتِ عيشَتي

وَإِن شِئتِ بَعدَ اللَهَ أَنعَمتِ بالِيا

وَإِن شِئتِ بَعدَ اللَهَ أَنعَمتِ بالِيا

And you are the one who, if you wish, makes my life miserable,

You who, if you wish, make my life miserable

and, if you wish—after God—brings peace to my mind.

And if you wish, after God, make me comfortable

وَأَنتِ الَّتي ما مِن صَديقٍ وَلا عِداً

وَأَنتِ الَّتي ما مِن صَديقٍ وَلا عِداً

يَرى نِضوَ ما أَبقَيتِ إِلّا رَثى لِيا

يَرى نِضوَ ما أَبقَيتِ إِلّا رَثى لِيا

And you are the one who has left me such that no friend or foe

You, from whom neither a friend nor enemy

sees the wasted remnant you have left without pitying me.

Sees the brightness you left except they eulogized me

وَما زِلتِ بي يا بَثنَ حَتّى لَوَ اَنَّني

وَما زِلتِ بي يا بَثنَ حَتّى لَوَ اَنَّني

مِنَ الوَجدِ أَستَبكي الحَمامَ بَكى لِيا

مِنَ الوَجدِ أَستَبكي الحَمامَ بَكى لِيا

And you have so worn me down, O Bathn, that if I

And you did not cease with me, O Buthaina, until if

in my longing asked the doves to weep, they would weep for me.

I cry from passion, the pigeons cry for me

إِذا خَدِرَت رِجلي وَقيلَ شِفاؤُها

إِذا خَدِرَت رِجلي وَقيلَ شِفاؤُها

دُعاءُ حَبيبٍ كُنتِ أَنتِ دُعائِيا

دُعاءُ حَبيبٍ كُنتِ أَنتِ دُعائِيا

When my leg goes numb and they say its cure

If my foot goes numb and they say a cure for it

is calling upon a beloved, you are the one I call.

Is the prayer of a beloved, you were my prayer

إِذا ما لَديغٌ أَبرَأَ الحَليُ داءَهُ

إِذا ما لَديغٌ أَبرَأَ الحَليُ داءَهُ

فَحَليُكِ أَمسى يا بُثَينَةُ دائِيا

فَحَليُكِ أَمسى يا بُثَينَةُ دائِيا

If jewelry cures the ailment of someone stung,

When a snakebite is cured by an amulet

then your jewelry, O Buthayna, has become my ailment.

Then your amulet has become, O Buthaina, my cure

وَما أَحدَثَ النَأيُ المُفَرِّقُ بَينَنا

وَما أَحدَثَ النَأيُ المُفَرِّقُ بَينَنا

سُلُوّاً وَلا طولُ اِجتِماعٍ تَقالِيا

سُلُوّاً وَلا طولُ اِجتِماعٍ تَقالِيا

And the distance that separates us has not brought

Neither did distance, the separator between us, cause

an end to love, nor has long togetherness brought mutual aversion.

Hard-heartedness, nor did long companionship cause disdain

وَلا زادَني الواشونَ إِلّا صَبابَةً

وَلا زادَني الواشونَ إِلّا صَبابَةً

وَلا كَثرَةُ الواشينَ إِلّا تَمادِيا

وَلا كَثرَةُ الواشينَ إِلّا تَمادِيا

And the slanderers have increased nothing in me but yearning,

Nor did the slanderers increase me except in passion

nor has their multitude brought me anything but greater persistence.

Nor the multitude of critics except in persistence

أَلَم تَعلَمي يا عَذبَةَ الريقِ أَنَّني

أَلَم تَعلَمي يا عَذبَةَ الريقِ أَنَّني

أَظَلُّ إِذا لَم أَلقَ وَجهَكِ صادِيا

أَظَلُّ إِذا لَم أَلقَ وَجهَكِ صادِيا

Did you not know, O you whose saliva is sweet, that I

Do you not know, O sweet of saliva, that I

remain thirsty whenever I do not see your face?

Remain in gloom if I do not see your face as a confidant

لَقَد خِفتُ أَن أَلقى المَنِيَّةَ بَغتَةً

لَقَد خِفتُ أَن أَلقى المَنِيَّةَ بَغتَةً

وَفي النَفسِ حاجاتٌ إِلَيكِ كَما هِيا

وَفي النَفسِ حاجاتٌ إِلَيكِ كَما هِيا

Indeed, I have feared that I might meet death suddenly,

Indeed, I feared that death would take me suddenly

with desires for you still in my soul, unchanged.

While desires for you remain as they are

وَإِنّي لَيُنسيني لِقاؤُكِ كُلَّما

وَإِنّي لَيُنسيني لِقاؤُكِ كُلَّما

لَقيتُكِ يَوماً أَن أَبُثَّكِ ما بِيا

لَقيتُكِ يَوماً أَن أَبُثَّكِ ما بِيا

And indeed, meeting you makes me forget, whenever

And meeting you makes me forget, whenever

I meet you on any day, to tell you what I feel.

I see you one day, to tell you what is in me