مطوقةٌ علَى فَنَنِ

مطوقةٌ علَى فَنَنِ

أثارَ هتافُها شجني

أثارَ هتافُها شجني

A ring-necked dove upon a bough

Surrounded by various arts,

stirred my sorrow with her call.

Her cry stirred my sorrows,

نفى عن مقلةٍ عبرى

نفى عن مقلةٍ عبرى

لذيذَ الغمْضِ والوسن

لذيذَ الغمْضِ والوسن

From a tearful eye she drove away

She removed the veil from a weeping eye,

the sweetness of sleep and drowsiness.

Of sweet slumber and charm.

وَنبَّه من غراميَ ما

وَنبَّه من غراميَ ما

عفاه اليأْسُ من زمن

عفاه اليأْسُ من زمن

And roused in my love what

And awakened in me from my passion what,

despair had effaced long ago.

Despair had pardoned from time,

وَزاد إلى همومِ النف

وَزاد إلى همومِ النف

س هَمّاً قبل لم يكن

س هَمّاً قبل لم يكن

And added to the sorrows of the soul

And increased unto the griefs of my soul,

a sorrow that had not existed before.

A grief before that was not.

فيا للهِ ما ضمن ال

فيا للهِ ما ضمن ال

هتافُ لقلبيَ الضَّمنِ

هتافُ لقلبيَ الضَّمنِ

O God, what the

Oh Allah, what did the cry

call held for my ailing heart!

Contain for my laden heart!

عجبتُ لها تجيدُ البثَّ

عجبتُ لها تجيدُ البثَّ

والشكوى وَلم تبن

والشكوى وَلم تبن

I marveled at her skill in pouring out grief

I wondered at her, skilled in lament

and lament, though she has not parted.

And plaint, though she built not.

فما تنفكُّ نائحةً

فما تنفكُّ نائحةً

وَلستُ عن البكاءِ أَني

وَلستُ عن البكاءِ أَني

For she never ceases lamenting,

Ceaseless in her wailing,

and I am not slow to weep.

While I weep not over cessation.

إذا ضنَّتْ بدمعتِها

إذا ضنَّتْ بدمعتِها

أَجودُ بدمعيَ الهَتِنِ

أَجودُ بدمعيَ الهَتِنِ

If she withholds her tear,

When she is miserly with her tears,

I give freely of my streaming tears.

I spend my tears generously.

كذاك الحالُ في الدنيا

كذاك الحالُ في الدنيا

فذو حزنٍ لذي حزن

فذو حزنٍ لذي حزن

Such is the way of this world:

Such is the case in life,

so one sorrowful soul is there for another.

One of sorrow for another of sorrow.

مقاسمةُ الحزينِ على الأ

مقاسمةُ الحزينِ على الأ

سى من أَحسنِ السنن

سى من أَحسنِ السنن

Sharing with the sorrowful in

Sharing the sorrowful his ease

grief is among the finest customs.

Is of the best deeds.

هناك ذكرتُ من لميا

هناك ذكرتُ من لميا

ءَ عهداً جد مؤتمن

ءَ عهداً جد مؤتمن

Then I recalled from Lamya

I remembered there one whose covenant

a pledge wholly worthy of trust:

In the past was very faithful.

أُواسيها وترثي لي

أُواسيها وترثي لي

وأَرعاها وتحفظني

وأَرعاها وتحفظني

I console her, and she feels for me;

I console her and mourn for myself,

I care for her, and she keeps me safe.

And delight her while she protects me.

وآنا الدهرُ في دعةٍ

وآنا الدهرُ في دعةٍ

وعيشٍ باللقاءِ هني

وعيشٍ باللقاءِ هني

Time gave us his promise amid ease

While time was gentle with me

and a life made happy by our meeting.

And life was sweet with union.

فأحفظه تدانينا

فأحفظه تدانينا

فأَبعدها وخلَّفني...

فأَبعدها وخلَّفني...

Then our closeness angered him,

So keep our intimacy,

so he sent her far away and left me...

And distance her while leaving me...

غريباً عن أَخلائي

غريباً عن أَخلائي

وعن أهلي وعن سكني

وعن أهلي وعن سكني

a stranger to my close friends,

A stranger to my brethren

and to my family and my home.

And family and home.

كأَني بينهم طراً

كأَني بينهم طراً

أسيرٌ لزَّ في قَرَن

أسيرٌ لزَّ في قَرَن

As though, among them all, I were

As though I were prey

a captive bound fast in a coupling-rope.

Captured in fetters.

وبدَّلني عن (القصري

وبدَّلني عن (القصري

ن) بالأطلال والدمن

ن) بالأطلال والدمن

And he replaced al-Qasrayn for me

And changed me from “Al-Qusayr”

with ruins and traces of abandoned homes.

To ruins and edifices.

بكيتُ غداة فرقتها

بكيتُ غداة فرقتها

بكاءَ (عمارة اليمني)

بكاءَ (عمارة اليمني)

I wept on the morning of parting from her,

I wept the morn she parted from me

as ʿUmara al-Yamani wept.

Weeping like ‘Amarah Al-Yemeni’.

أقول ومدمعي يهمي

أقول ومدمعي يهمي

وقد برزتْ تودِّعني

وقد برزتْ تودِّعني

I say, as my tears stream down,

I say while my tears pour,

and she has come forth to bid me farewell:

As she bid me farewell:

أقلبٌ سُلَّ من صدرٍ

أقلبٌ سُلَّ من صدرٍ

وروح فكَّ عن بدن؟

وروح فكَّ عن بدن؟

Is this a heart drawn from a breast,

“A throat is it severed from a breast

and a soul loosed from a body?

And soul detached from body?

أَحنُّ إِلى مغانيها

أَحنُّ إِلى مغانيها

حنينَ العَوْد للعَطَن

حنينَ العَوْد للعَطَن

I yearn for her dwelling-places

I yearn for her songs,

as an old camel yearns for its watering-place.

Yearning of lute for rhythm.

وَكم هزتنيَ الذكرى

وَكم هزتنيَ الذكرى

كهزِّ الريحِ للغصنِ

كهزِّ الريحِ للغصنِ

And how often memory has shaken me

And how memory shook me

as the wind shakes a bough!

Like shaking of wind to branch!

وَتِقْتُ إلى منازلها

وَتِقْتُ إلى منازلها

كتوْقِ الطير للوكن

كتوْقِ الطير للوكن

And I longed for her homes

And I aim toward her dwellings,

as birds long for their nests.

Like the bird’s aim for nest.”

لقد رقدتْ عيونُ العا

لقد رقدتْ عيونُ العا

ذلين بما يؤرقني

ذلين بما يؤرقني

Indeed, the reproachers' eyes have slept

Eyes of intimates have slept

because of what keeps me awake.

With what keeps me awake.

عجبتُ لهم أَمنّاهمْ

عجبتُ لهم أَمنّاهمْ

فخانونا وَلم نخنِ

فخانونا وَلم نخنِ

I marveled at them: we trusted them,

I wondered at them while trusted,

yet they betrayed us, though we did not betray.

They betrayed us and we betrayed not.

دللناهمْ علينا إِذْ

دللناهمْ علينا إِذْ

أَضلّونا عن السنن

أَضلّونا عن السنن

We guided them to ourselves, when

We pampered them against us when

they led us astray from the right path.

They misguided us from proper deeds.

إذا ما استنجزوا وعداً

إذا ما استنجزوا وعداً

أَجابوا بعد لم يحن

أَجابوا بعد لم يحن

Whenever they were asked to fulfill a promise,

When they accomplished a promise,

they replied, "Not yet; its time has not come."

They responded after it expired.

نسام الخسف والأهوا

نسام الخسف والأهوا

ن ثم ننوءُ بالمنن

ن ثم ننوءُ بالمنن

We are made to suffer abasement and humiliation,

Whispers of ruin and passions,

then stagger beneath favors.

Then we regretted the favors.

أَلا هل

أَلا هل

وقد ذلتْ بنو وطني

وقد ذلتْ بنو وطني

Ah, is there...

Lo! Has it not

now that my countrymen have been humbled...

While my people's home was abased?

ألا

ألا

من الأَحداثِ والفتن

من الأَحداثِ والفتن

Ah...

Lo! Were not their consciences

from calamities and strife...

Folded on rancor and malice?

لقد طويتْ ضمائرُهمْ

لقد طويتْ ضمائرُهمْ

عَلى الأضغانِ والإِحن

عَلى الأضغانِ والإِحن

Indeed, their hearts have been folded

And in them every despicable,

over grudges and hatreds.

Evil of secret and open?

وفيهم كلُّ مشاءِ

وفيهم كلُّ مشاءِ

خبيثِ السرِّ والعلن

خبيثِ السرِّ والعلن

And among them is every prowler,

I have parted with them, so who will

vile in secret and in public.

Deliver me from them?

بَرمتُ بهمْ فمن لي بال

بَرمتُ بهمْ فمن لي بال

ذي منهم يخلِّصني

ذي منهم يخلِّصني

I am weary of them; who will bring me one

who will deliver me from them?