خليليّ إني قد حننتُ لقربها

خليليّ إني قد حننتُ لقربها

فزادتْ بيَ البلوى كما تَرَياني

فزادتْ بيَ البلوى كما تَرَياني

My two friends, I have longed to be near her;

My friend, I have yearned for her nearness

So my affliction has grown, as you both can see.

So my afflictions increased, as you see me

وَهيهات ما أَبغي من القربِ واللقا

وَهيهات ما أَبغي من القربِ واللقا

(وَقدْ حيل بين العَيْرِ والنَزَوانِ)

(وَقدْ حيل بين العَيْرِ والنَزَوانِ)

And far beyond reach are the nearness and meeting I seek,

Alas! I do not desire closeness or meeting

(And the ass has been kept from mounting.)

When obstacles lie between the caravan and the resting place

تمكَّنَ مني السقمُ في كلِّ مفصلٍ

تمكَّنَ مني السقمُ في كلِّ مفصلٍ

وَلم يبق بي إلاّ ذَما كدخان

وَلم يبق بي إلاّ ذَما كدخان

Illness has taken hold of me in every joint,

Illness has overpowered my every joint

And nothing remains in me but a wisp of life, like smoke,

Leaving in me nothing but a puff like smoke

يرددُ في مثلِ الخلال وينثني

يرددُ في مثلِ الخلال وينثني

ليخرجَ لولا بارقاتُ أَماني

ليخرجَ لولا بارقاتُ أَماني

Wafting through a frame like a toothpick, and turning

It echoes through the joints and bends

To leave, were it not for the gleams of my hopes.

Just about to leave, if not for glimpses of hope

كأني وما جاوزتُ عشرين حجةً

كأني وما جاوزتُ عشرين حجةً

من السقمِ همٌ قد تجدد فاني

من السقمِ همٌ قد تجدد فاني

As though I, not yet past twenty years,

As if I, though not yet twenty pilgrimages old

Were, through sickness, a decrepit man, renewed yet perishing.

Have worries from illness made new, so I perish

فَلَوْ ترينّي ساهماً خلتِ هيكلاً

فَلَوْ ترينّي ساهماً خلتِ هيكلاً

أَناخ عَلَى أَركانِه الملوان

أَناخ عَلَى أَركانِه الملوان

So if you saw me wan, you would think me a skeletal frame

If you could see me, an emaciated ruin

Upon whose pillars night and day have knelt.

Whose pillars have been worn down by sorrows

تُقلبني كفُّ الضنى فتمضني

تُقلبني كفُّ الضنى فتمضني

وتعبث للأَوجاعِ فيَّ يدان

وتعبث للأَوجاعِ فيَّ يدان

The hand of wasting sickness tosses me and torments me,

The hand of distress tosses me about, crushing me

And pain's two hands toy with me.

And the pains make sport of me, striking with both hands

أَجودُ بما ضنَّ الأَنامُ ببذله

أَجودُ بما ضنَّ الأَنامُ ببذله

وأَبخلُ فيها يزهد الثقلان

وأَبخلُ فيها يزهد الثقلان

I give freely what humankind begrudges giving,

I give generously what people are stingy in giving

And am miserly with what humans and jinn disdain:

Yet in it I am more miserly, disdained even by the burdensome

بروحي وما روحي عليَّ عزيزة

بروحي وما روحي عليَّ عزيزة

وموتي عساني أَستريح عساني

وموتي عساني أَستريح عساني

With my soul—though my soul is not dear to me—

By my soul, though my soul is not dear to me

And my death—perhaps I shall find rest, perhaps.

And my death—perhaps I will find rest, perhaps I will

يئستُ فما لي في حياتيَ مطمعٌ

يئستُ فما لي في حياتيَ مطمعٌ

فيا موت عجِّلْ ويك آن أَواني

فيا موت عجِّلْ ويك آن أَواني

I have despaired; I have nothing left to hope for in life.

I have despaired, so I have no hopes for my life

So, O Death, hasten—woe to you! My time has come.

Oh death! Hurry! For it is my time

ويا حبّها زدني فهل أَرجو بعد ذا

ويا حبّها زدني فهل أَرجو بعد ذا

حياة وما بالعمر غير ثواني

حياة وما بالعمر غير ثواني

And, O love for her, give me more—can I hope, after this,

Oh love for her! Increase me! For should I expect after this

For life, when only seconds remain in my span?

A life when nothing remains of my days but moments?

كأَني وقَدْ حمَّ القضاءُ وسير بي

كأَني وقَدْ حمَّ القضاءُ وسير بي

إلى جدثي وانهدَّ ركنُ كياني

إلى جدثي وانهدَّ ركنُ كياني

It is as though fate were sealed and I were borne

It is as if destiny has decided and taken me

To my grave, and the pillar of my being had collapsed,

To my grave, the pillar of my being collapsed

وسار بنعشي كلُّ أَروع ماجدٍ

وسار بنعشي كلُّ أَروع ماجدٍ

يرجِّع أسيانا ويندب عاني

يرجِّع أسيانا ويندب عاني

And every splendid, noble man walked with my bier,

And the best of the glorious carried my bier

Chanting in sorrow and lamenting in anguish;

Weeping and mourning my sorrows

وقامَ عَلَى قبري ابن عميَ حاسرا

وقامَ عَلَى قبري ابن عميَ حاسرا

جزيناً يريق الدمعَ أحمر قاني

جزيناً يريق الدمعَ أحمر قاني

And my cousin stood bareheaded over my grave,

And at my grave, my cousin stood, grieved

Grieving, shedding tears of deepest crimson;

Shedding bloody, red tears

وقيل لأُمي وهي عجفاءُ نضوةٌ

وقيل لأُمي وهي عجفاءُ نضوةٌ

رمتْ بابنك النائي يدُ الحدثان

رمتْ بابنك النائي يدُ الحدثان

And my mother, gaunt and wasted, was told:

And my mother was told, though she is a withered bud

'The hand of time's misfortunes has struck down your faraway son.'

The hand of fate has struck down your distant son

فهمَّتْ لتلقي للحضيض بنفسها

فهمَّتْ لتلقي للحضيض بنفسها

وَكادتْ فلم تقدرْ من الرجفان

وَكادتْ فلم تقدرْ من الرجفان

So she made to fling herself into the depths,

She almost flung herself down in grief

And nearly did, but trembling left her powerless.

But could not find the strength, so shaken was she

فلم تبق إلاَّ بعض يوم وَليلةٍ

فلم تبق إلاَّ بعض يوم وَليلةٍ

تقاسي من الثكلِ الأَسى وَتعاني

تقاسي من الثكلِ الأَسى وَتعاني

She lived on only part of a day and a night,

Leaving her with but a day and night

Enduring the sorrow of bereavement and suffering.

To endure the bitterest sorrow and grief

و (عدنان) مَنْ قد أصبح اليتمُ تربَه

و (عدنان) مَنْ قد أصبح اليتمُ تربَه

وَخامر روحي حبه وَجناني

وَخامر روحي حبه وَجناني

And Adnan, whose age-mate orphanhood had become,

And Adnan, who has become an orphan under her care

And love for whom had permeated my soul and heart,

Whose spirit love and my gardens have inhabited

بكى لبكاءِ الأُم إذْ يجهل البكا

بكى لبكاءِ الأُم إذْ يجهل البكا

وَرقرق دمعاً قد وَهى كجمان

وَرقرق دمعاً قد وَهى كجمان

Wept at his mother's weeping, though he did not understand weeping,

Wept at the weeping of the mother, though ignorant of weeping

And shed tears that trickled like pearls.

His tears flowing like a torrent

فلم يبق لمّا عمَّ نَعْييَ كاتبٌ

فلم يبق لمّا عمَّ نَعْييَ كاتبٌ

وَلا شاعرٌ إلاّ بكى وَرثاني

وَلا شاعرٌ إلاّ بكى وَرثاني

When news of my death spread, no writer remained,

So that no writer or poet remained

Nor poet, who did not weep and elegize me.

Who did not weep and eulogize me

إلى الله أشكو سقم حالي وَشقوتي

إلى الله أشكو سقم حالي وَشقوتي

وَظلم التي أهوى وَجور زماني

وَظلم التي أهوى وَجور زماني

To God I complain of my ailing state and misery,

To God I complain of my condition and misery

And of the injustice of her I love, and the tyranny of my time.

And the injustice of her I love, and the tyranny of time

كأني إذا ذُكّرتها بيَ جِنَّةٌ

كأني إذا ذُكّرتها بيَ جِنَّةٌ

أَكان هواها داعياً لهواني

أَكان هواها داعياً لهواني

As though, whenever I am reminded of her, madness grips me.

It is as if, when she is mentioned, I am possessed

Was love for her the cause of my humiliation?

Could her love be the cause of my humiliation?

كأَنَّ علَى قلبي قطاةً ذبيحةً

كأَنَّ علَى قلبي قطاةً ذبيحةً

معلَّقةً من شدةِ الخفقان

معلَّقةً من شدةِ الخفقان

As though upon my heart were a slaughtered sandgrouse,

It is as if my heart is a slaughtered sacrifice

Suspended there, so fierce is the fluttering.

Suspended from the intensity of its throbbing

تكهرب أعضائي إذا ما ذكرتها

تكهرب أعضائي إذا ما ذكرتها

فأرزم حتى ما يشير بناني

فأرزم حتى ما يشير بناني

My limbs become electrified whenever I remember her,

My limbs convulse when she is recalled

So I freeze, till my fingertips can no longer gesture.

So I tremble, unable to move a finger

فلو أنَّ ما أشكو إليها وَقد قستْ

فلو أنَّ ما أشكو إليها وَقد قستْ

شكوتُ إلى صلْدِ الصفا لبكاني

شكوتُ إلى صلْدِ الصفا لبكاني

If what I lament to her—though she has grown hard—

If what I suffer were conveyed to her now hardened heart

I lamented to solid rock, it would weep for me.

I would pour it out to unfeeling rock, and it would weep for me

وَلو أنَّ لي قلبين عشتُ بواحدٍ

وَلو أنَّ لي قلبين عشتُ بواحدٍ

وَكافحتُ ريبَ الحادثات بثاني

وَكافحتُ ريبَ الحادثات بثاني

And if I had two hearts, I would live with one,

If I had two hearts, I would live with one

And with the other battle the reversals of fortune.

And struggle against the doubts of events with the other