وكتمْتُ آلام الحنين فأفصحَتْ

وكتمْتُ آلام الحنين فأفصحَتْ

عيني وأنطقها الفؤادُ بأدمعي

عيني وأنطقها الفؤادُ بأدمعي

And I concealed the pangs of longing, yet out spoke

I concealed the sorrows of yearning, so my eyes

my eye; my heart gave it voice through my tears.

Declared it and my heart articulated it with my tears

الكلُّ يسمع في الوداع حنيننا

الكلُّ يسمع في الوداع حنيننا

لكنّ أصدقه الذي لم يُسمعِ

لكنّ أصدقه الذي لم يُسمعِ

Everyone hears our longing at farewell,

Everyone hears our longing in farewell

but the truest longing is that which goes unheard.

But the most truthful is the one not heard

ورجوتُ عيني أن تكفّ دموعها

ورجوتُ عيني أن تكفّ دموعها

‏يومَ الوداعِ نشدتُها لاتدمعي

‏يومَ الوداعِ نشدتُها لاتدمعي

And I begged my eye to hold back its tears.

And I asked my eyes to restrain their tears

On the day of farewell, I implored it: do not weep.

On the day of farewell, I urged them not to weep

‏أغمضتُها كي لاتفيضَ فأمطرت

‏أغمضتُها كي لاتفيضَ فأمطرت

‏ايقنتُ أنّي لستُ أملك مدمَعي

‏ايقنتُ أنّي لستُ أملك مدمَعي

I closed it so it would not overflow, but it rained.

I closed them so they would not overflow, yet they rained

I realized that I had no control over my tears.

I knew I did not possess my tears

‏ورأيتُ حلماً أنني ودَّعْتُهم

‏ورأيتُ حلماً أنني ودَّعْتُهم

‏فبكيتُ مِن ألم الحنين وهُم معي

‏فبكيتُ مِن ألم الحنين وهُم معي

And I dreamed that I had bid them farewell,

And I saw a dream that I bid them farewell

so I wept from the pain of longing while they were with me.

So I wept from the pain of longing while they were with me

‏مُرٌ عليَّ بأن أُودّعَ زائرًا

‏مُرٌ عليَّ بأن أُودّعَ زائرًا

‏كيفَ الذين حملتُهُم في أضلُعي ؟!

‏كيفَ الذين حملتُهُم في أضلُعي ؟!

It is bitter for me to bid a visitor farewell—

It was bitter for me to bid farewell to a visitor

how, then, can I bid farewell to those I have carried within my ribs?!

What about those I carried in my ribs?!