أطابَ لذلكَ لرشإ الجفاءُ

أطابَ لذلكَ لرشإ الجفاءُ

فلذَّ لأعيني فيهِ البكاءُ

فلذَّ لأعيني فيهِ البكاءُ

Has coldness grown sweet to that fawn,

The harsh estrangement was pleasing for that reason

so that weeping for him is sweet to my eyes?

So tears flowed from my eyes

رشاً ذلَتْ لهُ الأسْدُ الضواري

رشاً ذلَتْ لهُ الأسْدُ الضواري

وعزَّتْ في ملاحتهِ الظباءُ

وعزَّتْ في ملاحتهِ الظباءُ

A fawn before whom ravening lions were humbled,

The fierce lions have left it as prey

and gazelles were exalted in his loveliness.

And the gazelles glorified its beauty

تعلمَ كيفَ تنبعثُ المنايا

تعلمَ كيفَ تنبعثُ المنايا

وكيفَ تراقُ ي الحبِّ الدماءُ

وكيفَ تراقُ ي الحبِّ الدماءُ

He learned how death is unleashed,

It learned how death springs forth

and how blood is shed in love.

And how blood flows in love

وعلمَ ناضريهِ الفتكَ حتى

وعلمَ ناضريهِ الفتكَ حتى

كأن عليهما وقفَ القضاءُ

كأن عليهما وقفَ القضاءُ

And he taught his two eyes to kill, until

And it taught its blossoms murder

it seemed that fate stood poised upon them.

As if destiny stood over them

تلقتهُ الصبا سحراً فمرتْ

تلقتهُ الصبا سحراً فمرتْ

وفيها للمحبينَ الشفاءُ

وفيها للمحبينَ الشفاءُ

The east wind met him before dawn, then passed on,

The morning breeze encountered it like magic

and within it lay healing for lovers.

And in it was healing for lovers

لهُ مني التدللُ والرضاءُ

لهُ مني التدللُ والرضاءُ

ولي منهُ التذللُ والإياءُ

ولي منهُ التذللُ والإياءُ

With me, he enjoys coyness and acceptance;

It had my pampering and consent

with him, my lot is abasement and refusal.

While I had its submission and coyness

فما ألقاهُ إلا في الأماني

فما ألقاهُ إلا في الأماني

وهل يشفي الجوى هذا اللقاءُ

وهل يشفي الجوى هذا اللقاءُ

So I meet him only in my wishes;

I met it only in my wishes

and can this meeting cure love's anguish?

Can this meeting heal my burning passion?

إذا ما شاءَ ردَّ عليَّ نومي

إذا ما شاءَ ردَّ عليَّ نومي

ولكني أراهُ لا يشاءُ

ولكني أراهُ لا يشاءُ

If he wished, he would give me back my sleep,

If it wanted, it would return my sleep

but I see that he does not wish to.

But I see it does not want to

غفتْ تلكَ المرابعُ والمغاني

غفتْ تلكَ المرابعُ والمغاني

وما عفتِ المودةُ والإخاءُ

وما عفتِ المودةُ والإخاءُ

Those springtime grounds and dwellings have fallen asleep,

Those gatherings and songs have vanished

but affection and brotherhood have not faded.

Affection and brotherhood did not remain modest

وأصبحتِ الليالي حاسراتٍ

وأصبحتِ الليالي حاسراتٍ

كما لطمتْ عوارضَها النساءُ

كما لطمتْ عوارضَها النساءُ

And the nights have become bareheaded,

The nights have become disappointing

like women who have struck their cheeks.

As if their foreheads were slapped by women

وفي قلبي من الهجرانِ سقمٌ

وفي قلبي من الهجرانِ سقمٌ

وفي كبدي من الأشواقِ داءُ

وفي كبدي من الأشواقِ داءُ

And in my heart is sickness from estrangement,

In my heart is the sickness of estrangement

and in my liver, illness from longing.

And in my liver the pain of longing

وليلٍ بتُّ أقضيهِ بكاءً

وليلٍ بتُّ أقضيهِ بكاءً

وأنجمهُ كآمالي بطاءُ

وأنجمهُ كآمالي بطاءُ

And many a night I have passed in weeping,

I spend a night weeping

its stars, like my hopes, slow.

Its stars are like my unfulfilled hopes

لو أن على الكواكبِ ما بنفسي

لو أن على الكواكبِ ما بنفسي

لألقتها إلى الأرضِ السماءُ

لألقتها إلى الأرضِ السماءُ

If what lies in my soul lay upon the stars,

If what's in my soul was upon the planets

the sky would cast them down to earth.

The sky would have cast it down to earth

همومٌ تشفقُ الأطوادُ منها

همومٌ تشفقُ الأطوادُ منها

وأحزانٌ يضيقُ بها القضاءُ

وأحزانٌ يضيقُ بها القضاءُ

Cares that mighty mountains fear,

Worries that make pillars sympathetically weep

and sorrows too vast for fate to contain.

And sorrows that even fate feels too confined for

كأني ما لبستُ الصبحَ تاجاً

كأني ما لبستُ الصبحَ تاجاً

تألقُ فوقَ مفرقهِ ذُكاءُ

تألقُ فوقَ مفرقهِ ذُكاءُ

As though I had never worn dawn as a crown,

It was as if I had not worn the dawn as a crown

with Dhukāʾ, the sun, shining above its head;

With intelligence radiating above its parting

ولم انضِ الكؤوسَ محجلاتٍ

ولم انضِ الكؤوسَ محجلاتٍ

تخفُّ بها إلى الهم الطلاءُ

تخفُّ بها إلى الهم الطلاءُ

nor drained the white-footed cups,

And I had not poured the wine into goblets

while wine bore them swiftly toward care;

That diminish sorrow through intoxication

بروضٍ تصدحُ الآمالُ فيهِ

بروضٍ تصدحُ الآمالُ فيهِ

ويرقصُ بينَ أيدينا الهناءُ

ويرقصُ بينَ أيدينا الهناءُ

in a garden where hopes sang aloud,

In a garden where hopes loudly rejoice

and happiness danced before us.

And happiness dances between our hands

وقد هبَّ النسيمُ على فؤادي

وقد هبَّ النسيمُ على فؤادي

كنضوِ اليأسِ هبَ لهُ الرجاءُ

كنضوِ اليأسِ هبَ لهُ الرجاءُ

And the breeze had blown upon my heart,

The breeze blew upon my heart

like one wasted by despair for whom hope awoke.

Despair roared for it but hope replied

كأنَّ في المجرةِ فيهِ نهراً

كأنَّ في المجرةِ فيهِ نهراً

تحومُ غليهِ أفئدةٌ ظماءُ

تحومُ غليهِ أفئدةٌ ظماءُ

As though the Milky Way held a river within it,

It was as if among the stars was a river

over which thirsty hearts hovered.

With thirsty hearts hovering over its turmoil

وقد أنسَ الحبيبُ ومرَّ يلهو

وقد أنسَ الحبيبُ ومرَّ يلهو

كما يلهو بمسرحِها الظباءُ

كما يلهو بمسرحِها الظباءُ

And the beloved felt at ease and passed by, frolicking,

And the beloved forgot and passed by frolicking

as gazelles frolic in their grazing grounds.

As gazelles frolic in their meadows

وضرجتِ المدامةُ وجنتيهِ

وضرجتِ المدامةُ وجنتيهِ

فكادَ الوردُ يفضحهُ الحياءُ

فكادَ الوردُ يفضحهُ الحياءُ

And wine reddened his cheeks,

The wine sparkled and its cups

so bashfulness nearly betrayed the rose.

Until the roses nearly exposed it in shyness

ومالَ فراحَ يرقصُ كلُّ غصنٍ

ومالَ فراحَ يرقصُ كلُّ غصنٍ

وللأغصانِ بالقدِّ اقتداءُ

وللأغصانِ بالقدِّ اقتداءُ

And he swayed, and every branch began to dance;

Every branch swayed and began to dance

the branches take his figure as their model.

The branches imitated its swaying posture

زمانٌ كانَ مثلَ الصبحِ راحتْ

زمانٌ كانَ مثلَ الصبحِ راحتْ

بهِ الدنيا وأعقبهُ المساءُ

بهِ الدنيا وأعقبهُ المساءُ

A time that was like dawn, carried away

An era that was like the dawn has passed

by the world, and followed by evening.

In it the world lived, followed by the evening

كذاكَ الدهر حالٌ بعدَ حالٍ

كذاكَ الدهر حالٌ بعدَ حالٍ

لأهليهِ التنعمُ والشقاءُ

لأهليهِ التنعمُ والشقاءُ

Thus is time: one state after another,

Such is fate, one state after another

for its people, ease and misery.

For its people luxury and misery

إذا سرَّتْكَ أيامٌ أساءتْ

إذا سرَّتْكَ أيامٌ أساءتْ

فليتكَ لا تُسَرُّ ولا تُساءُ

فليتكَ لا تُسَرُّ ولا تُساءُ

When days delight you, they also grieve you;

If days gladdened you, they harmed you

so would that you were neither gladdened nor grieved.

Would that you were neither gladdened nor harmed

وإن لم يبقَ في الدنيا حبيبٌ

وإن لم يبقَ في الدنيا حبيبٌ

فأولها وآخرها سواءُ

فأولها وآخرها سواءُ

And if no beloved remains in the world,

If no loved one remains in the world

then its beginning and its end are alike.

Its beginning and end are equal