أما حدثوكَ بأخبارها

أما حدثوكَ بأخبارها

وقد نزلَ البينُ في دارِها

وقد نزلَ البينُ في دارِها

Have they not told you news of her,

Though they told you tales of it

now that parting has settled in her dwelling?

And separation has descended in its abode

ليالي امرؤِ القبسِ بينَ الخيامِ

ليالي امرؤِ القبسِ بينَ الخيامِ

يباهي السماء بأقمارِها

يباهي السماء بأقمارِها

In the nights when Imru' al-Qabas, among the tents,

The nights of Ibn Qabis between the tents

vied with the sky through their moons.

Vying with the sky through its moons

فما لكَ تذكرُ تلكَ الديارْ

فما لكَ تذكرُ تلكَ الديارْ

ومالكَ تبكي لتذكارِها

ومالكَ تبكي لتذكارِها

Then why do you remember those dwellings,

Why then do you recall those abodes

and why do you weep at their memory?

And why do you weep to remember them

وبينَ الضلوعِ قلوبٌ عفت

وبينَ الضلوعِ قلوبٌ عفت

وضنَّ الغرامُ بآثارِها

وضنَّ الغرامُ بآثارِها

Between the ribs are hearts worn away,

In the ribs are chaste hearts

and passion has withheld their traces.

And passion has clung to their vestiges

قلوبٌ فزعنا بها للدموعِ

قلوبٌ فزعنا بها للدموعِ

فما أطفأ الدمع من نارِها

فما أطفأ الدمع من نارِها

Hearts for which we turned to tears,

Hearts we startled with them to tears

yet tears quenched none of their fire.

That the tears did not quench their fires

تهزُّ لها الغانياتُ القدودَ

تهزُّ لها الغانياتُ القدودَ

إذا ما تناجت بأسرارها

إذا ما تناجت بأسرارها

For them the beauties sway their figures,

The singing girls shake for them the tuneful lutes

when they whisper their secrets together.

When they whisper their secrets

ألا فرعى الله تلكَ القصور

ألا فرعى الله تلكَ القصور

وحلى السماءَ بأنوارها

وحلى السماءَ بأنوارها

Ah, may God guard those palaces,

May God tend those palaces

and adorn the sky with their lights.

And adorn the sky with their lights

يبيتُ يحنُّ لها جارها

يبيتُ يحنُّ لها جارها

وإن لم تحنَّ إلى جارها

وإن لم تحنَّ إلى جارها

Their neighbor spends the night yearning for them,

Its neighbor spends the night yearning for it

though they do not yearn for their neighbor.

Though it did not yearn for its neighbor

قصورٌ تدلُّ بأيامها

قصورٌ تدلُّ بأيامها

دلال الرياضِ بآذارها

دلال الرياضِ بآذارها

Palaces that take pride in their days,

Palaces whose days reveal

as gardens flaunt their March.

The coquetry of gardens in their prime

إذا طلع الصبحُ حيتْ ذكاءُ

إذا طلع الصبحُ حيتْ ذكاءُ

شموساً توارتْ بأستارها

شموساً توارتْ بأستارها

When dawn breaks, Dhuka', the sun, greets

When dawn rises, intelligence awakens

suns that have hidden behind their curtains.

Suns obscured by their veils

تكادُ لرقةِ سكانها

تكادُ لرقةِ سكانها

تردُّ السلام لزوَّارِها

تردُّ السلام لزوَّارِها

Such is their inhabitants' gentleness that they almost

Due to the gentleness of their dwellers

return their visitors' greetings.

They almost return greetings to their visitors

همُ علموها اجتذابَ القلوبِ

همُ علموها اجتذابَ القلوبِ

وشقَّ مرائرِ نظَّارها

وشقَّ مرائرِ نظَّارها

They taught them to captivate hearts,

They taught them to captivate hearts

and rend the gallbladders of their beholders.

And cleave the breasts of their gazers

وقد سامحتها خطوبُ الزمانِ

وقد سامحتها خطوبُ الزمانِ

وضنتْ عليها بأكدارها

وضنتْ عليها بأكدارها

The calamities of time have spared them,

The vicissitudes of fate have pardoned them

and withheld their afflictions from them.

And clad them in their burdens

ودارتْ بمعصمها كالسوار

ودارتْ بمعصمها كالسوار

رياضُ تسامتْ بأسوارها

رياضُ تسامتْ بأسوارها

And around their wrist, like a bracelet, circled

Encircling their wrists like a bracelet

gardens rising high with their walls.

Are gardens perfected by their walls

تحاكي المجرةُ أنهارها

تحاكي المجرةُ أنهارها

وتحكي النجومُ بأزهارها

وتحكي النجومُ بأزهارها

The Milky Way mirrors their rivers,

Their rivers mimic the Milky Way

and they mirror the stars with their flowers.

And their flowers narrate the stars

كساها الشتاءُ ثيابَ الربيعِ

كساها الشتاءُ ثيابَ الربيعِ

وزرت عليها بأزرارها

وزرت عليها بأزرارها

Winter clothed them in spring's garments,

Winter clothed them in spring robes

and those garments were fastened over them with their buttons.

And buttoned them with its pearls

إذا اعتلَ فيها نسيمُ الصباح

إذا اعتلَ فيها نسيمُ الصباح

ناحتْ بألسنِ أطيارها

ناحتْ بألسنِ أطيارها

When the morning breeze falls ill within them,

When the morning breeze rises in them

they lament through the tongues of their birds.

Their birds chant with their tongues

وإن طلبَ الظلُّ فيها الهجيرَ

وإن طلبَ الظلُّ فيها الهجيرَ

تأبتْ عليهِ بأشجارها

تأبتْ عليهِ بأشجارها

And if the shade seeks the midday heat within them,

And if shade seeks refuge in them

they deny it that heat with their trees.

Their trees refuse it hospitality

وإن حلَّ الندامى فيها رأوا

وإن حلَّ الندامى فيها رأوا

لياليها مثل أسحارها

لياليها مثل أسحارها

And if drinking companions settle there, they see

And if boon companions settle in them

their nights like their predawn hours.

They see their nights like their dawns

ودبَّ النسيمُ لعيدانهم

ودبَّ النسيمُ لعيدانهم

فباتت تنوحُ بأوتارها

فباتت تنوحُ بأوتارها

And the breeze crept toward their lutes,

The breeze strokes for them the treetops

so they spent the night lamenting through their strings.

And they spend the night lamenting their strings

وأنستهمُ معبداً والغريضَ

وأنستهمُ معبداً والغريضَ

وشدو القيانِ بأشعارها

وشدو القيانِ بأشعارها

And they made them forget Ma'bad and al-Gharid,

And made them forget the temple and passion

and the slave-singers' chanting of their verses,

And roused the singers with their poems

وأهل البضيعِ وذكرى حبيبٍ

وأهل البضيعِ وذكرى حبيبٍ

وشد المطيِّ بأكوارها

وشد المطيِّ بأكوارها

and the people of al-Badi', and the memory of a beloved,

And the people of separation and a beloved's memory

and the saddling of riding camels with their saddles.

And spurred the riding-beasts with their reins

سقتها السماءُ بما تشتهي

سقتها السماءُ بما تشتهي

وجادتْ عليها بأمطارها

وجادتْ عليها بأمطارها

The sky watered them with what they desired,

The sky watered them with what they crave

and lavished its rains upon them.

And was generous to them with its rain