أتظعَنُ يا قلبُ مع من ظعَنْ

أتظعَنُ يا قلبُ مع من ظعَنْ

حَبيبَينِ أندُبُ نفسي إذَنْ

حَبيبَينِ أندُبُ نفسي إذَنْ

Are you departing, O heart, with the one who departed?

Does my heart grieve with the one who grieves

Do you depart, O heart, with those who ride away?

Then I mourn two beloveds—my very soul.

For two lovers I lament my soul then

Then I mourn two beloveds, and weep my own end today.

ولم لا أصابُ وحربُ البسو

ولم لا أصابُ وحربُ البسو

سِ بينَ جفوني وبينَ الوسَن

سِ بينَ جفوني وبينَ الوسَن

And why should I not be stricken, when the war of al-Basu—

Why wouldn't I get hit and in confusion

Why should I not be stricken, when the War of Basus lies

—s rages between my eyelids and slumber?

Between my eyelids and the tooth

Entrenched between my eyelids and the sleep that flies?

وهل أنا بعدَكُم عائشٌ

وهل أنا بعدَكُم عائشٌ

وقد بنتَ عنّي وبانَ السكَن

وقد بنتَ عنّي وبانَ السكَن

And am I still alive after you,

Do I live after you

Can I be counted among the living now that you are gone,

when you have parted from me and my solace has departed?

When you turned away from me and home was gone

Since you have departed from me, and all peace is withdrawn?

فدى ذلكَ الوجه بدرُ الدجى

فدى ذلكَ الوجه بدرُ الدجى

وذاك التثنّي تثنّي الغُصُن

وذاك التثنّي تثنّي الغُصُن

May the full moon of night be a ransom for that face,

The ransom of that face, full moon of darkness

May the full moon of the dark night be ransom for that face,

and the bough’s swaying for that sway.

And that bending, bending of the branch

And the swaying bough bow down before your swaying grace.

فما للفراق وما للجميع

فما للفراق وما للجميع

وما للرياح وما للدِمَن

وما للرياح وما للدِمَن

Then what does parting have against togetherness,

What is parting and what is gathering

What business have partings, or gatherings, to do with me?

and what do the winds have against the traces of camps?

What are the winds and what are the abodes

Or the winds that sweep the ruins where our tents used to be?

كأنْ لم يكن بعد أن كان لي

كأنْ لم يكن بعد أن كان لي

كما كان لي بعد أن لم يكُن

كما كان لي بعد أن لم يكُن

As though he had never been, after having been mine,

As if it never was after it was mine

It is as if he never was mine, after once being my own,

just as he was mine after not having been.

As it was mine after it wasn't

Just as he was mine for a moment, before being unknown.

ولم يسقني الراح ممزوجَةً

ولم يسقني الراح ممزوجَةً

بماءِ اللِّثَى لا بماءِ المُزَن

بماءِ اللِّثَى لا بماءِ المُزَن

And as though he had not given me wine to drink, mixed

The winds didn't give me to drink, blended

He did not pour me wine diluted with the raincloud’s shower,

with water from the gums, not water from rainclouds.

With the water of the sand, only of the club

But mixed with moisture from his lips, a sweet and heady dower.

لها لونُ خدّيهِ في كفِّهِ

لها لونُ خدّيهِ في كفِّهِ

وريحُكَ يا أحمدَ بنَ الحسَن

وريحُكَ يا أحمدَ بنَ الحسَن

In his palm it has the color of his cheeks,

Her cheeks have the color in his palm

It holds the flush of his soft cheek within the cupbearer’s hand,

and your fragrance, O Ahmad son of al-Hasan.

And your scent, O Ahmed son of Al-Hassan

Yet carries your scent, O Ahmed son of Al-Hasan, across the land.

ألَم يُلفِكَ الشرفُ اليعرُبيّ

ألَم يُلفِكَ الشرفُ اليعرُبيّ

وأنتَ غريبَةُ أهل الزَمَن

وأنتَ غريبَةُ أهل الزَمَن

Did the nobility of Ya‘rub not find you

Didn't Arab nobility wrap around you

Did not the ancient honor of the Arabs find its place in you?

already a marvel among the people of this age?

While you are a stranger to people of the time

For you are a unique marvel among the people of this view.

كأنَّ المحاسنَ غارَت عليكَ

كأنَّ المحاسنَ غارَت عليكَ

فسَلَّت لدَيكَ سُيوفَ الفِتَن

فسَلَّت لدَيكَ سُيوفَ الفِتَن

As though the perfections grew jealous over you,

As if beauty was jealous of you

It is as though all virtues grew jealous of your state,

and unsheathed before you the swords of strife.

So it unsheathed towards you the swords of strife

And drew the swords of discord to determine your fate.

لَذِكرُكَ أطيبُ من نشرِها

لَذِكرُكَ أطيبُ من نشرِها

ومدحُكَ أحلى سماعِ الأُذُن

ومدحُكَ أحلى سماعِ الأُذُن

Indeed, the mention of you is more fragrant than their scent,

The mention of you is sweeter than its diffusion

The mention of your name is sweeter than the rarest scent’s spread,

and praise of you is the sweetest thing the ear can hear.

And praising you is sweeter than hearing

And your praise the finest melody by which the ear is fed.

فَلَم يَرَكَ الناسُ إلا غنوا

فَلَم يَرَكَ الناسُ إلا غنوا

برُؤياكَ عن قولِ هذا ابنُ مَن

برُؤياكَ عن قولِ هذا ابنُ مَن

So whenever people saw you, they had no need,

So people saw you only singing

No man has ever seen you but found such richness in the sight,

thanks to the sight of you, to ask, ‘Whose son is this?’

About seeing you over the words of this son of Man

He need not ask "Whose son is this?" to know your noble light.

ولو قُصِدَ الطفلُ من طَيّئٍ

ولو قُصِدَ الطفلُ من طَيّئٍ

لشاركَ قاصِدُهُ في اللبَن

لشاركَ قاصِدُهُ في اللبَن

And if even a child of Tayy were sought out,

If the young one from Tai is reached

If one sought bounty from a suckling child of Tayy’s clan,

his petitioner would share in the milk.

The one reaching him shares the milk

The babe would share his mother’s milk with the visiting man.

فما البَحرُ في البرِّ إلا نداكَ

فما البَحرُ في البرِّ إلا نداكَ

وما الناسُ في الباسِ إلا اليمَن

وما الناسُ في الباسِ إلا اليمَن

So the only sea on land is your bounty,

As your equal is not the sea on land

There is no sea upon the dry land but the dew of your hand,

and the only people of valor are those of Yemen.

And people in clothing are not Yemen

And no true valor among men but the Yemen of your command.