يا حبيبي عد الينا

هل نسينا ماضيينا

O my beloved, return to us.

Have we forgotten our two pasts?

نحن بعد النأي ذبنا

وأكلنا راحتينا

After separation, we melted away,

and gnawed our palms.

وفنينا في دموع

فقرحنا ناظرينا

And we wasted away in tears,

so we made our eyes sore.

واحتسيناها دماء

وغزير ما احتسينا

And we sipped them as blood,

and plentiful was what we sipped.

أين هاتيك الليالي

يا حبيبي الروح أينا

Where are those nights,

O my beloved soul, where?

حين كنا في فسيح الجو

نضني جسدينا

When, in the vast open air, we

wore our two bodies out;

حين كنا نتدانى

فإذانا قد نأينا

when we drew near each other,

then suddenly found we had drawn apart;

حين كنا لا نرى في ال

جو إلا ساعدينا

when we saw nothing in the

air but our two forearms,

هاويات فوق رأسي

نا كما تهوي علينا

falling above our two heads,

as they fell upon us;

حين كنا حين تبدو

أنا او أنت اختفينا

when we, whenever there appeared

an 'I' or a 'you,' would vanish;

حين كانت واخدات ال

جري تحفي قدمينا

when the swift strides of

running wore our feet raw;

حين كانت لهثات ال

صدر تنزو في يدينا

when the gasps of the

chest pulsed in our hands;

حين كانت خفقات ال

نور تدمى خافقينا

when the flutterings of the

light made our two hearts bleed;

حين كانت خافيات ال

سر تبدي صحفتينا

when the hidden things of

secrecy revealed our two bowls;

حين بانت صفحة ال

دنيا كما تبدو لدينا

when there appeared the page of the

world, as it appears to us;

فإذا بالزين شيناً

واذا بالشين زينا

then behold: beauty was ugliness,

and ugliness was beauty;

وإذا بالمين صدقاً

واذا بالصدق مينا

and falsehood was truth,

and truth was falsehood;

واذا بالاين روحاً

واذا بالروح أينا

and weariness was ease,

and ease was weariness;

وإذا بالهين صعباً

واذا بالصعب هينا

and the easy was hard,

and the hard was easy;

واذا بالبين قرباً

واذا بالقرب بينا

and separation was nearness,

and nearness was separation;

واذا بالعين اذناً

واذا بالاذن عينا

and the eye was an ear,

and the ear was an eye;

واذا يا صاحبي نحن

ن نيامٌ فوعينا

and behold, my companion, we were

asleep, and then we awoke.

يا حبيبي كم سرير

ات خفيات درينا

O my beloved, how many secrets

hidden from view we came to know;

يا حبيبي كم ليال

قد ضحكنا وبكينا

O my beloved, through how many nights

we laughed and wept;

يا حبيبي كم سويعا

ت مهولات قضينا

O my beloved, how many brief hours

of terror we spent;

وسقتنا عاديات ال

دهر بؤساً فارتوينا

and we were given drink by the calamities of

time—misery—and we drank our fill;

وانفجرنا في نحيب

ولطمنا وجنتينا

and we burst into sobbing,

and slapped our cheeks;

ورقصنا وعزفنا

وشربنا وسقينا

and we danced and played music,

and drank and gave others drink;

وفنينا في رحيق ال

روح صرفاً فانتشينا

and lost ourselves in the nectar of the

soul, unmixed, and grew intoxicated;

واصطبحنا واغتبقنا

ولثمنا شفتينا

and drank at dawn and dusk,

and kissed our lips;

ورضينا وسخطنا

وأمرنا ونهينا

and were content and displeased,

and commanded and forbade;

وشقينا وسعدنا ال

ثم بعنا واشترينا

and were wretched and happy,

then sold and bought;

وانتهينا فبدأنا

وبدأتا فانتهينا

and we ended, so we began,

and they both began, so we ended.

يا حبيبي كم سويعا

ت مهولات قضينا

O my beloved, how many brief hours

of terror we spent;

واختفيت يا حبيبي ال

روح عنا فانزينا

And you vanished, O my beloved

soul, from us, and we withdrew;

وشرعنا نندب الحظ م

ونهمي مقلتينا

and we began to lament our lot,

and set our eyes streaming;

واخذنا بعد سير ال

هيدبي نمشي الهوينا

and we began, after walking at

a swift pace, to walk slowly;

وغدونا يا حبيبي ال

روح مأسوفاً علينا

and we became, O my beloved

soul, objects of pity.

يا حبيبي عد الينا

هل نسينا ماضيينا

O my beloved, return to us.

Have we forgotten our two pasts?

قد وعدتم ان تعودوا

كان وعد الحر دينا

You promised that you would return;

an honorable man's promise was a debt.