قِفْ بالدِّيارِ وإنْ شجَاكَ المَوقِفُ

قِفْ بالدِّيارِ وإنْ شجَاكَ المَوقِفُ

وسَلِ المنَازلَ بَعدَنا مَن تألَفُ

وسَلِ المنَازلَ بَعدَنا مَن تألَفُ

Halt at the dwellings, though the stopping place grieves you.

Stand at the abodes, even if the standing grieves you,

And ask the homes whom they befriend after us.

And ask the dwellings after us, who lodges there.

وإذا عَثَرْتَ على فُؤادي بينَها

وإذا عَثَرْتَ على فُؤادي بينَها

يوماً فَسَلْهُ إلى مَتَى يَتَخلَّفُ

يوماً فَسَلْهُ إلى مَتَى يَتَخلَّفُ

And if you come upon my heart among them

And if you come upon my heart amongst them one day,

One day, then ask it how long it will linger behind.

Then ask it, when will it cease to linger.

رَبْعٌ صَرَفْتُ العَينَ عنهُ أشهُراً

رَبْعٌ صَرَفْتُ العَينَ عنهُ أشهُراً

والقلبُ عنهُ ساعةً لا يُصرَفُ

والقلبُ عنهُ ساعةً لا يُصرَفُ

A dwelling from which I turned my gaze for months—

A quarter I turned my eye from it months ago,

Yet my heart cannot be turned from it for even an hour.

Yet my heart from it an hour does not turn away.

قد كانَ لي داراً فصارَت مُهجتي

قد كانَ لي داراً فصارَت مُهجتي

داراً لهُ بفِنِائها يتَكنَّفُ

داراً لهُ بفِنِائها يتَكنَّفُ

It once was my home; then my soul became

It had been my abode, so it became my torment,

A home for it, in whose courtyard it takes shelter.

A home for him, with its courtyard he wraps himself.

وبجانبِ الجَرْعاءِ قومٌ عِندَهم

وبجانبِ الجَرْعاءِ قومٌ عِندَهم

ذِمَمٌ لَنا مَحفوظةٌ لا تُخْلَفُ

ذِمَمٌ لَنا مَحفوظةٌ لا تُخْلَفُ

And beside al-Jarʿāʾ are people who hold

And by the side of the sandy valley, a people whose

Pledges to us, kept safe and never broken.

Rights upon us preserved, are not lost.

تَدنُو مَوَدَّتُهم على بُعدِ المَدَى

تَدنُو مَوَدَّتُهم على بُعدِ المَدَى

ويَزيدُ صِحَّتَها الزَّمانُ المُدنِفُ

ويَزيدُ صِحَّتَها الزَّمانُ المُدنِفُ

Their affection draws near despite the great distance,

Their friendship comes close from afar,

And enfeebling time makes it healthier.

And its health increases with time ever throwing.

إخوانُ صِدقٍ في الإخاءِ تَرَى لهم

إخوانُ صِدقٍ في الإخاءِ تَرَى لهم

كَلَفاً ولكن ليسَ فيهِ تَكَلُّفُ

كَلَفاً ولكن ليسَ فيهِ تَكَلُّفُ

Brothers true in brotherhood—in them you see

Brothers of sincerity, in brotherhood you see they have

Devotion, yet no affectation in it.

Hardship, but in it there is no affectation.

ما زِلتُ أمزُجُ بالمدامعِ ذِكرَهُمْ

ما زِلتُ أمزُجُ بالمدامعِ ذِكرَهُمْ

طَرَباً كما مُزِجتْ بماءٍ قَرْقَفُ

طَرَباً كما مُزِجتْ بماءٍ قَرْقَفُ

I have not ceased to mingle their memory with tears,

I continued to blend with tears their remembrance,

In rapture, as wine is mingled with water.

Confusion, as though blended with perfumed water.

يا مَن جَلا عينَ البعيدِ برَسْمِ ما

يا مَن جَلا عينَ البعيدِ برَسْمِ ما

كانتْ بهِ أُذُنُ القريبِ تُشنَّفُ

كانتْ بهِ أُذُنُ القريبِ تُشنَّفُ

O you who brightened the distant one's eye by writing what

O you who made distant the eye of the distant with the drawing of what

Once adorned the nearby one's ear.

Was with it the ear of the near is delighted.

طِرسٌ على الأنفاسِ منكَ خَتَمتَهُ

طِرسٌ على الأنفاسِ منكَ خَتَمتَهُ

سِرّاً فذَلكَ بالعَبيرِ مُغَلَّفُ

سِرّاً فذَلكَ بالعَبيرِ مُغَلَّفُ

A sheet you sealed around your own breaths,

A spell upon the breaths from you is sealed,

In secret; thus it is wrapped in perfume.

In secret, so that is with amber enveloped.

إنْ كُنتَ يعقوبَ المُحبَّ فنِعْمَ ما

إنْ كُنتَ يعقوبَ المُحبَّ فنِعْمَ ما

تُدعَى ولكنْ ما حَبيبُكَ يُوسُفُ

تُدعَى ولكنْ ما حَبيبُكَ يُوسُفُ

If you are Yaʿqūb the loving, excellent is the name

If you are Jacob the lover, excellent is what

You bear; but your beloved is no Yūsuf.

You are called, but who is your Yusuf?

أثَبتَّ لي في الوَصفِ ما لا أدَّعيِ

أثَبتَّ لي في الوَصفِ ما لا أدَّعيِ

وعَرَفتَ لي في الحُبِّ ما لا أعرِفُ

وعَرَفتَ لي في الحُبِّ ما لا أعرِفُ

You ascribed to me in your description what I do not claim,

You made true to me in description what I do not claim,

And recognized in my love what I do not know.

And you knew for me in love what I do not know.

هذِهْ صَحيفةُ من تَوَدُّ عُيُونُهم

هذِهْ صَحيفةُ من تَوَدُّ عُيُونُهم

لو أنَّها ضِمنَ الصحيفةِ أحرُفُ

لو أنَّها ضِمنَ الصحيفةِ أحرُفُ

This is a page from those whose eyes wish

This is a sheet from those whose eyes

That they were letters within the page.

Wish that it within the sheet letters.

كادتْ تَطِيرُ بها إليكَ صبابةٌ

كادتْ تَطِيرُ بها إليكَ صبابةٌ

فيها أرَقُّ مِن النَسيمِ وألطَفُ

فيها أرَقُّ مِن النَسيمِ وألطَفُ

Longing almost bore it flying to you—

A youth almost flew with it to you,

A longing within it, more delicate and gentler than the breeze.

In it more gentle than the breeze and kinder.

جارَيَتني فسَبَقْتَني ولَطالَما

جارَيَتني فسَبَقْتَني ولَطالَما

قد كُنتَ تَقْوَى في السِّباقِ وأضعُفُ

قد كُنتَ تَقْوَى في السِّباقِ وأضعُفُ

You vied with me and outstripped me; and how often

She raced me so outsped me, and how much

You grew strong in the race, while I grew weak.

You used to be stronger in racing while I am weaker.

إنْ كُنتُ عن حَقِّ الوفاءِ مُقصِّراً

إنْ كُنتُ عن حَقِّ الوفاءِ مُقصِّراً

فالفضلُ في إنصافِ من لا يُنصِفُ

فالفضلُ في إنصافِ من لا يُنصِفُ

If I have fallen short of the duty of faithfulness,

If about the right of loyalty I fell short,

Then virtue lies in being fair to one who is unfair.

Then the merit is in the fairness of one who is not fair.