لَقَدَ سَبَقَتكَ اليَومَ عَيناكَ سَبقَةً

وَأَبكاكَ مِن عَهدِ الشَبابِ مَلاعِبُه

Your eyes have preceded you today in weeping

And made you cry over the playfulness of your youth

وَتُذكارُ عَيشٍ قَد مَضى لَيسَ راجِعاً

لَنا أَبَداً أَو يَرجِعَ الدَرَّ حالِبهُ

And the recollection of a life now gone, never to return

To us again, until the brimming cup runs dry

وَبالزَورِ زَورِ الرَقمَتَينِ لَنا شَجاً

إِذا نَدِيَت قيعانُهُ وَمَذاهِبُه

The drawing of the two sandalwoods brought us heartache

When their valleys and slopes were called

بِلادٌ مَتى تُشرِف طَويلُ جِبالِها

عَلى تَرَفٍ يَجلِب لَكَ الشَوقَ جالِبُه

A land, when will its towering mountains overlook

Luxury that makes yearning rush to you

كَأَنَّ فُؤادي في يَدٍ ضَبَثَت بِهِ

مُحاذِرَةً أَن يَقضِبَ الحَبلَ قاضِبُه

It's as if my heart is in a hand that handles it

Cautiously, lest the rope snap under its puller

وَأَشفِقُ مِن وَشكِ الفِراقِ وَإِنَّني

أَظُنُّ لَمَحمولٌ عَلَيهِ فَراكِبُه

And I fear the imminence of parting, and I

Suppose the one carried on it is its rider

نَظَرتُ وَدوني السُحقُ مِن نَخلِ بارِقٍ

بِنَظرَةِ سامي الطَرَفِ حُجنٌ مَخالِبُه

I looked down, under me palm trees with shining fronds

With a lofty gaze, their claws are digging

لِأُبصِرَ ناراً بِالجَواءِ وَدونَها

مَسيرَةُ شَهرٍ لا يُعَرِّسُ راكِبُه

To see a fire in the atmosphere, and below it

A month's journey no rider could complete

أُحِبُّكُم يا مَيُّ حُبَّينِ مِنهُما

قَديمٌ وَحُبٌّ حينَ شَبَّت شَبائِبُه

I love you, O Mayy, two loves, one

Old, one when its youthfulness was in bloom

إِذا إِجتَمَعا قالَ القَديمُ غَلَبتُهُ

وَقالَ الَّذي مِن بَعدِهِ أَنا غالِبُه

When they come together, the old one said: I prevailed over it

And the latter one said: I am its conqueror

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل تَغَيَّرَ بَعدَنا

صَرائِمُ جَنبَي مِخيَطٍ وَجَنائِبُه

Oh, I wish I knew, will our encampment change after us

And the pegs and ropes of our tent

وَهَل تَرَكَ الحَومانُ بَعدي مَكانَهُ

وَهَل زالَ مِن بَطنِ الجُوَيِّ تَناضُبُه

Will the doves abandon their place after me

And will the warbling in the valley cease

فَوَاللَهِ ما أَدري أَيَغلُِبُني الهَوى

إِذا جَدَّ جِدُّ البَينِ أَم أَنا غالِبُه

By God, I don't know if passion will overwhelm me

When the pain of separation is severe, or if I will be its conqueror

فَإِن أَسَتَطِع أَغلِب وَإِن يَغلِبِ الهَوى

فَمِثلُ الَّذي لاقَيتُ يُغلَبُ صاحِبُه

If I can, I will overcome, and if passion overwhelms

One like me who is overwhelmed, his companion is overwhelmed

لَقَد طالَ هَبسُ الوَفدِ وَفدِ مُحارِبٍ

عَنِ المَجدِ لَم يَأذَن لَهُم بَعدَ حاجِبُه

Prolonged has been the petitioning of the envoys, envoys of warriors

Seeking glory, their guard has not permitted them after

وَقالَ لَهُم كُرّوا فَلَستُ بِآذِنٍ

لَكُم أَبَداً أَو يَحصِيَ التُربَ حاسِبُه

And he said to them, turn back, for I will never permit you

Or until the dust counts the dust