أَحِلماً تَبتَغِي عِندَ الوَداعِ

لَعَمركَ لَيسَ ذاكَ بِمُستَطاعِ

I dream while bidding farewell,

By your life, that is not attainable,

وَتَطمَعُ في الحَياةِ وَغَيرُ حَيٍّ

يَكُونُ إِذا دَعا لِلبَينِ داعِ

And you aspire for life while lifeless,

When the caller calls for separation.

بِثَهمَدَ وَالظَعائِنُ عامِداتٌ

حُزُوناً بَينَ ثَهمَدَ وَالكُراعِ

With pleasant and prospering palm trees,

Grieving between Thahmad and Al-Kuraa.

بِكُلِّ غَريرَةٍ تَهتَزُّ لِيناً

كَما يَهتَزُّ مَشمُولُ اليَراعِ

With every soft pliable twig that sways

Like the swaying of a planted shoot.

أُلاحِظُها بِطَرفٍ غَيرِ سامٍ

وَأُتبِعُها فُؤاداً غَيرَ واعِ

I observe it with an impartial glance,

And I follow it with an unaware heart.

فَلَم أَرَ قَبلَها في الخِدرِ شَمساً

وَلا قَمَراً مُنيراً في قِناعِ

I have not seen before her a radiant sun in bedrooms,

Nor a shining moon in a veil.

وَقائِلَةٍ هَواكَ لَنا خِداعٌ

وَتُنكِرُ طُولَ بَثّي وَالتِيَاعي

And she says, “Your love is a deception to us,”

And she denies the duration of my misery and confusion.

وَلَو وَجِدتَ غَداةَ البَينِ وَجدِي

لَبانَ لَها صَحِيحي مِن خِداعي

And if you found, the morning of separation, my passion

Her correct view of my deception would have appeared.

كَأَنّي وَالحُمولُ مُوَلِّياتٌ

صَريعُ كَريهَةٍ بِلوى الصِراعِ

As if I and the caravans are wanderers

Stricken by abhorrence at the watering places of conflict.

وَشارِبٌ قَهوَةٍ غَلَبَت عَلَيهِ

مِنَ الجِريالِ حَمراءُ الشُعاعِ

And a drinker of coffee overcome

By the red rays of the brazier’s embers.

مُقَدَّمَةٌ لَها مِن عَهدِ عادٍ

كَأَنَّ حَبابَها قُمصُ الأَفاعي

She has an introduction since the era of Aad

As if its beads are the slough of snakes.

أَهاجِرَتي إِلى كَم طُولُ وَجدي

بِكُم وَإِلى مَتى لَكُمُ اتِّباعي

My emigrant, to how long is your misery?

For how long will you have to endure my confusion?

وَحَتّامَ الهَوى عَلِقٌ بِقَلبي

قَليلٌ عَن غِوايَتِهِ اِرتِداعي

The branding iron of love still clings to my heart,

Reluctantly retreating from its temptations.

وَكَم لا يَستَقِرُّ لَنا بِأَرضٍ

قَرارٌ بَينَ بَينٍ وَاجتِماعِ

How endless is our lack of stability in any land,

Between separation and gathering.

فَيَومٌ مِن لِقائِكِ في اِبتِهاجِ

وَيَومٌ مِن فِراقِكِ في اِرتِياعِ

A day of meeting you in elation,

And a day of parting in dismay.

فَما أَخلُو إِلَيكُم مِن غَرامٍ

وَلا أَخلُو إَلَيكُم مِن نِزاعِ

I come not to you without ardour,

Nor without conflict and contention.

سَقى دارً لِسَلمى بِالكُراعِ

مُلِثُّ القَطرِ مِن نَوءِ الذِراعِ

Watered a home for Salma at Al-Kuraa

Dripping from the bending of the arm.

وَمُرتَجِسٌ كَأَنَّ البَرقَ فيهِ

سَنا نارِ المُعِزِّ عَلى اليَفاعِ

And a horseman as if the lightning is in him,

The tooth of the glorifier’s fire at the precipices.

فَتىً يَسعى الرِجالُ إِلى مَداهُ

فَيَعجَزُ عَن مَداهُ كُلُّ ساعِ

A young man whom men hasten to assist,

But every helper fails to match his pace.

وَيَعلُو الناسُ فِتراً في المَعالي

فَيَعلُو فَوقَ ما يَعلُو بِباعِ

And people rise for a while to high ambitions

Then he rises above whatever they rise by steps.

شِراعُ المَجدِ مَمدُودٌ عَلَيهِ

وَمَشرُوعٌ نَدى ذاكَ الشِراعِ

The sail of glory lies spread out for him

And the dew of that sail lies ready.

رَعاهُ اللَهُ مِن مَلِكٍ هُمامٍ

لَنا وَلِحَوزَةِ الإِسلامِ راعِ

May God, the Sublime King, protect him

For our sakes and for the guardians of Islam.

أُوَدِّعُهُ وَفي قَلبي سِهامٌ

لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ مِن هَذا الوَداعِ

I bid him farewell while my heart harbors arrows -

By your father, from this farewell!

وَأَمضي غَيرَ مُنتَفِعٍ بِعَيشٍ

وَكَيفَ يَكُونُ بِالعَيشِ اِنتِفاعي

And I go without gaining from a life,

How can one gain from a life without gain?

جَزاكَ اللَهُ عَن نُعماكَ خَيراً

وَعَن حُسنِ اِحتِباسي وَاِصطِناعي

May God reward you for your favors,

And for the excellence of my restraint and attainment.

فَإِنّي مُذ نَجَعتُكَ بِالقَوافي

حَمدتُ إِلَيكَ قَصدي وَاِنتِجاعي

For since I dedicated poems to you,

I have praised my intention and determination.

وَطَلَّقتُ المُلوكَ بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ

ثَلاثاً لا يَحِلُّ لَها اِرتِجاعي

I divorced kings in every land thrice -

Ineligible for reunification with me.

فَعِش يُنعى إِلَيكَ الناسُ طُرّاً

وَلا يَنعاكَ طُولَ الدَهرِ ناعي

Live long denounced by people while flying,

Not denounced by long eras or death.