شَرَى البَرْقُ عِندَ الفَجْرِ فاسْتَمْطَرَ الدَّمْعا

شَرَى البَرْقُ عِندَ الفَجْرِ فاسْتَمْطَرَ الدَّمْعا

وهَيَّجَ مَجْرُوحَ الفُؤادِ إلى صَنْعا

وهَيَّجَ مَجْرُوحَ الفُؤادِ إلى صَنْعا

Lightning flashed at dawn and called down a rain of tears,

The lightning flashed at dawn, so my tears rained down

And stirred the wounded-hearted one to yearn for Sana'a.

And stirred the wounds in my heart towards Sana'a

فهاجَتْ صَباباتي وكُنَّ سَواكِنًا

فهاجَتْ صَباباتي وكُنَّ سَواكِنًا

فضاقَ بها صَدري، وضاقَتْ بهِ ذَرْعا

فضاقَ بها صَدري، وضاقَتْ بهِ ذَرْعا

So my longings surged, though they had lain still;

So my passions were aroused and dwelt within me

So my breast grew too narrow for them, and they could not bear it.

My chest was straitened by them and they straitened my patience

كَسَتْهُ لَيالي المُوبِقاتِ مَواجِعًا

كَسَتْهُ لَيالي المُوبِقاتِ مَواجِعًا

فَمَزَّقَ ثَوبَ الصَّبرِ، في مَأْتَمِ الرُّجْعَى

فَمَزَّقَ ثَوبَ الصَّبرِ، في مَأْتَمِ الرُّجْعَى

Nights of ruin clothed it in pains,

The nights of destruction clad him in lamentations

So it tore the robe of patience in the mourning for return.

And tore his garment of patience, in the place of return

وأبكاهُ عندَ الفَجْرِ زَجْلُ يمامةٍ

وأبكاهُ عندَ الفَجْرِ زَجْلُ يمامةٍ

فما عاد عندي في بِعادكمُ وُسعا

فما عاد عندي في بِعادكمُ وُسعا

And a dove's cooing made it weep at dawn;

And made him weep at dawn the song of a turtle-dove

So I have no strength left to endure separation from you.

So there was no more room for me in your absence

تُسامِرُهُ آلامُهُ وشُجونُه

تُسامِرُهُ آلامُهُ وشُجونُه

فما أحْسَنَتْ وَصْلًا ولا أَحسَنَتْ صُنْعا

فما أحْسَنَتْ وَصْلًا ولا أَحسَنَتْ صُنْعا

Its pains and sorrows keep it company at night,

His sorrows and passions converse with him

So they neither kept it good company nor treated it well.

But they brought no joy of union or kindness

فمَنْ مُبْلِغٌ عَنّي الدِّيارَ وأَهلَها

فمَنْ مُبْلِغٌ عَنّي الدِّيارَ وأَهلَها

شُجُوني، وقد أَحْرَقْتُ مِن أَجْلِها الزَّرْعا

شُجُوني، وقد أَحْرَقْتُ مِن أَجْلِها الزَّرْعا

Who, then, will convey for me to the dwellings and their people

So who will convey from me to the abode and its people

My sorrows, when for their sake I have burned the crops?

My passions, when for their sake I burned the crops

وهل حَمَلَتْ بِيضُ الخُدُودِ وسُمْرُها

وهل حَمَلَتْ بِيضُ الخُدُودِ وسُمْرُها

أمانةَ ما حَمَّلْتُها إنْ وَعَتْ سَمْعا

أمانةَ ما حَمَّلْتُها إنْ وَعَتْ سَمْعا

And have the fair-cheeked and the dark-cheeked borne

Did the cheeks' eggs and their reddishness

The trust I made them bear, if they understood what they heard?

Bear the trust I placed in them, if they understood

سَلُوها عَنِ النّائي الّذي لا نَهَارُهُ

سَلُوها عَنِ النّائي الّذي لا نَهَارُهُ

نَهارٌ، ولا في لَيلِهِ يرتجي نَفعا

نَهارٌ، ولا في لَيلِهِ يرتجي نَفعا

Ask them about the faraway one, whose day is no

Ask them about the distant one who has no daytime

Day, and who hopes for no good in his night.

That is daytime, nor in his night does he hope for benefit

كَفَى حَزَنًا أنْ لا يَفِيقَ صَبابةً

كَفَى حَزَنًا أنْ لا يَفِيقَ صَبابةً

تَحُجُّ أمانِيهِ الحبيبَ ولا تَسْعَى

تَحُجُّ أمانِيهِ الحبيبَ ولا تَسْعَى

It is sorrow enough that he does not recover from longing;

It is enough of sorrow that no passion awakens

His wishes make pilgrimage to the beloved, yet take no steps.

To plead the desires of the beloved nor makes effort

رعى اللهُ مَغْنًى في (تَعِزَّ) كأنَّهُ

رعى اللهُ مَغْنًى في (تَعِزَّ) كأنَّهُ

مِنَ الخُلْدِ رُوحي نازَعَتْني له نَزْعا

مِنَ الخُلْدِ رُوحي نازَعَتْني له نَزْعا

May God watch over a dwelling in Taiz, as though it were

May God shepherd a refuge in Taiz as if

From Paradise; my soul wrestled with me, straining toward it.

My soul struggled with immortality to snatch me away to it