يَا دَارَ مَنْ أَهْوَى رَعَاكِ اللهُ
وَتَفَجَّرَتْ بِرِيَاضِكِ الأَمْوَاهُ
O abode of the one I love, may God protect you,
And may waters gush forth throughout your meadows,
وَغَدَوْتِ فيِ حُلَلِ النَّضَارَةِ تَزْدَهِي
وَهَفَا عَلَيْكِ مِنَ الصَّبَا أَنْدَاهُ
May you wake to flourish in the garments of radiant green,
As the gentlest dewy breezes of the east drift over you.
مَا كَانَ آنَقَ نُزْهَةً سَلَفَتْ لَنَا
بِرُبَاكِ إِذْ بَرْقُ الْمُنَى شِمْنَاهُ
How beautiful was the past retreat we once shared
Upon your hills, when we watched the lightning flashes of our hopes,
وَالزَّهْرُ سَالَمَنَا وَفَلَّ شَبَاتَهُ
عَنْ حَرْبِنَا وَأَحِبَّتِي مَا تَاهُوا
And the blossoms made peace with us, dulling their thorns
To end their war against us, while my beloveds showed no haughty pride.
واَلأُنْسُ يَنْظِمُ شَمْلَنَا فِي سِلْكِهِ
وَالْوَصْلُ صَافَحَ يُمْنَنَا يُمْنَاهُ
Joy threaded our gathering together upon its string,
And reunion's right hand warmly clasped our own.
فِي جَنَّةٍ مَا كَانَ أَلْطَفَ نَشْرَهَا
حَسَدَتْ عَلَيْهِ أُنُوفَنَا الأَفْوَاهُ
In a paradise whose fragrance was so exquisite,
That our mouths grew envious of our noses for breathing it in.
مَاسَتْ لِدَانُ غُصُونِهَا لَمَّا شَدَا
شُحْرُورُهَا النَّشْوَانُ وَاطَرَبَاهُ
Its tender branches swayed gracefully when
Its enraptured blackbird sang—oh, what sheer musical delight!
وَتَبَسَّمَتْ أَزْهَارُهَا لَمَّا بَكَى
فِيهَا الْحَيَا هَمَّالَةً عَيْنَاهُ
And its blossoms smiled radiantly when
The rain wept over them, its eyes pouring forth heavy tears.
أَفْشَتْ نَوَاسِمُهَا سَرَائِرَ نَوْرِهَا
لِلَّهِ سِرُّ النَّوْرِ مَا أَفْشَاهُ
Its gentle breezes revealed the secrets of its blooms;
By God, how completely the secret of the blooms was laid bare!
وَالرَّوْضُ مُبْتَهِجُ الأَصَائِلِ وَالضُّحَى
سَقْياً لِذَاكَ الْعَصْرِ مَا أَحْلاَهُ
The meadows rejoiced in the late afternoons and the early dawns;
May rain bless that bygone era—how incredibly sweet it was!
مَا كَانَ إِلاَّ رَيْثَمَا انْتَعَشَتْ بِهِ
أَرْوَاحُنَا حَتَّى اسْتَرَدَّ سَنَاهُ
Yet it lasted only long enough to revive
Our weary souls, before it snatched back its radiant light.
وَاغْتَالَنَا صَرْفُ الْحَوَادِثِ بِالنَّوَى
عَجَباً لِهَذَا الدَّهْرِ مَا أَجْفَاهُ
Then the shifting fates ambushed us with bitter separation;
I marvel at this fickle time—how fiercely cruel it is!
آهٍ لِمَا أَلْقَاهُ مِنْ وَجْدِي عَلَى
مَا قَدْ مَضَى لَوْ كَانَ يَنْفَعُ آهُ
Ah, for the agony of passionate longing I endure over
All that has passed—if only sighing could be of any use!
أَيَرُوضُ خِصْبُ الْوَصْلِ بُسْتَانَ
الْمُنَى فَلَطَالَمَا مَحْلُ الْنَّوَى أَذْوَاهُ
Will the fertile rains of reunion ever cultivate the garden
Of hopes? For the drought of distance has withered it for far too long.
لَوْ مَا الذِي أَرْجُوهُ مِنْ جَمْعٍ عَلَى
دَعَةٍ قَضَيْتُ كَآبَةً لَوْمَاهُ
Were it not for the hope I hold of gathering in
Tranquility, I would have perished from sorrow were it not for it.
مَا إِنْ تَزَالُ سَحَائِبٌ كَمَدَامِعِي
يَسْقِي مَنَازِهَ أُنْسِنَا وَرُبَاهُ
Clouds, much like my tears, never cease
Watering the landscapes of our joy and its rolling hills.
وَتَحِيَّتِي مَوْصُولَةُ كَمَوَدَّتِي
تَتْرَى إِلَى مَنْ فِي الْحَشَا سُكْنَاهُ
And my greetings flow continuously, just like my affection,
Arriving in succession to the one whose home is deep within my heart,
كَنَوَاسِمِ الْعَهْدِ الذِي مِنْ طِيبِهِ
تُذْكِي سَعِيرَ أَضَالِعِي ذِكْرَاهُ
Like the sweet breezes of that bygone time, whose fragrant memory
Continues to kindle a blazing inferno within my ribs.
فَبَلاَبِلِي مِنْ بَعْدِهِ مَوْقُودَةٌ
وَالشَّوْقُ لاَ يَدْرِيهِ إِلاَّ اللهُ
For my relentless sorrows remain burning since his departure,
And the depths of this longing are known to none but God.
