حَمَامَاتِ شِيرازَ رِفْقاً بِنَا

لَهِجْتُنَّ بالنَّوحِ ما عِندنَا

O doves of Shiraz, be gentle with us,

Your cooing laments what ails us,

وذَكَّرتِنَا اليومَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ

صُرُوفُ النَّوَى أمْسِ أَنْسَينَنَا

And reminds us today of what we had forgotten -

That the whims of passion make us oblivious.

أَرَاكُنَّ إمَّا طَعِمنا الكَرَى

أَخذْتُنَّ بالنَّوحِ تُوقِظْنَنا

Whenever misfortune befell us,

Your lament awakened us,

عَلامَ وأَنتُنَّ عندَ القَرينِ

في بَارِدِ الظِّلِّ دَانِي الجَنَى

Why, while your mates are near,

Do you linger in the cool shade,

تُغَازِلْنَ فَاكِهَةً غَضَّةً

وآوِنَةً غُصُناً لَيِّنَا

Flirting with tender blossoms

And swaying boughs?

نَنُوحُ اشْتياقاً وتَغْريدُكُنَّ

غِنَاءٌ فَشَتَّانَ مَا بيْنَنا

We lament in longing, while your song

Is joyous - how different our states!

فَإنَّ بُكَانَا علَى مَنْ نَأَى

خِلافَ بُكَاكِ علَى مَنْ دَنَا

Those who weep when loved ones are far

Are unlike those weeping as loved ones draw near.

لَحَا اللَّهُ أبْطَلَنَا في الغَرامِ

دَعْوَى وأكذَبَنَا أَلْسُنَا

May God render futile our claims of love,

And make our tongues liars,

وأكثَرَنَا عِندَ أُلاّفِهِ

مَبِيتاً وأجْمَدَنَا أعيُنَا

And multiply our sleepless nights with loved ones,

And keep our eyes sleepless.

ألا قُلْ لسُكَّانِ وادِي المَحَلْ

لِ هَلْ وَرَدُوا في الهَوَى وِرْدَنَا

Ask the dwellers of the valley,

If they have attained our desire;

فَإنَّا نَغَصُّ بِماءِ الجَفَا

وهُمْ يَستَسيغُونَ وِرْدَ الهَنَا

For we are poisoned by the water of disdain,

While they savor the wine of affection.

فَمَنْ لِعَليلٍ أَبَى أن يَبِلَّ

بِغَيرِكُمُ داءَهُ المُزْمِنَا

He who scorns to cure his malady through you

Will suffer it chronically, until he finds relief

تَمرَّضَ حتَّى استَعَادَ السَّقَا

مَ مِنْ جِسمِهِ واسْتَقَالَ الضَّنى

And regains his health and calm;

I wonder at you - how the nights refuse

عَجَبْتُ لكُمْ واللَّيالِي أبَى

لَهَا خُلُقُ السُّوءِ أنْ تُحْسِنَا

To show kindness and treat us well!

You spend the darkest hours in tranquility,

تَبِيتُونَ أكْرَى الورَى مُقْلَةً

ونَسْهرُ والثَّأرُ فِيكُمْ لَنَا

While we stay wakeful, nursing our vengeance.

Who suffers more - the oppressor or the oppressed?

أَضِيقُ المَجَالِ علَى مَنْ جَنَى

عَلَيهِ الأَذَى أمْ عَلَى مَنْ جَنَى

My friends! Do you know how we feel here,

While you are there? I swear by all the paths of separation

فَيَا هَلْ عَلِمتُمْ وأنتُمْ هُنَا

كَ مَا عِنْدَنَا مِنْكُمُ هَا هُنَا

That you who left us are dearest to us,

The people of the hill of parting -

يَميناً بِكُلِّ أَمُونِ العِثَا

رِ أَقْصَى مُنَى مَنْ عَلَيهَا مِنَى

Our first request, our final wish!

My friend, perhaps what one intends

لَسُكَّانُ ظَهرِ مَنِي من أُوا

لَ أوّلُ مطلبِنَا والمُنَى

Gets deferred by destiny;

I asked you - why not visit their tents,

فيَا صَاحِبي والفَتَى ربَّمَا

أَحَالَ علَى خِلِّهِ ما عَنَى

And say to their dwellers, have you kept safe

Those promises, or has our separation shattered them?

سَأَلتُكَ ألاَّ طَرَقْتَ الخِيامَ

وقُلتَ لِسُكَّانِها مُعْلنا

Many have permitted us the sweetest union,

Yet we saw no beauty in it;

أَأَنتُمْ عَلَى حِفْظِ تِلكَ العُهُو

دِ أَمْ نَقَضَ البُعْدُ ذَاكَ البِنَا

They seek to divert us from thoughts of you,

Though had they left us be, we would not have wavered,

أَلاَ رُبَّ قَوْمٍ أَباحُوا لَنَا

مِنَ الوَصْلِ أَطيَبَ ما يُجتَنَى

So do not blame us if we depart

When the caravan leaves you;

وفِيهِمْ مِن الحُسْنِ ما فِيهِمُ

فَلَمْ نَرَ ذلكَ مُستَحْسَنَا

Though the lover is inclined to renounce

The one he loves, and abandon us.

يُريدُونَ سُلْوانَنَا عنكُمُ

ولَو كانَ ذَلِكَ لم يُسْلِنَا

If you see me morose at times,

And at others, tranquil;

فَلا تُنْكرَنَّ عَلَيْنَا الرَّحيلَ

غَدَاةَ نَأَى الرَّكْبُ عَنكُمْ بِنَا

I move from one encampment to another,

Exchanging an intimacy for an intimacy,

فَبالرَّغْمِ من أن يَسْتَقيلَ المُحِبْ

بُ عَمَّنْ يُحبُّ وأن يَظْعَنَا

Only to settle near you,

And reside close to you.

فإنْ تَرَنِي مُشئِماً تَارَةً

وآوِنةً تَرَني مُعْمِنَا

لأَعتاضُ من خِلَّةٍ خِلَّةً

وأُبدِلُ مِنْ مَسْكَنٍ مَسْكَنَا

وما ذَاكَ إلاّ لأَنْ أسْتَقِرْ

رَ عِنْدَكُمُ ولأَنْ أسْكُنَا