أَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ حَبَّةُ القَلبِ تُقرَعُ

وَعَيني لِبَينٍ مِن ذَوي الوُدِّ تَدمَعُ

Does my heart ache every day,

And do my eyes weep for those I love?

أَبِالجدِّ أَنّي مُبتَلىً كُلَّ ساعَةٍ

بِهَمٍّ لَهُ لَوعاتُ حُزنٍ تَطَلَّعُ

Truly I'm afflicted each hour

With sorrows that stir mournful yearnings.

إِذا ذَهَبَت عَنّي غَواشٍ لِعَبرَةٍ

أَظَلُّ لأُخرَى بَعدَها أَتَوَقَّعُ

When one sorrow departs from me

I expect another will follow after.

فَلا النَفسُ مِن تَهمامِها مُستَريحَةٌ

وَلا بِالَّذي يأَتي مِنَ الدَهرِ تَقنَعُ

Neither is my soul at peace

Nor with what comes from fate content.

وَلا أَنا بِالَّلائي نَسَبتُ مُرَزَّأٌ

وَلا بِذَوي خِلصِ الصَفا مُتَمَتِّعُ

Neither am I pleased by those I'm linked to

Nor enjoying loyalty's pure companions.

وَأُولِعَ بي صَرفُ الزَمانِ وَعَطفُهُ

لِتَقطيعِ وَصل خُلَّةٍ حينَ تَقطَعُ

Fickle time has turned against me

Severing ties the moment they are tied.

وَهاجَ ليَ الشَوقَ القَديمَ حَمامَةٌ

عَلى الأَيكِ بَينَ القَريَتَينِ تَفَجَّعُ

And longing, that ancient love, stirs in me

A dove that mourns between two homes.

مُطَوَّقَةٌ تَدعو هَديلاً وَتَحتَها

لَهُ فَنَنٌ ذو نَضرَةٍ يَتَزَعزَعُ

Collared, calling plaintively, beneath it

Are young branches swaying delicately.

وَما شَجوها كالشَجوِ مِنّي وَلا الَّذي

إِذا جَزِعَت مِثلَ الَّذي مِنهُ أَجزَعُ

Its plaint is not like my plaint, nor is what

Makes it grieve like what makes me grieve.

فَقُلتُ لَها لَو كُنتِ صادِقَةَ الهَوى

صَنَعتِ كَما أَصبَحتُ لِلشَّوقِ أَصنَعُ

I said: "If you were true in your love,

You'd do as I have done for longing's sake."

وَلَكِن كَتَمتِ الوَجدَ إِلا تَرَنُّماً

أَطاعَ لَهُ مِنّي فؤَادٌ مُرَوَّعُ

But you hid your passion except in song

To which a frightened heart submitted.

وَما يَستَوي باكٍ لِشَجوٍ وَطائِرٌ

سِوى أَنَّهُ يَدعُو بِصَوتٍ وَتَسجَعُ

No difference between one who weeps for love

And a bird, though both cry and lament.

فَلا أَنا مِما قَد بَدا مِنك فاعلَمي

أصبُّ بَعيداً مِنكِ قَلباً وَأوجَعُ

So know that I'll never act

As you have, but cast my heart far from you,

وَلَو أَنَّ ما أُعنى بِهِ كانَ في الَّذي

يؤَمَّلُ مِن مَعروفِهِ اليَومَ مَطمَعُ

And though what I feel were in one whose

Kindness today might still raise hope,