ريحُ الشَمالِ أَتَت بِريحِ شَمالِ
سَحَراً فَهاجَت ساكِنَ البَلبالِ
The north wind brought a northern breeze
In the dawn, so it stirred the nightingale
واهاً بِما جاءَت بِهِ واهاً لَهُ
أَحيَت بِهِ ما ماتَ مِن أَوصالي
Alas! For what it brought, alas for it!
It revived what was dead of my limbs
فَجَزاؤُها حُبّانِ حُبُّ بَاِسمِها
مِنّا وَحُبٌّ عَن جَميلِ فَعالِ
So its reward is two loves for its beautiful name
From us, and love for its good deeds
وَلَها عَلَينا في مُوافَقَةِ اِسمِها
هَقٌّ جَديدٌ رِعيَةَ اِسمِ شَمالِ
And it has a right over us to agree with its name
A renewed yearning for the name of the north
وَلَقَد رَضيتُ بِها طَبيباً حاذِقاً
يَشفي الجَوانِحَ مِن جَوىً وَغِلالِ
I was pleased with it as a skillful doctor
That heals the souls from love sickness and shackles
وَبِها غَنيتُ عَنِ العِبادِ رَسولَةً
تَفري القِفارَ وَما تَني لِكَلالِ
With it I became needless of messengers
To uncover the deserts and what desire hides
تُنبيكُمُ أَنّي عَلى عَهدٍ لَكُم
وَاللَهُ يَشهَدُ لي بِصِدقِ مَقالِ
It reminds you that I am still true to you
And Allah bears witness to the truth of my words
عِفتُ الحَرامَ وَلَم يَكُن مِن عادَتي
فِعلُ الحَرامِ لَكُم وَكُلُّ هَلالِ
I shunned sins and it was not my habit
To commit sins for you and each new moon
وَحَمَيتُ عَيني كُلَّ حُسنٍ رائِقٍ
وَعَقَلتُ عودَ عَرامَتي بِعِقالِ
And I guarded my eyes from any beautiful temptation
And restrained the pole of my tent with ropes
وَرَفَضتُ لَذّاتَ الحَياةِ وَطيبَها
مِن مَلبَسٍ أَو مَطعَمٍ أَو مالِ
And I rejected the pleasures of life and its goodness
Of clothing, food or money
وَإِذا خَلَوتُ وَلَم أَجِد لي مُسعِداً
إِلّا الشُؤونَ بِساجِمٍ هَطّالِ
And when I'm alone and find no one to console me
Except misfortunes with long dark nights
أَلقَيتُ ثَوبي فَوقَ وَجهي باكِياً
وَجَعَلتُ مُعتَمَدَ الجَبينِ شِمالي
I throw my garment over my face crying
And make my forehead lean on the north
قَد كُنتُ قَبلَ فِراقِكُم في غِبطَةٍ
مِن عيشَةٍ بِكُمُ رَخِيَّ البالِ
I used to be, before we parted, in bliss
Of a life with you, carefree and content
ما لِلنَوى تَعِسَت وَأُتعِسَ جَدُّها
قَطَعَت رَجايَ وَأَخلَفَت آمالي
Why did the love become miserable and make its grandfather miserable
It cut off my hopes and broke my dreams
شُدَّت عَلى جَمعي الأَحِبَّةِ عَنوَةً
يَومَ الخَميسِ ضُحاً سَفينَ أُوالِ
My loved ones were forced away violently
On Thursday at noon the ships of the first party sailed
فَاِستُلَّتِ الأَرواحُ مِن أَجسامِها
بِالشَوقِ وَهيَ بَعيدَةُ الآجالِ
So the souls were ripped from their bodies
In yearning, while still far from death
وَاِستُمطِرَت نُجلُ العُيونِ فَأَخضَلَت
وَردَ الخُدودِ بِواكِفٍ هَطّالِ
The stars of eyes rained, so they became green
And the roses of cheeks with continuous downpour
أَمسَيتُ بَعدَكَ يا شَمالُ تَخَوُّقاً
أَستَنشِقُ الأَرواحَ بِالآصالِ
After you left, O North, I remained confused
Inhaling spirits with the evening breezes
وَأَحِنُّ في غَلَسِ الدُجونِ مُسَهَّداً
وَأُواصِلُ الإِدبارَ بِالإِقبالِ
And I moan in the darkness of night, lying down
And spend the night awake until dawn
كَالوالِهِ المَجنونِ إِلّا أَنَّ في
شَحمِ الجُنوبِ فَضيلَةً لِهُزالِ
Like a mad lover, except that in
The fat of the south there is virtue in leanness
كَم قائِلٍ شَفِقاً تَسَلَّ لَعَلَّهُ
يَسلو هَواكَ فَقُلتُ غَيرِيَ سالِ
How many sympathizers asked if maybe
They could console your love, and I said: others have tried
كَيفَ السُلُوُّ وَقَد عَقَدتُ عُقودَها
بِمَواثِقي وَحِبالَها بِحِبالي
How can there be consolation when I tied its knots
With my covenants and its ropes with my ropes
وَأَجَلتُ طَرفي في العِبادِ فَلَم أَجِد
أَهَداً يَفوقُ جَمالَها بِجَمالِ
And I looked at people, but did not find
Anyone more beautiful than it in beauty
عارٌ عَلَيَّ مَتى أَدَعتُ ذِمامَها
أَو رُعتُها في الحُبِّ بِاِستِبدالِ
Shame on me if I let go of its reins
Or was unfaithful in love by changing
وَمَتى نَسيتُ فَلَستُ أَنسى قَولَها
صِلنا بِكُتبِكَ رَأسَ كُلِّ هِلالِ
And whenever I forget, I cannot forget its words:
"Unite us in your letters at the head of each crescent"
