قُلْ لأسماء أَنْجِزي الميعادا

وانْظُري أنْ تُزوِّدي منكِ زادا

Tell Asma: fulfill the promised meeting,

and see that you provision me with something of yourself.

أًينما كنتِ أو حَلَلتِ بأَرضٍ

أو بلادٍ أَحيَيْتِ تلكَ البلادا

Wherever you may be, or whichever land you settle in,

or country—you bring that country to life.

إن تَكُونِي تَرَكْتِ رَبْعَكِ بالشَّأ

مِ وجاوَزْتِ حِمْيراً ومُرادا

If you have left your dwelling in al-Sham

and passed beyond Himyar and Murad,

فارْتَجِي أَن أَكونَ منكِ قريباً

فاسْألي الصَّادِرِين والوُرَّادا

then hope that I may be somewhere near you;

ask those departing and those arriving at the water.

وإذا ما رأَيْتِ رَكْباً مُخِبِّيـ

ـنَ يَقُودونَ مُقْرَباتٍ جِيادا

And whenever you see a company of riders hastening—

men leading choice, noble steeds—

فَهُمُ صُحْبتِي على أَرْحُلِ المَيْـ

ـسِ يُزَجُّونَ أَيْنُقاً أَفْرادا

then they are my companions, upon saddles of mays—

—wood, urging single she-camels onward.

وإذا ما سَمعتِ من نحوِ أرضٍ

بِمُحِبٍّ قد ماتَ أَو قِيلَ كادا

And if you hear, from the direction of some land,

of a lover who has died—or, it is said, nearly died—

فاعْلَمِي غيرَ عِلْمِ شَكٍّ بأنِّي

ذاكِ وأبْكِي لِمُصْفَدٍ أَنْ يُفادى

then know, with knowledge untouched by doubt, that I

am that man; and I weep for a muṣḥaf that might be ransomed.

أو تناءت بك النوى فلقد قدتِ

فؤادِي لحينه فانقادا

Or if separation has borne you far away, then you have led

my heart toward its doom, and it let itself be led.

ذاك أنِّي علقت منك جوى الحبّ

وليداً فزدتُ سنّاً فزادا

That is because from you I caught love’s wasting passion

as a child; as I grew in years, it too grew.