أَستَودِعُ اللَهَ مَن إِن حَلَّ أَو ظَعَنا
لَم يَتَّخِذ غَيرَ أَحشائي لَهُ وَطَنا
I entrust to God the one who, whether he alights or journeys on,
has made no homeland for himself but my inmost being.
يا ساكِناً في فُؤادي وَهوَ يُحرِقُهُ
وَلَيسَ قَلبي بِراضٍ غَيرهُ سَكَنا
O you who dwell within my heart and set it aflame,
yet my heart accepts no one but you as its dweller.
يا قاتِلي عامِداً لَو قيلَ هَل أَحَدٌ
يُحِبُّ قاتِلَهُ عَمداً لَقُلتُ أَنا
O you who deliberately slay me—if someone asked, “Is there anyone
who loves his deliberate killer?” I would answer: “I.”
أَما وَأَجفانِكَ الوَسنى وَمَنظَرِكَ ال
أَسنى لَقَد هَجَرَت أَجفانِيَ الوَسَنا
Indeed, by your languorous eyelids and your most—
radiant aspect, sleep has deserted my own eyelids.
لا تَحسِبوا أَنَّني مِن بَعدِ بُعدِكُمُ
نَظَرتُ في الناسِ يَوماً مَنظَراً حَسَنا
Do not suppose that, after you went far away,
I ever looked among mankind, even for a day, upon a lovely sight.
وَداعُكُم أَودَعَ الأَسقامَ في بَدَني
مُذ حَثَّ حاديكُم يَومَ النَوى البُدُنا
Your farewell lodged every sickness in my body,
ever since your camel-driver, on separation’s day, urged the stout camels on.
أَنتُم خَلَعتُم عَلَينا مِن صُدودِكُمُ
لَمّا نَزَعنا ثِيابَ الصَبرِ ثَوبَ ضَنى
Through your rejection, you clothed us,
when we shed patience’s garments, in a robe of wasting pain.
أَودَعتُمُ السَّمعَ قِدماً مِن حَديثِكُمُ
عُقودَ دُرٍّ عَلَت لَمّا غَلَت ثَمَنا
Long ago, from your speech, you lodged within our hearing
pearl necklaces that rose in worth as their price grew dear.
خُذوا دُموعي الَّتي مِن مُقلَتي اِنتَثَرَت
فَهيَ العُقودُ الَّتي أَودَعتُمُ الأُذُنا
Take these tears of mine, scattered from my eye:
they are the necklaces you lodged within the ear.
نِمتُم وَأَسهَرتُمونا وَحشَةً لَكُمُ
أَوحَشتُمونا وَما تَستَوحِشونَ لَنا
You slept and kept us wakeful, lonely for you;
you left us desolate, yet never pine for us.
جَدَّ الرَحيلُ غَداةَ البَينِ وَاِرتَحَلوا
واحَسرَتا مِن سُرورِ الشامِتينَ بِنا
At separation’s dawn, departure grew urgent, and they rode away—
alas for my grief at the joy of those who gloat over us.
وَغادَروني أُنادي خَلفَ عيسِهُمُ
رِفقاً فَواحَرَبا لِلبَينِ واحَزَنا
They left me calling behind their pale camels,
“Gently!” O what a war separation wages—what sorrow!
لَو قيلَ لي ما تَمَنّى قُلتُ عَودُ لَيا
لينا بِخَيفِ مِنى حَسبي بِذاكَ مُنى
If asked what I wished for, I would say: the return of our ni—
—ghts at Khayf of Mina; that alone is wish enough for me.
وَلَستُ آيَسُ مِن لُطفِ الإِلَهِ بِأَن
يَقضي بِعَودِ لَيالي الوَصلِ تَجمَعُنا
Yet I do not despair of God’s graciousness—that He may
ordain the return of union’s nights and gather us again.
