وَفى عُروَةَ العُذريِّ إِن مِتُّ أُسوَةٌ

وَفى عُروَةَ العُذريِّ إِن مِتُّ أُسوَةٌ

وَعَمروِ بنِ عَجلانَ الَّذي قَتَلَت هِندُ

وَعَمروِ بنِ عَجلانَ الَّذي قَتَلَت هِندُ

And if I die, I have an example in ʿUrwa al-ʿUdhrī,

In Urwa the chaste I have an exemplar should I die,

and in ʿAmr ibn ʿAjlān, whom Hind killed.

And Amr son of Ajlan whom Hind had slain,

وَبي مِثلُ ما ماتا بِهِ غَيرَ أَنَّني

وَبي مِثلُ ما ماتا بِهِ غَيرَ أَنَّني

إِلى أَجَلٍ لَم يَأتِني وَقتُهُ بَعدُ

إِلى أَجَلٍ لَم يَأتِني وَقتُهُ بَعدُ

And I suffer from the same thing they both died of, except that I

And my like ending would be theirs, save that unto me

remain until an appointed end whose time has not yet come to me.

The term allotted is not come as yet, ah no!

هَلِ الحُبُّ إِلّا عَبرَةٌ بَعدَ عَبرَةٍ

هَلِ الحُبُّ إِلّا عَبرَةٌ بَعدَ عَبرَةٍ

وَحَرٌّ عَلى الأَحشاءِ لَيسَ لَهُ بَردُ

وَحَرٌّ عَلى الأَحشاءِ لَيسَ لَهُ بَردُ

Is love anything but tear after tear,

Is love then other than one tear pursuing yet another tear

and a burning in the entrails that knows no coolness,

And heart-hot passion which no cooling can allay?

وَفَيضُ دُموعِ العَينِ بِاللَيلِ كُلَّما

وَفَيضُ دُموعِ العَينِ بِاللَيلِ كُلَّما

بَدا عَلَماً مِن أَرضِكُم لَم يَكُن يَبدو

بَدا عَلَماً مِن أَرضِكُم لَم يَكُن يَبدو

and an overflow of the eye’s tears at night, whenever

A flood of tears is mine at night whenas I call to mind

a landmark of your land appears that had not been visible before?

Some camp, some dwelling place of yours that doth display.