أَيا كَبِداً طارَت صُدوعاً نَوافِذا

أَيا كَبِداً طارَت صُدوعاً نَوافِذا

وَيا حَسرَتا ماذا تَغَلغَلَ في القَلبِ

وَيا حَسرَتا ماذا تَغَلغَلَ في القَلبِ

O liver, shattered by fissures that pierce right through!

O my heart that has windows blown open,

And oh, my sorrow—what has burrowed deep into the heart!

And O my regrets, what has seeped into my heart,

فَأُقسِمُ ما عُمشُ العُيونِ شَوارِفٌ

فَأُقسِمُ ما عُمشُ العُيونِ شَوارِفٌ

رَوائِمُ بَوٍّ حائِماتٌ عَلى سَقبِ

رَوائِمُ بَوٍّ حائِماتٌ عَلى سَقبِ

For I swear: no bleary-eyed, aged she-camels,

I swear, since the eyes have wept, they are verandas,

Fond of a stuffed calfskin, hovering over a male calf—

Willowy women wailing upon a dome.

تَشَمَّمنَهُ لَو يَستَطِعنَ اِرتَشَفنَهُ

تَشَمَّمنَهُ لَو يَستَطِعنَ اِرتَشَفنَهُ

إِذا سُفنَهُ يَزدَدنَ نَكباً عَلى بَكبِ

إِذا سُفنَهُ يَزدَدنَ نَكباً عَلى بَكبِ

They sniff him; if they could, they would sip him up;

If only they could drink him in, they would;

When they scent him, they lean still more, crowding together;

When his ships return, their anguish redoubles.

رَإِمنَ فَما تَنحاشُ مِنهُنَّ شارِفٌ

رَإِمنَ فَما تَنحاشُ مِنهُنَّ شارِفٌ

وَحالَفنَ حَبساً في المُحولِ وَفي الجَدبِ

وَحالَفنَ حَبساً في المُحولِ وَفي الجَدبِ

They have grown attached; no aged she-camel among them shies away,

I swear, no elegance departs from them;

And they have sworn to stay confined, through barren seasons and drought—

They have sworn lifelong grief, in fertile times or barren.

بِأَوجَدَ مِنّي يَومَ وَلَّت حُمولُها

بِأَوجَدَ مِنّي يَومَ وَلَّت حُمولُها

وَقَد طَلَعَت أولى الرِكابِ مِنَ النَقبِ

وَقَد طَلَعَت أولى الرِكابِ مِنَ النَقبِ

Are more grief-stricken than I, the day her laden camels departed,

More binding to me the day their burdens shifted

And the first riding camels had already emerged from the mountain pass.

And the first riders ascended from the dune.

وَكُلُّ مُلِمّاتِ الزَمانِ وَجَدتُها

وَكُلُّ مُلِمّاتِ الزَمانِ وَجَدتُها

سِوى فُرقَةِ الأَحبابِ هَيِّنَةَ الخَطبِ

سِوى فُرقَةِ الأَحبابِ هَيِّنَةَ الخَطبِ

And all the calamities of time I have found,

All the gatherings of Time I have found

Except parting from loved ones, easy to bear.

Lighter than the loss of loved ones, calamitous.

إِذا اِفتَلَتَت مِنكَ النَوى ذا مَوَدَّةٍ

إِذا اِفتَلَتَت مِنكَ النَوى ذا مَوَدَّةٍ

حَبيباً بِتَصداعٍ مِنَ البَينِ ذي شَغبِ

حَبيباً بِتَصداعٍ مِنَ البَينِ ذي شَغبِ

If distance snatches from you one full of affection,

When she who loved me parted from me

A beloved, through a sundering wrought by tumultuous parting,

A lover feeling the ache of absence, tumultuous,

أَذاقَتكَ مُرَّ العَيشِ أَو مُتَّ حَسرَةً

أَذاقَتكَ مُرَّ العَيشِ أَو مُتَّ حَسرَةً

كَما ماتَ مَسقِيُّ الضَياحِ عَلى أَلبِ

كَما ماتَ مَسقِيُّ الضَياحِ عَلى أَلبِ

It makes you taste life's bitterness, or you die of grief,

She made you taste the bitter draught of life

As one given watered milk in malice died.

Or the cups of regret, like the water-drawer who died on the dune.

وَقُلتُ لِقَلبي حينَ لَجَّ بِيَ الهَوى

وَقُلتُ لِقَلبي حينَ لَجَّ بِيَ الهَوى

وَكَلَّفَني ما لا يُطيقُ مِنَ الحُبِّ

وَكَلَّفَني ما لا يُطيقُ مِنَ الحُبِّ

And I said to my heart, when passion pressed me relentlessly,

And I said to my heart, when passion enveloped me,

And burdened me with love my heart could not bear:

And love burdened me beyond all bearing:

أَلا أَيُّها القَلبُ الَّذي قادَهُ الهَوى

أَلا أَيُّها القَلبُ الَّذي قادَهُ الهَوى

أَفِق لا أَقَرَّ اللَهُ عَينَكَ مِن قَلبِ

أَفِق لا أَقَرَّ اللَهُ عَينَكَ مِن قَلبِ

Listen, O heart that passion has led,

"O heart led into passion’s ways!

Come to your senses! May God never gladden your eye, heart that you are!

Awaken! May God grant your eye no sleep from the beloved."