وَلا كَالرُصافَةِ مِن مَنزِلِ

وَلا كَالرُصافَةِ مِن مَنزِلِ

سَقَتهُ السَحائِبُ صَوبَ الوَلي

سَقَتهُ السَحائِبُ صَوبَ الوَلي

And no dwelling is like al-Rusafa;

Not like the fertile meadow where

The clouds watered it with downpours of later rain.

The clouds pour down towards the valley,

أَحِنُّ إِلَيها وَمَن لي بِها

أَحِنُّ إِلَيها وَمَن لي بِها

وَأَينَ السَرِيُّ مِنَ المَوصِلِ

وَأَينَ السَرِيُّ مِنَ المَوصِلِ

I long for her—but who can take me to her?

I yearn for it though who is there for me

And how far is al-Sari from Mosul!

And where is the traveler from the journey’s end?