بعينيك إضرامُهم للأكمْ

بعينيك إضرامُهم للأكمْ

بحمُرِ القِبابِ وحُمرِ النَّعَمْ

بحمُرِ القِبابِ وحُمرِ النَّعَمْ

Before your very eyes, they set the hillocks ablaze

Before your eyes, they set the hillocks ablaze

with red pavilions and red camels.

With red tents and red camels.

تَخَيّلها الضيفُ نارَ القِرىَ

تَخَيّلها الضيفُ نارَ القِرىَ

وما هي إلا قلوبُ الأممْ

وما هي إلا قلوبُ الأممْ

The guest imagined them fires of welcome,

The guest imagined it to be a fire of hospitality,

yet they were nothing but the hearts of whole peoples.

Yet it was nothing but the hearts of peoples.

ورقَّ الحُداةُ لإنصاتِهم

ورقَّ الحُداةُ لإنصاتِهم

فأبدلْنَها بالسياطِ النَّغَمْ

فأبدلْنَها بالسياطِ النَّغَمْ

The cameleers softened at their attentiveness,

And the camel-drivers were touched by their attentive listening,

and traded the lash for melody.

So they gave them melodies in place of whips.

لقد كذَب الفالُ لما زجرتُ

لقد كذَب الفالُ لما زجرتُ

ظباءَ سُليمٍ بوادى السَّلمْ

ظباءَ سُليمٍ بوادى السَّلمْ

The omen proved false when I took augury from

Indeed, the omen lied when I startled

the gazelles of Sulaym in Wadi al-Salam.

Sulaym's gazelles in Wadi al-Salam.

فما كنَّ إلا الجوى والسى

فما كنَّ إلا الجوى والسى

وطولَ السهادِ وفرطَ السَّقَمْ

وطولَ السهادِ وفرطَ السَّقَمْ

They were nothing but consuming passion and sorrow,

So they were nothing but burning heartache and sorrow,

long wakefulness and sickness beyond measure.

And prolonged sleeplessness and extreme illness.

أترجو لمن قد هَوِى صحّةً

أترجو لمن قد هَوِى صحّةً

وما علَّة الحبِّ إلا لَمَمْ

وما علَّة الحبِّ إلا لَمَمْ

Can you hope for health for one already fallen to passion,

Do you hope for health for one who has fallen in love,

when love’s only malady is madness?

When love's ailment is nothing but a touch of madness?

ولما رأى البُرءَ في عَذْله

ولما رأى البُرءَ في عَذْله

رماه الهوى بالعمى والصَّمَمْ

رماه الهوى بالعمى والصَّمَمْ

When he thought healing lay in reproach,

And when he saw a cure in being reproached,

passion smote him with blindness and deafness.

Passion struck him with blindness and deafness.

تظنُّ السحائبَ أجفانَهُ

تظنُّ السحائبَ أجفانَهُ

لو أنَّ السحائبَ تهِمى بدمْ

لو أنَّ السحائبَ تهِمى بدمْ

You would take the clouds for his eyelids,

You would think the clouds were his eyelids,

if only the clouds poured down blood.

If the clouds rained blood.

ولولا الغرامُ لما شاقَه

ولولا الغرامُ لما شاقَه

حَمامٌ دَعَا أو غزالٌ بَغَمْ

حَمامٌ دَعَا أو غزالٌ بَغَمْ

Were it not for passion, he would not be stirred

And but for passion, he would not have been stirred to longing

by a calling dove or a gazelle that bleats.

By calling doves or a bleating gazelle.