نَزَحت دَارُهُم وشَطَّت مَزارا

نَزَحت دَارُهُم وشَطَّت مَزارا

فَدَعُوني أُجرِ الدُّموعَ غِزارا

فَدَعُوني أُجرِ الدُّموعَ غِزارا

Their home has grown distant, a remote place to visit;

Their abode departed and their tombs crumbled,

so let me shed tears in torrents.

So let me shed copious tears.

هذهِ سُنَّةُ الُمحبَّينَ إِذ تم

هذهِ سُنَّةُ الُمحبَّينَ إِذ تم

سي المغاني مِنَ الغواني قِفارا

سي المغاني مِنَ الغواني قِفارا

Such is the lovers' way, when

This is the way of lovers when the beloved is gone,

the dwellings become desolate, bereft of lovely women.

And the encampments are left desolate.

أيُّ صَبٍّ ما ظلَّ يندبُ رَبعاً

أيُّ صَبٍّ ما ظلَّ يندبُ رَبعاً

ومُحِبٍّ ما باتَ يبكي الدِّيارا

ومُحِبٍّ ما باتَ يبكي الدِّيارا

What lovesick man has not spent the day lamenting a dwelling,

What youth does not remain lamenting a quarter,

and what lover has not spent the night weeping over the homes,

And what lover does not weep for the past?

بضُلوعٍ إِذا استعرنَ استِعارا

بضُلوعٍ إِذا استعرنَ استِعارا

في ربُوعِ فَما استعرنَ استِعارا

في ربُوعِ فَما استعرنَ استِعارا

with ribs that, when they blaze fiercely

With ribs, when they ignite, borrowing a flame

among the dwellings, have not borrowed their flame?

In meadows, though they ignite, borrowing no flame.

يا جَواري الدُّموعِ أينَ الجَواري

يا جَواري الدُّموعِ أينَ الجَواري

واعتذارَ الأطلالِ أينَ العَذارى

واعتذارَ الأطلالِ أينَ العَذارى

O flowing tears, where are the maidens?

O tears' confidantes, where are the confidantes?

And O apology of the ruins, where are the virgins?

And the excuse of ruins, where are the excuses?

أصبحت عنكِ أعينُ اللَّهوِ صُوراً

أصبحت عنكِ أعينُ اللَّهوِ صُوراً

حينَ لم تَلقَ فيكِ ذاكَ الصُّوارا

حينَ لم تَلقَ فيكِ ذاكَ الصُّوارا

The eyes of revelry have turned away from you,

Your eyes became, without you, images of distraction

when they no longer found that herd of wild cattle in you.

When they found not in you that charm.

صَدفَ الدَّهرُ عن ربُاكِ صَدوُفاً

صَدفَ الدَّهرُ عن ربُاكِ صَدوُفاً

ولَعوباً وَ زَينَباً ونَوارا

ولَعوباً وَ زَينَباً ونَوارا

Time turned Ṣadūf away from your hills,

Fate was unkind to your romances

and Laʿūb, and Zaynab, and Nawār.

To play, and Zainab, and Nawar.

حالياتٍ وأنتِ منهنَّ عُطلٌ

حالياتٍ وأنتِ منهنَّ عُطلٌ

آنساتٍ شَردَنَ عنكِ نِفارا

آنساتٍ شَردَنَ عنكِ نِفارا

Adorned women, while you lie bare of them,

Delighted ones while you from them abstain

companionable women who scattered from you in flight.

Companions who shunned you and went away.

كنتِ جواً لكلِّ شَمسٍ وبدرٍ

كنتِ جواً لكلِّ شَمسٍ وبدرٍ

ما أراكِ السُّرورُ منه سِرارا

ما أراكِ السُّرورُ منه سِرارا

You were a sky for every sun and full moon,

You were an atmosphere for every sun and full moon

whose moonless darkness joy never showed you,

I see you not made happy by it, secretly.

فاضحٍ بَهجةَ الشَّقيقِ بخدٍّ

فاضحٍ بَهجةَ الشَّقيقِ بخدٍّ

جمعَ الحُسنُ فيه ماءً ونارا

جمعَ الحُسنُ فيه ماءً ونارا

putting the red anemone's splendor to shame with a cheek

Revealing the joy of the iris with a cheek

in which beauty joined water and fire.

On which beauty combined water and fire.

كلَّما قُلتُ جادَ جدَّ بِعاداً

كلَّما قُلتُ جادَ جدَّ بِعاداً

فإذا قلتُ زارَ زادَ ازوِرارا

فإذا قلتُ زارَ زادَ ازوِرارا

Whenever I said he was generous, he grew intent on staying away;

Whenever I said, he freely gave, generously,

and when I said he had visited, he turned away still more.

And when I said, he visited, he visited time and again.

يتثنَّى تِيهاً بقَدٍّ وَوَجهٍ

يتثنَّى تِيهاً بقَدٍّ وَوَجهٍ

يَترُكُ الليَّلَ بالضيِّاءِ نَهارا

يَترُكُ الليَّلَ بالضيِّاءِ نَهارا

He sways proudly, with a figure and a face

Moving languorously with a slender waist and cheek

that turns the night to day with its radiance.

Leaving the night bright as day.

خَطَرتٌ خاطرتُ بالرُّوحِ فيها

خَطَرتٌ خاطرتُ بالرُّوحِ فيها

وعِذارُ خلعتُ فيهِ العِذارا

وعِذارُ خلعتُ فيهِ العِذارا

Swaying steps for which I risked my soul,

I fancied fancying her very soul

and cheek-down for which I cast off the bridle,

And the excuse of her cheek I removed.

وحياءٍ رأى مُحيَّاهُ روضاً

وحياءٍ رأى مُحيَّاهُ روضاً

فسقَى الآسَ منه والجُلَّنارا

فسقَى الآسَ منه والجُلَّنارا

and bashfulness that saw his face as a garden,

And a shyness that saw its bashfulness a meadow

then watered its myrtle and pomegranate blossoms from itself.

So it watered the boughs and pomegranate flowers from it.