ما ضرّ مَن لِلنوى زُمَّتْ ركائبُهُ

ما ضرّ مَن لِلنوى زُمَّتْ ركائبُهُ

لو جاد لِي ساعة التّوديع بالنّظرِ

لو جاد لِي ساعة التّوديع بالنّظرِ

What harm would it have done him whose riding camels were bridled for departure,

What's the harm if my camels are all loaded,

Had he granted me a glance at the hour of farewell?

If only for an hour I could bid farewell with my gaze.

رميتُمُ القلبَ منّي بالوجيب وقد

رميتُمُ القلبَ منّي بالوجيب وقد

فارقتمونِيَ والعينين بالسَّهَرِ

فارقتمونِيَ والعينين بالسَّهَرِ

You struck my heart with throbbing—having already

You threw my heart from me into oblivion, though

Parted from me—and my two eyes with sleeplessness.

We parted while my eyes were sleepless.

وَكِدتُ أَقضي غداةَ البين من جَزَعٍ

وَكِدتُ أَقضي غداةَ البين من جَزَعٍ

لو لم يكن لك قلبٌ صيغَ من حجرِ

لو لم يكن لك قلبٌ صيغَ من حجرِ

And I nearly died of anguish on the morning of parting,

I almost died one morn from anguish

Had you not had a heart fashioned from stone.

Had your heart not been made of stone.

وَكيفَ يَسلاكُمُ قلبي المشوق وقد

وَكيفَ يَسلاكُمُ قلبي المشوق وقد

غيَّبتُمُ بَصري بالبينِ عَن بَصري

غيَّبتُمُ بَصري بالبينِ عَن بَصري

And how can my yearning heart forget you, when

How can my longing heart console you when

Through parting you have hidden my sight from my sight?

You’ve vanished from my sight before my eyes?

وَما تركتُ قراراً من فراقكُمُ

وَما تركتُ قراراً من فراقكُمُ

لكنْ حذرتُ وكم لم يُنجنِي حَذَري

لكنْ حذرتُ وكم لم يُنجنِي حَذَري

And I left no repose because of parting from you;

And I’ve found no peace since we parted,

But I was wary—and how often my caution failed to save me.

Though I was prudent, and how my prudence never saved me!