لعمرُك إنّني فارقتُ نجداً

لعمرُك إنّني فارقتُ نجداً

وقلبي مُودَعٌ فيها رهينُ

وقلبي مُودَعٌ فيها رهينُ

By your life, though I have parted from Najd,

By your life, I have parted from Najd,

my heart—the trust I left there—is held hostage.

and my heart is lodged there as a hostage.

وما لِي بعد فُرقةِ أهْلِ نَجدٍ

وما لِي بعد فُرقةِ أهْلِ نَجدٍ

قِرىً إلّا نحيبٌ أو أنينُ

قِرىً إلّا نحيبٌ أو أنينُ

Since parting from the people of Najd, I have

And after parting from the people of Najd, I have no

no fare but sobbing or moaning,

fare but sobbing or moaning.

وعينٌ جفَّ منها الدّمعُ حتّى

وعينٌ جفَّ منها الدّمعُ حتّى

أحاذِرُ أنْ تجودَ بها الشُّؤونُ

أحاذِرُ أنْ تجودَ بها الشُّؤونُ

and an eye whose tears have dried away, until

And my eye has run dry of tears, so that

I fear its tear ducts may pour forth the eye itself.

I fear the tear ducts may pour out the eye itself.

جفاها غمضُها فكأنّ عيناً

جفاها غمضُها فكأنّ عيناً

لنا بعد الفِراقِ ولا جُفونُ

لنا بعد الفِراقِ ولا جُفونُ

Sleep has forsaken it, as though we had an eye

Sleep has forsaken it, as though an eye

after parting, but no eyelids.

were ours after parting, but no eyelids.

فيا ليتَ الصّبابةَ يومَ ولّوْا

فيا ليتَ الصّبابةَ يومَ ولّوْا

ضُحىً خفّت كما خفّ القطينُ

ضُحىً خفّت كما خفّ القطينُ

Ah, would that longing, on the day they turned away,

Oh, if only yearning, on the day they turned away,

had lifted by forenoon, as the caravan moved on.

at midmorning, had departed as the dwellers did.

ولَيتَهمُ وحسبي ذاك منهمْ

ولَيتَهمُ وحسبي ذاك منهمْ

دَرَوْا أنّي لفرقتهمْ حَزينُ

دَرَوْا أنّي لفرقتهمْ حَزينُ

And would that they—and that alone from them would suffice me—

And if only they—and that from them would suffice me—

knew that I grieve at parting from them.

knew that I grieve at parting from them.

أُحبُّكمُ وبيتِ اللَّهِ حتّى

أُحبُّكمُ وبيتِ اللَّهِ حتّى

يُقالَ بهِ وما صدقوا جُنونُ

يُقالَ بهِ وما صدقوا جُنونُ

I love you—by the House of God—so deeply

I love you, by the House of God, so much

that I am said to be mad with it, though they speak falsely.

that they call it madness—though they speak falsely.

وكم أنكرتُ حبّكُمُ فنادى

وكم أنكرتُ حبّكُمُ فنادى

به دمعٌ يبوح به هتونُ

به دمعٌ يبوح به هتونُ

How often I denied my love for you, but then

And how often I denied my love for you, yet it was proclaimed

a streaming tear proclaimed it, openly revealing it.

by streaming tears that openly revealed it.

وأعظمُ ما يُلاقيهِ قرينٌ

وأعظمُ ما يُلاقيهِ قرينٌ

وأشجى أنْ يفارقه قرينُ

وأشجى أنْ يفارقه قرينُ

The gravest thing a companion can encounter,

And the gravest thing a companion encounters,

and the most sorrowful, is for his companion to leave him.

and the saddest, is for a companion to leave him.

وكم لكُمُ بقلبي من غرامٍ

وكم لكُمُ بقلبي من غرامٍ

يؤرّقني إذا هدتِ العيونُ

يؤرّقني إذا هدتِ العيونُ

How much passion for you lies within my heart,

And how much passion for you is in my heart,

keeping me awake when all eyes come to rest.

keeping me sleepless when eyes grow still.

أُلَجْلِجُ كلّما سوئِلْتُ عنه

أُلَجْلِجُ كلّما سوئِلْتُ عنه

كما وَرَّى عن البذلِ الضَّنينُ

كما وَرَّى عن البذلِ الضَّنينُ

I stammer whenever I am asked about it,

I falter whenever I am asked about it,

as a miser equivocates to avoid giving.

as a miser speaks evasively about giving.

فَلا أنا مُعرِضٌ عنه صموتٌ

فَلا أنا مُعرِضٌ عنه صموتٌ

وَلا أنَا مُعرِبٌ عنه مبينُ

وَلا أنَا مُعرِبٌ عنه مبينُ

Thus I neither turn away from it in silence,

So I neither turn away from it in silence,

nor openly declare it in plain speech.

nor speak of it openly and clearly.

أرُونا موضعَ الإنصافِ منكمْ

أرُونا موضعَ الإنصافِ منكمْ

فقد جلّتْ عن المَطْلِ الدّيونُ

فقد جلّتْ عن المَطْلِ الدّيونُ

Show us where fair dealing may be found in you,

Show us where fairness lies with you,

for the debts have grown too grave for further delay.

for the debts have grown too great for delay.

ولا تُبدوا صريحَ المنعِ منكمْ

ولا تُبدوا صريحَ المنعِ منكمْ

فيُغنينا عن الخبرِ اليقينُ

فيُغنينا عن الخبرِ اليقينُ

And do not reveal outright refusal on your part,

And do not display outright refusal on your part,

lest certainty spare us the need for any further word.

lest certainty spare us the need for tidings.