لِتَهْنَ عَيْنٌ لِطَيْفِ الضَّيْفِ تَرْتَقِب

لِتَهْنَ عَيْنٌ لِطَيْفِ الضَّيْفِ تَرْتَقِب

وَمُهْجَةٌ لِلْهَوىَ العُذْرِيّ تَنْتَسِبُ

وَمُهْجَةٌ لِلْهَوىَ العُذْرِيّ تَنْتَسِبُ

May an eye awaiting the guest's phantom rejoice,

Let an eye rejoice for the guest's phantom it awaits

and a heart devoted to chaste love.

And a passion for innocent love it claims

يَا مُعْرِضِينَ بِلاَ ذَنْبٍ وَقَدْ عَتَبُوا

يَا مُعْرِضِينَ بِلاَ ذَنْبٍ وَقَدْ عَتَبُوا

الذنبُ مِنْكُمْ عَلاَمَ الصَّدُّ وَالغَضَبُ

الذنبُ مِنْكُمْ عَلاَمَ الصَّدُّ وَالغَضَبُ

O you who turn away for no fault, yet have voiced reproach:

O you who turn away without sin, though they blamed you

The fault is yours; why this rejection and anger?

The sin is from you - why the rejection and anger?

هَلاَّ حَفِظْتُم عُهوداً بَات يَحْفَظُهَا

هَلاَّ حَفِظْتُم عُهوداً بَات يَحْفَظُهَا

صَبٌّ صَبَا لِلصَّبَا إذْ شَفَّهُ الوَصَبُ

صَبٌّ صَبَا لِلصَّبَا إذْ شَفَّهُ الوَصَبُ

Why did you not keep the pledges kept through the night

Why not keep pacts the youth kept safe

by a lovesick man who yearned for the east wind when illness wasted him?

A youth who quenched for youth when eagerness kindled

لَمْ يَقْضِ في حُبِّكُمْ مِنْكُمْ بِكُمْ وَطَراً

لَمْ يَقْضِ في حُبِّكُمْ مِنْكُمْ بِكُمْ وَطَراً

حَتَّى قَضَى وَقَضَى بَعْضَ الَّذِي يَجِبُ

حَتَّى قَضَى وَقَضَى بَعْضَ الَّذِي يَجِبُ

In loving you, he fulfilled no desire from you, through you,

Your love for them has not fulfilled any want for them

until he died and fulfilled part of what was due.

Until it fulfilled and fulfilled some of what's deserved

سرتمْ وَفِي الحي مَيْتٌ قَدْ عجبتُ لَهُ

سرتمْ وَفِي الحي مَيْتٌ قَدْ عجبتُ لَهُ

إنْ هَبَّ مِنْكُمْ نَسِيمٌ هَزَّهُ الطَّرَبُ

إنْ هَبَّ مِنْكُمْ نَسِيمٌ هَزَّهُ الطَّرَبُ

You departed, while in the camp lay a dead man at whom I marveled:

You walked away while among the living a dead man wondered at

if a breeze blew from you, rapture stirred him.

If a breeze from you stirred him, confusion would shake him

نَاحَتْ عَلَى فقده وُرْقُ الحِمَى فَهَمَي

نَاحَتْ عَلَى فقده وُرْقُ الحِمَى فَهَمَي

جفنُ السحَابِ وَمَالَتْ نَحْوَهُ القُضُبُ

جفنُ السحَابِ وَمَالَتْ نَحْوَهُ القُضُبُ

The sanctuary's gray doves mourned his loss, and tears streamed

The leaves of love's fever wilted for his loss, and bent

from the cloud's eyelid, while the boughs bent toward him.

Were the clouds' eyelids, their poles tilting toward him

طُوبَى لَهُ إذْ عَلَى الإخْلاَصِ قد طُوِيَتْ

طُوبَى لَهُ إذْ عَلَى الإخْلاَصِ قد طُوِيَتْ

أحْشَاهُ وَهْوَ الذِي لَمْ يَلْوِهِ النَّصَبُ

أحْشَاهُ وَهْوَ الذِي لَمْ يَلْوِهِ النَّصَبُ

Blessed is he, for around devotion were folded

Joy to him whose insides sincerity has wrapped

his heart's depths; he was one whom weariness never bent.

He whom ambition never twisted crooked

فِي ذِمَّةِ الوَجْدِ عَيْناً سَحَّ مدمعُهَا

فِي ذِمَّةِ الوَجْدِ عَيْناً سَحَّ مدمعُهَا

بمُهْجَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِ الحُب تُحْتَسَبُ

بمُهْجَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِ الحُب تُحْتَسَبُ

In longing's keeping is an eye whose tears poured

In passion's custody are eyes a tear of theirs adorned

for a soul offered up in the cause of love.

With a passion, for love accounted a credit

لا أشْتَكِي نَار وجْدٍ أحْرقتْ كَبدِي

لا أشْتَكِي نَار وجْدٍ أحْرقتْ كَبدِي

وَمَدْمَعِي قد رَوَتْ عَنْ صَوْبِهِ السُّحُبُ

وَمَدْمَعِي قد رَوَتْ عَنْ صَوْبِهِ السُّحُبُ

I do not complain of a fire of longing that burned my liver,

I do not complain of the fire of passion which burned my liver

and of my tears' downpour the clouds have told.

While my tears from their conduits clouds have watered

يَا جِيرة البَانِ لِي في حَيّكُمْ رَشَأٌ

يَا جِيرة البَانِ لِي في حَيّكُمْ رَشَأٌ

تُرْكِيُّ لَحْظٍ إلى الأعْرَابِ يَنْتَسِبُ

تُرْكِيُّ لَحْظٍ إلى الأعْرَابِ يَنْتَسِبُ

O neighbors of the moringa trees, in your camp I have a young gazelle,

O neighors of Baan, through your district a gaze have I

Turkish in his glance, yet tracing his descent to the Bedouin.

That looks to the nomads, an Arabian strain claims

إنْ مَاسَ فَالغُصْنُ بِالأوْرَاقِ مُسْتَتِرٌ

إنْ مَاسَ فَالغُصْنُ بِالأوْرَاقِ مُسْتَتِرٌ

أوْ لاحَ فَالبَدْرُ بِالأنواءِ مُحْتَجِبُ

أوْ لاحَ فَالبَدْرُ بِالأنواءِ مُحْتَجِبُ

If he sways, the bough is hidden in its leaves;

Be it gloomy, the branch in leaves concealed

or if he appears, the full moon is veiled by rainstorms.

Or bright, the moon in vapors obscured

حَدِّثْ وَلاَ حرجٌ عَنْ طيبِ نَكْهَتِهِ

حَدِّثْ وَلاَ حرجٌ عَنْ طيبِ نَكْهَتِهِ

فالراحُ في ثَغرِهِ وَالمسكُ وَالضَّرَبُ

فالراحُ في ثَغرِهِ وَالمسكُ وَالضَّرَبُ

Speak without restraint of his breath's sweet fragrance:

Speak without fault of its good savor

for in his mouth are wine, musk, and white honey.

For there is breeze in his mouth, musk and cloves

أُعَاهِدُ الرَّاحَ أنِّي لاَ أفَارِقُهَا

أُعَاهِدُ الرَّاحَ أنِّي لاَ أفَارِقُهَا

لأنَّهَا من لَمَاهُ العَذْبِ تُكْتَسَب

لأنَّهَا من لَمَاهُ العَذْبِ تُكْتَسَب

I pledge to wine that I will not forsake it,

I vow to the zephyr I'll never leave it

because it is drawn from his sweet, dark lips.

For from its sweet dew it draws life

وأعشق البدر لاَ أنِّي كَلفْتُ بِهِ

وأعشق البدر لاَ أنِّي كَلفْتُ بِهِ

لَكِنَّهُ من سَنَا خَدَّيْهِ يَلْتَهِبُ

لَكِنَّهُ من سَنَا خَدَّيْهِ يَلْتَهِبُ

And I love the full moon, not because I am smitten with it,

And I love the moon - not that I'm infatuated with it

but because it blazes with the radiance of his cheeks.

But that from the radiance of its cheeks it kindles

وَأرقبُ البرقَ أنَّي سَار سَائِرُهُ

وَأرقبُ البرقَ أنَّي سَار سَائِرُهُ

مِنْ أجْلِ مَا أنَّهُ للثَّغرِ يَنْتَسِبُ

مِنْ أجْلِ مَا أنَّهُ للثَّغرِ يَنْتَسِبُ

And I watch the lightning wherever its roaming flash travels,

And I watch the lightning - I walked its walker's route

because it is kin to his mouth.

For the sake of what it to the mouth relates

يَا بَارِقاً رَامَ يَحْكِي دُرَّ مَبْسَمِهِ

يَا بَارِقاً رَامَ يَحْكِي دُرَّ مَبْسَمِهِ

لَقَدْ حَكيتَ وَلَكِنْ فَاتَكَ الشَّنَبُ

لَقَدْ حَكيتَ وَلَكِنْ فَاتَكَ الشَّنَبُ

O lightning flash that sought to imitate the pearls of his smile,

O lightning portraying his smile's pearls

you did imitate them, but their cool sweetness eluded you.

You told truly but you missed the moustache

وَيَا هِلاَلَ الدُّجَى رَاعِ سَنَاهُ تَجِدْ

وَيَا هِلاَلَ الدُّجَى رَاعِ سَنَاهُ تَجِدْ

بَدْراً مُنِيراً بِهِ قَدْ عَزَّتِ الرُّتَبُ

بَدْراً مُنِيراً بِهِ قَدْ عَزَّتِ الرُّتَبُ

And O crescent of the darkness, heed his radiance: you will find

O new moon of nightfall, shepherd its radiance you'll find

a radiant full moon through whom ranks have been ennobled.

A shining full moon, the ranks nobled by it

وَيَا نَسِيمَ الصَّبَا سَلِّمْ عليه وَقُلْ

وَيَا نَسِيمَ الصَّبَا سَلِّمْ عليه وَقُلْ

غَادَرْتُهُ فِي الدجَى للنجم يَرْتَقبُ

غَادَرْتُهُ فِي الدجَى للنجم يَرْتَقبُ

And O breeze from the east, greet him and say:

O breeze of morning, greet him and say

I left him in the darkness, watching for the star.

I left him in the gloom, awaiting a star

أعْزِزْ بِهِ شَادِنًا يَحْمِيهِ نَاظِرُهُ

أعْزِزْ بِهِ شَادِنًا يَحْمِيهِ نَاظِرُهُ

عَنْ نَاظِرِي وَالحِمَى وَالبَانُ وَالقُضُبُ

عَنْ نَاظِرِي وَالحِمَى وَالبَانُ وَالقُضُبُ

How precious a young gazelle! His gaze protects him

Strengthen by him a lover his watcher guards

from mine, as do the sanctuary, the moringa trees, and the boughs.

From my watcher, the fever, the baan and sticks

أقْسَمْتُ من أدْمُعِي بالمرسَلاَتِ لَقَدْ

أقْسَمْتُ من أدْمُعِي بالمرسَلاَتِ لَقَدْ

آلَ التَرَجِّي إلَيْهِ وَانْتَهَى الطَّلَبُ

آلَ التَرَجِّي إلَيْهِ وَانْتَهَى الطَّلَبُ

I swore by my tears sent forth: indeed,

I swear by my tears, by the breezes unleashed

hope has come to rest in him, and the quest has ended.

Hope in him is ended, seeking is done