1. أَلا حَيِّ الَّتي قامَت

    عَلى خَوفٍ تُحَيِّينا

    Ah, greet her who rose

    in fear to greet us.

  2. فَفاضَت عَبرَةٌ مِنها

    فَكادَ الدَمعُ يُبكينا

    Then a tear flowed from her,

    and the tears almost made us weep.

  3. لَئِن شَطَّت بِها دارٌ

    عَنوجٌ بِالهَوى حينا

    Though a dwelling has borne her far away—

    wayward in love for a time—

  4. لَقَد كُنّا نُؤاتيها

    وَقَد كانَت تُؤاتينا

    we did once yield to her,

    and she would yield to us.

  5. فَلا قُربٌ لَها يَشفي

    وَلَيسَ البُعدُ يُسلينا

    So nearness to her brings no cure,

    and distance gives us no solace.

  6. وَقَد قالَت لِتِربَيها

    وَرَجعُ القَولِ يَعنينا

    And she had said to her two companions,

    and the echo of her words concerned us:

  7. أَلا يا لَيتَما شِعري

    وَما قَد كانَ يَمنينا

    “Ah, if only I knew—

    and what he used to promise us—

  8. أَموفٍ بِالَّذي قالَ

    وَما قَد كانَ يُعطينا

    will he be true to what he said

    and what he used to offer us?”

  9. فَقالَت تِربُها ظَنّي

    بِهِ أَن سَوفَ يَجزينا

    Then her companion said: “My belief

    about him is that he will repay us,

  10. وَيَعصي قَولَ مَن يَنهى

    وَمَن يَعذُلُهُ فينا

    and defy the words of whoever forbids him,

    and whoever reproaches him over us,

  11. كَما نَعصي إِلَيهِ عِن

    دَ جِدِّ القَولِ ناهينا

    just as we, for his sake, defy—when

    words grow earnest—the one who forbids us.”