إِنَّني اليَومَ عادَني أَحزاني

إِنَّني اليَومَ عادَني أَحزاني

وَتَذَكَّرتُ مَيعَتي في زَماني

وَتَذَكَّرتُ مَيعَتي في زَماني

Indeed, today my sorrows have revisited me.

Today my sorrows have returned to me,

And I recalled my youthful vigor in my earlier days.

And I recalled my youth in days gone by,

وَتَذَكَّرتُ ظَبيَةً أُمَّ رِئمٍ

وَتَذَكَّرتُ ظَبيَةً أُمَّ رِئمٍ

هاجَ لي الشَوقَ ذِكرُها فَشَجاني

هاجَ لي الشَوقَ ذِكرُها فَشَجاني

And I remembered a doe, mother of a white gazelle;

And I recalled a gazelle, mother of a fawn,

her memory stirred my longing and grieved me.

Yearning for her stirred my heart painfully.

لا تَلُمني عَتيقُ حَسبي الَّذي بي

لا تَلُمني عَتيقُ حَسبي الَّذي بي

إِنَّ بي يا عَتيقُ ما قَد كَفاني

إِنَّ بي يا عَتيقُ ما قَد كَفاني

Do not blame me, Atiq; what I suffer is enough.

Do not blame me, my old friend,

Indeed, Atiq, I bear what has already sufficed me.

For in me, my friend, is what has sufficed me.

إِنَّ دَهراً يُلُفُّ شَملي بِسُعدى

إِنَّ دَهراً يُلُفُّ شَملي بِسُعدى

لَزَمانٌ يَهِمُّ بِالإِحسانِ

لَزَمانٌ يَهِمُّ بِالإِحسانِ

Indeed, a time that reunites me with Su'da

For time brings me happiness for a while,

is surely a time intent on kindness.

Then assails me with sorrow for a time.

لا تَلُمني وَأَنتَ زَيَّنتَها لي

لا تَلُمني وَأَنتَ زَيَّنتَها لي

أَنتَ مِثلُ الشَيطانِ لِلإِنسانِ

أَنتَ مِثلُ الشَيطانِ لِلإِنسانِ

Do not blame me—you made her lovely to me.

Do not blame me, though you adorned her for me,

You are like Satan to humankind.

You are like Satan to man.

إِنَّ بي داخِلاً مِنَ الحُبِّ قَد أَب

إِنَّ بي داخِلاً مِنَ الحُبِّ قَد أَب

لى عِظامي مَكنونُهُ وَبَراني

لى عِظامي مَكنونُهُ وَبَراني

Indeed, within me is an inward affliction of love that has worn

For love has crept into my innermost being,

away my bones with its hidden force, and wasted me.

Exposing my bones, flaying my skin.

لَو بِعَينَيكَ يا عَتيقُ نَظَرنا

لَو بِعَينَيكَ يا عَتيقُ نَظَرنا

لَيلَةَ السَفحِ قُرَّتِ العَينانِ

لَيلَةَ السَفحِ قُرَّتِ العَينانِ

Had we looked with your eyes, Atiq,

If only you had seen with your eyes, my friend,

on the night at the hillside, both eyes would have rejoiced,

That night on the hillside, what sights met our eyes!

إِذ بَدا الكَشحُ وَالوِشاحُ مِنَ الدُر

إِذ بَدا الكَشحُ وَالوِشاحُ مِنَ الدُر

رِ وَفَصلٌ فيهِ مِنَ المَرجانِ

رِ وَفَصلٌ فيهِ مِنَ المَرجانِ

when her waist appeared, and her sash of pearls,

As the cape and veil appeared with pearls,

with a coral spacer bead within it.

With buttons of coral inlaid.

وَقَلى قَبلي النِساءَ سَواهَ

وَقَلى قَبلي النِساءَ سَواهَ

بَعدَما كانَ مُغرَماً بِالغَواني

بَعدَما كانَ مُغرَماً بِالغَواني

And before me, he spurned women other than her,

And before me she snubbed the other women,

after having been enamored of beauties.

After she had been enamored of singing girls.

وَأُرَجّي أَن يَجمَعَ الدَهرُ شَملاً

وَأُرَجّي أَن يَجمَعَ الدَهرُ شَملاً

بِكِ سَقياً لِذَلِكُم مِن زَمانِ

بِكِ سَقياً لِذَلِكُم مِن زَمانِ

And I hope that time will bring reunion

And I wish time would unite us again,

with you—may such a time be blessed with rain!

With you giving us drink as in days gone by.

لَيتَني أَشتَري لِنَفسِيَ مِنها

لَيتَني أَشتَري لِنَفسِيَ مِنها

مِثلَ وُدّي بِساعِدي وَبَناني

مِثلَ وُدّي بِساعِدي وَبَناني

Would that I could buy from her, for myself,

Would that I could buy from her for myself

affection equal to mine, with my forearm and fingertips.

A love like mine with my arm and my money!

خَلَجَت عَينِيَ اليَمينُ بِخَيرٍ

خَلَجَت عَينِيَ اليَمينُ بِخَيرٍ

تِلكَ عَينٌ مَأمونَةِ الخَلَجانِ

تِلكَ عَينٌ مَأمونَةِ الخَلَجانِ

My right eye twitched, foretelling good;

My right eye twitched with good fortune -

that is an eye whose twitching can be trusted.

That eye is trustworthy in its twitches.