رَدَعَ الفُؤادَ تَذَكُّرُ الأَطرابِ

رَدَعَ الفُؤادَ تَذَكُّرُ الأَطرابِ

وَصَبا إِلَيكِ وَلاتَ حينَ تَصابي

وَصَبا إِلَيكِ وَلاتَ حينَ تَصابي

Remembering raptures checked the heart,

Recalling past sorrows restrained my heart,

yet it yearned for you, though this was no time for youthful dalliance.

And passion for you flowed when we met.

إِن تَبذُلي لي نائِلاً يُشفى بِهِ

إِن تَبذُلي لي نائِلاً يُشفى بِهِ

سَقَمُ الفُؤادِ فَقَد أَطَلتِ عَذابي

سَقَمُ الفُؤادِ فَقَد أَطَلتِ عَذابي

If you would grant me a favor by which

If you would grant me the cure I seek

the heart's sickness might be healed—for you have prolonged my torment.

It would relieve the sickness of my heart which you prolonged.

وَعَصَيتُ فيكِ أَقارِبي فَتَقَطَّعَت

وَعَصَيتُ فيكِ أَقارِبي فَتَقَطَّعَت

بَيني وَبَينَهُمُ عُرى الأَسبابِ

بَيني وَبَينَهُمُ عُرى الأَسبابِ

I defied my kin for your sake, and so were severed

Because of you I disobeyed my kin, severing

the bonds between me and them.

The ties between us.

وَتَرَكتِني لا بِالوِصالِ مُمَتَّعاً

وَتَرَكتِني لا بِالوِصالِ مُمَتَّعاً

مِنهُم وَلا أَسعَفتِني بِثَوابِ

مِنهُم وَلا أَسعَفتِني بِثَوابِ

And you left me without the pleasure of companionship

You left me with no joy in union

with them, nor did you grant me recompense.

And did not requite me.

فَقَعَدتُ كَالمُهريقِ فَضلَةَ مائِهِ

فَقَعَدتُ كَالمُهريقِ فَضلَةَ مائِهِ

في حَرِّ هاجِرَةٍ لِلَمعِ سَرابِ

في حَرِّ هاجِرَةٍ لِلَمعِ سَرابِ

So I sat like one who pours away his remaining water

So I sat like a discarded water skin,

in the midday heat, for a mirage's gleam—

Its water wasted in the mirage of the plain pursued by one

يُشفي بِهِ مِنهُ الصَدى فَأَماتَهُ

يُشفي بِهِ مِنهُ الصَدى فَأَماتَهُ

طَلَبُ السَرابِ وَلاتَ حينَ طِلابِ

طَلَبُ السَرابِ وَلاتَ حينَ طِلابِ

water that could quench his thirst; yet he was killed by

Seeking to heal his echoing voice, though the pursuit of mirages slew him, O beloved, when he sought water.

pursuit of the mirage, when it was no time for pursuit.

Suaida exclaimed while copious tears

قالَت سُعَيدَةُ وَالدُموعُ ذَوارِفٌ

قالَت سُعَيدَةُ وَالدُموعُ ذَوارِفٌ

مِنها عَلى الخَدَّينِ وَالجِلبابِ

مِنها عَلى الخَدَّينِ وَالجِلبابِ

Suʿayda said, while tears streamed

Streamed down her cheeks and robe:

down both her cheeks and over her outer robe:

“Would that the Mughayri I did not allow

لَيتَ المُغيرِيَّ الَّذي لَم أَجزِهِ

لَيتَ المُغيرِيَّ الَّذي لَم أَجزِهِ

فيما أَطالَ تَصَيُّدي وَطِلابي

فيما أَطالَ تَصَيُّدي وَطِلابي

“If only al-Mughiri, whom I did not repay

All he sought in courting me had restored our past days

for his long hunting and pursuit of me,

When we were blamed for neither love nor passion!”

كانَت تَرُدُّ لَنا المُنى أَيّامَنا

كانَت تَرُدُّ لَنا المُنى أَيّامَنا

إِذ لا نُلامُ عَلى هَوىً وَتَصابي

إِذ لا نُلامُ عَلى هَوىً وَتَصابي

could have our days restored to us by wishes,

When told what she had said, I spent the night as though

when we were not blamed for love and youthful dalliance!”

My heart were pierced by arrow points.

خُبِّرتُ ما قالَت فَبِتُّ كَأَنَّما

خُبِّرتُ ما قالَت فَبِتُّ كَأَنَّما

رُمِيَ الجَشا بِنَوافِذِ النُشّابِ

رُمِيَ الجَشا بِنَوافِذِ النُشّابِ

I was told what she said, and spent the night as though

Is Suaida the water and pure air of the Euphrates

my heart had been struck by piercing arrows.

When I and she alike suffer thirst and lack of drink?

أَسُعَيدَ ما ماءُ الفُراتِ وَطيبُهُ

أَسُعَيدَ ما ماءُ الفُراتِ وَطيبُهُ

مِنّا عَلى ظَمَإٍ وَفَقدِ شَرابِ

مِنّا عَلى ظَمَإٍ وَفَقدِ شَرابِ

O Suʿayd, the Euphrates' water and its sweetness are not,

There is none sweeter than you, though you are far away and women rarely

to us when thirsty and without a drink,

Guard the trust of an absent lover.

بِأَلَذَّ مِنكِ وَإِن نَأَيتُ وَقَلَّما

بِأَلَذَّ مِنكِ وَإِن نَأَيتُ وَقَلَّما

تَرعى النِساءُ أَمانَةَ الغُيّابِ

تَرعى النِساءُ أَمانَةَ الغُيّابِ

sweeter than you, though I have gone far away; and seldom

do women honor the trust of the absent.