عاوَدَ القَلبُ يا لَقَومِيَ سُقماً

عاوَدَ القَلبُ يا لَقَومِيَ سُقماً

يَومَ أَبدَت لَنا قُرَيبَةُ صَرما

يَومَ أَبدَت لَنا قُرَيبَةُ صَرما

The heart fell sick again—O my people!—

My heart regained its sickness, O my people

on the day Quraybah showed us estrangement.

The day our kinswoman showed hostility

صَرَمَتني وَما اِجتَرَمتُ إِلَيها

صَرَمَتني وَما اِجتَرَمتُ إِلَيها

غَيرَ أَنّي أَرعى المَوَدَّةَ جُرما

غَيرَ أَنّي أَرعى المَوَدَّةَ جُرما

She broke with me, though I had committed no wrong against her,

She spurned me though I did no wrong to her

save the crime of cherishing affection.

Save that I fostered love, which was my crime

حُرَّةٍ مِن نِساءِ عَبدِ مَنافٍ

حُرَّةٍ مِن نِساءِ عَبدِ مَنافٍ

جَمَعَت مَنطِقاً وَعَقلاً وَجِسما

جَمَعَت مَنطِقاً وَعَقلاً وَجِسما

A freeborn woman among the women of Abd Manaf,

A noble lady of the Abde Manaf clan

she combined eloquence, intelligence, and a fine figure.

United in speech, reason, and body

عَمُّها خالُها وَإِن عُدَّ يَوماً

عَمُّها خالُها وَإِن عُدَّ يَوماً

كانَ خالاً لَها إِذا عُدَّ عَمّا

كانَ خالاً لَها إِذا عُدَّ عَمّا

Her paternal uncle is her maternal uncle; and if ever reckoned,

Her uncle, her aunt, and if one day

he is her maternal uncle when reckoned her paternal uncle.

Her aunt would be an uncle another day

صَرَمَتني وَاللَهِ في غَيرِ ذَنبٍ

صَرَمَتني وَاللَهِ في غَيرِ ذَنبٍ

رَبِّ موسى أَميرَةُ القَلبِ ظُلما

رَبِّ موسى أَميرَةُ القَلبِ ظُلما

She broke with me—by God!—for no fault of mine,

She spurned me, by Allah, though I sinned not

the princess of my heart, unjustly—by the Lord of Moses.

O Lord of Moses, the princess wronged me unjustly

قُلتُ لَمّا أَتانِيَ القَولُ ذَرواً

قُلتُ لَمّا أَتانِيَ القَولُ ذَرواً

لَيتَ شِعري مَن صاغَ ذا ثُمَّ نَمّا

لَيتَ شِعري مَن صاغَ ذا ثُمَّ نَمّا

I said, when the report reached me in fragments,

When the rumors came to me in drips

'If only I knew who fashioned this, then spread it as gossip!

I wondered who fabricated this then slept

كَيفَ أَسلو وَكَيفَ أَصبِرُ عَنها

كَيفَ أَسلو وَكَيفَ أَصبِرُ عَنها

يا لَقَومي وَحُبُّها كانَ غُرما

يا لَقَومي وَحُبُّها كانَ غُرما

How can I forget, and how can I endure being without her,

How can I ask or be patient with her?

O my people, when love for her was a binding debt?

O my people, my love for her was deep

لَيتَ شِعري يا بَكرُ هَل كانَ هَذا

لَيتَ شِعري يا بَكرُ هَل كانَ هَذا

أَم يَراهُ الإِلَهُ بِالغَيبِ رَجما

أَم يَراهُ الإِلَهُ بِالغَيبِ رَجما

If only I knew, O Bakr: did this happen,

I wonder, O Bakr, was this really true?

or does God regard it as conjecture about the unseen?'

Or did the God see it in the unknown as untrue?

قالَ مَهلاً فَلا تَظُنَّنَّ هَذا

قالَ مَهلاً فَلا تَظُنَّنَّ هَذا

عَمرَكَ اللَهُ ما قَتَلناهُ عِلما

عَمرَكَ اللَهُ ما قَتَلناهُ عِلما

He said, 'Easy now; do not assume this;

He said, wait, think not this is true

God preserve your life—we have no sure knowledge of it.'

God prolong you, we did not kill him knowingly

قُلتُ إِذهَب وَلا تُلَبِّث لِشَيءٍ

قُلتُ إِذهَب وَلا تُلَبِّث لِشَيءٍ

وَاِستَمِع وَاِعلَمِ الَّذي كانَ نَمّا

وَاِستَمِع وَاِعلَمِ الَّذي كانَ نَمّا

I said, 'Go, and do not delay for anything;

I said, go, linger not for anything

and listen, and find out who had spread the gossip.'

Listen and learn what really happened

فَمَضى نَحوَها بِعَقلٍ وَحَزمٍ

فَمَضى نَحوَها بِعَقلٍ وَحَزمٍ

وَاِحتِيالٍ وَنُصحِ حُبٍّ فَلَمّا

وَاِحتِيالٍ وَنُصحِ حُبٍّ فَلَمّا

So he went toward her with good sense and resolve,

So he went to her sensibly and prudently

and ingenuity and love's sincere devotion; then, when

With cunning, advice of love. When

جائَها قالَ ما الَّذي كانَ بَعدي

جائَها قالَ ما الَّذي كانَ بَعدي

حَدِّثيني فَقَد تَحَمَّلتِ إِثما

حَدِّثيني فَقَد تَحَمَّلتِ إِثما

he came to her, he said, 'What happened after I left?

He came to her, he said what happened after me?

Tell me, for you have taken a sin upon yourself.

Tell me, for you have sinned

أَصَرَمتِ الَّذي دَعاهُ هَواكُم

أَصَرَمتِ الَّذي دَعاهُ هَواكُم

وَبَرى لَحمَهُ فَلَم يُبقِ لَحما

وَبَرى لَحمَهُ فَلَم يُبقِ لَحما

Have you broken with the man whom love for you summoned,

You spurned him whom your love summoned

and wore away his flesh, leaving no flesh behind?'

And saw his flesh, leaving no flesh

فَاِستُفِزَّت لِقَولِهِ ثُمَّ قالَت

فَاِستُفِزَّت لِقَولِهِ ثُمَّ قالَت

لا وَرَبّي يا بَكرُ ما كانَ مِمّا

لا وَرَبّي يا بَكرُ ما كانَ مِمّا

She was stirred by his words, then said,

Angered by his words, she said

'No, by my Lord, O Bakr! There was not, in what

No, by my Lord O Bakr, it was not so

قيلَ حَرفٌ فَلا تُراعَنَّ مِنهُ

قيلَ حَرفٌ فَلا تُراعَنَّ مِنهُ

بَل نَرى وَصلَهُ وَرَبّي حَتما

بَل نَرى وَصلَهُ وَرَبّي حَتما

was said, a word of truth; so do not be alarmed by it.

A mere rumor, so do not heed it

Rather, by my Lord, we deem union with him a duty.

Rather we see his ties undone, by my Lord absolutely

لَعَنَ اللَهَ مَن تَقَوَّلَ هَذا

لَعَنَ اللَهَ مَن تَقَوَّلَ هَذا

وَثَنى مَن وَشى بِلَعنٍ وَهَمّا

وَثَنى مَن وَشى بِلَعنٍ وَهَمّا

May God curse whoever fabricated this,

God curse whoever alleged this

and double the curse on whoever spread slander and meant

And repeat cursing and suspicion

لِيَسوءَ الصَديقَ بِالصَرمِ مِنّا

لِيَسوءَ الصَديقَ بِالصَرمِ مِنّا

زَيدَ أَنفُ العُداةِ بِالوَصلِ رَغما

زَيدَ أَنفُ العُداةِ بِالوَصلِ رَغما

to distress our friend through estrangement from us.

To malign the loyal with this rejection by us

May union rub the foes' noses still deeper in the dust!'

The enemies' noses are cut despite the tie, loathing