أتْهَم فيكُم لائمي وأنْجَدا

أتْهَم فيكُم لائمي وأنْجَدا

وما أفادَ سلوةً إذْ فنّدَا

وما أفادَ سلوةً إذْ فنّدَا

Over you, my reproacher ranged through Tihama and Najd;

My critics blame me among you, without benefit,

Yet he brought no solace when he called me foolish.

When they dispraise me, it brings me no solace.

أرشدَنِي بزعمه وما أرَى

أرشدَنِي بزعمه وما أرَى

سُلُوَّ قلبي عن هَواكمُ رَشَدَا

سُلُوَّ قلبي عن هَواكمُ رَشَدَا

He claimed to guide me aright, but I do not deem

They claim to guide me, but I see no

My heart's forgetting love of you wise.

Comfort for my heart in your love.

يَا لائمِي فيهِمْ أعدْ ذكْرَهُمُ

يَا لائمِي فيهِمْ أعدْ ذكْرَهُمُ

واللومَ فيهم واتّخِذْ عندي يَدَا

واللومَ فيهم واتّخِذْ عندي يَدَا

O you who reproach me over them, repeat their mention,

O you who blame me, remember them again

And your reproaches over them—and earn my gratitude.

And blame them, and take a pledge from me.

روِّح بذكْرَاهُم فؤاداً مضرَماً

روِّح بذكْرَاهُم فؤاداً مضرَماً

لو مَاتَ حولاً كاملاً ما بَرَدَا

لو مَاتَ حولاً كاملاً ما بَرَدَا

Refresh with their memory a heart aflame;

With the memory of them revive a heart aflame,

Even if it lay dead a whole year, it would not cool.

If it dies for a year, it will not cool.

لو كان ما يشكُوهُ من حَرّ الأسَى

لو كان ما يشكُوهُ من حَرّ الأسَى

ناراً لَباخَتْ أو زِنَاداً أصْلَدا

ناراً لَباخَتْ أو زِنَاداً أصْلَدا

If the heat of grief of which it complains were

If what he complains of from the heat of grief

Fire, it would have died down—or firesticks, they would have failed to spark.

Were fire, it would kindle, or flint that gives sparks.

لا تحسبَنّ اليأسَ أسْلاَني ولا

لا تحسبَنّ اليأسَ أسْلاَني ولا

أنْسانَي النّأيُ هَوَى من بَعُدَا

أنْسانَي النّأيُ هَوَى من بَعُدَا

Do not think despair has made me forget my love, or that

Think not despair made me spineless, nor

Distance has made me forget love for those far away.

Did remoteness make me forget love after nearness.

شرطُ الهَوَى لهُمْ عَليّ أنّنِي

شرطُ الهَوَى لهُمْ عَليّ أنّنِي

بهم مُعَنّى القلب صبٌّ أبدَا

بهم مُعَنّى القلب صبٌّ أبدَا

Love requires of me, for their sake, that I remain

My pact with love for them is that I

Tormented at heart for them, an ardent lover forever.

Am intent on them always, pouring without cease.

لا أستَفِيقُ من هوىً إلاّ إلى

لا أستَفِيقُ من هوىً إلاّ إلى

هَوىً ولا أسلُو وإن طالَ المَدَى

هَوىً ولا أسلُو وإن طالَ المَدَى

I recover from one love only to pass into

I do not wake from love but to

Another love; nor do I forget, however long the time.

Love again, and find no comfort though protracted.

أفْدِي خيالاً زارَ رحْلي موهناً

أفْدِي خيالاً زارَ رحْلي موهناً

على تَنَائي دَارِه كيفَ اهْتَدى

على تَنَائي دَارِه كيفَ اهْتَدى

I would give my life for a phantom that visited my lodging late at night;

I ransom a specter who visited my abode dejected,

Though its home was far away, how did it find the way?

Lost on his remote dwelling, how did he find guidance?

عهدتُه مُوسَّناً رَأْدَ الضّحى

عهدتُه مُوسَّناً رَأْدَ الضّحى

فكيفَ جابَ في الظلامِ الفَدْفَدَا

فكيفَ جابَ في الظلامِ الفَدْفَدَا

I knew it drowsy at the height of forenoon;

I knew him cheerful at dawn,

How, then, did it cross the wide wilderness in darkness?

How then did he wander in the dark night?

عُلالةٌ عَلّلنِي الشّوقُ بها

عُلالةٌ عَلّلنِي الشّوقُ بها

والماءُ في الأحلامِ لا يُروى الصّدَى

والماءُ في الأحلامِ لا يُروى الصّدَى

A little solace with which longing soothed me;

My love-longing made me sleepless,

Yet water in dreams does not quench thirst.

And dreams give no water to slake my thirst.

ثُمّ هَبَبْتُ لاَ بكَ الوجدُ الذي

ثُمّ هَبَبْتُ لاَ بكَ الوجدُ الذي

حرّكهُ طيفهُمُ وجدّدَا

حرّكهُ طيفهُمُ وجدّدَا

Then I awoke—may you be spared the anguish that

Then I shed tears like those stirred

Their phantom stirred and renewed—

By their specter renewing ecstasy.

مُدلّهاً أمسحُ عَيْنَيّ عسَى

مُدلّهاً أمسحُ عَيْنَيّ عسَى

تراهُ يَقظى وأجُسّ المَرْقَدا

تراهُ يَقظى وأجُسّ المَرْقَدا

Distraught, rubbing my eyes in the hope

With eyes half open I wipe my tears hoping

Of seeing it while awake, and feeling about the bed,

To see him awake and examine my couch.

كَقانِصٍ فاتَ القنيصُ يَده

كَقانِصٍ فاتَ القنيصُ يَده

أو واجدٍ أضَلّ ما قَد وَجَدَا

أو واجدٍ أضَلّ ما قَد وَجَدَا

Like a hunter whose quarry escaped his grasp,

Like one who missed what his hands grasped,

Or a finder who lost what he had found.

Or a finder who lost what he just found.

أحبَابَنَا وحبّذَا نداؤُكُمْ

أحبَابَنَا وحبّذَا نداؤُكُمْ

لو كُنُتمُ لدعوةِ الدّاعِي صَدَى

لو كُنُتمُ لدعوةِ الدّاعِي صَدَى

Our beloved ones—how sweet it is to call to you,

O beloved ones, blessed be your call

If only you were an echo to the caller's cry!

If only you answered the caller’s prayer.

غالَت يدُ الأيام من بَعدِكُم

غالَت يدُ الأيام من بَعدِكُم

ذَخائِري حتّى الإسَى والجَلَدا

ذَخائِري حتّى الإسَى والجَلَدا

The hand of time, after your departure, plundered

After you the days have been hard on me,

My treasures, even consolation and fortitude.

Even resoluteness and composure.

ما لاصْطِبَاري مَددٌ بَعد النّوى

ما لاصْطِبَاري مَددٌ بَعد النّوى

فويحَ دَمْعي مَن حَباهُ المَدَدَا

فويحَ دَمْعي مَن حَباهُ المَدَدَا

My patience has no replenishment after separation;

My patience has no reinforcements after desire,

Alas for my tears—who gave them their supply?

So woe to my tears, who augmented them?

لكنّنِي ما رُمت إطفاءَ الجوَى

لكنّنِي ما رُمت إطفاءَ الجوَى

بفيضِه إلا الْتَظَى واتّقَدَا

بفيضِه إلا الْتَظَى واتّقَدَا

Yet whenever I sought to quench my burning anguish

Yet I never wished to quench passion’s blaze,

With their flood, it only flared and blazed.

I sought but to kindle it and it flared up.

يا رَوعَتَا لطائرٍ نَاحَ على

يا رَوعَتَا لطائرٍ نَاحَ على

غُصْنٍ فأغْرى بالأسَى من فَقَدَا

غُصْنٍ فأغْرى بالأسَى من فَقَدَا

Oh, my dismay at a bird lamenting on

O fright of a bird that flew down on a branch,

A branch, stirring the bereaved to grief!

So stirred by loss he seemed intoxicated!

أظنّه فارق أُلاّفاً كَما

أظنّه فارق أُلاّفاً كَما

فارقتُ أو كَما وجدتُ وجَدَا

فارقتُ أو كَما وجدتُ وجَدَا

I think it parted from dear companions, as

I think he left behind loved ones, as I

I parted, or felt the anguish I have felt.

Left you, or found the ecstasy that I knew.

أدمى جراحاتٍ بقلبي للنّوى

أدمى جراحاتٍ بقلبي للنّوى

وما علمتُ ناحَ حُزناً أم شَدَا

وما علمتُ ناحَ حُزناً أم شَدَا

It made the wounds of separation in my heart bleed;

Though his mournful song renews wounds in my heart,

Yet I did not know whether it mourned in grief or sang.

I know not if he sang out of sorrow or elation.

لكن يَهيجُ للحزِين بثُّه

لكن يَهيجُ للحزِين بثُّه

إذا رأى على الحَنين مُسعدَا

إذا رأى على الحَنين مُسعدَا

But the sorrowful one's anguish is stirred

But it stirs the sorrowful with its strains

When he sees one who shares his plaintive longing.

When it sees the sorrowful envying the joyous.

فَقُل لمن أشْمَتَه فِراقُنا

فَقُل لمن أشْمَتَه فِراقُنا

وسرَّه أن جَار دهرٌ واعْتَدى

وسرَّه أن جَار دهرٌ واعْتَدى

So tell the one our separation made gloat,

Say to those glad at our separation,

And who rejoiced that time was unjust and oppressive:

And happy that fate turned against us and transgressed.

إن سرّك الدهرُ بنا اليومَ فهَل

إن سرّك الدهرُ بنا اليومَ فهَل

أمِنْتَ أن يَسّرنا فيك غَدا

أمِنْتَ أن يَسّرنا فيك غَدا

If time has delighted you at our expense today, are you

If fate brought us joy today, did you feel

Safe from its delighting us at yours tomorrow?

Secure it would not bring us joy in you tomorrow?