ما يُريد الشّوقُ من قلبِ مُغنّى

ما يُريد الشّوقُ من قلبِ مُغنّى

ذكرَ الأُلاّفَ والوَصلَ فحنّا

ذكرَ الأُلاّفَ والوَصلَ فحنّا

What does longing seek from a tormented heart?

What does longing desire from a singing heart

It recalled dear companions and union, and yearned.

But to recall those joined and connected

حَسبُه ما عندَه من شَوقِه

حَسبُه ما عندَه من شَوقِه

وكَفاهُ من جَواهُ ما أجَنّا

وكَفاهُ من جَواهُ ما أجَنّا

Enough for it is the longing it already bears,

It satisfies him what he has of his yearning

and enough the burning anguish it has concealed.

And suffices him from his side what he has gathered

كلَّما شاهَد شملاً جَامِعاً

كلَّما شاهَد شملاً جَامِعاً

طارَ شوقاً وهفَا وجْداً وأنّا

طارَ شوقاً وهفَا وجْداً وأنّا

Whenever it saw a united gathering,

Whenever he saw a gathering assembly

it flew with longing, fluttered with passion, and groaned.

He would soar in longing, rapture and delight

عَاضَهُ الدّهرُ من القُربِ نَوىً

عَاضَهُ الدّهرُ من القُربِ نَوىً

ومن الغِبطةِ بالأحبابِ حُزْنَا

ومن الغِبطةِ بالأحبابِ حُزْنَا

Time gave it separation in exchange for nearness,

Time has deprived him of intimacy’s intent

and sorrow in place of joy in loved ones.

And from joy with loved ones, sorrow

فَرثَي من رَحْمَةٍ عاذلُهُ

فَرثَي من رَحْمَةٍ عاذلُهُ

ورأى الحاسِدُ فيه ما تَمنّى

ورأى الحاسِدُ فيه ما تَمنّى

Its reproacher pitied it out of compassion,

So he elegized him with merciless reproach

and the envier saw in it what he had wished for.

And the envier saw in him what he wished

ويحَهُ من زَفرةٍ تَعتادُهُ

ويحَهُ من زَفرةٍ تَعتادُهُ

وهُمومٍ جمّةٍ تَطرقُ وَهْنَا

وهُمومٍ جمّةٍ تَطرقُ وَهْنَا

Alas for it, with a sigh that keeps returning,

Woe to him from a sigh that afflicts him

and countless cares that visit late at night.

And concerns galore that knock and weaken

يا زَمانَ القُربِ سُقياً لَك مِن

يا زَمانَ القُربِ سُقياً لَك مِن

زَمنٍ لو كان قُربُ الدّارِ أغْنَى

زَمنٍ لو كان قُربُ الدّارِ أغْنَى

O time of nearness, may rain bless you—

O time of nearness, pour for you

what a time, if only nearness of abode had sufficed!

From a time, if home's proximity made richer

لم تكُن إلاّ كَظِلٍّ زَائلٍ

لم تكُن إلاّ كَظِلٍّ زَائلٍ

والمسَّراتُ تَلاشَى ثُمّ تَفْنى

والمسَّراتُ تَلاشَى ثُمّ تَفْنى

You were only a passing shadow,

You would not be but a fleeting shadow

and pleasures fade away, then perish.

And enjoyments fade, then perish

ساءَنا ما سرَّنا من عيِشِنَا

ساءَنا ما سرَّنا من عيِشِنَا

بعدَ ما رَاق لنا مرأىً ومَجْنَى

بعدَ ما رَاق لنا مرأىً ومَجْنَى

What delighted us in our life came to distress us,

Evil is what delighted us of our life

after its sight and harvest had charmed us.

After what seemed good and pleasant to us

فافْتَرقْنا بَعد مَا كُنّا صَدىً

فافْتَرقْنا بَعد مَا كُنّا صَدىً

إنْ دَعَوْنَا وكَفَانَا قولُ كُنّا

إنْ دَعَوْنَا وكَفَانَا قولُ كُنّا

So we parted, after being each other's echo

So we parted after we were an echo

whenever we called; now saying “we were” suffices us.

If we called and it sufficed us to say “we were”

وكذَا الأيّامُ من عَاداتِها

وكذَا الأيّامُ من عَاداتِها

أنّها تُعقِبُ سَهلَ العيشِ حَزْنَا

أنّها تُعقِبُ سَهلَ العيشِ حَزْنَا

Such are the days: among their habits

And so are the days in their habits

is to follow life's ease with hardship.

That they follow easy living with sorrow

خُلُقٌ للدّهرِ ما أولَى امرأً

خُلُقٌ للدّهرِ ما أولَى امرأً

نعمةً منهُ فملاّهُ وَهَنّا

نعمةً منهُ فملاّهُ وَهَنّا

Such is Time's nature: it never bestows on a man

A trait for time, what mannered a man

a blessing of its own, then lets him enjoy it long and gladly.

A blessing from it, so it filled and weakened him

وكذَا البَاخِلُ ما أسدَى يَداً

وكذَا البَاخِلُ ما أسدَى يَداً

قَطُّ إلاّ كَدَّرَ المنَّ ومَنّا

قَطُّ إلاّ كَدَّرَ المنَّ ومَنّا

So too the miser: never has he offered a helping hand

And so is the miser, he never extended a hand

without souring the favor and reminding one of it.

Except he spoiled the favor and granted it

قُل لأحَبابٍ نَأتْ دَارُهُمُ

قُل لأحَبابٍ نَأتْ دَارُهُمُ

وعَلى قُربِهمُ أقْرعُ سِنّا

وعَلى قُربِهمُ أقْرعُ سِنّا

Say to loved ones whose home has grown distant—

Say to loved ones whose homes are far

while I gnash my teeth over their nearness:

And I grew old upon their proximity

سَاءَ ظَنّي باصْطِبَارِي بعدَكُم

سَاءَ ظَنّي باصْطِبَارِي بعدَكُم

ولقد كنتُ به أُحسِنُ ظَنّا

ولقد كنتُ به أُحسِنُ ظَنّا

My trust in my endurance has failed since you left,

Evil is my assumption of my patience without you

though I once indeed thought well of it.

And yet with it I used to assume good

لأُبِيحَنَّ الجوَى من كَبِدِي

لأُبِيحَنَّ الجوَى من كَبِدِي

مَوضِعاً لم يُبتذَلْ عِزّا وضَنّا

مَوضِعاً لم يُبتذَلْ عِزّا وضَنّا

I shall surely grant burning grief, within my liver,

I will open my anguish as a place

a place kept inviolate through pride and jealous care.

Not cheapened by glory and delight

وأُذِيلَنّ دُموعاً لو رأتْ

وأُذِيلَنّ دُموعاً لو رأتْ

فَيضَهُنَّ المزنُ خَالَتْهُنَّ مُزْنَا

فَيضَهُنَّ المزنُ خَالَتْهُنَّ مُزْنَا

And I shall surely pour forth tears—if the rain clouds saw

And I will trail tears, if their downpour saw

their flood, they would take them for rain clouds.

Their flood, sorrow would mix with it

أسَفاً لا بل حياءً أنّنِي

أسَفاً لا بل حياءً أنّنِي

بعدَكُم باقٍ وإن أصبحتُ مُضنَى

بعدَكُم باقٍ وإن أصبحتُ مُضنَى

Out of sorrow—no, rather shame that I

Alas not, but shame that I

remain alive without you, though I have become wasted.

After you remain, though I become downcast

لا صَفَا لي العيشُ من بَعدِكُمُ

لا صَفَا لي العيشُ من بَعدِكُمُ

ما تَمادَتْ مُدّةُ البينِ وعِشْنَا

ما تَمادَتْ مُدّةُ البينِ وعِشْنَا

May life never be serene for me after you,

No joy for me in life after you

as long as separation endures and we live.

As long as separation's term continued and we lived

وعَجيبٌ والتّنائِي دُونَكُمُ

وعَجيبٌ والتّنائِي دُونَكُمُ

أنَّكُم مِنّي إلى قَلبيَ أدْنَى

أنَّكُم مِنّي إلى قَلبيَ أدْنَى

And strange it is, with distance standing between me and you,

And strange is the distance from you

that you are nearer to my heart than I am.

That you are from me to my heart closer

حيثُ كُنتمْ ففُؤادِي دَارُكُم

حيثُ كُنتمْ ففُؤادِي دَارُكُم

وعلى أشباحِكُم أُغمِض جَفْنَا

وعلى أشباحِكُم أُغمِض جَفْنَا

Wherever you are, my heart is your home,

Where you were, so my heart is your abode

and upon your forms I close my eyelid.

And upon your spirits I close my eyelids