قد استظهرت شعري ثريا فكلما

قد استظهرت شعري ثريا فكلما

جلستُ اليها انشدتني قوافيا

جلستُ اليها انشدتني قوافيا

Thurayya has learned my poetry by heart; whenever

My poetry has become abundant since whenever

I sit with her, she recites verses to me.

I sit down to compose, rhymes come to me

يتيمها شعري ولولاه لم تكن

يتيمها شعري ولولاه لم تكن

متيمةً بي تستطيب التلاقيا

متيمةً بي تستطيب التلاقيا

My poetry enthralls her; were it not for it, she would not be

My poetry is an orphan and without it she would not

besotted with me, delighting in our meetings.

Yearn for me, savoring our meetings

وتطلبُ مني كل يومٍ قصيدةً

وتطلبُ مني كل يومٍ قصيدةً

أُذيعُ بها للناسِ ما كان خافيا

أُذيعُ بها للناسِ ما كان خافيا

And every day she asks me for a poem

And she asks me every day for a poem

through which I reveal to people what was hidden,

Through which I broadcast to people what was hidden

وأخبرهم فيها بما هو بيننا

وأخبرهم فيها بما هو بيننا

وأُنهي إليهم كيف نقضي اللياليا

وأُنهي إليهم كيف نقضي اللياليا

and tell them in it what lies between us,

And tell them in it what is between us

and let them know how we spend our nights.

And reveal to them how we spend our nights

تريد ثريا أن يذيع غرامنا

تريد ثريا أن يذيع غرامنا

وأن اتغنى بالغرامِ مباهيا

وأن اتغنى بالغرامِ مباهيا

Thurayya wants our love to become known,

Thria wants my poetry to spread our love

and for me to sing proudly of love.

And for me to sing of passion boastfully

ومن فخرها أن يعرفوني حبيبها

ومن فخرها أن يعرفوني حبيبها

وأن لها دون الحسان فؤاديا

وأن لها دون الحسان فؤاديا

And she takes pride in their knowing me as her beloved,

And she takes pride in them knowing I am her beloved

and in my heart being hers alone, not the other beauties'.

And that she has my heart and no other

قد استأثرت مني بشعري ومهجتي

قد استأثرت مني بشعري ومهجتي

فصرت لها عبداً وصارت كذا ليا

فصرت لها عبداً وصارت كذا ليا

She has taken sole possession of my poetry and my soul;

She has monopolized my poetry and inspiration

so I became her slave, and she likewise became mine.

So I became her slave and she became mine

وتغضب من شعري إذا جاء مرةً

وتغضب من شعري إذا جاء مرةً

ولم ينتحل من مقلتيها المعانيا

ولم ينتحل من مقلتيها المعانيا

And she grows angry with my poetry if ever it comes

And she gets angry if my poetry one day

without borrowing its meanings from her eyes.

Does not draw meanings from her eyelids

لقد ماتَ خلٌ لي فصغت له الرثا

لقد ماتَ خلٌ لي فصغت له الرثا

بقافيةٍ تجري الدموعَ العواصيا

بقافيةٍ تجري الدموعَ العواصيا

A dear friend of mine died, so I composed an elegy for him

Indeed, a friend of mine passed away, so I eulogized him

with a rhyme that sets stubborn tears flowing.

With verses flowing with copious tears

فلما أتى شعري ثريا تفجرت

فلما أتى شعري ثريا تفجرت

مدامعها تكسو الورود لآليا

مدامعها تكسو الورود لآليا

And when my poetry reached Thurayya, there burst forth

But when my poetry reached Thria, her tears poured forth

tears from her eyes, clothing the roses in pearls.

Adorning the roses with pearls

وقالت عرتني غيرةٌ من فتىً قضى

وقالت عرتني غيرةٌ من فتىً قضى

فخلاكَ تبكيه بشعرك راثيا

فخلاكَ تبكيه بشعرك راثيا

And she said, “Jealousy seized me over a youth who died,

And she said, “I am jealous of a boy who passed away

leaving you to weep for him, mourning him in your poetry.

While you mourn him in elegy with your poetry

أود لو أني مت قبل مماته

أود لو أني مت قبل مماته

لتنظم بي هذي القوافي البواكيا

لتنظم بي هذي القوافي البواكيا

I wish I had died before he did,

I wish I had died before his death

so you would compose these weeping rhymes about me.”

So you would compose these tearful rhymes for me