أَشاقَتكَ أَطلالُ الدِيارِ كَأَنَّما

أَشاقَتكَ أَطلالُ الدِيارِ كَأَنَّما

مَعارِفُها بِالأَبرَقَينِ بُرودُ

مَعارِفُها بِالأَبرَقَينِ بُرودُ

Have the ruins of the dwellings stirred your longing, as though

The ruins of the abode have pined for you as though

their familiar traces at al-Abraqayn were striped cloaks?

Its friends with the two brilliances were ice

أَلا قاتَلَ اللَهُ الهَوى ما أَشَدَّهُ

أَلا قاتَلَ اللَهُ الهَوى ما أَشَدَّهُ

وَأَصرَعَهُ لِلمَرءِ وَهوَ جَليدُ

وَأَصرَعَهُ لِلمَرءِ وَهوَ جَليدُ

Ah, may God smite passion—how fierce it is,

Alas! May God destroy love - how intense it is!

and how readily it fells a man, though he is stouthearted!

And it fells a man while he is frozen

فَقُل لِلهَوى لا يَألُوَنِّيَ جَهدُه

فَقُل لِلهَوى لا يَألُوَنِّيَ جَهدُه

فَلَيسَ عَلى ما قَد وَجَدتُ مُزيدُ

فَلَيسَ عَلى ما قَد وَجَدتُ مُزيدُ

So tell passion to spare no effort against me,

So say to love, "Its toil does not tire me,

for nothing can exceed what I have already endured.

For there is no increase to what I have found"

دَعاني الهَوى مِن نَحوِها فَأَجَبتُهُ

دَعاني الهَوى مِن نَحوِها فَأَجَبتُهُ

فَأَصبَحَ بي يَستَنُّ حَيثُ يُريدُ

فَأَصبَحَ بي يَستَنُّ حَيثُ يُريدُ

Passion called me from her direction, and I answered it;

Love called me from her direction, so I answered

so it began to gallop with me wherever it wished.

Thus in the morning it escorts me wherever it wills

سَقى اللَهُ عَيشاً قَد مَضى وَحَلاوَةً

سَقى اللَهُ عَيشاً قَد مَضى وَحَلاوَةً

لَوَ أَنَّ المُنى يُرجِعنَهُ فَيَعودُ

لَوَ أَنَّ المُنى يُرجِعنَهُ فَيَعودُ

May God water a life gone by, and sweetness—

May God water a life now passed and sweetness -

if only wishes could bring it back, so it might return!

If only the goal would bring it back to return

إِذا الحَولُ ثُمَّ الحَولُ تَمضي شُهورُهُ

إِذا الحَولُ ثُمَّ الحَولُ تَمضي شُهورُهُ

عَلَينا وَلَم يَعلَم لَهُنَّ عَديدُ

عَلَينا وَلَم يَعلَم لَهُنَّ عَديدُ

when year followed year and their months passed

When the year, then the next year pass by its months

over us, and no count of them was known.

Upon us, and we do not know their number