نَسيمُ الصَّبا أهدى إلى القلب ما أهدى

نَسيمُ الصَّبا أهدى إلى القلب ما أهدى

وقد حَمَلَتْ أرواحها الشّيحَ والرّندا

وقد حَمَلَتْ أرواحها الشّيحَ والرّندا

The east wind's breeze brought the heart what it brought,

The morning breeze brought to my heart that which it brought,

and its breaths had carried wormwood and bay laurel.

Bearing with it the fragrance of wormwood and lavender.

ولي كَبدٌ حرَّى لعلِّي أرى بها

ولي كَبدٌ حرَّى لعلِّي أرى بها

بريَّا نسيمٍ مرَّ بي سحراً بَردا

بريَّا نسيمٍ مرَّ بي سحراً بَردا

And I have a burning liver; perhaps I may find in it

My liver burned so that perhaps I would see in it

coolness from the sweet scent of a breeze that passed me before dawn.

A cool breeze that passed me at dawn bringing coldness.

فأصبحتُ أذري الدَّمع فذًّا وتَوْأَماً

فأصبحتُ أذري الدَّمع فذًّا وتَوْأَماً

تَخُدُّ على خدَّيَّ حينئذٍ خدَّا

تَخُدُّ على خدَّيَّ حينئذٍ خدَّا

So I began scattering tears, singly and in pairs,

Thus I began shedding tears abundantly,

carving, then, a furrow upon my cheeks.

Which would flow down my cheek continuously.

كأنِّي اعْتَصَرْتُ المعصرات بأَعْين

كأنِّي اعْتَصَرْتُ المعصرات بأَعْين

نَثَرْنَ غداةَ البين من لؤلؤٍ عقدا

نَثَرْنَ غداةَ البين من لؤلؤٍ عقدا

As though I had wrung out the rain clouds with eyes

As if I had pressed the juice of ripe grapes from eyes

that scattered a necklace of pearls on the morning of parting.

That scattered the next morning strings of pearls as necklaces.

فما بلَّ ذاك الدَّمع منِّي حشاشة

فما بلَّ ذاك الدَّمع منِّي حشاشة

أبى الله إلاَّ أنْ تضرم لي وقدا

أبى الله إلاَّ أنْ تضرم لي وقدا

But those tears did not moisten the remnant of life within me;

But those tears did not moisten me,

God willed only that it kindle a blaze for me.

For God willed only that embers be kindled for me.

ولامَ أُصَيْحابي فؤاداً متيَّماً

ولامَ أُصَيْحابي فؤاداً متيَّماً

فما نَفَعَ اللَّومُ الفؤادَ ولا أجدى

فما نَفَعَ اللَّومُ الفؤادَ ولا أجدى

My dear companions reproached a heart enslaved by love,

And my friends blamed a passionate heart,

but reproach neither helped the heart nor did any good.

But blaming did not benefit my heart nor help.

ذكرتُهم والدَّمع يجري فلم أكنْ

ذكرتُهم والدَّمع يجري فلم أكنْ

مَلَكْتُ لذاك الدَّمع يوم جرى ردَّا

مَلَكْتُ لذاك الدَّمع يوم جرى ردَّا

I remembered them, with tears flowing; I had no

I remembered them while the tears flowed, but I could not

power to turn those tears back on the day they flowed.

Control those tears the day they flowed.

وبتُّ أُداري مهجةً لم أَجِدْ لها

وبتُّ أُداري مهجةً لم أَجِدْ لها

خلاصاً من الأَشجان يوماً ولا بُدَّا

خلاصاً من الأَشجان يوماً ولا بُدَّا

And I spent the night soothing a heart for which I found

I spent the night turning restlessly, finding

no escape from sorrows, ever, nor any way around them.

No relief from anguish, neither a day nor forever.

وقلتُ لسعدٍ دَعْ ملامَك في الهوى

وقلتُ لسعدٍ دَعْ ملامَك في الهوى

فما زادَني لوماً فقد زادَني وجدا

فما زادَني لوماً فقد زادَني وجدا

And I said to Saʿd, 'Leave off your reproach over love.'

And I said to Saʿd, “Stop blaming me for passion,”

For whenever he increased his reproach, he increased my yearning.

For blame did not increase me in suffering but increased my torment.

يُهَيِّجُ وَجْدي وهو غير مساعدي

يُهَيِّجُ وَجْدي وهو غير مساعدي

وما أنا لاقٍ منه إنْ لامني سعدا

وما أنا لاقٍ منه إنْ لامني سعدا

He stirs my yearning, though he is no helper to me,

It provokes my torment while not helping me,

and I shall find no good fortune from him if he reproaches me.

And I cannot avoid it if Saʿd blames me.

يقول اصطَبر عمَّن تحبّ وإنَّني

يقول اصطَبر عمَّن تحبّ وإنَّني

يريني الهوى من دون ما قاله سدَّا

يريني الهوى من دون ما قاله سدَّا

He says, 'Be patient without the one you love'; yet I

He says, “Be patient with whom you love,” yet

find love setting a barrier before what he has said.

Passion shows me other than what he said as a barrier.

ولا تَشِمِ البَرق اليمانيّ فإنَّه

ولا تَشِمِ البَرق اليمانيّ فإنَّه

متى لاحَ أورى في حشاشتك الزّندا

متى لاحَ أورى في حشاشتك الزّندا

And do not watch the lightning of Yemen, for it,

“Do not smell the Yemeni lightning, for it,

whenever it flashes, strikes sparks from the firestick in your vital core.

When it flashes, reveals the deadly viper in your darkness.”

وإيَّاك إيَّاك الصَّريمَ وأَهله

وإيَّاك إيَّاك الصَّريمَ وأَهله

فإنَّ الظْباءَ العُفْرَ تقتنص الأُسْدا

فإنَّ الظْباءَ العُفْرَ تقتنص الأُسْدا

And beware, beware of al-Ṣarīm and its people,

And beware, beware the biting snake and its hole,

for the dust-colored gazelles capture lions.

For the shy gazelle is prey for the lion.

وهل نافعٌ ما قال من بعد ما رمى

وهل نافعٌ ما قال من بعد ما رمى

بعَيْنَيْه ريم الجزع سهم الرَّدى عمدا

بعَيْنَيْه ريم الجزع سهم الرَّدى عمدا

And is what he said of any use, after

Of what use is what he said after he aimed

the white gazelle of the valley-bend deliberately shot death's arrow with its eyes?

At my eyes the arrows of fate and calamity deliberately?

بنفسي الغزالُ القانصي بلواحظٍ

بنفسي الغزالُ القانصي بلواحظٍ

من السّحْرِ مَرضى تمنع الأَسَدَ الوَرْدا

من السّحْرِ مَرضى تمنع الأَسَدَ الوَرْدا

My life for the gazelle that hunts me with glances,

By my life, the shy gazelle is slain by glances

languid with enchantment, that hold the tawny lion at bay.

Of magic, sick gazelles that prevent the lion from sweet basil.

إذا ما رَمَيْنَ القلبَ سهماً أصَبْنَهُ

إذا ما رَمَيْنَ القلبَ سهماً أصَبْنَهُ

كأنْ قَصَدَتْ في قتل عاشقها قصدا

كأنْ قَصَدَتْ في قتل عاشقها قصدا

Whenever they shoot an arrow at the heart, they strike it,

When they shoot the heart with an arrow they hit it

as though they had deliberately set out to kill their lover.

As if intending to kill their lover intentionally.

به أربي يا هل ترى هذه النوى

به أربي يا هل ترى هذه النوى

تُبَدِّلُنا بالقرب من بُعْدِها بعدا

تُبَدِّلُنا بالقرب من بُعْدِها بعدا

In him lies my desire—ah, do you think this separation

With it, I wonder, O do you see these intentions

will give us some of its distance in place of nearness?

Changing their nearness to us into remoteness?

أرى النَّفس لا تهوى سوى من تَوَدُّه

أرى النَّفس لا تهوى سوى من تَوَدُّه

ولم تَتَكَلَّفْ مهجةُ الوامق الوُدَّا

ولم تَتَكَلَّفْ مهجةُ الوامق الوُدَّا

I see the soul yearns only for the one it loves,

I see the soul desires none but the beloved,

and the lover's heart has never had to force its affection.

And the breast of the passionate sought no love but desire.