مَنْ مُجيري من فؤادٍ كلَّما

مَنْ مُجيري من فؤادٍ كلَّما

اتَّقد البَرْقُ اليماني اتقَدا

اتَّقد البَرْقُ اليماني اتقَدا

Who will rescue me from a heart that, whenever

Who will protect me from a heart that flares

the lightning of Yemen blazes, blazes too?

Whenever the Yemeni lightning flashes?

كادَ لولا أدمُعي تحرِقُه

كادَ لولا أدمُعي تحرِقُه

زفرةُ الوجدِ بما قد وجدا

زفرةُ الوجدِ بما قد وجدا

But for my tears, it would nearly be burned

Were it not for my tears extinguishing it,

by a sigh of passion, because of what it has felt.

My anguish would have consumed it in the flames it kindled.

عَرَفَ القلب يد العين بها

عَرَفَ القلب يد العين بها

إنَّ للعينِ على القلبِ يدا

إنَّ للعينِ على القلبِ يدا

Through them, the heart recognized the eye's favor;

The heart knows the hand of the eye controls it -

indeed, the eye has done the heart a favor.

Indeed, the eye holds sway over the heart.

لا أبيتُ اللَّيلَ إلاَّ راعياً

لا أبيتُ اللَّيلَ إلاَّ راعياً

أنجُماً سارتْ على غير حَدا

أنجُماً سارتْ على غير حَدا

I spend no night except watching

I spend the night sleepless,

stars that journey on without a camel-driver's chant.

Watching the stars traverse the boundless sky.

طال ليلُ الصّبّ حتَّى خِلْتُه

طال ليلُ الصّبّ حتَّى خِلْتُه

جُعِلَ الليلُ عليه سرمدا

جُعِلَ الليلُ عليه سرمدا

The lovesick lover's night grew so long that I thought

The long night of ecstasy seemed endless

night had been made everlasting for him.

Until it was granted eternity.

وتحرّوا رشداً عُذَّالُه

وتحرّوا رشداً عُذَّالُه

ولعَمري ما تحرّوا رشدا

ولعَمري ما تحرّوا رشدا

His reproachers sought sound judgment,

Yet they did not endeavor to walk the path of righteousness -

yet, by my life, they sought no sound judgment.

By my life, they never endeavored to walk the righteous path.

بي حبيبٌ أنا ألقى في الهوى

بي حبيبٌ أنا ألقى في الهوى

منه ما ألقاه من كيد العِدى

منه ما ألقاه من كيد العِدى

I have a beloved; in love I suffer

I have a beloved against whom I have thrown myself in passion -

from him what I suffer from the scheming of foes.

He has inflicted upon me such wounds as an enemy would cause.

تطلبُ السُّلوان إلاَّ إنَّ لي

تطلبُ السُّلوان إلاَّ إنَّ لي

لوعةً قامتْ وصبراً قعدا

لوعةً قامتْ وصبراً قعدا

You seek solace, yet I have

The night visitor seeks nothing but to ignite

a burning anguish that has risen, and patience that has sat down.

Suffering that rises up, and patience that sits still.

ما رمى الرَّامي فؤادي خطأً

ما رمى الرَّامي فؤادي خطأً

منه في الحبِّ ولكن قصدا

منه في الحبِّ ولكن قصدا

The archer did not shoot my heart by mistake

My shooter missed not the mark when he struck my heart -

in love; rather, he did so deliberately.

He intended it in his love, he meant no misstep.

يا رعى عهد الهوى إنَّ الهوى

يا رعى عهد الهوى إنَّ الهوى

جارَ بالحكمِ عليه واعتدى

جارَ بالحكمِ عليه واعتدى

Ah, he kept love's covenant; indeed, love

O you who blame passionate love, passion itself

ruled unjustly against him and transgressed.

Has revolted against your judgment and transgressed your bounds.

خشية الواشين صبٌّ لم يزلْ

خشية الواشين صبٌّ لم يزلْ

يُظهِرُ الدَّمع ويخفي الكمدا

يُظهِرُ الدَّمع ويخفي الكمدا

For fear of talebearers, a lovesick lover never ceases

Constant tears that never cease

to show his tears and conceal his sorrow.

Flow from fear of slanderers while anguish lies dormant within.

أترى أحبابنا يوم التقى

أترى أحبابنا يوم التقى

وجدوا من لوعةٍ ما وجدا

وجدوا من لوعةٍ ما وجدا

Do you think our loved ones, on the day he met them,

Can you see, the day our loved ones left,

felt the burning anguish that he felt?

The agony and desolation they felt?

قد وَقَفْنا بعدَهم في ربعِهِم

قد وَقَفْنا بعدَهم في ربعِهِم

فبكَيْنا الدَّمع حتَّى نفدا

فبكَيْنا الدَّمع حتَّى نفدا

After they were gone, we stood in their dwelling-place,

After they left, we stood in the place they dwelled

and we wept tears until they were spent.

Our tears flowed until they were depleted.

ثمَّ لمَّا نفد الدَّمع على

ثمَّ لمَّا نفد الدَّمع على

طَلَل الربع بكيْنا الجَلَدا

طَلَل الربع بكيْنا الجَلَدا

Then, when the tears were spent over

Then when our tears on the ruins of that abode were spent

the dwelling's ruins, we wept our fortitude away.

We wept blood, our skin itself weeping.