دعاهُ لذكر الحمى مذهبٌ

دعاهُ لذكر الحمى مذهبٌ

وشوقٌ أقامَ فما يذهب

وشوقٌ أقامَ فما يذهب

A departure called him to remember the beloved haunts,

A longing for the memories of love called him,

And longing settled in, never to depart.

And my passion remained, it does not fade,

أمصرُ سقتكِ غوادِي السرور

أمصرُ سقتكِ غوادِي السرور

وجادَكِ من أفقها صيب

وجادَكِ من أفقها صيب

O Egypt, may the morning showers of joy water you,

I insist on pouring you the valleys of joy,

And may a downpour from their horizon drench you.

And your generosity overflowed from its horizons.

ذكرتُ زمانك حيث الوِصال

ذكرتُ زمانك حيث الوِصال

وحيث الصبا طيّب طيّب

وحيث الصبا طيّب طيّب

I recalled your days, when there was union,

I remembered the time of union with you,

And when youth was sweet, so sweet.

Where youth was good, so good.

وبيضُ الوجوهِ بها نجْتلي

وبيضُ الوجوهِ بها نجْتلي

وسودُ الشعورِ بها تسحب

وسودُ الشعورِ بها تسحب

And there we behold fair faces,

The faces whitened with it brought me salvation,

And black tresses trail there.

And the black hair with it withdrew.

وكم قمرٍ فيكِ سافرتُ عنهُ

وكم قمرٍ فيكِ سافرتُ عنهُ

وعقرب أصداغه غيهب

وعقرب أصداغه غيهب

And many a moon in you I journeyed away from,

How many moons with you did I travel away from,

While the scorpion of his temple-locks was pitch-dark.

And their scorpion forelocks disappeared.

فما كانَ بالسفرِ المستجاد

فما كانَ بالسفرِ المستجاد

وقد أطلعَ القمرَ العقرب

وقد أطلعَ القمرَ العقرب

So it was no journey to be commended,

Traveling was not in vain,

When the Scorpion had made the moon rise.

When the moon rose, the scorpion did.

وإن حفَّ بي للنوى مهلكٌ

وإن حفَّ بي للنوى مهلكٌ

فكم صحَّ لي باللقا مطلب

فكم صحَّ لي باللقا مطلب

And though separation's mortal peril surrounded me,

If ruin threatens me with its intent,

Yet many a wish came true for me through reunion.

How often my request was fulfilled by the meeting.

وإن طمعت في ليالي الحمى

وإن طمعت في ليالي الحمى

منايَ فكم قد فشا أشعب

منايَ فكم قد فشا أشعب

And if the nights of the beloved haunts are coveted

If I hoped for nights of memories,

By my wishes—many an Ash'ab has appeared!

My wishes overflowed in many ways.

وقد يحسب المرءُ ما فاته

وقد يحسب المرءُ ما فاته

فيأتيه أضعافُ ما يحسب

فيأتيه أضعافُ ما يحسب

And a man may reckon what has passed him by,

One may account for what escapes him,

Then he receives many times what he expects.

Yet multiples of that may come to him.

لعمركَ ما الصبحِ بالمستنير

لعمركَ ما الصبحِ بالمستنير

وقد فاتني ذلكَ المغرب

وقد فاتني ذلكَ المغرب

By your life, the dawn is not radiant,

By your life, the dawn is not illuminated,

When that sunset has passed me by.

For I have missed that sunset.

عسى خبرٌ من كتاب الشهاب

عسى خبرٌ من كتاب الشهاب

يخبرُ عنها بما أرقب

يخبرُ عنها بما أرقب

Perhaps news from al-Shihab's letter

Hopefully news from the book of meteors,

Will tell of her what I await.

Will tell me what I await.