اسكنت قلبيَ لحدك

اسكنت قلبيَ لحدك

لا خيرَ في العيشِ بعدك

لا خيرَ في العيشِ بعدك

You lodged my heart in your grave.

You have settled in my heart completely

There is no good in life after you.

There is no good in life without you

ما الدارُ بعدكَ عندِي

ما الدارُ بعدكَ عندِي

أرى وإلاَّ فعندك

أرى وإلاَّ فعندك

After you, I have no home,

What is home to me without you?

I think, unless it is there with you.

I see only you, no one else

يسيلُ أحمرُ دمعي

يسيلُ أحمرُ دمعي

لمَّا تذكَّرت خدّك

لمَّا تذكَّرت خدّك

My crimson tears flow

My red tears flow

when I remember your cheek.

When I remember your cheek

وقُدْ بالهمِّ قلبي

وقُدْ بالهمِّ قلبي

لمَّا تذكَّرت قدّك

لمَّا تذكَّرت قدّك

And lead my heart through sorrow,

And my heart is aflame with worries

when I remember your stature.

When I remember your stature

يا سائلَ الدمعِ إيهٍ

يا سائلَ الدمعِ إيهٍ

فما أجوّزُ ردَّك

فما أجوّزُ ردَّك

O seeker of tears, ask on!

O you who ask about tears, listen!

For I cannot permit turning you away.

I cannot hold back my tears

أقصدتني يا زماني

أقصدتني يا زماني

كأنَّني كنتُ قصدك

كأنَّني كنتُ قصدك

You struck me mortally, O my time,

O my time, you have sought me out

as though I had been your target.

As if I was your purpose

وكانَ ما خفتُ منه

وكانَ ما خفتُ منه

فأجْهِدِ الآنَ جهدَك

فأجْهِدِ الآنَ جهدَك

And what I feared has come to pass;

And what I had feared

now exert yourself to the utmost.

Make the effort now with all your might

لا لينك اليومَ أرجو

لا لينك اليومَ أرجو

ولستُ أرهبُ شدَّك

ولستُ أرهبُ شدَّك

I do not hope for your gentleness today,

I hope no longer for your softness today

nor do I fear your harshness.

And I don’t fear your harshness

قبضت كفّ مرادِي

قبضت كفّ مرادِي

فاقدحْ بقلبيَ زندَك

فاقدحْ بقلبيَ زندَك

You closed the hand of my desire;

You have grasped the palm of my wishes

so strike your fire-stick against my heart.

So ignite in my heart your flint

وراحَ دينار خد

وراحَ دينار خد

عليهِ كم خفت نقدَك

عليهِ كم خفت نقدَك

And a cheek's dinar has departed—

And the coin of your cheek has departed

how often I feared your assay of it!

How much I feared its loss

عبد الرحيم برغمِي

عبد الرحيم برغمِي

أن تسقي العينُ عهدَك

أن تسقي العينُ عهدَك

Abd al-Rahim, it is against my will

Abdul Rahim despite myself

that my eye should water your memory.

My eyes will keep their promise to you

فأجعل النوم وردِي

فأجعل النوم وردِي

في الليلِ والدَّمع وردَك

في الليلِ والدَّمع وردَك

So I make sleep my portion

So I will make sleep my companion

at night, and tears your portion.

At night, and tears my companion

أشقيت جدّي بثُكلٍ

أشقيت جدّي بثُكلٍ

بُنيَّ يا ثُكل جدّك

بُنيَّ يا ثُكل جدّك

You made my fortune wretched with bereavement,

You have made me childless, my grandfather

my little son—O your grandfather's bereavement!

My son! O childless one like your grandfather!

أبكي فيبكي كأنَّا

أبكي فيبكي كأنَّا

حمائمُ النوحِ بعدَك

حمائمُ النوحِ بعدَك

I weep, and he weeps, as though we were

I cry and he cries as if

doves of lamentation after you.

We are doves weeping after you

ما كنتُ أحمل هجراً

ما كنتُ أحمل هجراً

فكيفَ أحملُ فقدَك

فكيفَ أحملُ فقدَك

I could not bear estrangement;

Never did I endure separation

how, then, can I bear losing you?

So how can I endure your loss?

وما تخيَّلت أنِّي

وما تخيَّلت أنِّي

أشكو صدَاك وصدَّك

أشكو صدَاك وصدَّك

And I never imagined that I would

And I never imagined

lament your lifeless remains and your turning away.

That I would complain of your coolness and your harshness

لهفي عليكَ لحسنٍ

لهفي عليكَ لحسنٍ

قد كانَ أسبل برْدَك

قد كانَ أسبل برْدَك

Alas for you, for a beauty

I yearn for you, for the sake of the beauty

that once let your mantle fall.

That adorned your neck the finest necklaces

لهفي عليكَ لعقلٍ

لهفي عليكَ لعقلٍ

قد كانَ أحسنَ عقدَك

قد كانَ أحسنَ عقدَك

Alas for you, for an intellect

I yearn for you, for the sake of the wisdom

that once made your necklace fair.

That was the best stringing of your necklaces

لهفي عليكَ لثغرٍ

لهفي عليكَ لثغرٍ

قد كان يفضل عقدَك

قد كان يفضل عقدَك

Alas for you, for a mouth

I yearn for you, for the sake of the mouth

that once surpassed your necklace.

That surpassed your strung necklaces

لم لأنسَ لثمكَ لما

لم لأنسَ لثمكَ لما

أحسستُ بالموتِ بعدَك

أحسستُ بالموتِ بعدَك

I was not to forget kissing you when

Why did I not forget your kiss after

I felt death after you.

I sensed death after you?

والله لا سمتُ صبري

والله لا سمتُ صبري

من بعد ما سمتُ شهدَك

من بعد ما سمتُ شهدَك

By God, I will not taste my bitter patience

By God, I have lost my patience

after I have tasted your honey.

After losing the taste of your lips

أفٍّ لقلبيَ إنْ لم

أفٍّ لقلبيَ إنْ لم

يوفّ بالحزنِ ودَّك

يوفّ بالحزنِ ودَّك

Fie upon my heart if it does not

Alas for my heart if it does not

honor your love through grief.

Fulfill its sadness and longing for you

وقوعِ بيتي لسنٍّ

وقوعِ بيتي لسنٍّ

لم يوفِ في العمر عدَّك

لم يوفِ في العمر عدَّك

The downfall of my house, for an age

The falling of my house out of grief

that did not fulfill your tally of years.

Did not fulfill the counting of your days

كنتَ الهلالَ لأفقٍ

كنتَ الهلالَ لأفقٍ

فعارضَ الأفقُ سعدَك

فعارضَ الأفقُ سعدَك

You were the crescent moon of a horizon,

You were the crescent for a horizon

but the horizon opposed your good fortune.

So the horizon rivaled your fortune

وكنتَ فرعَ نباتٍ

وكنتَ فرعَ نباتٍ

فأذبلَ الموتُ ورْدَك

فأذبلَ الموتُ ورْدَك

And you were a shoot of a plant,

You were a branch of growth

but death withered your roses.

So death made your flower wilt

وكنتَ نهرَ بحارٍ

وكنتَ نهرَ بحارٍ

لو عشت أحييت مجدَك

لو عشت أحييت مجدَك

And you were a river of seas;

You were a river of seas

had you lived, you would have given life to your glory.

If you had lived, you would have restored your glory

وآهاً لأقلامِ علمٍ

وآهاً لأقلامِ علمٍ

عدِمنَ يا نهرُ مدَّك

عدِمنَ يا نهرُ مدَّك

And alas for the pens of learning,

Alas for the pens of knowledge

bereft, O river, of your flow.

O river, your course has been stopped!

لا غَرْوَ إن باتَ دمعي

لا غَرْوَ إن باتَ دمعي

بالرَّيِّ ينجز وعدَك

بالرَّيِّ ينجز وعدَك

No wonder if all night my tears

Do not doubt that my tears

fulfill your promise by watering.

Will fulfill at night their promise to you

أصبحتُ في الحزنِ وحدِي

أصبحتُ في الحزنِ وحدِي

إذ كنتُ في الحسنِ بعدَك

إذ كنتُ في الحسنِ بعدَك

I have become alone in grief,

I have become in grief alone

since in beauty I had ranked behind you.

When I was with you in beauty

فيا أسايَ تمرّد

فيا أسايَ تمرّد

ويا سلوِّي تمردك

ويا سلوِّي تمردك

So, O my sorrow, rebel!

So O healing of rebellion

And, O my consolation—your rebellion!

And O solace of your rebellion

ويا حيا الغيثِ أجزِلْ

ويا حيا الغيثِ أجزِلْ

لذابلِ العطفِ رِفدَك

لذابلِ العطفِ رِفدَك

And, O life-giving rain, lavish

O clouds of rain, be generous

your bounty on the one whose frame has withered.

To the wilted flowers, send down your gift

واجْعل بكاكَ عليهِ

واجْعل بكاكَ عليهِ

نداكَ والنوْحَ رعدَك

نداكَ والنوْحَ رعدَك

And make your weeping over him

And let your weeping for him

your dew, and your lamentation your thunder.

Be your call and your sobbing thunder

فأنتَ صاحبُ عهدٍ

فأنتَ صاحبُ عهدٍ

فوفّ للحسنِ عهدَك

فوفّ للحسنِ عهدَك

For you are bound by a pledge;

For you are a keeper of promises

so keep your pledge to beauty.

So keep your promise to the beautiful one

ويا رحيماً دَعاهُ

ويا رحيماً دَعاهُ

واصلْ برُحماكَ عبدَك

واصلْ برُحماكَ عبدَك

And, O Merciful One who called him,

O Merciful One he called you

keep your servant close through your mercy.

So join in your mercy your servant