أَمَا لفراقِنا هذا اجتماعُ

أَمَا لفراقِنا هذا اجتماعُ

ولا لمدى تقاطعِنا انقطاعُ

ولا لمدى تقاطعِنا انقطاعُ

Is there no reunion after this parting of ours,

Is there no reunion after this parting of ours,

nor an end to the span of our estrangement?

No mending after such long estrangement?

حمَلْنَا بعدكم يا أهلَ نجدٍ

حمَلْنَا بعدكم يا أهلَ نجدٍ

مِنَ الأشواقِ ما لا يُستَطاعُ

مِنَ الأشواقِ ما لا يُستَطاعُ

Since you left, O people of Najd, we have borne

After you left, O people of Najd,

such longings as cannot be endured.

We've borne such longing as cannot be borne.

مننتُمْ آنِفاً بالقُرْبِ منكُمْ

مننتُمْ آنِفاً بالقُرْبِ منكُمْ

فهلْ لزمانِ وَصلِكُمُ ارْتِجاعُ

فهلْ لزمانِ وَصلِكُمُ ارْتِجاعُ

You lately favored us with nearness to you;

You graced us lately with your nearness,

so can the time of union with you return?

But can the days of your company return?

رَحلْتُمْ بالنُّفُوسِ فليتَ شِعْري

رَحلْتُمْ بالنُّفُوسِ فليتَ شِعْري

أكانَ لكُمْ بأنفُسِنَا انْتِفاعُ

أكانَ لكُمْ بأنفُسِنَا انْتِفاعُ

You departed with our souls—would that I knew:

You went away with the souls within you—

did you gain any benefit from our souls?

I wonder, did our souls give you comfort?

وخَلَّفتم جُسُوماً بالياتٍ

وخَلَّفتم جُسُوماً بالياتٍ

عَلَى جَمْرِ الغَرَامِ لها اضْطِجَاعُ

عَلَى جَمْرِ الغَرَامِ لها اضْطِجَاعُ

And you left behind withered bodies,

You left behind you bodies in distress

lying upon the embers of love;

Tossed on the embers of passion, restless,

وأَكْبَاداً وأفئِدَةً مِرَاضاً

وأَكْبَاداً وأفئِدَةً مِرَاضاً

بِهَا مِنْ لاعِجِ الشَّوْقِ انصداعُ

بِهَا مِنْ لاعِجِ الشَّوْقِ انصداعُ

and ailing livers and hearts,

And hearts and livers painfully diseased

riven by the searing heat of longing;

From the blows of ardent love, broken,

وأَلْسِنةً خَرَسْنَ فلا كَلامٌ

وأَلْسِنةً خَرَسْنَ فلا كَلامٌ

وآذَاناً صَمَمْنَ فَلا اسْتِمَاعُ

وآذَاناً صَمَمْنَ فَلا اسْتِمَاعُ

and tongues grown mute, with no speech;

And tongues struck dumb, with no speech,

and ears grown deaf, unable to listen;

And ears gone deaf, with no hearing,

وأجْفَاناً مُؤرَّقَةً دَوَاماً

وأجْفَاناً مُؤرَّقَةً دَوَاماً

لهَا عَنْ خاطِبِ الغَمْضِ امتِنَاعُ

لهَا عَنْ خاطِبِ الغَمْضِ امتِنَاعُ

and eyelids kept forever sleepless,

And eyelids sleepless, in constant distress,

that refuse sleep's wooing.

Refusing the solace of slumber—

كَأَنَّ قُلوبَنا لمَّا استَقَلَّتْ

كَأَنَّ قُلوبَنا لمَّا استَقَلَّتْ

ركائِبُكُمْ ضُحىً ودَنَا الوَدَاعُ

ركائِبُكُمْ ضُحىً ودَنَا الوَدَاعُ

It was as though our hearts, at the departure

As if, when you loaded your riding-camels,

of your riding camels at midmorning, with farewell drawing near,

Our hearts had become orphaned nestlings

فِراخُ قَطاً تَخَطَّفَها بُزاةٌ

فِراخُ قَطاً تَخَطَّفَها بُزاةٌ

وعَرجُ ظِبَاً تَعاوَرُها سِبَاعُ

وعَرجُ ظِبَاً تَعاوَرُها سِبَاعُ

were sandgrouse chicks snatched away by hawks,

Whose mother the hunters had snatched away,

and lame gazelles attacked in turn by beasts of prey.

Or gazelles assailed by wild beasts.

أَهيمُ بكُمْ أسَىً وأَضيقُ وَجْداً

أَهيمُ بكُمْ أسَىً وأَضيقُ وَجْداً

ومَا بَيْنِي وبينِكُمُ ذِرَاعُ

ومَا بَيْنِي وبينِكُمُ ذِرَاعُ

I pine for you in sorrow, and am stifled with longing,

I roam about, distressed, sick with longing,

though not a cubit lies between me and you.

Though nothing but a yard separates you and me.

فَكَيفَ وبَيْنَنَا آذِيُّ بَحْرٍ

فَكَيفَ وبَيْنَنَا آذِيُّ بَحْرٍ

وبِيدٌ في مَفَاوِزِهَا اتِّسَاعُ

وبِيدٌ في مَفَاوِزِهَا اتِّسَاعُ

How, then, when between us lie a sea's surging waves,

How then, when between us lies a sea

and deserts whose wastes stretch far and wide?

Whose breadth offers passage to none?

ألاَ حَيّا الحَيَا أَحْيَاءَ قَومٍ

ألاَ حَيّا الحَيَا أَحْيَاءَ قَومٍ

أَذَاعُوا بالفِرَاقِ ولَمْ يُرَاعُوا

أَذَاعُوا بالفِرَاقِ ولَمْ يُرَاعُوا

Ah, may rain greet the encampments of a people

Greet them, greet the beloved folk

who announced their parting without dismay,

Who parted from us without a glance backward,

وظَبْيٍ من ظِبَاءِ الأُنْسِ حَالٍ

وظَبْيٍ من ظِبَاءِ الأُنْسِ حَالٍ

يَرُوعُ القَانِصِينَ ولا يُرَاعُ

يَرُوعُ القَانِصِينَ ولا يُرَاعُ

and a lovely gazelle among the gazelles of humankind,

And a gazelle of the gazelles of companionship

who frightens hunters, yet is never frightened.

Who grazes where the archers cannot graze,

يُبَارزُنِي بألْحَاظٍ مِراضٍ

يُبَارزُنِي بألْحَاظٍ مِراضٍ

فتَصْرَعُنِي لهُ وأنَا الشُّجَاعُ

فتَصْرَعُنِي لهُ وأنَا الشُّجَاعُ

He duels with me with languid glances,

Who battles me with languishing eyes—

so they lay me low for him, though I am the brave one.

I am slain though known for my courage.

ذَكَرْتُ جَمَالَهُ والخيلُ حَسْرَى

ذَكَرْتُ جَمَالَهُ والخيلُ حَسْرَى

عَوَابِسُ قد أضَرَّ بِها القِرَاعُ

عَوَابِسُ قد أضَرَّ بِها القِرَاعُ

I recalled his beauty while the horses were exhausted,

I recalled his beauty and the steeds stomped

grim-faced, battered by the clash of combat,

Angrily, maddened by the strokes of the horsewhip;

وسُمْرُ الخَطِّ مرْكَزُهَا التَّرَاقِي

وسُمْرُ الخَطِّ مرْكَزُهَا التَّرَاقِي

وبِيضُ الهِنْدِ مَغمُدها النُّخَاعُ

وبِيضُ الهِنْدِ مَغمُدها النُّخَاعُ

and the brown spears of al-Khatt were planted in collarbones,

Their ostrich plumes tremble with desire

and India's white blades were sheathed in spinal marrow.

And the Indian blade flashes within its sheath.

فَمَا لِيْثَ الخِمَارُ علَى مُحيّاً

فَمَا لِيْثَ الخِمَارُ علَى مُحيّاً

كَغُرَّتِهِ ولا عُقِدَ القِنَاعُ

كَغُرَّتِهِ ولا عُقِدَ القِنَاعُ

For never was a headcloth wound about a face

The wine bottle pays no heed to the censor

like his radiant countenance, nor a veil tied.

Nor does the silver anklet obey the prohibition!