تذكرت اياما سقى الله عهدها

تذكرت اياما سقى الله عهدها

خلوت بها والوقت صاف مع الحب

خلوت بها والوقت صاف مع الحب

I remembered days—may God water their time—

I recalled the days when God watered their era,

I was alone in those days, time serene with the beloved.

I was alone with it, while time was clear with love,

فاخلصته ودي وكدت لحبه

فاخلصته ودي وكدت لحبه

اشق له قلبي والقيه في قلبي

اشق له قلبي والقيه في قلبي

So I gave him my sincere affection, and almost, for love of him,

So I was sincere to it and almost died of love,

Split my heart open for him and cast him into my heart.

I tore my heart for it and threw it in my heart,

اذا كان امر الحب يا نعم خالصا

اذا كان امر الحب يا نعم خالصا

اذا حدثي ما شئت عن لوعة الحب

اذا حدثي ما شئت عن لوعة الحب

If love's affair, O Nuʿm, is pure,

If the matter of love is good, yes sincere,

Then speak as you wish of love's burning anguish.

If you tell me whatever you want about the agony of love,

احبا جفا ظلما وحاد عن الوفا

احبا جفا ظلما وحاد عن الوفا

عنادا تدبر كيف قلبك من قلب

عنادا تدبر كيف قلبك من قلب

O beloved who unjustly forsook me and strayed from faithfulness,

Lovers are unjust, unjust and deviate from loyalty,

Out of obstinacy—consider what a heart yours is!

Stubbornly thinking how your heart is from the heart,

ولا تنس ايام الوصال وما جرى

ولا تنس ايام الوصال وما جرى

لاجلك صباسح من مقلة الصب

لاجلك صباسح من مقلة الصب

And do not forget the days of union, and what flowed

And do not forget the days of union and what happened,

For your sake, a streaming outpour from the lovesick lover's eye;

Because of you, youths from the eyelash of youth,

ولطف معان انت نسختها التي

ولطف معان انت نسختها التي

متى ما رأيتها العين تفعل في اللب

متى ما رأيتها العين تفعل في اللب

And the grace of meanings, whose likeness you are;

And the gentleness of meanings that you transcribed,

Whenever I behold it, the eye works upon the mind.

Whenever the eye saw them, it affects the mind,

محبك من تدري على الوصل والجفا

محبك من تدري على الوصل والجفا

يجبك مهما جرت في البعد والقرب

يجبك مهما جرت في البعد والقرب

Your lover is the one you know, in union and estrangement;

Your lover, do you know about union and estrangement,

He loves you, however unjust you are, in distance and nearness.

He loves you no matter how far or near,

وليس بذي مجد محب مخادع

وليس بذي مجد محب مخادع

يقابل نوع الظل بالمر والعذب

يقابل نوع الظل بالمر والعذب

And a deceitful lover has no honor,

And the lover is not a man of glory deceitful,

Who meets a kind of shade with the bitter and the sweet.

Who meets injustice with bitterness and freshness,

مضى عهد من نهوى وكان كأنه

مضى عهد من نهوى وكان كأنه

خيال وما شيء يدوم سوى الرب

خيال وما شيء يدوم سوى الرب

The time of those we love has passed, and it was as though

An era has passed from those we love, it was as if

A phantom; nothing endures except the Lord.

It is an illusion and nothing lasts but God,

لنا غاب قوم قوم يا سقى الله عهدهم

لنا غاب قوم قوم يا سقى الله عهدهم

هووا من بروج المكرمات إلى الترب

هووا من بروج المكرمات إلى الترب

People of ours have vanished—people! Ah, may God water their time.

For us they left, O God watered their era,

They fell from the towers of noble deeds to the dust.

They inclined from the mansions of honors to the dust,

قضوا وانقضى العهد الذي كان بيننا

قضوا وانقضى العهد الذي كان بيننا

ولكنهم والله في حضرة القلب

ولكنهم والله في حضرة القلب

They passed away, and the covenant that was between us ended;

They fulfilled and the era that was between us is over,

But, by God, they are in the heart's presence.

But they, by God, are in the presence of the heart,

لقد بخلوا حتى برد سلامنا

لقد بخلوا حتى برد سلامنا

وكانوا لعمر المجد اسخى من السحب

وكانوا لعمر المجد اسخى من السحب

Indeed, they grew miserly, till our greeting grew cold,

They were even stingy to send us greetings,

And, by the life of glory, they were more generous than clouds.

And they were, by the age of glory, more generous than the clouds,

فيا سفرا منهم تمادى به المدا

فيا سفرا منهم تمادى به المدا

وقد غيبت تلك المظاهر في الغيب

وقد غيبت تلك المظاهر في الغيب

So, O journey of theirs, whose span has grown long,

So oh a journey from them, time persisted in it,

And those manifestations have been hidden in the unseen.

And those features were hidden in the unknown,

تعاتبهم قد خلفونا لاجلهم

تعاتبهم قد خلفونا لاجلهم

اسارى النوى والحق جلوا عن العتب

اسارى النوى والحق جلوا عن العتب

You reproach them: they have left us, on their account,

Blaming them, they left us for their sake,

Captives of separation; in truth, they are above reproach.

Prisoners of purpose, and the truth avoided blame,

بكينا قد ابيض العيون وحزنهم

بكينا قد ابيض العيون وحزنهم

ملح وما زلنا مع الحزن في حرب

ملح وما زلنا مع الحزن في حرب

We wept; the eyes have turned white, and grief for them

We cried, the eyes whitened, and their sorrow

Is relentless, and we are still at war with sorrow.

Was salt, and we are still in war with sorrow,

فيا ايها الغياب والعذر واضح

فيا ايها الغياب والعذر واضح

رضينا لو الا مكان يسعف بالكتب

رضينا لو الا مكان يسعف بالكتب

So, O absent ones, the excuse is clear;

So O absence and the excuse is clear,

We would be content if possibility permitted letters.

We accepted unless the place was helpful in writing,