ثَقيلٌ يُطالِعُنا مِن أَمَم

ثَقيلٌ يُطالِعُنا مِن أَمَم

إِذا سَرَّهُ رَعفُ أَنفي أَلَم

إِذا سَرَّهُ رَعفُ أَنفي أَلَم

A bore appears before us at close quarters;

A weight upon us gazing from the nations,

A heavy bore looms upon us from close at hand,

If my nosebleed delights him, he comes calling.

When at his leisure, pained are my nostrils.

If he is pleased, I suffer the pain of a nosebleed.

لِطَلعَتِهِ وَخزَةٌ في الحَشا

لِطَلعَتِهِ وَخزَةٌ في الحَشا

كَوَقعِ المَشارِطِ في المُحتَجِم

كَوَقعِ المَشارِطِ في المُحتَجِم

The sight of him brings a stab in my innards,

His emergence pricks the senses like a thorn,

His countenance is a sharp prick within the guts,

Like the stroke of lancets in someone being cupped.

As cast-lots pierce the gambler in his tent.

Like the bite of lancets on one enduring cupping.

كَأَنَّ الفُؤادَ إِذا ما بَدا

كَأَنَّ الفُؤادَ إِذا ما بَدا

بِإِشفى إِلى كَبِدي يَنتَظِم

بِإِشفى إِلى كَبِدي يَنتَظِم

It is as though my heart, whenever he appears,

My heart seems, when first he shows his veil

It is as though the heart, whenever he appears,

Were skewered to my liver with an awl.

To settle gently on my liver's hem.

Is skewered by an awl straight through to my liver.

أَقولُ لَهُ إِذ أَتى لا أَتى

أَقولُ لَهُ إِذ أَتى لا أَتى

وَلا نَقَلَتهُ إِلَينا قَدَم

وَلا نَقَلَتهُ إِلَينا قَدَم

I say to him, when he comes: may he never come,

I say, when he appears without appearing,

I say when he comes—may he never have come,

Nor may a foot carry him to us.

His footsteps nowhere bringing him to us:

And may no foot ever transport him toward us.

فَقَدتُ خَيالَكَ لا مِن عَمىً

فَقَدتُ خَيالَكَ لا مِن عَمىً

وَصَوتَ كَلامِكَ لا مِن صَمَم

وَصَوتَ كَلامِكَ لا مِن صَمَم

May I be rid of your image—not through blindness—

I have not lost your image out of blindness,

May I lose sight of your shadow, yet not from blindness,

And the sound of your speech—not through deafness.

Nor am I deaf to hear your voice gone dumb.

And lose the sound of your words, yet not from deafness.

تَغَطَّ بِما شِئتَ عَن ناظِري

تَغَطَّ بِما شِئتَ عَن ناظِري

وَلَو بِالرِداءِ بِهِ تَلتَثِم

وَلَو بِالرِداءِ بِهِ تَلتَثِم

Hide yourself from my sight with whatever you wish,

Hide as you will from my beholding eyes,

Veil yourself from my eyes with whatever you wish,

Even with the cloak, veiling your face with it.

Even if with a cloak around your face.

Even if only with the robe you wrap around your face.