وفي عُروَة العُذريِّ إِن مُتّ أُسوَةٌ

وفي عُروَة العُذريِّ إِن مُتّ أُسوَةٌ

وَعمرو بني عَجلانَ الَّذي فَتَنَت هِندُ

وَعمرو بني عَجلانَ الَّذي فَتَنَت هِندُ

And should I die, I have an example in ʿUrwa al-ʿUdhri,

In the passion of love, if I die, I will be an example,

and in ʿAmr of Banu ʿAjlan, whom Hind enthralled.

Like Amro son of Ajlân, whom Hind tempted,

وَبي مِثل ما ماتا بِهِ غَيرَ أَنَّني

وَبي مِثل ما ماتا بِهِ غَيرَ أَنَّني

إِلى أَجَلٍ لَم يَأتِني وَقتُهُ بَعدُ

إِلى أَجَلٍ لَم يَأتِني وَقتُهُ بَعدُ

And I suffer the same thing they both died of, except that I

And like others who died of the same malady as I,

am spared until an appointed end whose time has not yet come to me.

Except that the time of my death has not yet come.

هَل الحُبُّ إِلّا زَفرَةٌ بَعدَ زَفرَةٍ

هَل الحُبُّ إِلّا زَفرَةٌ بَعدَ زَفرَةٍ

وَحرّ عَلى الأَحشاءِ لَيسَ لَهُ بَردُ

وَحرّ عَلى الأَحشاءِ لَيسَ لَهُ بَردُ

Is love anything but sigh after sigh,

Is love anything but sigh after sigh,

and a burning in the entrails that knows no coolness,

And heat in the vitals that has no coldness?

وَفَيضُ دُموعِ العَينِ يا ميّ كلَّما

وَفَيضُ دُموعِ العَينِ يا ميّ كلَّما

بَدا عَلَمٌ مِن أَرضِكُم لَم يَكُن يَبدو

بَدا عَلَمٌ مِن أَرضِكُم لَم يَكُن يَبدو

and a flood of tears from the eye, O Mayy, whenever

And the flowing of tears from my eyes whenever

a landmark of your land, unseen until then, comes into view?

A token appears from your land that was not appearing before.