خُذْ لِوَجْدِي مِنْ ذِمَّةِ البُرَحَاءِ

خُذْ لِوَجْدِي مِنْ ذِمَّةِ البُرَحَاءِ

وَأَجِرْنِي مِنْ لَوْعَتِي وَعَنَائِي

وَأَجِرْنِي مِنْ لَوْعَتِي وَعَنَائِي

Claim my longing's due from torment,

Take my passion from the guarantors of separation

and shelter me from my burning grief and suffering,

And save me from my burning grief and sorrow

يَا أَمِيراً عَلى المِلاَحِ وَقَلْبِي

يَا أَمِيراً عَلى المِلاَحِ وَقَلْبِي

أَبَداً خَافِقٌ لَهُ كاللِّوَاءِ

أَبَداً خَافِقٌ لَهُ كاللِّوَاءِ

O prince over the fair, while my heart

O prince over realms and my ever-fluttering heart

forever flutters for him like a banner.

Flutters for him like a waving flag

وَبِنَجْدٍ عُرْبٌ نُزُولٌ أَضَاعُوا

وَبِنَجْدٍ عُرْبٌ نُزُولٌ أَضَاعُوا

للمُحبينَ ذِمَّةَ النُّزَلاَءِ

للمُحبينَ ذِمَّةَ النُّزَلاَءِ

And in Najd are Arabs encamped who have broken

The Bedouins of Najd, a people who settled

the pledge of hospitality owed to lovers.

And forfeited the pact of protection for lovers

ضَرَبُوا خَيْمَةَ المَلِيحَةِ في الرَّوضِ

ضَرَبُوا خَيْمَةَ المَلِيحَةِ في الرَّوضِ

وَأَجْرُوا أَنْهَارَها مِنْ بُكَائِي

وَأَجْرُوا أَنْهَارَها مِنْ بُكَائِي

They pitched the fair woman's tent in the meadow,

They pitched their beautiful tent in the garden

and made her rivers flow from my weeping.

And channeled its streams from my weeping

وَدَعُوا لِلعَقِيقِ دَمْعِي وَمِنْ أَيْنَ

وَدَعُوا لِلعَقِيقِ دَمْعِي وَمِنْ أَيْنَ

لِدَمْعِي العَقِيقَ لَوْلاَ دِمَائِي

لِدَمْعِي العَقِيقَ لَوْلاَ دِمَائِي

And leave my tears for al-ʿAqīq—but whence

They left my tears for ‘aqeeq and from where

would carnelian come to my tears, but for my blood?

Could my tears be ‘aqeeq if not for my blood

فَهُمُ لأَعَدِمْتَهُمْ أَطْلَقُوا الدَّمْعَ

فَهُمُ لأَعَدِمْتَهُمْ أَطْلَقُوا الدَّمْعَ

وَقَلْبِي فِيهِمْ مِنَ الأسَرَاءِ

وَقَلْبِي فِيهِمْ مِنَ الأسَرَاءِ

For they—may I never lose them—have set my tears free,

For if I were to lose them, they who shed tears

while my heart is a captive in their midst.

While in them, from the captives, is my heart

فِي العُيونِ المَرِيضَةِ الجَفْنِ سُقْمِي

فِي العُيونِ المَرِيضَةِ الجَفْنِ سُقْمِي

يا لِقَوْمِي وَعِنْدَهُنَّ شِفَائِي

يا لِقَوْمِي وَعِنْدَهُنَّ شِفَائِي

In languid-lidded eyes lies my sickness—

In the sick eyes, the sickness of my eyelids

help, my people! And with them lies my cure.

Oh my people, in them is my remedy

وَلِظَبْي الحِمَى إشَارَةُ وَجْدِي

وَلِظَبْي الحِمَى إشَارَةُ وَجْدِي

حِينَ أُكْنى عَنْ ظَبْيةِ الوَعْسَاءِ

حِينَ أُكْنى عَنْ ظَبْيةِ الوَعْسَاءِ

And my longing points to the gazelle of the sanctuary

And the gestures of the fevered gazelle are

when I speak figuratively of the doe of the soft sands.

When I use the dark-eyed gazelle as metaphor