هَلُمَّا نُقَضِّي الفَرْضَ لِلأَجْرَعِ الفَرْدِ

هَلُمَّا نُقَضِّي الفَرْضَ لِلأَجْرَعِ الفَرْدِ

بِوِرْدِ المَطَايَا مَنْهَلَ المَدْمَعِ الوَرْدِ

بِوِرْدِ المَطَايَا مَنْهَلَ المَدْمَعِ الوَرْدِ

Come, you two: let us fulfill our duty to the solitary sandy rise,

Let us fulfill the duty to the most thirsty one

by watering the mounts at the rose-red wellspring of tears.

With the provision of tears, the spring of roses

فَفِي مِثْلَ هذا السَّفْحِ يُبْرِدُ عَاشِقٌ

فَفِي مِثْلَ هذا السَّفْحِ يُبْرِدُ عَاشِقٌ

حَشَاهُ بِسَفْحِ الدَّمْعِ في مَسْحَبِ البُرْدِ

حَشَاهُ بِسَفْحِ الدَّمْعِ في مَسْحَبِ البُرْدِ

For on a slope like this a lover cools

For in a place like this a lover cools down

his core by spilling tears where his mantle trails.

His burning with the plain of tears in the chilling place

وَقَفْنَا بِرَبْعِ العامِرِيةَِّ مَوْقِفاً

وَقَفْنَا بِرَبْعِ العامِرِيةَِّ مَوْقِفاً

بِهِ الحُرُّ مَبذُولُ الحَشَاشَةِ كالعَبْدِ

بِهِ الحُرُّ مَبذُولُ الحَشَاشَةِ كالعَبْدِ

We halted at al-ʿĀmiriyya's dwelling, at a place

We stopped at Al-Amriyah quarter and took a stand

where the freeman surrenders his life's breath like a slave.

Where the freeman with generosity is like a slave

سُكَارَى خَيَارَى أَعْيُنِ فَكَأنَّمَا

سُكَارَى خَيَارَى أَعْيُنِ فَكَأنَّمَا

أَضَلَّ بِنَا حَادٍ مُجِدٍّ عَنِ القَصْدِ

أَضَلَّ بِنَا حَادٍ مُجِدٍّ عَنِ القَصْدِ

Drunk, [bewildered] of eye, as though

Drunk, bleary-eyed, so it was as if

an eager camel-driver had led us off the right course.

A lost guide led us astray from the intention

وَفِي الحَيِّ غَيْرَانُونَ كَادَتْ نُفُوسُهُمْ

وَفِي الحَيِّ غَيْرَانُونَ كَادَتْ نُفُوسُهُمْ

تَمَّيزُ مِنْ غَيْظٍ عَلَيْنَا وَمِنْ حِقْدِ

تَمَّيزُ مِنْ غَيْظٍ عَلَيْنَا وَمِنْ حِقْدِ

And in the encampment were jealous men whose souls nearly

And in the neighborhood there were others, almost

burst apart from rage against us and from rancor.

Their souls were distinctive from rage at us and from hatred

وَمَا ذَاكَ إِلاَّ غَيْرَةً منْ حُلُولِنَا

وَمَا ذَاكَ إِلاَّ غَيْرَةً منْ حُلُولِنَا

بِلَيْلَى مَحْلَ المُكْرَمِينَ مِنَ الوَفْدِ

بِلَيْلَى مَحْلَ المُكْرَمِينَ مِنَ الوَفْدِ

And that was nothing but jealousy at our lodging

That is only jealousy of our staying

with Layla, in the place of the honored among the delegation.

At Layla's abode, the honored place of delegations

وَلَمَّا عَرَفْنَا عَرْفَهَا نَزَّهَ الهَوى

وَلَمَّا عَرَفْنَا عَرْفَهَا نَزَّهَ الهَوى

شَذَا عُرْفِهَا النِّدِّي عَنْ وِجْهَهِ النِّدِّ

شَذَا عُرْفِهَا النِّدِّي عَنْ وِجْهَهِ النِّدِّ

And when we recognized her fragrance, love exalted

And when we knew her fragrance, passion purified

the waft of her perfumed scent beyond the semblance of a rival.

The repugnance of her hostility from its face

فَلَمْ نَرَ إلاَّ أَوْجُهاً عَرَبِيَّةً

فَلَمْ نَرَ إلاَّ أَوْجُهاً عَرَبِيَّةً

عَلى العُرْبِ عُجْمَ اللَّفْظِ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الوَجْدِ

عَلى العُرْبِ عُجْمَ اللَّفْظِ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الوَجْدِ

So we saw only Arab faces,

So we saw only Arabic faces

their speech foreign to Arabs from the intensity of rapture.

Rendered ineloquent in Arabic from intensity of passion

وَكَمْ كَبِدٍ حَرَّى تُكَابِدُ مَا بِهَا

وَكَمْ كَبِدٍ حَرَّى تُكَابِدُ مَا بِهَا

وَصَفْحَةِ خَدٍّ فِيْهِ للدَّمْعِ كَمْ خَدِّ

وَصَفْحَةِ خَدٍّ فِيْهِ للدَّمْعِ كَمْ خَدِّ

And how many a burning liver struggles with what it bears,

And how many livers seared, enduring what is in them

and a cheek's surface—how many furrows tears have cut there!

And cheeks' page on which tears have many a bruise

وَكَمْ ثَّمَّ جِيدٍ للرِّنَا لَيْسَ عَاطِلاً

وَكَمْ ثَّمَّ جِيدٍ للرِّنَا لَيْسَ عَاطِلاً

ضَمَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ الَّثْمَ عِقْداً على عِقْدِ

ضَمَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ الَّثْمَ عِقْداً على عِقْدِ

And how many a beauty's neck was there, not unadorned;

And how many plump cheeks for humming, not devoid

we strung kisses around it, necklace upon necklace.

We pressed the kiss, a necklace upon necklaces

وَلَم يَدَعِ الوَرْقَاءَ لِلَّنْوحِ وَحْدَهَا

وَلَم يَدَعِ الوَرْقَاءَ لِلَّنْوحِ وَحْدَهَا

فَتَىً قَائلاً إِنِّي المُعَنَّى بِهَا وَحْدِي

فَتَىً قَائلاً إِنِّي المُعَنَّى بِهَا وَحْدِي

Nor was the ringdove left to lament alone

And she did not leave Waraqa to weep alone

by a youth saying, 'I alone am tormented by her.'

A suitor saying, I alone am concerned with her

ومِتْنَا لَهَا طُوْلَ الحَيَاةِ وقَدْ بَدَتْ

ومِتْنَا لَهَا طُوْلَ الحَيَاةِ وقَدْ بَدَتْ

عَلَى عَهْدِهَا والرَّسْمُ فِي الرَّسْمِ والعَهْدِ

عَلَى عَهْدِهَا والرَّسْمُ فِي الرَّسْمِ والعَهْدِ

And we died for her all our lives, while she appeared

And we died for her the length of life, and it appeared

true to her covenant, the trace within the trace and the covenant.

In her era, and the pattern in pattern and era

فَمَنْ يَرَ بُدَاً مِنْ فَنَاهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنْ

فَمَنْ يَرَ بُدَاً مِنْ فَنَاهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنْ

فَنَاءٍ رَعَاكَ اللهُ يَا سَعْدُ منْ بُدِّ

فَنَاءٍ رَعَاكَ اللهُ يَا سَعْدُ منْ بُدِّ

So whoever sees an escape from his annihilation—there is no

So whoever sees any loss from his demise, is not of

escape from annihilation, God preserve you, O Saʿd.

Loss, may God protect you O Saʿd from loss

وَمَنْ يَرَ عَنْهَا البُعْدَ يَقْتُلُ فَالَّذِي

وَمَنْ يَرَ عَنْهَا البُعْدَ يَقْتُلُ فَالَّذِي

أَرَى أَنَّ قَتْلَ القُرْبِ أَرْجَى مِنَ البُعْدِ

أَرَى أَنَّ قَتْلَ القُرْبِ أَرْجَى مِنَ البُعْدِ

And whoever sees that distance from her kills—what

And whoever sees distance from her kills, so what

I see is that death through nearness offers more hope than distance.

I see is that killing nearness is better than distance

فَيَبْقَى الَّذِي مَعْنَى البَقَاءِ لِوَجْهِهِ

فَيَبْقَى الَّذِي مَعْنَى البَقَاءِ لِوَجْهِهِ

دَوَاماً وَيَفْنَى مَنْ بَقَاهُ إلى حَدِّ

دَوَاماً وَيَفْنَى مَنْ بَقَاهُ إلى حَدِّ

Thus He remains, to whose Face belongs the meaning of abiding,

Thus remains the one whose remaining is for his face

forever; and he whose abiding has a limit passes away.

Everlasting, and the one whose remaining is to a limit perishes