أَبُثُّكَ وَجدي يا حَمامُ وَأودِعُ

أَبُثُّكَ وَجدي يا حَمامُ وَأودِعُ

فَإِنَّكَ دونَ الطَيرِ لِلسِرِّ مَوضِعُ

فَإِنَّكَ دونَ الطَيرِ لِلسِرِّ مَوضِعُ

I confide my longing to you, O dove, and entrust it to you.

I confide my love to you, O dove, and entrust

For you, alone among birds, are a repository for secrets.

For you are, among birds, a place for secrets

وَأَنتَ مُعينُ العاشِقينَ عَلى الهَوى

وَأَنتَ مُعينُ العاشِقينَ عَلى الهَوى

تَإِنُّ فَنُصغي أَو تَحِنُّ فَنَسمَعُ

تَإِنُّ فَنُصغي أَو تَحِنُّ فَنَسمَعُ

And you help lovers in their love;

And you are a helper to lovers in passion

You moan, so we listen, or coo with longing, so we hear.

You coo, so we listen, or you moan, and we hear

أَراكَ يَمانِيّاً وَمِصرُ خَميلَتي

أَراكَ يَمانِيّاً وَمِصرُ خَميلَتي

كِلانا غَريبٌ نازِحُ الدارِ موجَعُ

كِلانا غَريبٌ نازِحُ الدارِ موجَعُ

I see you are Yemeni, while Egypt is my grove;

I see you coming from Yemen, while Egypt is my desire

Both of us are strangers, far from home and aching.

We are both strangers, displaced from home and hurt

هُما اِثنانِ دانٍ في التَغَرُّبِ آمِنٌ

هُما اِثنانِ دانٍ في التَغَرُّبِ آمِنٌ

وَناءٍ عَلى قُربِ الدِيارِ مُروَعُ

وَناءٍ عَلى قُربِ الدِيارِ مُروَعُ

They are two: one near and safe in exile,

Both weak in exile, yet safe

And one distant, though home is near, and terrified.

And crying for the nearness of home

وَمِن عَجَبِ الأَشياءِ أَبكي وَأَشتَكي

وَمِن عَجَبِ الأَشياءِ أَبكي وَأَشتَكي

وَأَنتَ تُغَنّي في الغُصونِ وَتَسجَعُ

وَأَنتَ تُغَنّي في الغُصونِ وَتَسجَعُ

And how strange that I weep and complain,

Of the wonders is that I weep and complain

While you sing among the branches and coo.

While you sing in the branches rhyming

لَعَلَّكَ تُخفي الوَجدَ أَو تَكتُمُ الجَوى

لَعَلَّكَ تُخفي الوَجدَ أَو تَكتُمُ الجَوى

فَقَد تُمسِكُ العَينانِ وَالقَلبُ يَدمَعُ

فَقَد تُمسِكُ العَينانِ وَالقَلبُ يَدمَعُ

Perhaps you hide your longing or conceal your heart's anguish,

Perhaps you hide tenderness or conceal passion

For the eyes may hold back while the heart sheds tears.

So the eyes may hold back while the heart weeps

شَجاكَ صِغارٌ كَالجُمانِ وَمَوطِنٌ

شَجاكَ صِغارٌ كَالجُمانِ وَمَوطِنٌ

نَدٍ مِثلَ أَيّامِ الحَداثَةِ مُمرَعُ

نَدٍ مِثلَ أَيّامِ الحَداثَةِ مُمرَعُ

Young ones like pearls, and a homeland, have stirred your sorrow—

Your small nests, like little cups, and a homeland

Dewy and lush, like the days of youth.

Young, like the days of youth, flourishing

إِذا كانَ في الآجالِ طولٌ وَفُسحَةٌ

إِذا كانَ في الآجالِ طولٌ وَفُسحَةٌ

فَما البَينُ إِلّا حادِثٌ مُتَوَقَّعُ

فَما البَينُ إِلّا حادِثٌ مُتَوَقَّعُ

If lifetimes are long and ample,

If there is length and space in destinies

Then parting is only an event to be expected.

Separation is but an expected accident

وَما الأَهلُ وَالأَحبابُ إِلّا لَآلِئٌ

وَما الأَهلُ وَالأَحبابُ إِلّا لَآلِئٌ

تُفَرِّقُها الأَيّامُ وَالسِمطُ يَجمَعُ

تُفَرِّقُها الأَيّامُ وَالسِمطُ يَجمَعُ

And family and loved ones are only pearls;

And family and loved ones are but pearls

The days scatter them, and the strand gathers them.

Scattered by days and collected by fate

أَمُنكِرَتي قَلبي دَليلٌ وَشاهِدي

أَمُنكِرَتي قَلبي دَليلٌ وَشاهِدي

فَلا تُنكِريهِ فَهوَ عِندَكَ مودَعُ

فَلا تُنكِريهِ فَهوَ عِندَكَ مودَعُ

O you who disown me, my heart is proof and my witness;

Is not my heart evidence to you, my witness?

So do not deny it, for it is entrusted to your keeping.

So do not deny him, for he is deposited with you

أَسيرُكِ لَو يُفدى فَدَتهُ بِجَمعِها

أَسيرُكِ لَو يُفدى فَدَتهُ بِجَمعِها

جَوانِحُ في شَوقٍ إِلَيهِ وَأَضلُعُ

جَوانِحُ في شَوقٍ إِلَيهِ وَأَضلُعُ

Your captive, could he be ransomed, would be redeemed by all

Your captive, if ransomed, would pay it with all

The bosoms yearning for him, and the ribs.

His limbs yearning for you and my ribs

رَماهُ إِلَيكِ الدَهرُ في حالِقِ الهَوى

رَماهُ إِلَيكِ الدَهرُ في حالِقِ الهَوى

يُذالُ عَلى سَفحِ الهَوانِ وَيوضَعُ

يُذالُ عَلى سَفحِ الهَوانِ وَيوضَعُ

Time hurled him to you atop love's lofty peak;

Fate has cast him to you in the halo of passion

He is abased on humiliation's slope and brought low.

Debased on the slope of disgrace and laid down

وَمِن عَجَبٍ يَأسى إِذا قُلتُ مُتعَبٌ

وَمِن عَجَبٍ يَأسى إِذا قُلتُ مُتعَبٌ

وَيَطرَبُ إِن قُلتُ الأَسيرُ المُمَنَّعُ

وَيَطرَبُ إِن قُلتُ الأَسيرُ المُمَنَّعُ

And strangely, he grieves if I call him weary,

And of wonder he grieves when I say "wearied"

Yet rejoices if I call him 'the unassailable captive.'

And trembles if I say "the forbidden captive"

لَقيتِ عَليماً بِالغَواني وَإِنَّما

لَقيتِ عَليماً بِالغَواني وَإِنَّما

هُوَ القَلبُ كَالإِنسانِ يُغرى وَيُخدَعُ

هُوَ القَلبُ كَالإِنسانِ يُغرى وَيُخدَعُ

You have met one well versed in fair women; but

You have found one knowing of love songs, though

It is only the heart, like a human, enticed and deceived.

The heart is like man, tempted and deceived

وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ الغَدرَ في الناسِ شائِعٌ

وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ الغَدرَ في الناسِ شائِعٌ

وَأَنَّ خَليلَ الغانِياتِ مُضَيَّعُ

وَأَنَّ خَليلَ الغانِياتِ مُضَيَّعُ

And I know that treachery is widespread among people,

And I know that deceit is common among people

And that the lover of fair women is cast aside,

And the companion of singers is lost

وَأَنَّ نِزاعَ الرُشدِ وَالغَيِّ حالَةٌ

وَأَنَّ نِزاعَ الرُشدِ وَالغَيِّ حالَةٌ

تَجيءُ بِأَحلامِ الرِجالِ وَتَرجِعُ

تَجيءُ بِأَحلامِ الرِجالِ وَتَرجِعُ

And that the struggle between sound judgment and folly is a state

And that the conflict of sanity and madness is a state

That carries men's reason to and fro,

That comes with men's dreams and returns

وَأَنَّ أَمانِيَّ النُفوسِ قَواتِلٌ

وَأَنَّ أَمانِيَّ النُفوسِ قَواتِلٌ

وَكَثرَتُها مِن كَثرَةِ الزَهرِ أَصرَعُ

وَكَثرَتُها مِن كَثرَةِ الزَهرِ أَصرَعُ

And that souls' desires are deadly,

And that the desires of souls are deadly

And their abundance is more fatal than an abundance of flowers,

And their multitude, from the multitude of flowers, withers

وَأَنَّ دُعاةَ الخَيرِ وَالحَقِّ حَربُهُم

وَأَنَّ دُعاةَ الخَيرِ وَالحَقِّ حَربُهُم

زَمانٌ بِهِم مِن عَهدِ سُقراطَ مولَعُ

زَمانٌ بِهِم مِن عَهدِ سُقراطَ مولَعُ

And that those who call for goodness and truth have as their enemy

And that the advocates of good and truth, their war

Time, fixated on them since the days of Socrates.

Is with a time burning for them since Socrates