أَلا فَاُنظُري بِاللَهِ يا سَكَني الوَعدا

أَلا فَاُنظُري بِاللَهِ يا سَكَني الوَعدا

وَلا تَترُكي أَن تَجعَلي دينَنا نَقدا

وَلا تَترُكي أَن تَجعَلي دينَنا نَقدا

Ah, for God's sake, my solace, heed the promise,

Oh! Look now, in God's name, my promise settlement

and do not fail to turn the debt you owe us into ready payment.

And do not neglect to make our faith a cash payment

أَلَم يَأنِ أَن تَشفي الَّذي قَد تَرَكتِهِ

أَلَم يَأنِ أَن تَشفي الَّذي قَد تَرَكتِهِ

يُقاسي طَوالَ اللّيلِ مِن حُبِّكِ الجُهدا

يُقاسي طَوالَ اللّيلِ مِن حُبِّكِ الجُهدا

Has the time not come to heal the one you have left

Is it not time to heal the one you have abandoned

enduring anguish all night long from loving you?

Who suffers all night long from your love's hardship

كَأَنَّكِ لا تَدرينَ ما بي مِنَ الهَوى

كَأَنَّكِ لا تَدرينَ ما بي مِنَ الهَوى

وَقَد صِرتُ عَظماً يابِساً مُغلَفاً جِلدا

وَقَد صِرتُ عَظماً يابِساً مُغلَفاً جِلدا

As though you do not know the passion within me,

It's as if you don't know the passion that's within me

though I have become a dry bone wrapped in skin.

I've become dry bones, wrapped up tightly in skin

فَإِن كُنتِ لا تَدرينَ ما العِشقُ فَاُنظُري

فَإِن كُنتِ لا تَدرينَ ما العِشقُ فَاُنظُري

إِلَيَّ فَإِنَّ العِشقَ صَيَّرَني عَبدا

إِلَيَّ فَإِنَّ العِشقَ صَيَّرَني عَبدا

If you do not know what passionate love is, then look

If you don't know what love is, then look at me

at me, for love has made me a slave.

For love has made me a slave, obedient indeed

فواكَبِدي مِن باطِنِ الشَوقِ وَالهَوى

فواكَبِدي مِن باطِنِ الشَوقِ وَالهَوى

لَقَد خِفتُ أَن أَبقَى لَقىً هالِكاً جِدّا

لَقَد خِفتُ أَن أَبقَى لَقىً هالِكاً جِدّا

Ah, my liver, from the depths of longing and passion!

So sympathize with the depths of my longing and desire

I have truly feared being left a cast-off, utterly ruined.

I fear I'll remain a wreck, completely destroyed

إِذا قُلتُ إِنَّ الحُبَّ قَد بانَ وَاِنجَلَى

إِذا قُلتُ إِنَّ الحُبَّ قَد بانَ وَاِنجَلَى

عَنِ القَلبِ حَنَّ القَلبُ وَاِزدادَ وَاِشتَدّا

عَنِ القَلبِ حَنَّ القَلبُ وَاِزدادَ وَاِشتَدّا

Whenever I say that love has departed and vanished

When I say love has become clear and radiant

from my heart, my heart yearns, its longing growing stronger and fiercer.

The heart is sad, intensifying, fortified

فَقَلبي إِلَيكُم لا يَزالُ يَجُرُّني

فَقَلبي إِلَيكُم لا يَزالُ يَجُرُّني

وَيَفتَحُ لي باباً مِنَ الحُبِّ مُنسَدّا

وَيَفتَحُ لي باباً مِنَ الحُبِّ مُنسَدّا

For my heart keeps dragging me toward you,

My heart keeps dragging me back to all of you

and opens for me a door of love that had been shut.

And opens up a door of love I thought was sealed

وَلَو كانَ قَلبي طائِعاً لي قَلاكُمُ

وَلَو كانَ قَلبي طائِعاً لي قَلاكُمُ

وَلَكِن عَصاني فَهوَ أَشقَى بِكُم جَدّا

وَلَكِن عَصاني فَهوَ أَشقَى بِكُم جَدّا

Had my heart obeyed me, it would have loathed you,

If my heart obeyed me, I would stop loving you

but it defied me, and because of you its lot is all the more wretched.

But it disobeys me, so with you it suffers indeed

وَقَد كُنتُ أَهوَى صَرمَكُم لَو أَطَقتُهُ

وَقَد كُنتُ أَهوَى صَرمَكُم لَو أَطَقتُهُ

وَلَكِنَّ قَلبي لَم يَجِد مِنكُمُ بُدّا

وَلَكِنَّ قَلبي لَم يَجِد مِنكُمُ بُدّا

I had wished to sever ties with you, had I been able to bear it,

I used to love your hostility, if only I could handle it

but my heart found no way to do without you.

But my heart could find no alternative to you

أَبَى القَلبُ وَيحَ القَلبِ إِلاّ صَبابَةً

أَبَى القَلبُ وَيحَ القَلبِ إِلاّ صَبابَةً

إِلَيها وَإِلاّ أَن يُديمَ لَها الوُدّا

إِلَيها وَإِلاّ أَن يُديمَ لَها الوُدّا

My heart—alas for my heart!—insists on longing

My heart insisted, swore by my heart, on nothing

for her, and on keeping its love for her constant.

But infatuation towards her, and everlasting love

أَلا فَرِّجي عَنّي فُديِتِ وَأَنعِمي

أَلا فَرِّجي عَنّي فُديِتِ وَأَنعِمي

عَلَيَّ تُصِيبي الأَجرَ في ذاكَ وَالحَمدا

عَلَيَّ تُصِيبي الأَجرَ في ذاكَ وَالحَمدا

Ah, relieve me—may I be your ransom!—and be gracious

Please grant me respite, may I be sacrificed for you

to me; for that you will earn reward and praise.

Bestow kindness upon me, for that you'll have thanks

قَتَلتِ غُلاماً عاشِقاً لَكِ هائِماً

قَتَلتِ غُلاماً عاشِقاً لَكِ هائِماً

وَمِثلُكِ حُسناً يَقتُلُ الشيبَ وَالمُردا

وَمِثلُكِ حُسناً يَقتُلُ الشيبَ وَالمُردا

You have slain a youth, your lover, lost in passion;

You have killed a lovesick young man, madly in love

and one as beautiful as you slays the gray-haired and the beardless.

One as beautiful as you kills both old and young

وَلَو خَيَّرونيها وَخُلداً مُنَعَّماً

وَلَو خَيَّرونيها وَخُلداً مُنَعَّماً

تَخَيَّرَها قَلبي وَلم يَختَرِ الخُلدا

تَخَيَّرَها قَلبي وَلم يَختَرِ الخُلدا

Were they to offer me a choice between her and blissful immortality,

If given a choice between you and immortality

my heart would choose her, not immortality.

My heart would choose you, forsaking immortality

وَوَاللَهِ لَو عَدَّدتُ ما بي مِنَ الهَوى

وَوَاللَهِ لَو عَدَّدتُ ما بي مِنَ الهَوى

لَحِرتُ وَلَكِن لا أُطيقُ لَهُ عَدّا

لَحِرتُ وَلَكِن لا أُطيقُ لَهُ عَدّا

And by God, if I counted the passion within me,

By God, if I listed all the love I have

I would be bewildered—but I cannot reckon it.

I'd be confused, but cannot quantify that love

لَعَلَّكِ يا ذَلفاءُ إِن طالَ عَهدُنا

لَعَلَّكِ يا ذَلفاءُ إِن طالَ عَهدُنا

بِكُم قَد تَناسَيتِ المَواثيقَ والعَهدا

بِكُم قَد تَناسَيتِ المَواثيقَ والعَهدا

Perhaps, Dhalfa', if it has been long since our last meeting

Perhaps, O Zulfa, if we are apart for so long

with you, you have willfully forgotten the pledges and covenant.

You'll forget the covenants and vows we made

أَما تَذكُرينَ العَهدَ في دارِ رَعبَلٍ

أَما تَذكُرينَ العَهدَ في دارِ رَعبَلٍ

وَنَحنُ نَصُدُّ الهَجرَ عَن وَصلِنا صَدّا

وَنَحنُ نَصُدُّ الهَجرَ عَن وَصلِنا صَدّا

Do you not remember the pledge in Ra'bal's house,

Don't you remember our vow in Ra'bal's house

while we resolutely warded off estrangement from our union—

As we warded off estrangement from our union

تَواعُدَ يَومِ الأَربِعاءِ فَخانَنا

تَواعُدَ يَومِ الأَربِعاءِ فَخانَنا

وَأَورَثَنا مِن بَعدِ مُجتَمَعٍ فَقَدا

وَأَورَثَنا مِن بَعدِ مُجتَمَعٍ فَقَدا

the tryst on Wednesday? But that day betrayed us,

You promised Wednesday then betrayed us all

and bequeathed us loss after togetherness.

Leaving us with loss after once being together

وَأَصبَحَ مَن في دارِ مَيَّةَ شاخِصاً

وَأَصبَحَ مَن في دارِ مَيَّةَ شاخِصاً

وَأَصبَحتُ مَشغوفاً أخا غُربَةٍ فَردا

وَأَصبَحتُ مَشغوفاً أخا غُربَةٍ فَردا

And the one in Mayya's house went away,

And he in Mayya's house woke up watching

and I was left love-stricken, a brother to exile, alone.

While I woke up lovelorn, quite lonely indeed

فَإِن رُدَّتِ الأَيامُ بَعدُ وَعاوَدَت

فَإِن رُدَّتِ الأَيامُ بَعدُ وَعاوَدَت

فَلا رُدَّ فيها الأَربِعاءُ وَلا عُدّا

فَلا رُدَّ فيها الأَربِعاءُ وَلا عُدّا

So if the days should ever be brought back and come again,

If days return later and bring us back together

may Wednesday never be brought back among them, nor counted.

May Wednesday never return, nor promises again