هَذا كِتابُ فَتىً لِغَيبِكِ حافِظٍ

هَذا كِتابُ فَتىً لِغَيبِكِ حافِظٍ

كَلِفٍ بِذِكرِكِ يا ظُلَيمَةُ مُدنَفِ

كَلِفٍ بِذِكرِكِ يا ظُلَيمَةُ مُدنَفِ

This is a letter from a youth faithful to you in your absence,

This is the book of a young man who preserves your absence,

consumed by remembrance of you, O Ẓulayma, sick with love.

Burdened with remembering you, O Zulaima of refinement.

إِن غِبتِ آنَسَ طَرفَهُ بِدُموعِهِ

إِن غِبتِ آنَسَ طَرفَهُ بِدُموعِهِ

وَإِذا أَصابَكِ طَرفُهُ لَم يَطرِفِ

وَإِذا أَصابَكِ طَرفُهُ لَم يَطرِفِ

If you are absent, he comforts his eyes with his tears;

If you are absent, his eyes find comfort in his tears,

and when his gaze finds you, he does not blink.

And if his eyes catch sight of you, they do not glance away.

أَصبَحتِ شُغلَ لِسانِهِ وَفُؤادِهِ

أَصبَحتِ شُغلَ لِسانِهِ وَفُؤادِهِ

وَجُفونِهِ بِالساجِمِ المُتَوَكِّفِ

وَجُفونِهِ بِالساجِمِ المُتَوَكِّفِ

You have become the preoccupation of his tongue and heart,

You have become the preoccupation of his tongue, heart,

and of his eyelids, with streaming, dripping tears.

And eyelids with persistent, halted lamentation.

نَدِمَ المُحِبُّ عَلى المُقامِ فَلَم يَزَل

نَدِمَ المُحِبُّ عَلى المُقامِ فَلَم يَزَل

مُذ غِبتِ بَينَ تَنَدُّمٍ وَتَلَهُّفِ

مُذ غِبتِ بَينَ تَنَدُّمٍ وَتَلَهُّفِ

The lover regretted staying behind, and has remained,

The lover regrets staying behind, and has not stopped

since you left, caught between regret and yearning.

Since you left, between regret and gasping longing.

فَوَدِدتُ أَنّي إِذ تَخَلَّفَ لَم أَسِر

فَوَدِدتُ أَنّي إِذ تَخَلَّفَ لَم أَسِر

أَولَيتَهُ إِذ سِرتُ لَم يَتَخَلَّفِ

أَولَيتَهُ إِذ سِرتُ لَم يَتَخَلَّفِ

So I wished that, when he stayed behind, I had not departed,

I wish that when I remained behind, I had not traveled,

or that, when I departed, he had not stayed behind.

Or when I traveled, that he had not stayed behind.