طالَ عَن آلِ زَينَبَ الإِعراضُ بي

طالَ عَن آلِ زَينَبَ الإِعراضُ بي

حِذاراً وَما بِبا إِبغاضُ

حِذاراً وَما بِبا إِبغاضُ

Long has my turning away from Zaynab’s family lasted,

Long has been my indifference to the family of Zainab

out of caution, and without hatred.

Beware, it is not out of hatred

وَوَليدَينِ كانَ عُلِّقَها القَل

وَوَليدَينِ كانَ عُلِّقَها القَل

بُ إِلى أَن عَلا الرُؤُسَ بَياضُ

بُ إِلى أَن عَلا الرُؤُسَ بَياضُ

And while we were both children, my heart was bound to her,

And the two little ones whose hearts

until whiteness rose over our heads.

Were attached until the heads turned white

حَبلُها عِندَنا مَتِينٌ وَحَبلي

حَبلُها عِندَنا مَتِينٌ وَحَبلي

عِندَها واهِنُ القُوى أَنقاضُ

عِندَها واهِنُ القُوى أَنقاضُ

Her cord with us is firm, while my cord

Our covenant with them is strong, while my covenant with them

with her is weak-stranded and unraveled.

Is of weak strength, ruined

نَظَرَت يَومَ فَرعِ لَفتٍ إِلَينا

نَظَرَت يَومَ فَرعِ لَفتٍ إِلَينا

نَظَراً كانَ رَجعَهُ الإِيماضُ

نَظَراً كانَ رَجعَهُ الإِيماضُ

She looked toward us that day at Farʿ Laft,

She looked one day towards us

a glance whose return was a flash.

A look whose return was a glance

ثُمَّ قالَت لِمَوكِبٍ كَمَها الرَم

ثُمَّ قالَت لِمَوكِبٍ كَمَها الرَم

لِ أَطاعَت لَهُ النَباتَ الرِياضُ

لِ أَطاعَت لَهُ النَباتَ الرِياضُ

Then she said to a riding party like the oryx of the sands,

Then she said to a procession whose steps

for which the meadows yielded their greenery:

The gardens obeyed

عُجنَ نَعهَد إِلى الفَتى وَنُخَبِّر

عُجنَ نَعهَد إِلى الفَتى وَنُخَبِّر

هُ بِما تَكتُمُ القُلُوبُ المِراضُ

هُ بِما تَكتُمُ القُلُوبُ المِراضُ

“Turn aside; let us address the young man and tell

We will fulfill our promise to the youth and inform

him what lovesick hearts conceal.

Him of what the saddened hearts conceal

وَيُخَبَّر بِما تَضَمَّنَ مِنّا

وَيُخَبَّر بِما تَضَمَّنَ مِنّا

إِذ خَلا اليَومَ لِلمَسيرِ المَراضُ

إِذ خَلا اليَومَ لِلمَسيرِ المَراضُ

And let him be told what it held of us,

And inform him of what we incorporated

since al-Marāḍ lies empty today for the journey.”

When the day cleared for the saddened departure

وَلَقَد كانَ في عَن تَبَعِ اللَه

وَلَقَد كانَ في عَن تَبَعِ اللَه

وِ وَإِذا أَعرَضَ المُحِبُ اِعتِراضُ

وِ وَإِذا أَعرَضَ المُحِبُ اِعتِراضُ

And indeed there was within me, against pursuing amusement—

And he had indeed in the past followed Allah

and when the lover turns away—resistance.

And when the lover turns away, there is objection