قُربُ السَّقامِ وبعدُ الأهلِ وَالوطنِ

قُربُ السَّقامِ وبعدُ الأهلِ وَالوطنِ

هُما هُما أوْرثاني السقَم في بَدني

هُما هُما أوْرثاني السقَم في بَدني

The nearness of sickness and distance from family and homeland—

The nearness of illness and the distance of family and homeland

Those two, those very two, have brought sickness to my body.

Are two things that made me sick in my body

حنَّتْ هوىً لجبالِ الثّلجِ راحِلتي

حنَّتْ هوىً لجبالِ الثّلجِ راحِلتي

وما لهَا بِبراقِ الشِّيحِ من عَطَنِ

وما لهَا بِبراقِ الشِّيحِ من عَطَنِ

My riding-camel yearned with longing for the snowy mountains,

My she-camel yearned for the snowy mountains

Yet she has no watering-place in the wormwood-covered stony tracts.

Yet she is not sturdy enough for the journey

ما لي أُذيعُ فنونَ الوَجدِ مُشْتكياً

ما لي أُذيعُ فنونَ الوَجدِ مُشْتكياً

إذا اشتكتْ شجوَها الورقاءُ في فَنَنِ

إذا اشتكتْ شجوَها الورقاءُ في فَنَنِ

Why do I proclaim the many forms of longing, complaining,

Why should I express the arts of passion complaining

Whenever the grey dove laments her grief upon a bough?

When the tender branches complain in their bending

بقيتُ بالبَصرةِ الرَّعناء مُمْتَرِياً

بقيتُ بالبَصرةِ الرَّعناء مُمْتَرِياً

دَمْعاً غسلتُ بهِ عن مُقلتي وَسَني

دَمْعاً غسلتُ بهِ عن مُقلتي وَسَني

I remained in foolish Basra, drawing forth

I remained in dusty Basra, finding myself

Tears with which I washed drowsiness from my eye.

With tears that I washed my eyelids and teeth with

طَوراً ترانيَ فيها ذاوياَ زَهَري

طَوراً ترانيَ فيها ذاوياَ زَهَري

من النُّحولِ وطوراً ذابلاً غُصُني

من النُّحولِ وطوراً ذابلاً غُصُني

At times you see me there, my bloom withered

Sometimes you see me in it withering, my flowers

From emaciation, and at times my branch drooping,

From emaciation, and sometimes my branches dried up

لِرقصِ برغوثِها القَفَّازِ في سَلَبي

لِرقصِ برغوثِها القَفَّازِ في سَلَبي

بَدءاَ وَعوداً وزمرِ البقِّ في أُذُني

بَدءاَ وَعوداً وزمرِ البقِّ في أُذُني

Because of its leaping flea's dancing in my clothes,

To the dancing of its fleas in my clothes

Again and again, and the piping of gnats in my ear,

First and last and the humming of insects in my ears

ومائِها المِلحِ والشمسِ التي صَهرت

ومائِها المِلحِ والشمسِ التي صَهرت

رملَ الفَلا وأَذابَتْ صخرةَ القُنَنِ

رملَ الفَلا وأَذابَتْ صخرةَ القُنَنِ

And its salty water, and the sun that melted

And its salty water and the sun that melted

The desert sands and dissolved the rock of the peaks,

The sands of the desert and dissolved the rocks of the springs

ونَفْضِ زائرةٍ تنفكَ تُنزلني

ونَفْضِ زائرةٍ تنفكَ تُنزلني

عن ظهرِ صَبري وليسَ النوم يَحملُني

عن ظهرِ صَبري وليسَ النوم يَحملُني

And the chills of a visitor who keeps casting me

And the shaking off of a visitor who keeps lowering me

Off the back of my patience, while sleep does not carry me.

Off the back of my patience, and sleep does not carry me

إذا عَرتْ مضجعي ظمياء جائعةً

إذا عَرتْ مضجعي ظمياء جائعةً

تشرَّبت رَوْنقي واستأكلَتْ سِمَني

تشرَّبت رَوْنقي واستأكلَتْ سِمَني

When she visits my bed, dark-lipped and hungry,

When a starving grim woman sneaks into my bed

She drinks up my radiance and eats away my fat.

She drinks up my freshness and eats my fat