كتبتُ وليلي بالسُهاد نَهارُ

كتبتُ وليلي بالسُهاد نَهارُ

وصَدري لوُرّادِ الهمومِ صِدارُ

وصَدري لوُرّادِ الهمومِ صِدارُ

I wrote, my night made day by sleeplessness,

I wrote while my night was awake and daytime slept,

and my breast a vest for the sorrows that come to it;

And my chest for the lodgers of worries was a dwelling.

ولي أدمعٌ غُزرٌ تَفيضُ كأنَّها

ولي أدمعٌ غُزرٌ تَفيضُ كأنَّها

سحائبُ فاضَت من يديكَ غِزارُ

سحائبُ فاضَت من يديكَ غِزارُ

and I had copious tears, overflowing as though they were

And for me are plentiful tears that pour as though they were

abundant clouds pouring forth from your hands.

Clouds that overflowed from your hands pouring.

وَلم أرَ مثلَ الدمعِ ماءً إذا جرى

وَلم أرَ مثلَ الدمعِ ماءً إذا جرى

تَلَهَّبُ منه في المدامعِ نارُ

تَلَهَّبُ منه في المدامعِ نارُ

Never have I seen water like tears: when it flows,

And I did not see any water like tears when they flow,

fire blazes from it in the tear ducts.

Flames from them in the tear ducts blaze.

رحلتُ وزادي لوعةٌ ومَطِيَّتي

رحلتُ وزادي لوعةٌ ومَطِيَّتي

جَوانحُ من حَرِّ الفراقِ حِرارُ

جَوانحُ من حَرِّ الفراقِ حِرارُ

I departed, my provision anguish, and my mount

I traveled and my provision was agony and my riding beast

ribs burning with the heat of parting.

Wings from the heat of parting were scorched.

مَسيرٌ دَعاهُ الناسُ سَيراً تَوسُّعاً

مَسيرٌ دَعاهُ الناسُ سَيراً تَوسُّعاً

ومعنى اسمِهِ إن حقَّقُوه إسارُ

ومعنى اسمِهِ إن حقَّقُوه إسارُ

A journey people called 'travel' only loosely,

A journey people called travel and breadth,

yet its name, if they examine it closely, means captivity.

Yet the meaning of its name if examined is confinement.

اذا رُمتُ أن أنسى الأسى ذَكَّرَت بهِ

اذا رُمتُ أن أنسى الأسى ذَكَّرَت بهِ

دِيارٌ لها بينَ الضلوعِ دِيار

دِيارٌ لها بينَ الضلوعِ دِيار

Whenever I try to forget sorrow, I am reminded of it by

Whenever I attempt to forget the grief, it reminds me

dwellings that have dwellings between my ribs.

Of abodes that within my ribs have abodes.

لك الخيرُ عن غير اختياري تَرَحُّلي

لك الخيرُ عن غير اختياري تَرَحُّلي

وهل لي عن صَرفِ الزمانِ خِيار

وهل لي عن صَرفِ الزمانِ خِيار

May good be yours! My departure was not of my choosing,

Goodness is yours without my choice in leaving,

and have I any choice against the vicissitudes of time?

And do I have over the turning of time a choice?

وهذا كتابي والجفون كأنّما

وهذا كتابي والجفون كأنّما

تُحَكَّمُ في أَشفارِهنَّ شِفارُ

تُحَكَّمُ في أَشفارِهنَّ شِفارُ

And this is my letter, my eyelids seeming as though

And this is my writing while my eyelids are as though

blades had been given mastery over their rims.

Their rims arbitrate upon their edges.