هُمُ أوْدعُوهُ الَّذي أودعوا

هُمُ أوْدعُوهُ الَّذي أودعوا

فَلوموهُ إن شِئتُم أو دَعُوا

فَلوموهُ إن شِئتُم أو دَعُوا

They placed within him what they placed;

They entrusted him with what they entrusted,

so blame him, if you wish, or leave him be.

So blame him if you wish, or let him be,

فعَنْ ذلك الأَمرِ لا يَنْتهي

فعَنْ ذلك الأَمرِ لا يَنْتهي

وعَن ذلِكَ الشَّانِ لا يرجعُ

وعَن ذلِكَ الشَّانِ لا يرجعُ

For he will not desist from that course,

For from that matter he will not desist,

nor turn back from that affair.

Nor from that affair will he return.

وفي الرّكبِ فتَّانةٌ في الحَشا

وفي الرّكبِ فتَّانةٌ في الحَشا

لَها مُسْتَقرٌّ ومستودعُ

لَها مُسْتَقرٌّ ومستودعُ

And in the caravan is an enchantress; within my heart

In the riders is a seducer in the meadow,

she has an abode and a place of safekeeping.

It has a settlement and a repository,

حَمَتْهَا النِّصالُ بأيْدي الرّجالِ

حَمَتْهَا النِّصالُ بأيْدي الرّجالِ

وبيضً الظُّبى والقَنَا الشُرَّعُ

وبيضً الظُّبى والقَنَا الشُرَّعُ

Blades in men's hands protected her,

Its arrows in the hands of men protect it,

and bright-edged swords and leveled spears.

As well as the white ibex and the wide quiver.

حداهُمْ برغمِي غرابُ النّوى

حداهُمْ برغمِي غرابُ النّوى

وهبّتْ بهمْ ريحُها الزّعزَعُ

وهبّتْ بهمْ ريحُها الزّعزَعُ

The raven of separation drove them on against my will,

Despite me the crow of an-Nuwa croaked at them,

and its tempestuous wind swept them away.

And its gusting wind blew them away.

أقامَتْ شجنيَ من بعدِهمْ

أقامَتْ شجنيَ من بعدِهمْ

وأزمَعَ صبريَ إذ أزْمَعوا

وأزمَعَ صبريَ إذ أزْمَعوا

It made my grief linger after them,

It established my lamentation after them,

and my patience resolved to leave when they did.

And my patience wavered when they wavered.

سقى اللهُ من أَجلهم لَعْلَعاً

سقى اللهُ من أَجلهم لَعْلَعاً

وأينَ وأينَ تُرَى لَعْلَعُ

وأينَ وأينَ تُرَى لَعْلَعُ

May God water Laʿlaʿ for their sake;

May God water for their sake Al-La'la',

and where, where, I wonder, is Laʿlaʿ?

And where, where can Al-La'la' be seen?

أحيّى الرّبوعَ وهم مَقْصدي

أحيّى الرّبوعَ وهم مَقْصدي

وإنْ قلت حيّيتَ يا مَرْبعُ

وإنْ قلت حيّيتَ يا مَرْبعُ

I greet the dwellings, yet it is their people I seek,

I revive the meadows and they are my goal,

even if I say, 'Hail to you, O dwelling!'

And if I say "Greetings O meadow!"

وقد كان قِدماً بهم عَامراً

وقد كان قِدماً بهم عَامراً

فها هُوَ من بعدهم بَلْقَعُ

فها هُوَ من بعدهم بَلْقَعُ

Once it was inhabited by them;

And formerly it had been inhabited by them,

so here it is, after them, a desolate waste.

Yet now after them it is desolate.

وفي أثرِ العيسِ لمَّا سروا

وفي أثرِ العيسِ لمَّا سروا

فتىً قلبُه مُؤلَمٌ موجَعُ

فتىً قلبُه مُؤلَمٌ موجَعُ

And in the wake of the pale camels, when they traveled by night,

And in the track of the caravan when they departed,

was a youth whose heart was pained and aching.

A young man whose heart is anguished and afflicted.

مُحبٌّ قضيّة أشجانِه

مُحبٌّ قضيّة أشجانِه

إلى دَولَةِ الحُسْنِ لا تُرْفَعُ

إلى دَولَةِ الحُسْنِ لا تُرْفَعُ

A lover whose case of grief

A lover whose affair of passions,

is not brought before the realm of Beauty.

Is towards a state of beauty that is not raised.

وهَوَّنَ قومٌ عَليهِ الْهوى

وهَوَّنَ قومٌ عَليهِ الْهوى

فأصبحَ مِن وردِه يكرعُ

فأصبحَ مِن وردِه يكرعُ

And some people made love seem easy to him,

And a people made passionate love easy for him,

so he began drinking deeply at its watering place.

So he became sipping of its roses.

توَهّمَهُ سلِساً صَعْبُهُ

توَهّمَهُ سلِساً صَعْبُهُ

وكم حاذقٍ في الهوى يُخْدعُ

وكم حاذقٍ في الهوى يُخْدعُ

He imagined its hardship easy;

They imagined it smooth, but it was rough,

and how many an expert in love is deceived!

And how skilled in love is one who is deceived!

هو الموتُ لا جسَدٌ ناحِلٌ

هو الموتُ لا جسَدٌ ناحِلٌ

ولا طُول سُهدٍ ولا مَدْمَعُ

ولا طُول سُهدٍ ولا مَدْمَعُ

It is death, not an emaciated body,

It is death, not an emaciated body,

nor prolonged sleeplessness, nor tears,

Nor length of sleeplessness, nor tears.

ولا الرّيحُ تَسْري ولا بَارقٌ

ولا الرّيحُ تَسْري ولا بَارقٌ

يَظَلّ على بارقٍ يلمَع

يَظَلّ على بارقٍ يلمَع

nor wind that travels by night, nor a lightning flash

Not the wind blowing, nor lightning

that keeps gleaming above another flash.

That casts light upon lightning that flashes.

فهاتيك علاّت أهلِ الهوى

فهاتيك علاّت أهلِ الهوى

ولِي دونَهمْ في الهوى منزعُ

ولِي دونَهمْ في الهوى منزعُ

So those are the ailments of lovers;

So those are the sublime ones of passionate love,

but I have a way in love apart from theirs.

While lower than them in love is my refuge.

وخالي الحشا سَامَني سلوةً

وخالي الحشا سَامَني سلوةً

ولم يَدْرِ ما حوتِ الأَضْلعُ

ولم يَدْرِ ما حوتِ الأَضْلعُ

And one whose heart knew no love demanded that I forget,

And my vacant meadow caused me distraction,

yet he did not know what my ribs enclosed.

And it did not know what my ribs contained.

يلومُ شجيّاً عَنِ الحُبِّ ما

يلومُ شجيّاً عَنِ الحُبِّ ما

خلا مِنه عُضوٌ ولا مَوضعُ

خلا مِنه عُضوٌ ولا مَوضعُ

He blames a sorrowing man—from love, no

It blames a lover about love, something

limb or part of him is free.

From which no limb or place is devoid.

فيا عاذلي أينَ مَنْ يَرعَوي

فيا عاذلي أينَ مَنْ يَرعَوي

ويا ناصحي ينَ مَنْ يسمع

ويا ناصحي ينَ مَنْ يسمع

So, my reproacher, where is one who will take heed?

So O you who rebukes me, where is one who will shepherd me?

And, my adviser, where is one who will listen?

And O you who advises me, where is one who will listen?