فِيمَ الجفا وعَلاَمَ الصدُّ والمَلَلُ

فِيمَ الجفا وعَلاَمَ الصدُّ والمَلَلُ

ما بَالُهَا انْقَطَعتْ ما بيْنَنا الرسلُ

ما بَالُهَا انْقَطَعتْ ما بيْنَنا الرسلُ

Why this coldness, and why this turning away and weariness?

Why the estrangement, and for what reason the refusal and boredom?

Why have the messengers between us ceased to come?

Why have messages between us been severed?

شتان ما بيننا في الحُب حَظّكُم

شتان ما بيننا في الحُب حَظّكُم

مني الوفاء وحظّي منكُم الملَلُ

مني الوفاء وحظّي منكُم الملَلُ

How far apart we are in love: your share

Great is the difference between us in love;

From me is faithfulness; my share from you is weariness.

My share is loyalty, while your share is boredom.

قال الحواسدُ إنّي قد سَلوتُكمُ

قال الحواسدُ إنّي قد سَلوتُكمُ

يا كذْب ما ذكروا عنّي وما نقلوا

يا كذْب ما ذكروا عنّي وما نقلوا

The envious said I had already forgotten you.

The slanderers said that I have become weary of you,

Oh, how false what they said of me and what they reported!

What a lie - what they mentioned and conveyed about me!

لا فُزْتُ يا سادتي مِنكُم بِعَطْفِ رضًى

لا فُزْتُ يا سادتي مِنكُم بِعَطْفِ رضًى

إن كان لي عنكُم من بعدكم بَدَلُ

إن كان لي عنكُم من بعدكم بَدَلُ

May I never win your tender favor, my lords,

My masters, I have not gained from you kindness and pleased acceptance,

If, after your departure, I have any substitute for you.

If after you I could find any substitute.

ولا أرى الله طرفي غُرَّ أوجهكُم

ولا أرى الله طرفي غُرَّ أوجهكُم

إن كانَ بعدكم بالنوم يكتَحِلُ

إن كانَ بعدكم بالنوم يكتَحِلُ

Nor may God let my eye behold your radiant faces,

I do not see, after you, my eyes delighting in any faces,

If, since your departure, it has worn sleep as kohl.

If after you they adorn themselves with kohl.

ولا بلغتُ مرادي من وصالِكُم

ولا بلغتُ مرادي من وصالِكُم

إن كانَ يلوي فؤادي عنكُم عَذَلْ

إن كانَ يلوي فؤادي عنكُم عَذَلْ

Nor may I attain my desire for union with you,

Nor have I attained my goal in your companionship,

If reproach turns my heart away from you.

If after you my heart can find any consolation.

نأيتُمُ فنأى السّلوان واتّسعَتْ

نأيتُمُ فنأى السّلوان واتّسعَتْ

أبوابُ صبري حتّى ضاقتِ الحيَلُ

أبوابُ صبري حتّى ضاقتِ الحيَلُ

You drew away; solace drew away, and wide opened

You went away, so the solace departed, and the means

The gates of my patience, until all recourse grew narrow.

Of my patience expanded, until the stratagems ran out.

وكان ظنّي بكم قبل النّوى حسناً

وكان ظنّي بكم قبل النّوى حسناً

حتّى نأيتم فخابَ الظنُ والأملُ

حتّى نأيتم فخابَ الظنُ والأملُ

And I had thought well of you before our parting,

My expectation of you before the separation was good,

Until you drew away; then trust and hope were dashed.

Until you went away, so hopes and wishes failed.

حملتُ فوق الذي أقوى وكنت فتىً

حملتُ فوق الذي أقوى وكنت فتىً

لا ناقةٌ ليَ في هذا ولا جملُ

لا ناقةٌ ليَ في هذا ولا جملُ

I bore more than I could endure, though I was a youth

I carried more than I could endure, and yet I was a young man,

With neither she-camel nor he-camel of my own in this affair.

Who possessed no she-camel or camel in this.

والْهَجْر يفعلُ في الأحشاء لا عجُه

والْهَجْر يفعلُ في الأحشاء لا عجُه

ما ليسَ تفعلُه العسَّالةُ الذّبلْ

ما ليسَ تفعلُه العسَّالةُ الذّبلْ

And estrangement's searing anguish does to my entrails

And separation works in my heartache what

What slender, quivering spears cannot do.

No emaciated, withered one could accomplish.

وقد أتيتُ بوصفِ الشوق مختصراً

وقد أتيتُ بوصفِ الشوق مختصراً

وعند مالكي التَّفصيل والجملُ

وعند مالكي التَّفصيل والجملُ

And I have given a brief description of longing,

I have come with a brief description of longing,

And my master holds the details and the broad outlines.

While the details and full account are with my Master.

وموجبُ العَتْب أنِّي صرتُ مُذْ زَمنٍ

وموجبُ العَتْب أنِّي صرتُ مُذْ زَمنٍ

ما جاءني منكُم كتبٌ ولا رُسلُ

ما جاءني منكُم كتبٌ ولا رُسلُ

And the cause of my reproach is that, for some time now,

The reason for reproach is that for some time

Neither letters nor messengers have come to me from you.

No books or messages have come to me from you.