تَعاقَبا لِعِقابي مِنكَ بِالكَمَدِ

تَعاقَبا لِعِقابي مِنكَ بِالكَمَدِ

مِنكَ الصُدودُ وَمِنّي قِلُّةُ الجَلَدِ

مِنكَ الصُدودُ وَمِنّي قِلُّةُ الجَلَدِ

Two things have taken turns tormenting me with grief because of you:

Two took turns punishing me with anguish on your account:

your aloof rejection, and my own lack of endurance.

Your turning away, and my lack of endurance.

وَلازَمَ الكَسرُ قَلبي صِحَّتِهِ

وَلازَمَ الكَسرُ قَلبي صِحَّتِهِ

لُزومَ نونِ مُثَنّى الإِسمِ في العَدَدِ

لُزومَ نونِ مُثَنّى الإِسمِ في العَدَدِ

And brokenness has clung to my heart, keeping it company,

And brokenness clung to my heart even in its soundness,

as the nūn clings to a noun’s dual form in grammatical number.

As kasra clings to the nūn of a noun in the dual number.

مَن نَظرَتَينِ رَمَتني مِنكَ واحِدَةٌ

مَن نَظرَتَينِ رَمَتني مِنكَ واحِدَةٌ

سَهماً وَمِنها أَصارَتها إِلى كَبِدي

سَهماً وَمِنها أَصارَتها إِلى كَبِدي

Of two glances from you, one shot at me

Of two glances, one from you shot at me

an arrow, and the other drove that shot into my liver.

An arrow, and another sent it into my liver.

وَمِن صَباحَينِ ذا إِن زُرتُ زارَ وَذا

وَمِن صَباحَينِ ذا إِن زُرتُ زارَ وَذا

إِن لَم تَعُد مُرضي بِالوَصلِ لَم يَعُدِ

إِن لَم تَعُد مُرضي بِالوَصلِ لَم يَعُدِ

And of two radiant ones, one returns my visit when I visit; the other—

And of two dawns, this one visits if I visit, while that one

unless you tend my sickness with reunion—will not return.

Will not return unless you tend my illness with reunion.

وَضَرُّ هَجرَينِ أَودى بي اِجتِماعُهُما

وَضَرُّ هَجرَينِ أَودى بي اِجتِماعُهُما

هَجرُ الرُقادُ وَهَجرُ الرَوحِ لِلجَسدِ

هَجرُ الرُقادُ وَهَجرُ الرَوحِ لِلجَسدِ

And two desertions have harmed me; their joining has brought me to ruin:

And the combined harm of two desertions has undone me:

sleep’s desertion, and the soul’s desertion of the body.

Sleep’s desertion, and the soul’s desertion of the body.