عاطفتي حزن طويل على

عاطفتي حزن طويل على

ماض من العمر و مستقبل

ماض من العمر و مستقبل

My feeling is a long sorrow for

My emotion, long sorrow for

My emotion is a long sorrow over

life's past and its future.

A past from life and a future

a life past and a future to come.

عاطفتي أنّه مضنى بكى

عاطفتي أنّه مضنى بكى

على زمان للصبا أوّل

على زمان للصبا أوّل

My feeling is the groan of an exhausted sufferer who wept

My emotion, he complained crying

My emotion is the moan of an exhausted one who wept

over the earliest days of youth.

For a time of youth at first

over the earliest days of youth.

عاطفتي لحن يثير الأسى

عاطفتي لحن يثير الأسى

و يخلق الهمّ بقلب الخلي

و يخلق الهمّ بقلب الخلي

My feeling is a melody that stirs sorrow

My emotion a tune that stirs sorrow

My emotion is a melody that stirs grief

and creates grief in a carefree heart.

And creates worries in the heart of the friend

and creates sorrow in the heart of the carefree.

عاطفتي حبّ بعيد المدى

عاطفتي حبّ بعيد المدى

أصاب في رميته مقلتي

أصاب في رميته مقلتي

My feeling is a far-reaching love

My emotion a far reaching love

My emotion is a far-reaching love

that struck my eye with its shot.

That hit its target my eyelids

whose arrow struck my eye.

عاطفتي زفرة حرّ كليم

عاطفتي زفرة حرّ كليم

ثار على الدّهر و لم يحفل

ثار على الدّهر و لم يحفل

My feeling is the sigh of a wounded free man

My emotion the sigh of a hot rock

My emotion is the sigh of a wounded free man

who rebelled against Time and paid no heed.

Rebelled against fate and did not care

who rebelled against time and did not care.

من يشتري عاطفتي منكم

من يشتري عاطفتي منكم

بغيرها من هذه العاطفات

بغيرها من هذه العاطفات

Who among you will buy my feeling

Who will buy my emotion from you

Who among you will buy my emotion

for another of these feelings?

With other than it from these emotions

in exchange for another of these emotions?

لا تعذلوني حين أبكي أسى

لا تعذلوني حين أبكي أسى

العدل كلّ العدل أن أعذر

العدل كلّ العدل أن أعذر

Do not reproach me when I weep in sorrow;

Do not blame me when I cry in sorrow

Do not blame me when I weep in sorrow;

justice, all justice, is that I be excused.

Justice, all justice, that I excuse myself

it is the utmost justice that I be excused.

سبّب لي هذا الشعور الأسى

سبّب لي هذا الشعور الأسى

مصيبة الإنسان أن يشعرا

مصيبة الإنسان أن يشعرا

This feeling has brought me sorrow;

This feeling of sorrow caused me

This feeling has caused me grief;

a human being's calamity is to feel.

The tragedy of man is that he feels

the tragedy of man is to feel.

من يشتريه منكم خاسرا

من يشتريه منكم خاسرا

أولى بشاري الدمع أن يخسرا

أولى بشاري الدمع أن يخسرا

Who among you will buy it at a loss?

Who will buy it from you losing

Whoever among you buys it is a loser,

It is fitting that the buyer of tears should lose.

More worthy of my tears that I lose

and the buyer of tears deserves to lose.

قضى عليّ الدهر و اشقوتي

قضى عليّ الدهر و اشقوتي

بالدّهر – أن أبكي و أن أسهرا

بالدّهر – أن أبكي و أن أسهرا

Time has condemned me—alas, my misery

Fate condemned me and my misery

Time has decreed for me—oh, my misery

at Time's hands!—to weep and lie awake.

With fate - that I cry and stay up at night

with time—that I must weep and stay awake.

من يشتري منّي عقود النظيم

من يشتري منّي عقود النظيم

ببسمة تسلمني للكرى

ببسمة تسلمني للكرى

Who will buy from me necklaces of well-strung verse

Who will buy from me the prose of harmony

Who will buy from me strung necklaces of verse

for a smile that delivers me to slumber?

With a smile that saves me from worries

for a smile that delivers me to slumber?

من يشتري الشعر و ألحانه

من يشتري الشعر و ألحانه

ببسمة واحدة في الحياة

ببسمة واحدة في الحياة

Who will buy poetry and its melodies

Who will buy poetry and its tunes

Who will buy poetry and its melodies

for a single smile in life?

With one smile in life

for a single smile in life?

عاطفتي ... مرحمة و اذهبي

عاطفتي ... مرحمة و اذهبي

لم يبق من عمري غير القليل

لم يبق من عمري غير القليل

My feeling, have mercy, and leave;

My emotion... goodbye and go away

My emotion... have mercy and go away,

only a little of my life remains.

Nothing remains of my life but little

for there is but little left of my life.

أبليت من جدّة عهد الصبا

أبليت من جدّة عهد الصبا

ظلما و عجّلت أوان الرحيل

ظلما و عجّلت أوان الرحيل

You have worn away the freshness of youth's days,

I have worn out the days of youth

You have worn out the freshness of my youth

unjustly, and hastened the time of departure.

Unjustly and hastened the time of departure

unjustly, and hastened the time of departure.

أنا عليل بائس فاهربي

أنا عليل بائس فاهربي

لا خير في صحبة نضو عليل

لا خير في صحبة نضو عليل

I am sick and wretched, so flee;

I am a miserable ill person so run away

I am sick and wretched, so flee;

there is no good in a wasted invalid's company.

No good in keeping company with a feeble ill person

there is no good in the company of an emaciated sick man.

ماذا جاد يا عاطفتي . و الكريم

ماذا جاد يا عاطفتي . و الكريم

يضنّ عند الفقر ضنّ البخيل

يضنّ عند الفقر ضنّ البخيل

What can he give, O my feeling? Even a generous man

What was generous, oh my emotion? And the generous one

What generosity is left, my emotion? Even the generous

withholds in poverty as a miser does.

Is stingy in poverty, the stinginess of the miser

withholds in poverty with the stinginess of a miser.

لم يبق فيه ويحه من قرى

لم يبق فيه ويحه من قرى

يرضى صروف الدّهر و العاديات

يرضى صروف الدّهر و العاديات

No hospitality remains in him—alas for him;

Nothing remains in it, woe

There remains in him, alas, no hospitality

he accepts Time's reversals and its onslaughts.

That is content with the turns of fate and traditions

to satisfy the vicissitudes of time and calamities.

سألت قربانا فقدّمته

سألت قربانا فقدّمته

للهيكل الأقدس قربانا

للهيكل الأقدس قربانا

You asked for a sacrifice and offered him

I asked for an offering so you presented

You asked for an offering, so I presented it

to the holiest temple as a sacrifice.

To the holiest temple an offering

to the holiest temple as a sacrifice.

و فوق ذا المذبح ضحيّته

و فوق ذا المذبح ضحيّته

و ما درى الناس ببلوانا

و ما درى الناس ببلوانا

And upon this altar lies its victim,

And above this altar his sacrifice

And upon this altar, I sacrificed him,

and people knew nothing of our ordeal.

And people do not know our misery

while people knew nothing of our affliction.

ويحي تلاشت فيك أجزاؤه

ويحي تلاشت فيك أجزاؤه

كأنّه بالأمس ما كانا

كأنّه بالأمس ما كانا

Alas for me! His parts dissolved in you,

Woe, its parts have faded in you

Woe is me, his pieces have vanished into you,

as though he had not existed yesterday.

As if yesterday it did not exist

as if yesterday he had never been.

أعطاك ما شئت و أعطيته

أعطاك ما شئت و أعطيته

ما لم يشأ همّا و أحزانا

ما لم يشأ همّا و أحزانا

He gave you what you wished, and you gave him

He gave you what you wanted and you gave him

He gave you what you wished, and you gave him

what he did not wish: grief and sorrows.

Worries and sorrows he did not desire

what he did not wish: sorrow and grief.

أهكذا يجزى المحبّ القديم

أهكذا يجزى المحبّ القديم

و يوسع الآمل حرمانا

و يوسع الآمل حرمانا

Is this how a longstanding lover is rewarded,

Is this how the loyal old lover is rewarded?

Is this how a long-standing lover is rewarded,

and the hopeful one overwhelmed with deprivation?

And expands hope deprivation

and the hopeful one given vast deprivation?

أفنيته ظالمة فارقبي

أفنيته ظالمة فارقبي

غدا عقاب الله للظالمات

غدا عقاب الله للظالمات

You destroyed him, cruel one; so await

You destroyed him unjustly so watch out

You have annihilated him, cruel one, so await

tomorrow, God's punishment for unjust women.

Tomorrow God's punishment for the unjust

tomorrow God's punishment for the unjust.

أكلّما أنّ أخو لوعة

أكلّما أنّ أخو لوعة

كلّفتني الحزن و طول الأنين

كلّفتني الحزن و طول الأنين

Whenever a man in anguish groans,

Whenever a brother of sorrow

Whenever a brother of anguish groans,

must you burden me with grief and prolonged lament?

Assigned me sorrow and long moaning

do you burden me with sorrow and prolonged moaning?

أكلّما ناح محبّ أسى

أكلّما ناح محبّ أسى

حشرتني في زمرة النائحين

حشرتني في زمرة النائحين

Whenever a lover wails in sorrow,

Whenever a lover of sorrow moaned

Whenever a lover wails in grief,

must you herd me into the company of mourners?

You included me among the wailing ones

do you gather me among the throng of wailers?

أكلّما مرّت على خاطري

أكلّما مرّت على خاطري

صورة بؤس رحت في البائسين

صورة بؤس رحت في البائسين

Whenever there passes through my mind

Whenever the image of misery

Whenever there crosses my mind

an image of misery, must I join the wretched?

Passed in my mind, I walked among the miserable

an image of misery, do I become one of the miserable?

أشقى مع الأيتام مستعبرا

أشقى مع الأيتام مستعبرا

و أسهر الليل مع العاشقين

و أسهر الليل مع العاشقين

I suffer with the orphans, shedding tears,

I am most miserable with the orphans, sympathizing

I suffer with the orphans, shedding tears,

and stay awake through the night with lovers.

And stay up at night with the lovers

and I stay awake at night with the lovers.

كتبت آيات العذاب الأليم

كتبت آيات العذاب الأليم

غضون همّ فوق هذا الجبين

غضون همّ فوق هذا الجبين

Verses of painful torment have been inscribed

I wrote verses of painful torment

You have written verses of painful torment

by furrows of care upon this brow.

Above the brows of worry on this forehead

as wrinkles of sorrow upon this forehead,

تتلى و لا يخطئها قارئ

تتلى و لا يخطئها قارئ

فيا لآيات الأسى البيّنات

فيا لآيات الأسى البيّنات

They are recited, and no reader misreads them;

They are recited and no reader makes a mistake

recited, and no reader can miss them;

ah, those manifest verses of sorrow!

So verses of clear sorrow!

oh, what clear signs of grief!

عاطفتي رحماك و استبدلني

عاطفتي رحماك و استبدلني

بجسمي الناحل جسما صحيح

بجسمي الناحل جسما صحيح

My feeling, have mercy, and exchange for me

My emotion, have mercy and replace me

My emotion, have mercy and exchange me,

a healthy body for my wasted body:

With my thin body, a healthy body

replacing my emaciated body with a healthy one;

جسم فتى لم يدر معنى الأسى

جسم فتى لم يدر معنى الأسى

و لا مشى يوما بقلب جريح

و لا مشى يوما بقلب جريح

the body of a youth who never knew sorrow's meaning,

A body of a youth who does not know the meaning of sorrow

the body of a youth who has not known the meaning of sorrow,

nor ever walked with a wounded heart,

And never walked one day with a wounded heart

nor walked a single day with a wounded heart;

و لا حبته بالأسى مقلة

و لا حبته بالأسى مقلة

دعجاء أو وجه بهيّ صبيح

دعجاء أو وجه بهيّ صبيح

nor was gifted sorrow by an eye,

Nor did a swollen or beautiful radiant eyelid love him

nor was he gifted grief by an eye,

wide and dark, or a splendid, radiant face.

Leave him to live some of his hours

large and dark, or by a radiant, beautiful face.

دعيه يحيا بعض ساعاته

دعيه يحيا بعض ساعاته

بمهجة حرّى و جفن قريح

بمهجة حرّى و جفن قريح

Let him live some of his hours

With the fervor of the free and the eyelid of the calm

Let him live a few of his hours

with a burning heart and a sore eyelid.

He dragged the tails of bliss as he wished

with a burning soul and a sore eyelid.

جرّر ما شاء ذيول النعيم

جرّر ما شاء ذيول النعيم

و لم يطمع بالكأس نصح النصيح

و لم يطمع بالكأس نصح النصيح

He trailed the hems of bliss as he pleased,

And did not covet the cup of sincere advice

He has trailed the garments of bliss as he pleased,

and never desired a counselor's advice over the cup.

So teach him how the young man suffers

and the advisor's counsel did not tempt him with the cup.

فعلّميه كيف يشقى الفتى

فعلّميه كيف يشقى الفتى

و كيف ترعى سرحه النائبات

و كيف ترعى سرحه النائبات

So teach him how a young man suffers,

And how absence shepherds his serenity

So teach him how a youth suffers,

and how calamities tend his grazing flock.

I saw her one morning when she had sent

and how calamities graze in his pastures.

رأيتها صبحا و قد أرسلت

رأيتها صبحا و قد أرسلت

ذكاء في الأفق نثير الذهب

ذكاء في الأفق نثير الذهب

I saw her at dawn, when there had been scattered

Intelligence scattered in the horizon shaking gold

I saw her in the morning, having sent forth

by Dhukāʾ, the sun, a shower of gold across the horizon.

And a breeze blew in the garden the morning breeze

the sun in the horizon, scattering gold.

و هبّ في الروض نسيم الصبا

و هبّ في الروض نسيم الصبا

محمّلا طيب الربى حين هب

محمّلا طيب الربى حين هب

And the east wind's breeze stirred in the garden,

Carrying the scent of pasture when it blew

And the east wind blew through the garden,

laden with the hills' fragrance as it blew.

And the wind had an intoxicating musk

laden with the fragrance of the hills when it blew.

و للرياحين شذا مسكر

و للرياحين شذا مسكر

يفعل ما تفعل بنت العنب

يفعل ما تفعل بنت العنب

And the fragrant flowers had an intoxicating scent

That does to it what the grapes do to the vine

And the sweet basil has an intoxicating scent,

that does what the daughter of the grape does.

The bride of dreams I loved her

doing what the daughter of the grape does.

عروسة الأحلام أحببتها

عروسة الأحلام أحببتها

و هل يلام المرء في من أحب

و هل يلام المرء في من أحب

The bride of dreams—I loved her;

And can a person be blamed for who he loved?

The bride of dreams, I loved her,

and can a person be blamed for the one they love?

I loved her ember on my innermost being

and is a man to be blamed for whom he loves?

أحببتها جمرا على مهجتي

أحببتها جمرا على مهجتي

و للهوى في الناس شأن عجب

و للهوى في الناس شأن عجب

I loved her—embers upon my heart—

And love has a wondrous way among people

I loved her as an ember upon my soul,

and love has a wondrous way with people.

And I dreamed of her while I was a speck

and love has a wondrous effect on people.

و همت فيها و أنا ذرّة

و همت فيها و أنا ذرّة

هائمة في هذه الكائنات

هائمة في هذه الكائنات

And I was lost in love with her, while I was a speck

Wandering in these creatures

And I wandered in love with her, while I am but an atom,

wandering among these beings.

Patience is praiseworthy but I

wandering lost in these universes.

ألصّبر محمود و لكنّني

ألصّبر محمود و لكنّني

لم يرضني الصبر و لم أرضه

لم يرضني الصبر و لم أرضه

Patience is praiseworthy, yet I

Was not content with patience nor did it satisfy me

Patience is praiseworthy, but I

have not been pleased by patience, nor have I accepted it.

I love, yes I love, and I have a look

was not pleased by patience, nor did I please it.

أهوى نعم أهوى و لي ناظر

أهوى نعم أهوى و لي ناظر

فارق مذ فارقته غمضه

فارق مذ فارقته غمضه

I love—yes, I love—and I have an eye

That left when it left its blinking

I love, yes I love, and I have an eye

that has forsaken its sleep since you left it.

Put your hand on the heat of my heart

whose slumber departed since I departed from her.

ضعي على حرّ فؤادي يدا

ضعي على حرّ فؤادي يدا

كأنّها من خالص الفضّه

كأنّها من خالص الفضّه

Place a hand upon my heart's burning heat,

As if it were of pure silver

Place a hand upon the heat of my heart,

as though it were of pure silver.

And smile with brilliant white teeth

as if it were made of pure silver.

و ابتسمي عن لؤلوء و اسفري

و ابتسمي عن لؤلوء و اسفري

عن بشرة ناعمة بضّه

عن بشرة ناعمة بضّه

And smile to reveal pearls, and unveil

With a smooth complexion speckled

And smile to reveal pearls, and unveil

soft, supple skin.

On your beautiful radiant cheek

a soft, delicate skin.

في خدّك القاني الشهيّ الوسيم

في خدّك القاني الشهيّ الوسيم

تفاحة مترفة غضّه

تفاحة مترفة غضّه

In your crimson, tempting, beautiful cheek

An arrogant apple, green

In your deep red, tempting, handsome cheek

is a luxuriant, tender apple.

Your rule of beauty among lovers

is a lush, tender apple.

حكمك الحسن بأهل الهوى

حكمك الحسن بأهل الهوى

حسبي الهوى ما أظلم الحاكمات

حسبي الهوى ما أظلم الحاكمات

Beauty has made you ruler over lovers;

My love, how unjust are the rulers!

Your beauty has ruled over the people of love;

enough of love! How unjust the women who rule!

love is enough for me—how unjust are the female rulers!