يا نهر عاد إليك بعد شتاته

يا نهر عاد إليك بعد شتاته

صب يفيض الشوق من زفراته

صب يفيض الشوق من زفراته

O river, he has returned to you after his wandering—

O river, he returns to you after his absence

Oh river, to you he returned after his scattering,

a lovesick lover; longing overflows from his sighs.

Longing overflows from his sighs

A lover whose sighs overflow with longing.

حيران يرمق ضفتيك بلوعة

حيران يرمق ضفتيك بلوعة

فيكاد يصرع شوقه عبراته

فيكاد يصرع شوقه عبراته

Bewildered, he gazes at your two banks in anguish,

Perplexed, he gazes at your banks sorrowfully

Bewildered, he glances at your banks with anguish,

so his longing almost fells his tears.

His ardour almost felled by his tears

For his longing almost overwhelms his tears.

كم رافقتك فآنستك خطاه في

كم رافقتك فآنستك خطاه في

غدواته للحب أو روحاته

غدواته للحب أو روحاته

How often his footsteps accompanied you and kept you company on

How often did he accompany you and find delight in

How often his footsteps kept you company

his morning walks for love, or his evening walks!

His morning walks to love or his strolls

In his morning journeys for love, or his returns.

أفأنت تذكره وتحفظ عهده

أفأنت تذكره وتحفظ عهده

أم قد نسيت عهوده وسماته

أم قد نسيت عهوده وسماته

Do you, then, remember him and honor his pledge,

Do you remember him and keep his covenant

Do you remember him and keep his covenant?

or have you forgotten his pledges and his features?

Or have you forgotten his vows and features

Or have you forgotten his vows and his features?

قد أنكرته فتاته وتبعتها

قد أنكرته فتاته وتبعتها

وهو الذي يفديكما بحياته

وهو الذي يفديكما بحياته

His beloved has disowned him, and you followed her,

You denied him his bliss and followed her

His maiden denied him, and you followed her,

though he would ransom you both with his life.

Yet he would ransom you both with his life

Though he is the one who ransoms you both with his life.

ليود من شغف بمائك لو غدا

ليود من شغف بمائك لو غدا

ظلا يداعب فيه جنياته

ظلا يداعب فيه جنياته

So enamored of your water, he longs to become

He would, from passion for your waters, wish to be

Out of passion for your waters, he wishes he could become

a shadow, playing there with its fairies,

A shadow toying amidst its nymphs

A shadow within, playing with your water nymphs,

متعلقا بشراع كل سفينة

متعلقا بشراع كل سفينة

ليجاذب الملاح أغنياته

ليجاذب الملاح أغنياته

clinging to the sail of every ship

Clinging to the sail of every ship

Clinging to the sail of every ship,

to trade his songs with the sailor.

To grasp the sailor's songs

To exchange songs with the sailor.

وتلوذ أنوار النجوم بصدره

وتلوذ أنوار النجوم بصدره

وتراقص الأمواج من ضحكاته

وتراقص الأمواج من ضحكاته

And starlight takes refuge in his breast,

As the stars' lights nestle in his chest

The lights of the stars seek refuge in his chest,

and the waves dance at his laughter.

And the waves dance at his laughter

And the waves dance at the sound of his laughter.

يا نهر أين مضى الزمان بأنسه

يا نهر أين مضى الزمان بأنسه

والمترع المعسول من كاساته

والمترع المعسول من كاساته

O river, where has time gone with its gladness

O river, where has the time gone with its intimacy

Oh river, where has the time gone with its intimacy,

and the brimming, honeyed draughts from its cups?

And the sweet elixir of his cups

And the honeyed brimful drink of its cups?

وهل اهتدى الزمن الحقود فغال ما

وهل اهتدى الزمن الحقود فغال ما

قد أودع المفؤود في خلواته

قد أودع المفؤود في خلواته

And has spiteful time found its way, then destroyed what

Has merciless time found its way

Did hateful time find its way to destroy

the heart-stricken man had stored in his hours alone?

To what the lost one left in his solitude

What the heartbroken one deposited in his solitudes?

قبلاته في ضفتيك صريعة

قبلاته في ضفتيك صريعة

أفهل حفظت له صدى قبلاته

أفهل حفظت له صدى قبلاته

His kisses lie slain upon your two banks;

His kisses on your banks lying dead

His kisses lie slain upon your banks;

have you, then, kept for him the echo of his kisses?

Did you preserve the echo of his kisses

Have you preserved for him the echo of his kisses?

أمواجك اللائي شهدن غرامه

أمواجك اللائي شهدن غرامه

وسمعن لوعته وبث شكاته

وسمعن لوعته وبث شكاته

Your waves, which witnessed his passion

Your waves that witnessed his love

Your waves, which witnessed his passion,

and heard his anguish and the outpouring of his complaint—

And heard his agony and lamentations

And heard his anguish and the pouring of his complaints,

عبثت بهن من الليالي غدرة

عبثت بهن من الليالي غدرة

وأضاعهن الجزر في سفراته

وأضاعهن الجزر في سفراته

a treachery of the nights has played havoc with them,

Mistreated them nights of betrayal

A treachery of the nights toyed with them,

and the ebb swept them away on its journeys.

And the tides made them drift in their flow

And the ebb tide lost them in its travels.

والدوح أسلم للبلى ورقاته

والدوح أسلم للبلى ورقاته

وثمالة القبلات في ورقاته

وثمالة القبلات في ورقاته

And the great trees surrendered their leaves to decay,

The paper mulberry surrendered its leaves to decay

The great tree surrendered its leaves to decay,

and the dregs of kisses in their leaves.

And the paper that held kisses crumbled in its folds

And the dregs of kisses were upon its leaves.

والريح أسامها انتظار إيابه

والريح أسامها انتظار إيابه

وأملها ترديد أغنياته

وأملها ترديد أغنياته

And waiting for his return wearied the wind,

The wind awaited his return with bated breath

The wind grew weary of waiting for his return,

and repeating his songs bored it;

Hoping to echo his melodies again

And of its hope to repeat his songs.

فرمت لطول عيائها مزماره

فرمت لطول عيائها مزماره

وعفا بمسمعها صدى نغماته

وعفا بمسمعها صدى نغماته

so, from prolonged exhaustion, it cast away his flute,

So it cast aside his flute in prolonged despair

So, in its long fatigue, it cast away his flute,

and the echo of his melodies faded in its hearing.

And his tunes faded from its hearing

And the echo of his tunes faded from its hearing.

يا ساقي الشجرات ما لك لا ترى

يا ساقي الشجرات ما لك لا ترى

إلا كئيبا لج في حسراته

إلا كئيبا لج في حسراته

O waterer of the trees, why are you seen

O waterer of trees, why do you only see

Oh waterer of the trees, why are you not seen

only as a sorrowful one, steeped in his regrets?

One morose, sunk in grief

Except as gloomy, persisting in regrets?

وتطوف ما بين الرياض أباحثا

وتطوف ما بين الرياض أباحثا

عن غائب حجب البعاد سماته

عن غائب حجب البعاد سماته

And you roam among the gardens—are you searching

Roaming the meadows searching

And wandering between the gardens, searching

for an absent one whose features distance has concealed?

For the absent one distance veiled

For an absent one whose features distance has obscured?

ما للروابي أرمتك شكاتها

ما للروابي أرمتك شكاتها

والمرج ألقى فيك شباباته

والمرج ألقى فيك شباباته

What ails the hills? Their plaint has worn you down,

Why have the hillsides cast their plaints upon you

What ails the hills that they threw their complaints at you,

and the meadow has cast its flutes into you.

And the prairie surrendered its youth to you

And the meadow cast its flutes into you?

فسل الربى عن نورها وزهورها

فسل الربى عن نورها وزهورها

والمرج عن شعرائه ورعاته

والمرج عن شعرائه ورعاته

So ask the hills about their light and their flowers,

Ask the verdant land about its bloom

So ask the hills about their light and flowers,

and the meadow about its poets and its shepherds.

And the prairie about its poets and shepherds

And the meadow about its poets and shepherds.

ذهبوا فما في الروض إلا نائح

ذهبوا فما في الروض إلا نائح

متفرد بدموعه وأذاته

متفرد بدموعه وأذاته

They have gone; in the garden there is only a mourner,

They left and in the garden remains only a mourner

They have gone, so there is nothing in the garden but a mourner,

alone with his tears and his suffering.

Alone with his tears and anguish

Solitary with his tears and his pain.

حلو الخرير ملاذ كل معذب

حلو الخرير ملاذ كل معذب

ظمئ الفؤاد وأنت بعض سقاته

ظمئ الفؤاد وأنت بعض سقاته

Sweet of murmur, refuge of every tormented soul,

Sweet flowing stream, refuge for every tortured

Sweet is your murmur, a refuge for every tortured soul,

thirsty at heart—and you are among those who give him drink.

Thirsty soul, you quench some of its thirst

The heart is thirsty, and you are one of its cup-bearers.