أَسَفي عَلى زَمَنِ التَلاقي

أَسَفي عَلى زَمَنِ التَلاقي

وَالعَيشُ مُتَّسِعُ النِطاقِ

وَالعَيشُ مُتَّسِعُ النِطاقِ

Alas for the days of meeting,

I grieve for the days of our union

when life had ample scope,

When life was expansive and free

وَرِداءِ عِزٍّ كُنتُ أَر

وَرِداءِ عِزٍّ كُنتُ أَر

فُلُ في حَواشيهِ الرِقاقِ

فُلُ في حَواشيهِ الرِقاقِ

and for a robe of honor—I once

I wore the cloak of glory

strode proudly in its delicate folds.

Like a blossom in its margins frilled

أَيّامُ مِصرٍ لَيتَها

أَيّامُ مِصرٍ لَيتَها

فُدِيَت بِأَيّامي البَواقي

فُدِيَت بِأَيّامي البَواقي

The days of Egypt—would that they

O Egypt’s days would that

were ransomed with my remaining days!

You were ransomed by my remaining days

وَبِجانِبِ الفُسطاطِ لي

وَبِجانِبِ الفُسطاطِ لي

قَمَرٌ يَعِزُّ لَهُ فِراقي

قَمَرٌ يَعِزُّ لَهُ فِراقي

And beside Fustat I have

And by the side of Cairo I had

a moon who finds parting from me grievous.

A moon, to whom my separation was painful

قَمَرٌ شَرِبتُ لَهُ الفِرا

قَمَرٌ شَرِبتُ لَهُ الفِرا

قَ المُرَّ بِالكَأسِ الدِهاقِ

قَ المُرَّ بِالكَأسِ الدِهاقِ

A moon for whose sake I drank

A moon whose separation I quaffed

bitter separation from a brimming cup.

Though bitter, from a streaming cup

وَأَرَقتُ فيهِ دَمي فَكَي

وَأَرَقتُ فيهِ دَمي فَكَي

فَ أُلامُ في دَمعي المُراقِ

فَ أُلامُ في دَمعي المُراقِ

And for him I shed my blood—so how

And whose love made my blood flow

can I be blamed for the tears I shed?

So my tears in blood are dissolved

أَحبابَنا ماذا لَقي

أَحبابَنا ماذا لَقي

تُ مِنَ البُعادِ وَما أُلاقي

تُ مِنَ البُعادِ وَما أُلاقي

Our beloved ones, what I have

My loved ones, what did you find

suffered from separation—and what I still suffer!

Of remoteness, and what did I find?

لَو تُشرِفونَ رَأَيتُمُ

لَو تُشرِفونَ رَأَيتُمُ

مِن مِصرَ نيرانَ اِشتِياقي

مِن مِصرَ نيرانَ اِشتِياقي

If you looked from on high, you would see,

Had you come you would have seen

from Egypt, the fires of my longing.

In Egypt, the fires of my ardor

نَفَسٌ يُصَعِّدُهُ الجَوى

نَفَسٌ يُصَعِّدُهُ الجَوى

راقٍ وَدَمعٍ غَيرُ راقِ

راقٍ وَدَمعٍ غَيرُ راقِ

A sigh, lifted by lovesickness,

A soul the heat sends aloft

rises, while tears will not cease.

In vapor and tears unceasing

ماكُنتُ أَصبِرُ عَنكُمُ

ماكُنتُ أَصبِرُ عَنكُمُ

لَو كُنتُ مُنطَلِقَ الوِثاقِ

لَو كُنتُ مُنطَلِقَ الوِثاقِ

I would not bear being parted from you

I could not have patience without you

if I were free of my bonds.

Had I been free of fetters

وَلَقَد تَفَضَّلَ طَيفُكُم

وَلَقَد تَفَضَّلَ طَيفُكُم

لَيلاً وَأَنعَمَ بِالتَلاقي

لَيلاً وَأَنعَمَ بِالتَلاقي

And indeed your phantom showed me kindness

And indeed your specter was so kind

by night, and blessed me with reunion.

As to visit me by night and delight in reunion

وَسَرى وَباتَ مُضاجِعي

وَسَرى وَباتَ مُضاجِعي

وَاللَيلُ مَسدولُ الرِواقِ

وَاللَيلُ مَسدولُ الرِواقِ

It traveled by night and shared my bed,

It came to rest on my bed

while night’s canopy hung down.

While the night around was hushed

فَقَطَعتُ أَنعَمَ لَيلَةٍ

فَقَطَعتُ أَنعَمَ لَيلَةٍ

ما بَينَ لَثمٍ وَاِعتِناقِ

ما بَينَ لَثمٍ وَاِعتِناقِ

So I passed the most blissful night

I spent the sweetest night

between kisses and embraces.

Twixt kissing and embraces

ثُمَّ اِنتَبَهتُ وَجَدتُ إِث

ثُمَّ اِنتَبَهتُ وَجَدتُ إِث

رَ الطيبِ في بُردَيَّ باقِ

رَ الطيبِ في بُردَيَّ باقِ

Then I awoke and found the trace

Then waking I found lingering

of perfume still lingering in my two cloaks.

The perfume in my mantle’s folds

وَرَأى العَواذِلُ لَيسَ وَج

وَرَأى العَواذِلُ لَيسَ وَج

هي مِن وُجوهِهِمِ الصِفاقِ

هي مِن وُجوهِهِمِ الصِفاقِ

And the reproachers saw: my face was not

The virgins saw my face was not

one of their brazen faces.

Like theirs, radiant and lit

مُذ كُنتُ لَم تَكُنِ الخِيا

مُذ كُنتُ لَم تَكُنِ الخِيا

نَةُ في المَحَبَّةِ مِن خَلاقي

نَةُ في المَحَبَّةِ مِن خَلاقي

For as long as I have lived, betrayal

Since you left, falseness in love

in love has never been in my nature.

Was never among my traits

وَلَقَد بَكَيتُ وَما بَكي

وَلَقَد بَكَيتُ وَما بَكي

تُ مِنَ الرِياءِ وَلا النِفاقِ

تُ مِنَ الرِياءِ وَلا النِفاقِ

And indeed I wept—but did not

Truly I wept and did not weep

weep from ostentation or hypocrisy—

From hypocrisy or guile

بِرَقيقَةِ الأَلفاظِ تَح

بِرَقيقَةِ الأَلفاظِ تَح

كي الدَمعَ إِلّا في المَذاقِ

كي الدَمعَ إِلّا في المَذاقِ

with a delicately worded poem, which

With gentle words the tears

resembles tears, except in taste.

Will flow, but in the heart’s taste

لَم تَدرِ هَل نَطَقَت بِها الأَ

لَم تَدرِ هَل نَطَقَت بِها الأَ

فواهُ أَم جَرَتِ المَآقي

فواهُ أَم جَرَتِ المَآقي

You could not tell whether it was uttered by

Know not if mouths did shape them

mouths, or flowed from the corners of eyes.

Or misfortunes brought them forth

لَطُفَت مَعانيها وَرَق

لَطُفَت مَعانيها وَرَق

قَت وَالحَلاوَةُ في الرِقاقِ

قَت وَالحَلاوَةُ في الرِقاقِ

Its meanings grew subtle and

Gentle their meanings, tender

delicate—and sweetness lies in delicate things.

Their utterance, and sweet their way

مِصرِيَّةٌ قَد زانَها

مِصرِيَّةٌ قَد زانَها

لُطفاً مُجاوَرَةُ العِراقِ

لُطفاً مُجاوَرَةُ العِراقِ

Egyptian, it has been adorned

An Egyptian graced with

with grace by its nearness to Iraq.

Iraq’s neighborhood’s charm