لِبَرقِ الحِمى عَهدٌ عَلَيَّ وَمَوثِقُ

لِبَرقِ الحِمى عَهدٌ عَلَيَّ وَمَوثِقُ

إِذا لاحَ نَجدِيّاً بِدَمعيِيَ أَشرَقُ

إِذا لاحَ نَجدِيّاً بِدَمعيِيَ أَشرَقُ

I owe the lightning of the sanctuary a pledge and a covenant;

The lightning of fever has a covenant with me and a compact,

whenever it flashes from Najd, I choke on my tears.

When it gleams in Nejd through my tears it shines,

أَراهُ بِعَينٍ حينَ يَلمَعُ مَدمَعُ اِش

أَراهُ بِعَينٍ حينَ يَلمَعُ مَدمَعُ اِش

تِياقٍ وَقَلبٍ خافِقٍ حينَ يَخفقُ

تِياقٍ وَقَلبٍ خافِقٍ حينَ يَخفقُ

I see it, when it gleams, with an eye shedding tears of

I see it through an eye when its teardrop sparkles,

longing, and a heart that throbs whenever it flickers.

And a throbbing heart when it throbs,

وَما وَلَهى بِالبَرقِ إِلّا لِأَنَّهُ

وَما وَلَهى بِالبَرقِ إِلّا لِأَنَّهُ

يَمُرُّ بِسُعدى وَمضُهُ المُتَأَلِّقُ

يَمُرُّ بِسُعدى وَمضُهُ المُتَأَلِّقُ

And my passion for the lightning is only because

And I was distracted by lightning only because

its glittering flash passes by Su'da.

It passes by my Sa`dah and its flashing glitters,

أَأَحبابَنا كَيفَ السَبيلُ إِلى اللِقا

أَأَحبابَنا كَيفَ السَبيلُ إِلى اللِقا

عَزيزٌ عَلَينا أَن يَطولَ التَفَرُّقُ

عَزيزٌ عَلَينا أَن يَطولَ التَفَرُّقُ

O our beloved ones, how can we find the way to reunion?

My loved ones, how is the way to meet

It is hard for us that separation should last so long.

It is hard for us that separation lasts,

بَعُدتُم فَما لِلعَيشِ مهنًى وَلا عَلى ال

بَعُدتُم فَما لِلعَيشِ مهنًى وَلا عَلى ال

بَقِيَّةِ مِن أَيّامِ عُمرِيَ رَونَقُ

بَقِيَّةِ مِن أَيّامِ عُمرِيَ رَونَقُ

You have gone far away; life has no delight, nor do the

You went far away so life has no comfort or

remaining days of my life have any splendor.

In the rest of my life days any grace

أُناشِدُهُ الأَخبارَ عَنكُم وَكُلَّما

أُناشِدُهُ الأَخبارَ عَنكُم وَكُلَّما

أَعادَ حَديثاً عَنكُمُ ظَلتُ أَشهَقُ

أَعادَ حَديثاً عَنكُمُ ظَلتُ أَشهَقُ

I implore it for news of you, and whenever

I ask it for news of you and whenever

it repeats a tale of you, I go on sobbing.

It repeats talk of you I keep sobbing

وَمِن جَزعي أخفي الهَوى وَأُجِنُّهُ

وَمِن جَزعي أخفي الهَوى وَأُجِنُّهُ

عَلى أَنَّ دَمعي بِالسَرائِرِ يَنطقُ

عَلى أَنَّ دَمعي بِالسَرائِرِ يَنطقُ

And in my anguish I hide my love and keep it secret,

And from my anguish I conceal the love and fret over it

though my tears give voice to hidden secrets.

That my tears reveal secrets though they speak

أُعَلِّلُ نَفسي بِالأَماني تَعَلُّلاً

أُعَلِّلُ نَفسي بِالأَماني تَعَلُّلاً

لَعَلَّ أَحاديثَ الأَماني تَصدَقُ

لَعَلَّ أَحاديثَ الأَماني تَصدَقُ

I comfort myself with hopes, seeking solace;

I rationalize to myself rationalizations hopefully

perhaps the tales of hope will prove true.

The talks of wishes prove true

وَأَهيَفَ مَعسولِ المَراشِفِ دَأبُهُ الت

وَأَهيَفَ مَعسولِ المَراشِفِ دَأبُهُ الت

تجَنّي فَلا يَحنو وَلا يَتَرَفَّقُ

تجَنّي فَلا يَحنو وَلا يَتَرَفَّقُ

And a slender-waisted one with honey-sweet lips, whose habit is

The one who gathes the honey of pillows insists on his

unjust faultfinding—he is neither tender nor gentle—

Coyness so he doesn’t yearn or is compassionate,

أَتى زائِري مِن غَيرِ وَعدٍ فَخِلتُهُ

أَتى زائِري مِن غَيرِ وَعدٍ فَخِلتُهُ

لَطائِفَ في أَيدي التُجّارِ تَعبَّقُ

لَطائِفَ في أَيدي التُجّارِ تَعبَّقُ

came to visit me without an appointment; I took him for

My visitor came to me without an appointment, so I found him

delicate wares wafting fragrance in the merchants' hands.

Dainty wares in merchants hands knead perfume,

عَلى وَجهِهِ صِبغُ الدُجى فَحَسِبتهُ

عَلى وَجهِهِ صِبغُ الدُجى فَحَسِبتهُ

نَهارٌ بِهِ شَمسُ المُنيرَةِ تُشرِقُ

نَهارٌ بِهِ شَمسُ المُنيرَةِ تُشرِقُ

Upon his face was night's dye, so I thought him

On his face the dye of dusk so I thought it was

a day in which the radiant sun shines.

A daytime through which the shining sun rises,

رَفَعتُ إِلَيهِ قِصَّةَ الدَمعِ شاكِياً

رَفَعتُ إِلَيهِ قِصَّةَ الدَمعِ شاكِياً

فَوَقَعَ فيها سِحرُ عَينَيهِ يُطلَقُ

فَوَقَعَ فيها سِحرُ عَينَيهِ يُطلَقُ

I submitted to him a petition of tears, complaining;

I raised to him the story of tears complaining

then the magic of his eyes fell upon it, unleashed.

So the magic of his eyes in it unleashed,

أُطيلُ عَلَيهِ في العِتابِ شَكِيَّتي

أُطيلُ عَلَيهِ في العِتابِ شَكِيَّتي

فَيَعلَمُ أَنّي قَد ظلمتُ فَيُطرِقُ

فَيَعلَمُ أَنّي قَد ظلمتُ فَيُطرِقُ

I prolong my reproachful complaint to him;

I prolong for him in blame my grievance

so he knows I have been wronged, and lowers his head.

So he knows I did wrong so he bows his head

وَما البانُ مُذ ساءَلتُمُ البانُ مُخبِراً

وَما البانُ مُذ ساءَلتُمُ البانُ مُخبِراً

بِوَجدي إِذا ناحَ الحَمامُ المُطَوِّقُ

بِوَجدي إِذا ناحَ الحَمامُ المُطَوِّقُ

And the ban-tree, since you questioned it, has not told

Since I asked the wild ox when the sawwaf mourning dove gathering news

of my longing when the ring-necked dove laments.

With my fervor cooed, the turquoise collared one

رَعى اللَهُ اَيّاماً لَنا وَلَيالِياً

رَعى اللَهُ اَيّاماً لَنا وَلَيالِياً

تَقَضَّت وَغُصنُ العَيشِ رَيّان مورِقُ

تَقَضَّت وَغُصنُ العَيشِ رَيّان مورِقُ

May God preserve those days and nights of ours

May God shepherd days for us and nights

that passed while life's branch was well-watered and leafy.

That passed and the bough of life flows lush,

وَنَحنُ كَما نَرضى الخَلاعَةَ وَالصِبا

وَنَحنُ كَما نَرضى الخَلاعَةَ وَالصِبا

نَشاوى هَوى أَيامِنا البيضُ تُشرِقُ

نَشاوى هَوى أَيامِنا البيضُ تُشرِقُ

And we, delighting as we did in wanton revelry and youth,

While we willingly accept the youth and dawn

were drunk with love, our bright days shining.

We frolic with the love of our white days shining

ضَلالٌ لِقَلبي كَيفَ أَصبَحَ بَعدَكُم

ضَلالٌ لِقَلبي كَيفَ أَصبَحَ بَعدَكُم

يُعَلِّلُ بِالذِكرى وَلا يَتَمَزَّقُ

يُعَلِّلُ بِالذِكرى وَلا يَتَمَزَّقُ

Perdition to my heart! How, after you left, has it come to

My heart wandering without you how it became

find solace in remembrance and not be torn apart?

Giving excuses in reminiscence but does not melt

مَنَحتُكُم حِفظَ الهَوى فَغَدَرتُمُ

مَنَحتُكُم حِفظَ الهَوى فَغَدَرتُمُ

وَما كُلُّ تَشاكينا أَسىً وَتَحَرُّقُ

وَما كُلُّ تَشاكينا أَسىً وَتَحَرُّقُ

I gave you fidelity in love, yet you betrayed me;

I gave you keeping the love and you betrayed

and not all our mutual lamenting is sorrow and burning anguish.

And not all our cares are sorrow and burning,

مَلولٌ يُريني جَنَّةَ الخُلدِ وَصله

مَلولٌ يُريني جَنَّةَ الخُلدِ وَصله

وَهِجرانُهُ جَمرُ اللَظى كَيفَ يَحرِقُ

وَهِجرانُهُ جَمرُ اللَظى كَيفَ يَحرِقُ

He is fickle; union with him shows me the Garden of Eternity,

Beautiful one showing me the eternal heaven - his friendship –

and his abandonment is the embers of blazing fire—how they burn!

And his abandonment ember of blaze, how it burns

مِنَ التُركِ لا تُخطي سِهامُ جفونِهِ

مِنَ التُركِ لا تُخطي سِهامُ جفونِهِ

وَلَكِنَّها في وَسطِ قَلبِيَ تَرشُقُ

وَلَكِنَّها في وَسطِ قَلبِيَ تَرشُقُ

He is one of the Turks; the arrows of his eyelids never miss,

Your Syrian arrows do not transgress his eyelids

but they strike the very center of my heart.

But they spear right through the middle of my heart

أَقَلَّ غَرامي فيهِ مَن زادَ وَصفُهُ

أَقَلَّ غَرامي فيهِ مَن زادَ وَصفُهُ

وَآخِرُ وَجدي فيهِ ما لَيسَ يلحَقُ

وَآخِرُ وَجدي فيهِ ما لَيسَ يلحَقُ

Whoever describes my passion for him at length understates it;

My love in him lessened he who augmented his description

and the utmost of my longing for him is beyond reach.

And the last of my fervor in him in unattainable