فأَحْيا فؤادى نَشْرُه قبل نَشْرِه

فأَحْيا فؤادى نَشْرُه قبل نَشْرِه

ولاحتْ عقودٌ منه لي ورياضُ

ولاحتْ عقودٌ منه لي ورياضُ

Its fragrance revived my heart before it was unfolded.

So its fragrance revived my heart before it was unfolded;

Necklaces gleamed from it for me—and gardens.

And from it, necklaces and gardens appeared to me.

كأن العيون النُّجْل منه وقد حكى ال

كأن العيون النُّجْل منه وقد حكى ال

سوادَ سوادٌ والبياضَ بياض

سوادَ سوادٌ والبياضَ بياض

As though the wide, dark eyes within it, having mirrored the

As though its wide eyes—in which there was mirrored

black, were blackness itself—and the white, whiteness itself.

Blackness by blackness, and whiteness by whiteness—

حدائقُ زهرٍ يجتنى السمعُ زَهْرَها

حدائقُ زهرٍ يجتنى السمعُ زَهْرَها

وبحرُ مَعانٍ بالعقول يُخاض

وبحرُ مَعانٍ بالعقول يُخاض

Gardens of flowers, whose blossoms the ear may gather,

Were flower gardens whose blossoms the ear gathers,

and a sea of meanings through which minds may wade.

And a sea of meanings that minds wade through.

وجدتُ لقلبي منه أُنْسا وراحة

وجدتُ لقلبي منه أُنْسا وراحة

تذلّ به أحزانه وتُراض

تذلّ به أحزانه وتُراض

In it I found intimacy and rest for my heart,

I found in it solace and rest for my heart;

by which its sorrows are humbled and appeased.

Through it, its sorrows are subdued and tamed.

كأن فؤادي كان قبل وجوده

كأن فؤادي كان قبل وجوده

جَناحٌ بأحداثِ الزمان يهاض

جَناحٌ بأحداثِ الزمان يهاض

As though my heart, before it came into being,

As though, before it came, my heart had been

were a wing battered by the calamities of time.

A wing broken anew by the blows of time.

صحائفُ أشواق إليك كثيرة

صحائفُ أشواق إليك كثيرة

طِوال إذا عَدَّدْتُهن عِراض

طِوال إذا عَدَّدْتُهن عِراض

The pages of my longings for you are many:

Many are the pages of longing for you,

long when counted, and broad.

Long, when I count them, and broad.

تُرَى تشتفى بالقرب منا ومنكمُ

تُرَى تشتفى بالقرب منا ومنكمُ

قلوبٌ بأَدواءِ الفراق مِراض

قلوبٌ بأَدواءِ الفراق مِراض

Do you think that, through nearness between us and you,

I wonder, will closeness between us and you heal

hearts sick with the maladies of separation will be healed?

Hearts sick with the ailments of separation?

توالى عليها البينُ حتى بدتْ له

توالى عليها البينُ حتى بدتْ له

كُلومٌ على أرجائها وعِضاض

كُلومٌ على أرجائها وعِضاض

Separation struck it blow after blow, until there appeared upon it

Separation beset them again and again, until there appeared before it

wounds around its reaches, and bite-marks.

Wounds and bite marks along their edges.

فأيُّ مِنةِ قَلَّد وأيّ سرور جَدّد

فأيُّ مِنةِ قَلَّد وأيّ سرور جَدّد

وأي لوعة بَرّد وأي شوق

وأي لوعة بَرّد وأي شوق

What a favor it conferred, what joy it renewed,

So what a favor it hung about my neck, and what joy it renewed;

what anguish it cooled, what longing it

And what anguish it cooled, and what longing

أخمد وأي نعمة أورد

أخمد وأي نعمة أورد

فللهِ وقتٌ جاء فيه كأنما

فللهِ وقتٌ جاء فيه كأنما

quenched, and what blessing it bestowed!

It quenched, and what blessing it brought!

What a time it was, by God, when it came—as though

So praise be to God for the hour in which it came, as though

أُعيدَ به عَصْرُ الشَّبيبِة من عُمْري

أُعيدَ به عَصْرُ الشَّبيبِة من عُمْري

عشيةَ مالي غيرَ دمعي وسيلةٌ

عشيةَ مالي غيرَ دمعي وسيلةٌ

the season of youth in my life had been restored—

The season of youth in my life had been restored through it.

that evening when I had no means but my tears

On an evening when I had no means but my tears

تُفيد ودمعُ العين أَشْفَى لمن أَشْفَى

تُفيد ودمعُ العين أَشْفَى لمن أَشْفَى

وما طائرٌ قصَّ الزمانُ جناحهَ

وما طائرٌ قصَّ الزمانُ جناحهَ

to avail me; tears best heal one whom passion has brought to the brink.

That could help—and the eye's tears are most healing to one at death's brink.

No bird whose wing time has clipped,

And no bird whose wing Time clipped,

وأَعْدَمَه وكْرا وأَفْقده إلْفا

وأَعْدَمَه وكْرا وأَفْقده إلْفا

تَذكَّر زُغْبا بينَ أَكْناف بانةٍ

تَذكَّر زُغْبا بينَ أَكْناف بانةٍ

depriving it of a nest and robbing it of its mate—

Deprived of a nest and bereft of a mate,

remembering downy chicks among the recesses of a ban tree,

Remembering downy chicks among a ban tree's boughs,

خَوافِى الخَوافي ما يَطِرْنَ بها ضعفا

خَوافِى الخَوافي ما يَطِرْنَ بها ضعفا

إذا التحفَ الظّلْماءَ ناجَى هُمومَه

إذا التحفَ الظّلْماءَ ناجَى هُمومَه

their covert feathers still hidden, too weak to fly with them—

Their secondary feathers hidden, too weak to fly with them,

when darkness enfolds it, confiding its cares

Who, when cloaked in darkness, whispers to its sorrows

بترجيعِ نَوْحٍ كاد من رقةٍ يَخْفَي

بترجيعِ نَوْحٍ كاد من رقةٍ يَخْفَي

بأشوقَ مني مذ أطاحَتْ بك النَّوى

بأشوقَ مني مذ أطاحَتْ بك النَّوى

in a repeated mourning cry so gentle it is nearly inaudible,

In a refrain of lament so soft it nearly fades,

is more yearning than I, since distance swept you away.

Is more full of longing than I, since separation swept you away,

هوائيةً مائيةً تَسبِق الطَّرْفا

هوائيةً مائيةً تَسبِق الطَّرْفا

تولَّتْ وفيها منك ما لو أَقِيسه

تولَّتْ وفيها منك ما لو أَقِيسه

A thing of air and water, it outstrips the eye.

Airborne and waterborne, outstripping a glance.

It passed on, bearing something of you that, were I to compare it

It departed, bearing something of you that, were I to compare it

بما هي فيه كان من فَضْلِه أَوْفَى

بما هي فيه كان من فَضْلِه أَوْفَى

with what contained it, would prove richer in excellence.

With what surrounded it, would prove greater in bounty.