أَمِن جَنابِهمُ النَّفْحُ الجَنُوبِيُّ

أَمِن جَنابِهمُ النَّفْحُ الجَنُوبِيُّ

أَسْرَى فصاكَ به في الغَوْرِ غارِيُّ

أَسْرَى فصاكَ به في الغَوْرِ غارِيُّ

Was it from their quarter—the southern breath—

Was it from their abode that the southerly breeze

that traveled by night and reached you with its scent, lonely in the lowland?

came by night, met in the lowland by a laurel-scented breath?

أَهْدَى إِليَّ ظَلاماً رَدْعَ نافِجةٍ

أَهْدَى إِليَّ ظَلاماً رَدْعَ نافِجةٍ

أَدْماءَ شَقَّ بها الدّأماءَ هنْدِيُّ

أَدْماءَ شَقَّ بها الدّأماءَ هنْدِيُّ

It bore you lavender and the stain of a musk-pod,

It offered me, in darkness, the fragrant stain of a musk-pod,

dusky-red; with it an Indian blade had cleft the blackness.

dusky, borne by an Indian as he cleft the sea.

واللَّيْلُ قد قامَ في أَثْوابِ نادِبة

واللَّيْلُ قد قامَ في أَثْوابِ نادِبة

كأَنَّهُ فَوْقَ ظَهْرِ الأَرْضِ نُوبيُّ

كأَنَّهُ فَوْقَ ظَهْرِ الأَرْضِ نُوبيُّ

Night had risen in its garments like a mourning woman,

And night had risen in a mourning woman's robes,

as though it were a Nubian standing upon the earth’s back.

as though it were a Nubian upon the earth's back.

والنَّجْمُ تحْسَبُهُ قدّامَ تابِعِهِ

والنَّجْمُ تحْسَبُهُ قدّامَ تابِعِهِ

حَمامةً رامَها في الجَوِّ بازِيُّ

حَمامةً رامَها في الجَوِّ بازِيُّ

You would think the star, before the one that followed it,

And the star, ahead of its pursuer, you would think

a dove pursued through the sky by a hawk.

a dove sought in the sky by a falcon.

وجَدْوَلُ الأُفْقِ يَجْرِي في مَنافسِهِ

وجَدْوَلُ الأُفْقِ يَجْرِي في مَنافسِهِ

ماءٌ سَقى زَهْرةَ الخَضْراءِ فِضِيُّ

ماءٌ سَقى زَهْرةَ الخَضْراءِ فِضِيُّ

The horizon’s stream runs through its channels—

And through the outlets of the horizon's brook flows

silver water that has watered the green earth’s flower.

silvery water that watered the green sky's blossom.

فقُلْتُ والسُّقْمُ مَنْشُورٌ عَلى جَسَدِي

فقُلْتُ والسُّقْمُ مَنْشُورٌ عَلى جَسَدِي

يحْدُو الرَّدَى ورِداءُ العَيْشِ مَطْوِيُّ

يحْدُو الرَّدَى ورِداءُ العَيْشِ مَطْوِيُّ

I said, while sickness lay spread across my body:

Then I said, with sickness spread across my body,

Death drives onward, and the robe of life is folded.

urging death onward, and with life's cloak folded away:

أَهْدَى اللَّمائِيُّ مِن أَزْهارِ فِكْرَتِهِ

أَهْدَى اللَّمائِيُّ مِن أَزْهارِ فِكْرَتِهِ

نَشْراً فقالَ الدُّجى مَرَّ اللَّمَائِيُّ

نَشْراً فقالَ الدُّجى مَرَّ اللَّمَائِيُّ

Al-Lamāʾī offered, from the blossoms of his thought,

'Al-Lama'i offered, from the blossoms of his thought,

a fragrance; and darkness said, “Al-Lamāʾī has passed by.”

a fragrance'; then darkness said, 'Al-Lama'i has passed.'

فقِيلَ ماتَ فقالَ اللَّيْلُ قاربَ ذا

فقِيلَ ماتَ فقالَ اللَّيْلُ قاربَ ذا

فانْهَلَّ مِن مُقْلتي نَوْءٌ سِماكِيُّ

فانْهَلَّ مِن مُقْلتي نَوْءٌ سِماكِيُّ

Then they said, “He has died.” Night said, “This man was my kin,”

Then it was said, 'He died'; night said, 'He came close to that.'

and from my eyes poured a rainstorm of Simāk.

Then from my eye poured a rainstorm of al-Simak.

وبِتُّ فَرْداً أُناجِي مُقْلَتِي شَغَفاً

وبِتُّ فَرْداً أُناجِي مُقْلَتِي شَغَفاً

كأَنَّني في نُقُوبِ الدارِ جِنِّيُّ

كأَنَّني في نُقُوبِ الدارِ جِنِّيُّ

I spent the night alone, ardently communing with my eyes,

And I spent the night alone, confiding in my eye with passionate longing,

as though I were a jinn within the house’s recesses.

as though I were a jinn in the house's crevices.

لا عِشْتُ إِنْ مُتَّ لِي يا واحِدِي أَبداً

لا عِشْتُ إِنْ مُتَّ لِي يا واحِدِي أَبداً

ومَوْتُنا واحِدٌ لا شَكَّ مرئِيُّ

ومَوْتُنا واحِدٌ لا شَكَّ مرئِيُّ

May I not live, my only one, if you die and leave me—ever;

May I never live if you die on me, my one and only!

for our death is one, plainly seen and beyond doubt.

And our death is one, plain to see beyond doubt.

إِنَّ الكَرِيمَ إِذا ما ماتَ صاحِبُه

إِنَّ الكَرِيمَ إِذا ما ماتَ صاحِبُه

أَوْدَى بِهِ الوجْدُ وَالثُّكْلُ الطَّبِيعيُّ

أَوْدَى بِهِ الوجْدُ وَالثُّكْلُ الطَّبِيعيُّ

When a noble man’s companion dies,

For when a noble man's companion dies,

longing and the natural grief of bereavement destroy him.

anguish and natural bereavement bring him to his end.

إِنْ مُتُّ قبْلكَ لا تَعْجَبْ فذُو أَمَلٍ

إِنْ مُتُّ قبْلكَ لا تَعْجَبْ فذُو أَمَلٍ

قد حُمَّ مِن دُونِهِ يَوْماً حِمَاميُّ

قد حُمَّ مِن دُونِهِ يَوْماً حِمَاميُّ

If I die before you, do not marvel: a man of hope

If I die before you, do not wonder; for, hopeful as I am,

may one day have his death decreed before he reaches it.

my death was one day decreed before that hope's fulfillment.

أَوْ مُتَّ قبْلي فما مَنْعَاكَ لِي عَجَبٌ

أَوْ مُتَّ قبْلي فما مَنْعَاكَ لِي عَجَبٌ

إِنَّ الكَرِيمَ إِلى الأَصْحابِ مَنْعِيُّ

إِنَّ الكَرِيمَ إِلى الأَصْحابِ مَنْعِيُّ

Or if you die before me, no wonder you have shielded me:

Or if you die before me, news of your death is no surprise to me:

the noble man is ever the protector of his companions.

a noble man's death is announced to his companions.

زادَ البلاءُ على نَفْسِي فَأَعْدَمَها

زادَ البلاءُ على نَفْسِي فَأَعْدَمَها

صَبْرِي فصَبْرِي عَلَيْكَ اليَوْمَ وحْشِي

صَبْرِي فصَبْرِي عَلَيْكَ اليَوْمَ وحْشِي

Affliction returned upon my soul and stripped it of

Affliction grew upon my soul and deprived it

my patience—today, patience over you has become estranged—

of my patience; so my patience over you today is a wild thing,

حتَّى أَهِمَّ بقتلي كُلَّ داجِيَةٍ

حتَّى أَهِمَّ بقتلي كُلَّ داجِيَةٍ

يا قَوْم هل رامَ هذا قَبْلُ إِنسِيُّ

يا قَوْم هل رامَ هذا قَبْلُ إِنسِيُّ

until, every dark night, I contemplate killing myself.

until I think of slaying every dark night.

O people, did any mortal before me ever intend such a thing?

O people, has any human sought this before?

إِنِّي إِلى اللَّهِ مِن عُقْبَى بُليتُ بها

إِنِّي إِلى اللَّهِ مِن عُقْبَى بُليتُ بها

جَرَى بها الحُكْمُ والأَمْرُ الإِلهِيُّ

جَرَى بها الحُكْمُ والأَمْرُ الإِلهِيُّ

To God I entrust the outcome of the ordeal that befell me;

I complain to God of a fate with which I was afflicted,

through it judgment and the divine command have taken their course.

ordained by judgment and the divine command.