لَعَلّ خَيالاً منْكَ يطْرُقُ مَضْجَعي

لَعَلّ خَيالاً منْكَ يطْرُقُ مَضْجَعي

وإنْ ضَلّ يهْدِيهِ الأنينُ لمَوْضِعي

وإنْ ضَلّ يهْدِيهِ الأنينُ لمَوْضِعي

Perhaps a vision of you will visit my bed by night,

Perhaps an apparition of you visits my bed

And if it loses its way, my moaning will guide it to where I lie.

And if it strays, my moaning will guide it to my place

تَصَدّقْ بهِ وابْعَثْهُ في سِنَةِ الكَرى

تَصَدّقْ بهِ وابْعَثْهُ في سِنَةِ الكَرى

وما شِئْتَهُ منْ بعْدِ ذالكَ فاصْنَعِ

وما شِئْتَهُ منْ بعْدِ ذالكَ فاصْنَعِ

Bestow it as alms, and send it in sleep's drowse,

Bestow it upon me and send it in the year of separation

And after that, do whatever you wish.

And after that do with it what you wish

وإنْ عادَ فاسْألْهُ يُجِبْكَ بِما يَرى

وإنْ عادَ فاسْألْهُ يُجِبْكَ بِما يَرى

لعلّك تَرْثي أوْ لعلّكَ تقنَعُ

لعلّك تَرْثي أوْ لعلّكَ تقنَعُ

And if it returns, ask it: it will answer you with what it sees.

And if it returns, ask it to answer you with what it sees

Perhaps you will feel pity, or perhaps be convinced.

Perhaps you will console yourself or perhaps you will be content

وإلاّ فمُنَّ لي بأيْسَرِ نائِلِ

وإلاّ فمُنَّ لي بأيْسَرِ نائِلِ

بأنْ أشْتَكي وجْدي إلَيْكَ وتَسمَعُ

بأنْ أشْتَكي وجْدي إلَيْكَ وتَسمَعُ

Otherwise, grant me the slightest favor:

Otherwise, grant me the easiest attainment

That I may lament my longing to you, while you listen.

That I may complain to you of my love and you hear

عرَفْتُ الهَوى حُلْواً ومُرّاً مذاقُهُ

عرَفْتُ الهَوى حُلْواً ومُرّاً مذاقُهُ

وما صادِقٌ في حُبِّه مثلُ مُدّعي

وما صادِقٌ في حُبِّه مثلُ مُدّعي

I have known love, its taste both sweet and bitter,

I knew love to be sweet and bitter in taste

And one sincere in his love is not like a pretender.

And none is more truthful in his love than the pretender

فما ذُقْتُ أشْهى منْ مُشاهَدَةِ النّوَى

فما ذُقْتُ أشْهى منْ مُشاهَدَةِ النّوَى

وأعظَمُ منْ بيْنِ الحَبيبِ المُوَدِّعِ

وأعظَمُ منْ بيْنِ الحَبيبِ المُوَدِّعِ

For I have tasted nothing sweeter than witnessing separation,

So I have not tasted anything sweeter than beholding the beloved

Nor anything more grievous than parting from the beloved bidding farewell.

Nor greater than the affectionate one bidding farewell

ولمْ أنْسَ إذ عانَقْتُها لوَداعِنا

ولمْ أنْسَ إذ عانَقْتُها لوَداعِنا

فخالَطَ دُرَّ العِقْدِ جوْهَرُ أدْمُعي

فخالَطَ دُرَّ العِقْدِ جوْهَرُ أدْمُعي

Nor have I forgotten when I embraced her at our farewell,

And I could not forget, when I embraced her to bid adieu

And the jewels of my tears mingled with the necklace's pearls.

The essence of my tears mingled with the pearls of my necklace

تُمَسِّحُ باليُمْنى دُموعَ جفونِها

تُمَسِّحُ باليُمْنى دُموعَ جفونِها

وتَجعلُ يُسْرى فوقَ قلْبٍ مُرَوَّعِ

وتَجعلُ يُسْرى فوقَ قلْبٍ مُرَوَّعِ

She wiped the tears from her eyelids with her right hand,

She wipes with her right hand the tears of her eyelids

And placed her left hand over a terrified heart.

And places her left upon a frightened heart

وقالتْ دُموعي واشْتِياقي وزَفْرَتي

وقالتْ دُموعي واشْتِياقي وزَفْرَتي

شُهودٌ على ما مِنْ غرامِكَ أدّعي

شُهودٌ على ما مِنْ غرامِكَ أدّعي

And she said, “My tears, my longing, and my sigh

And she said my tears, my yearning and my sighs

Bear witness to the passion for you that I profess.

Are witnesses to my love for you that I profess

فإنْ غِبْتَ غابَ الأنْسُ عنّي بأسْرِهِ

فإنْ غِبْتَ غابَ الأنْسُ عنّي بأسْرِهِ

ومالِي منْ عيشٍ إذا لمْ تكُنْ مَعي

ومالِي منْ عيشٍ إذا لمْ تكُنْ مَعي

For if you are absent, all solace leaves me,

If you are absent, all joy departs from me

And what life have I if you are not with me?”

And I have no life if you are not with me

ولمّا سرَتْ واللّيلُ قدْ مالَ وانقَضَى

ولمّا سرَتْ واللّيلُ قدْ مالَ وانقَضَى

وأعْجَلَها ضَوْءُ الصّباحِ المُلمَّعِ

وأعْجَلَها ضَوْءُ الصّباحِ المُلمَّعِ

And when she set out, the night having waned and passed,

And when she left and the night had passed

And the light of radiant morning hurried her,

The light of dawn hurried her

ولمْ تسْتَطِعْ ردَّ السّلامِ مَخافةً

ولمْ تسْتَطِعْ ردَّ السّلامِ مَخافةً

أشارَتْ بطَرْفٍ ثمّ أوْمَتْ بإصْبَعِ

أشارَتْ بطَرْفٍ ثمّ أوْمَتْ بإصْبَعِ

And she could not return the greeting, out of fear,

And she could not return the greeting in her fear

She signaled with a glance, then gestured with a finger.

She gestured with a glance then winked with a finger

فأيُّ اصْطبار لمْ تُحَلَّ عُقودُه

فأيُّ اصْطبار لمْ تُحَلَّ عُقودُه

وأيّ فؤادٍ بعْدُ لمْ يتصدّعِ

وأيّ فؤادٍ بعْدُ لمْ يتصدّعِ

What patience, then, did not have its knots undone?

So what patience has its knots not unbound

And what heart, after that, did not shatter?

And what heart thereafter has not cracked

رَعَى اللهُ مَنْ يرْعَى العُهودَ على النّوى

رَعَى اللهُ مَنْ يرْعَى العُهودَ على النّوى

فلَسْتَ تَراهُ عنْ هَواهُ بمُقْلِعِ

فلَسْتَ تَراهُ عنْ هَواهُ بمُقْلِعِ

May God protect whoever honors pledges despite separation,

May God guard those who keep their word to the beloved

For you will not see him turn away from his love.

You will not see them turn away from their passion

ولا كانَ دمْعٌ لا يُطيعُ لمَنْ دَعا

ولا كانَ دمْعٌ لا يُطيعُ لمَنْ دَعا

وكمْ بيْنَ عاصٍ في الدّموعِ وطيّعِ

وكمْ بيْنَ عاصٍ في الدّموعِ وطيّعِ

And may there be no tears that refuse their caller,

No tear that does not obey the one who calls it

And how far apart are rebellious tears and obedient ones!

And how different between a disobedient and an obedient tear

أحِبّةَ قَلْبي لا تظنّوا بأنّني

أحِبّةَ قَلْبي لا تظنّوا بأنّني

نسيتُ وأفْنَى البُعْدُ نِيرانَ أضْلُعي

نسيتُ وأفْنَى البُعْدُ نِيرانَ أضْلُعي

Beloved ones of my heart, do not think that I

My dear ones, do not think that I

Have forgotten and that distance has quenched the fires within my ribs.

Have forgotten, absence kindled the fires in my ribs

علَيْكُم سَلامُ اللهِ ما هبّتِ الصَّبا

علَيْكُم سَلامُ اللهِ ما هبّتِ الصَّبا

وما لاحَ برْقٌ في أجارِعِ لعْلَعِ

وما لاحَ برْقٌ في أجارِعِ لعْلَعِ

May God's peace be upon you as long as the east wind blows,

Upon you is God's peace for as long as the morning blows

And as long as lightning flashes in the sandy flats of Laʿlaʿ.

And for as long as lightning flashes in rumbling clouds