مَرَضي مِن مَريضَةِ الأَجفانِ

مَرَضي مِن مَريضَةِ الأَجفانِ

عَلِّلاني بِذِكرِها عَلِّلاني

عَلِّلاني بِذِكرِها عَلِّلاني

My sickness comes from her whose eyelids are languid.

My sickness from the ailment of eyelids,

Soothe me with her remembrance, soothe me.

Make me sick by mentioning her, make me sick

هَفَتِ الوُرقُ بِالرِياضِ وَناحَت

هَفَتِ الوُرقُ بِالرِياضِ وَناحَت

شَجوُ هذا الحَمامِ مِمّا شَجاني

شَجوُ هذا الحَمامِ مِمّا شَجاني

The gray doves fluttered in the gardens and lamented.

The leaves in the garden rustled and lamented,

The lament of these doves is part of what has grieved me.

The cooing of this dove, from what pained me

بِأَبي طَفلَةٌ لَعوبٌ تَهادى

بِأَبي طَفلَةٌ لَعوبٌ تَهادى

مِن بَناتِ الخُدورِ بَينَ الغَواني

مِن بَناتِ الخُدورِ بَينَ الغَواني

May my father be ransom for a playful maiden, swaying as she walks,

By my father, a playful doe

One of the maidens of curtained chambers, among the beauties.

Among the shy girls between the branches

طَلَعَت في العِيانِ شَمساً فَلَمّا

طَلَعَت في العِيانِ شَمساً فَلَمّا

أَفلَت أَشرَقَت بِأُفقِ جَناني

أَفلَت أَشرَقَت بِأُفقِ جَناني

She rose in plain sight as a sun; and when

She rose as a sun, but when

She set, she shone on the horizon of my heart.

She set, she shone on my paradise’s horizon

يا طُلولاً بِرامَةٍ دارِساتٍ

يا طُلولاً بِرامَةٍ دارِساتٍ

كَم رَأَت مِن كَواعِبٍ وَحِسانِ

كَم رَأَت مِن كَواعِبٍ وَحِسانِ

O weather-worn ruins at Rama,

O slender and graceful cypresses

How many budding-breasted maidens and beauties they have seen!

How many charming and alluring girls you have seen

بِأَبي ثُمَّ بي غَزالٌ رَبيبٌ

بِأَبي ثُمَّ بي غَزالٌ رَبيبٌ

يَرتَعي بَينَ أَضلُعي في أَمانِ

يَرتَعي بَينَ أَضلُعي في أَمانِ

May my father, then I myself, be ransom for a hand-reared gazelle,

By my father, then by me a beloved gazelle

Grazing between my ribs in safety.

Grazing between my ribs in safety

ما عَلَيهِ مِن نارِها فَهوَ نورٌ

ما عَلَيهِ مِن نارِها فَهوَ نورٌ

هكَذا النورُ مُخمِدُ النيرانِ

هكَذا النورُ مُخمِدُ النيرانِ

It has nothing to fear from her fire, for it is light;

Whatever fire of hers is on him becomes light

Thus does light extinguish fires.

Thus light extinguishes fires

يا خَليلَيَّ عَرَّجا بِعِناني

يا خَليلَيَّ عَرَّجا بِعِناني

لَأَرى رَسمَ دارِها بِعَياني

لَأَرى رَسمَ دارِها بِعَياني

O my two friends, turn my reins aside,

My friend, lead my reins

So I may see the trace of her dwelling with my own eyes.

So I may see the outline of her abode before me

فَإِذا ما بَلَغتُما الدارَ حُطّا

فَإِذا ما بَلَغتُما الدارَ حُطّا

وَبِها صاحِبَيَّ فَلتَبكِياني

وَبِها صاحِبَيَّ فَلتَبكِياني

And when you two reach the dwelling, dismount,

When you both reach the house, dismount

And there, my two companions, weep for me.

And weep with my companion there, weep for me

وَقِفا بي عَلى الطُلولِ قَليلاً

وَقِفا بي عَلى الطُلولِ قَليلاً

نَتَباكى بَل أَبكِ مِمّا دَهاني

نَتَباكى بَل أَبكِ مِمّا دَهاني

And stop with me at the ruins a little while,

Stop at the slender cypress for a while

Let us feign tears—rather, let me weep for what has befallen me.

Let's cry, rather make me cry from what pains me

الهَوى راشِقي بِغَيرِ سِهامٍ

الهَوى راشِقي بِغَيرِ سِهامٍ

الهَوى قاتِلي بِغَيرِ سِنانِ

الهَوى قاتِلي بِغَيرِ سِنانِ

Love shoots at me without arrows;

Passion struck me without arrows

Love kills me without a spearhead.

Passion killed me without blades

عَرَّفاني إِذا بَكَيتُ لَدَيها

عَرَّفاني إِذا بَكَيتُ لَدَيها

تُسعِداني عَلى البُكا تُسعِداني

تُسعِداني عَلى البُكا تُسعِداني

Tell me, when I weep beside her,

When I cry before her, let me know

That you will help me weep, that you will help me.

You make me happy with weeping, you make me happy

وَاِذكُرا لي حَديثَ هِندٍ وَلُبنى

وَاِذكُرا لي حَديثَ هِندٍ وَلُبنى

وَسُلَيمى وَزَينَبٍ وَعِنانِ

وَسُلَيمى وَزَينَبٍ وَعِنانِ

And recount to me the tale of Hind and Lubna,

And mention to me the tales of Hind, Lubna

And Sulayma and Zaynab and Inan.

Sulaima, Zainab and Inan

ثُمَّ زيداً مِن حاجِرٍ وَزَرودٍ

ثُمَّ زيداً مِن حاجِرٍ وَزَرودٍ

خَبراً عَن مَراتِعِ الغِزلانِ

خَبراً عَن مَراتِعِ الغِزلانِ

Then add, from Hajir and Zarud,

Then Zaid from Hajir and Zaroud

News of the gazelles' grazing grounds.

News from the meadows of the gazelles

وَاِندُباني بِشِعرِ قَيسٍ وَلَيلى

وَاِندُباني بِشِعرِ قَيسٍ وَلَيلى

وَبِمَيٍّ وَالمُبتَلى غَيلانِ

وَبِمَيٍّ وَالمُبتَلى غَيلانِ

And lament me with verses of Qays and Layla,

And mourn me with Qais and Layla’s poetry

And of Mayy and the afflicted Ghaylan.

And May and the afflicted Ghalyan

طالَ شَوقي لِطَفلَةٍ ذاتِ نَثرٍ

طالَ شَوقي لِطَفلَةٍ ذاتِ نَثرٍ

وَنِظامٍ وَمِنبَرٍ وَبَيانِ

وَنِظامٍ وَمِنبَرٍ وَبَيانِ

Long has my yearning lasted for a maiden gifted in prose,

My longing grew for Tofelah of prose

And verse, pulpit oratory, and eloquence.

Composition, pulpit, and rhetoric

مِن بَناتِ المُلوكِ مِن دارِ فُرسٍ

مِن بَناتِ المُلوكِ مِن دارِ فُرسٍ

مِن أَجَلَّ البِلادِ مِن أَصبَهانِ

مِن أَجَلَّ البِلادِ مِن أَصبَهانِ

One of the daughters of kings, from the land of the Persians,

Of the kings' daughters, from the land of Persia

From the most illustrious of cities, from Isfahan.

From the best of lands, from Isfahan

هِيَ بِنتُ العِراقِ بِنتُ إِمامي

هِيَ بِنتُ العِراقِ بِنتُ إِمامي

وَأَنا ضِدُّها سَليلُ يَماني

وَأَنا ضِدُّها سَليلُ يَماني

She is Iraq's daughter, the daughter of my imam,

She is the daughter of Iraq, daughter of my Imam

And I am her opposite, a scion of a Yemeni.

While I oppose her, a Yemeni descendant

هَل رَأَيتُم يا سادَتي أَو سَمِعتُم

هَل رَأَيتُم يا سادَتي أَو سَمِعتُم

أَنَّ ضِدَّينِ قَطُّ يَجتَمِعانِ

أَنَّ ضِدَّينِ قَطُّ يَجتَمِعانِ

Have you seen, my masters, or heard

Have you seen, my lords, or heard

That two opposites ever come together?

Of opposites ever uniting?

لَو تَرانا بِرامَةٍ نَتَعاطى

لَو تَرانا بِرامَةٍ نَتَعاطى

أَكَؤساً لِلهَوى بِغَيرِ بَنانِ

أَكَؤساً لِلهَوى بِغَيرِ بَنانِ

If you could see us at Rama, exchanging

If you could see us in Ramah drinking

Cups of love without fingers,

Cups of passion without vines

وَالهَوى بَينَنا يَسوقُ حَديثاً

وَالهَوى بَينَنا يَسوقُ حَديثاً

طَيِّباً مُطرِباً بِغَيرِ لِسانِ

طَيِّباً مُطرِباً بِغَيرِ لِسانِ

And love between us telling a tale,

Passion between us leads a conversation

Sweet and enrapturing, without a tongue,

Sweet, delightful without tongues

لَرَأَيتُم ما يَذهَبُ العَقلُ فيهِ

لَرَأَيتُم ما يَذهَبُ العَقلُ فيهِ

يَمَنٌ وَالعِراقُ مُعتَنِقانِ

يَمَنٌ وَالعِراقُ مُعتَنِقانِ

You would see what bewilders the mind:

You would see how reason goes in it

Yemen and Iraq embracing one another.

Yemen and Iraq embracing

كَذِبَ الشاعِرُ الَّذي قالَ قَبلي

كَذِبَ الشاعِرُ الَّذي قالَ قَبلي

وَبِأَحجارِ عَقلِهِ قَد رَماني

وَبِأَحجارِ عَقلِهِ قَد رَماني

The poet who spoke before me lied,

The poet before me lied when he said

And indeed pelted me with the stones of his reason:

Throwing stones of reason at me

أَيُّها المُنكِحُ الثُرَيّا سُهَيلاً

أَيُّها المُنكِحُ الثُرَيّا سُهَيلاً

عَمرَكَ اللَهَ كَيفَ يَلتَقِيانِ

عَمرَكَ اللَهَ كَيفَ يَلتَقِيانِ

O you who wed Thurayya to Suhayl,

O matchmaker of Thurayya and Suhail

I adjure you by God: how can the two meet?

May God give you long life, how can they unite?

هِيَ شامِيَّةٌ إِذا ما اِستَهَلَّت

هِيَ شامِيَّةٌ إِذا ما اِستَهَلَّت

وَسُهَيلٌ إِذا اِستَهَلَّ يَماني

وَسُهَيلٌ إِذا اِستَهَلَّ يَماني

She is Syrian whenever she rises,

She is Syrian, and when the crescent rises

And Suhayl, whenever he rises, is Yemeni.

Suhail, when the crescent rises, is Yemeni