خَلِيليَّ ما انْفَكَّ الأَسَى مُنذُبينهِم

خَلِيليَّ ما انْفَكَّ الأَسَى مُنذُبينهِم

حَبِيبي حتَّى حَلَّ بالقَلْبِ فاخْتَطَّا

حَبِيبي حتَّى حَلَّ بالقَلْبِ فاخْتَطَّا

My two friends, since their parting grief has remained

My beloved, grief has not ceased since we parted

my beloved, until it settled in my heart and staked its claim.

My love, until it settled in my heart, perplexed

أُرِيدُ دُنُوّاً من خَلِيلي وقد نأَى

أُرِيدُ دُنُوّاً من خَلِيلي وقد نأَى

وأَهْوَى اقْتراباً مِن مَزارٍ وقد شَطَّا

وأَهْوَى اقْتراباً مِن مَزارٍ وقد شَطَّا

I seek nearness to my beloved, though he has gone far away,

I wish to be near my beloved though he is distant

And long to approach a place I would visit, though it lies far off.

And I yearn to visit his shrine though it is far

وإِنِّي لَتَعْرُونِي الهُمُوم لذِكْرِكُم

وإِنِّي لَتَعْرُونِي الهُمُوم لذِكْرِكُم

هُدُوّاً فلا أَسطِيعُ قَبْضاً ولا بَسْطَا

هُدُوّاً فلا أَسطِيعُ قَبْضاً ولا بَسْطَا

And cares indeed assail me at the thought of you

Worries overwhelm me when I think of you all

In the still of night, so I can neither clench nor open my hand.

Lost, unable to grasp or let go

وإِنَّ هُبُوطَ الوادِيَيْنِ إِلى النَّقَا

وإِنَّ هُبُوطَ الوادِيَيْنِ إِلى النَّقَا

بحَيْثُ الْتَقَى الجَمْعَانِ واسْتَقْبَل السَّقْطَا

بحَيْثُ الْتَقَى الجَمْعَانِ واسْتَقْبَل السَّقْطَا

And indeed, the two valleys' descent toward the sand-dune,

The descent of the two valleys to the meadow

Where the two groups met, facing the dune's edge,

Where the two crowds gathered and faced the falling

لِمَسْرَحِ سِرْبٍ ما تَقَرَّى نِعَاجُهُ

لِمَسْرَحِ سِرْبٍ ما تَقَرَّى نِعَاجُهُ

بَرِيراً ولا تَقْرُو جَآذِرُهُ خَمْطَا

بَرِيراً ولا تَقْرُو جَآذِرُهُ خَمْطَا

Is a roaming-ground for a herd whose does do not seek

A theater for a flock whose ewes did not bleat

Arak berries, nor do its fawns forage for bitter shrubs.

Nor their shepherd caw hoarsely

ومُرْتجِزٍ أَلْقَى بِذِي الأَثْلِ كَلْكَلاً

ومُرْتجِزٍ أَلْقَى بِذِي الأَثْلِ كَلْكَلاً

وحَطَّ بجَرْعَاءِ الأَبَارِقِ ما حَطَّا

وحَطَّ بجَرْعَاءِ الأَبَارِقِ ما حَطَّا

And a thundering cloud laid its breast at Dhu al-Athl,

Where the ankleted one tossed pebbles

And on al-Abariq's sandy ground let fall what it let fall.

And landed on the lightning flames below

سَعَى في قِيادِ الرِّيحِ يَسْمَحُ للصَّبا

سَعَى في قِيادِ الرِّيحِ يَسْمَحُ للصَّبا

فأَلْقَتْ على غَيْرِ التِّلاعِ بِهِ مِرْطَا

فأَلْقَتْ على غَيْرِ التِّلاعِ بِهِ مِرْطَا

It hastened in the wind's reins, yielding to the east wind,

He hurried to guide the wind, humoring the morning breeze

So with it she cast a cloak over ground beyond the gullies.

Which cast him, not on barren ground, tossed about

وما زالَ يُرْوِي التُّرْبَ حَتَّى كَسا الرُّبى

وما زالَ يُرْوِي التُّرْبَ حَتَّى كَسا الرُّبى

دَرانِكَ والغِيطانَ مِن نَسْجِهِ بُسْطَا

دَرانِكَ والغِيطانَ مِن نَسْجِهِ بُسْطَا

And it kept watering the soil until it clothed the hills

He watered the soil until it covered the vegetation

In thick-piled rugs, and the lowlands in carpets of its weaving.

And meadows with what his cloth had woven

وعَنَّتْ له رِيحٌ تُسَاقِطُ قَطْرَهُ

وعَنَّتْ له رِيحٌ تُسَاقِطُ قَطْرَهُ

كما نَثَرَتْ حَسْنَاءُ مِن جيدهَا سِمْطَا

كما نَثَرَتْ حَسْنَاءُ مِن جيدهَا سِمْطَا

And a wind crossed its path, scattering its raindrops,

A wind assisted him, dropping his rain

As a beauty spilled a string of pearls from her neck.

As a beauty scattered locks from her braid

ولَم أَرَ دُرّاً بَدَّدَتْهُ يَدُ الصَّبا

ولَم أَرَ دُرّاً بَدَّدَتْهُ يَدُ الصَّبا

سِواهُ فباتَ النَّوْرُ يَلْقُطُهُ لَقْطَا

سِواهُ فباتَ النَّوْرُ يَلْقُطُهُ لَقْطَا

And I have seen no pearls scattered by the east wind's hand

I saw no pearl the morning breeze had scattered

Except these; the blossoms spent the night gathering them one by one.

Except it, so the light picked it up completely

وبِتْنَا نُرَاعِي اللَّيْلَ لم يَطْوِ برْدَهُ

وبِتْنَا نُرَاعِي اللَّيْلَ لم يَطْوِ برْدَهُ

ولَم يَجْرِ شَيْبُ الصُّبْحِ في فَرعِهِ وخْطَا

ولَم يَجْرِ شَيْبُ الصُّبْحِ في فَرعِهِ وخْطَا

And we stayed awake watching the night, its cloak not yet folded,

We spent the night, its cold did not diminish

Nor had dawn's gray hair begun to streak its tresses.

Nor did the gray of dawn flow through its branches

تَراهُ كَمَلْكِ الزَّنْجِ في فَرْطِ كِبْرِهِ

تَراهُ كَمَلْكِ الزَّنْجِ في فَرْطِ كِبْرِهِ

إِذا رامَ مَشْياً في تَبَخْتُرِهِ أَبْطَا

إِذا رامَ مَشْياً في تَبَخْتُرِهِ أَبْطَا

You see it like the king of the Zanj in his immense pride:

You see it like the black king in the prime of his age

When he sets out to walk, he moves slowly, swaggering,

When he walked proudly in his conceit

مُطِلاً على الآفَاقِ والبَدْرُ تاجُهُ

مُطِلاً على الآفَاقِ والبَدْرُ تاجُهُ

وقد عَلَّقَ الجَوْزاءَ في أُذْنِهِ قُرْطَا

وقد عَلَّقَ الجَوْزاءَ في أُذْنِهِ قُرْطَا

Looming over the horizons, with the full moon as his crown,

Gazing at the horizons, the crescent his crown

And he has hung Orion in his ear as an earring.

Having hung earrings in his ears