ما بَينَ قَلبي وَبرقِ المُنحنى نَسبُ

ما بَينَ قَلبي وَبرقِ المُنحنى نَسبُ

كِلاهُما من سَعير الوَجد يَلتَهِبُ

كِلاهُما من سَعير الوَجد يَلتَهِبُ

There is kinship between my heart and the lightning at the bend.

The kinship between my heart and the zigzagging lightning,

Both burn with the blaze of passionate longing.

Both aflame with the fires of passion.

قَلبي لِما فاته من وصل فاتِنِه

قَلبي لِما فاته من وصل فاتِنِه

وَالبَرقُ إِذ فاتَه من ثغره الشَنَبُ

وَالبَرقُ إِذ فاتَه من ثغره الشَنَبُ

My heart, for the union with its enchanter that it missed;

My heart for what eludes it of the beauty of the beloved,

And the lightning, since it lacks the cool lustre of his teeth.

And lightning for what escapes it of rain.

بَدرٌ أَغارَ بُدورَ التمِّ حين بَدا

بَدرٌ أَغارَ بُدورَ التمِّ حين بَدا

لَيلاً تحفُّ به من عقده الشُهبُ

لَيلاً تحفُّ به من عقده الشُهبُ

A full moon who made the full moons jealous when he appeared

The full moon was envious of the rising moons,

At night, with the bright stars of his necklace surrounding him.

When it appeared at night adorned with its lights.

مُهفهفٌ إِن ثَنى عِطفاً على كَفَلٍ

مُهفهفٌ إِن ثَنى عِطفاً على كَفَلٍ

أَثنَت عَلى قَدِّه الأَغصانُ والكثُبُ

أَثنَت عَلى قَدِّه الأَغصانُ والكثُبُ

Slender-waisted—when he bends his side over his rounded hips,

Swaying gracefully when leaning on a soft cheek,

The branches and sand dunes praise his figure.

The branches and shrubs praised its stature.

قَضى هَواهُ على العُشّاق أَنَّ له

قَضى هَواهُ على العُشّاق أَنَّ له

سَلبَ القُلوبِ الَّتي في حُبِّه تَجِبُ

سَلبَ القُلوبِ الَّتي في حُبِّه تَجِبُ

Love for him has decreed against lovers that his shall be

It decreed upon the lovers that it alone

The plunder of hearts that throb with love for him.

Could capture the hearts enthralled by its love.

راقَت لعينيَ إِذ رقَّت محاسنُهُ

راقَت لعينيَ إِذ رقَّت محاسنُهُ

وَراقَ لي في هَواهُ الوَجدُ والوصَبُ

وَراقَ لي في هَواهُ الوَجدُ والوصَبُ

His charms pleased my eye, for they were delicate,

My eyes grew tender when its beauty grew tender,

And in loving him, longing and suffering pleased me.

And passion and ecstasy grew tender within its love.

فالجَفنُ بالسُهد أَمسى وهو مكتحلٌ

فالجَفنُ بالسُهد أَمسى وهو مكتحلٌ

وَالدَمعُ أَصبحَ يَجري وهو مُختَضِبُ

وَالدَمعُ أَصبحَ يَجري وهو مُختَضِبُ

So by evening my eyelid wore sleeplessness as kohl,

So the eyelids slept outlined in kohl,

And by morning my tears were flowing, stained.

While the tears flowed tinted in the morn.

ظَبيٌ من العُرب تَحميه محاسنُهُ

ظَبيٌ من العُرب تَحميه محاسنُهُ

عمَّن يؤَمِّلُه وَالسمرُ والقُضبُ

عمَّن يؤَمِّلُه وَالسمرُ والقُضبُ

An Arab gazelle, whose charms protect him

A gazelle protected by its beauty,

From whoever hopes to win him, as do dusky spears and swords.

From those who hope and the dark night and brambles.

لكنَّه ما رَعى في الحُبِّ لي ذِمماً

لكنَّه ما رَعى في الحُبِّ لي ذِمماً

وَكَم رعت ذِمماً في حيِّها العربُ

وَكَم رعت ذِمماً في حيِّها العربُ

But he kept no pledges to me in love;

But it never grazed in love for me loyally,

And how many pledges the Arabs have kept in their encampment!

While how many loyalties I grazed in its abode, O Arabs!

لَو لَم يكن بالحمى الشرقيِّ منزلُهُ

لَو لَم يكن بالحمى الشرقيِّ منزلُهُ

ما هزَّني للحمى شَوقٌ ولا طَربُ

ما هزَّني للحمى شَوقٌ ولا طَربُ

Had his dwelling not been in the eastern preserve,

Had its dwelling not been in the Eastern sanctuary,

Neither longing nor rapture would have stirred me for the preserve.

Love and joy for it would not have shook me so.

لا زالَ صَوبُ الحَيا يُحيي معاهدَه

لا زالَ صَوبُ الحَيا يُحيي معاهدَه

وَتسحبُ الذيلَ في أَرجائها السُحُبُ

وَتسحبُ الذيلَ في أَرجائها السُحُبُ

May the downpour of rain forever revive his haunts,

The quarters of life still honor their pact,

And may the clouds trail their skirts across those grounds.

With clouds trailing their fringes about them.

معاهدٌ نِلتُ فيها مُنتهى أَرَبي

معاهدٌ نِلتُ فيها مُنتهى أَرَبي

وَلَيسَ لي في سِوى مَن حَلَّها أَربُ

وَلَيسَ لي في سِوى مَن حَلَّها أَربُ

Haunts where I attained the utmost of my desire,

A pact I attained the utmost of my hopes in,

And I desire none but the one who dwelt there.

And nothing outside of it can please me anymore.

أَيّامَ غصنُ شَبابي يانعٌ نَضِرٌ

أَيّامَ غصنُ شَبابي يانعٌ نَضِرٌ

وَالعمرُ غضٌّ وأَثوابُ الصبا قُشُبُ

وَالعمرُ غضٌّ وأَثوابُ الصبا قُشُبُ

In days when the bough of my youth was ripe and verdant,

The branch of my youth still fresh and verdant,

And life was tender, and the robes of youth were new.

Yet life is still green and the clothes of youth ragged.

أَصبو إِلى كُلِّ بَدرٍ طَوقُه أفقٌ

أَصبو إِلى كُلِّ بَدرٍ طَوقُه أفقٌ

وَكُلِّ شَمسٍ لها من ضوئِها حُجُبُ

وَكُلِّ شَمسٍ لها من ضوئِها حُجُبُ

I yearned for every full moon whose collar was a horizon,

I yearn for every full moon ringed by the horizon,

And every sun with veils of her own light.

And every sun veiled in its resplendence.

أَستودُع اللَه غزلاناً بذي سَلَم

أَستودُع اللَه غزلاناً بذي سَلَم

بانَت بهنَّ دواعي البَينِ والنوَبُ

بانَت بهنَّ دواعي البَينِ والنوَبُ

I entrust to God the gazelles at Dhu Salam;

I entrust our gazelles to the One of Peace -

Parting's summons and calamities bore them away.

The causes of separation and departure appeared through them.

شَكَوتُ جورَ النَوى من بعدها وشكت

شَكَوتُ جورَ النَوى من بعدها وشكت

وَكُنتُ لم أَدرِ ما الشَكوى ولا العَتَبُ

وَكُنتُ لم أَدرِ ما الشَكوى ولا العَتَبُ

I complained of separation's cruelty after they left, and they complained,

I complained of the tyranny of distance after them, and complained -

And I had not known what complaint or reproach meant.

When I did not know what complaining or blaming was before.

يا راحِلاً بِفؤادي وهو قاطنُهُ

يا راحِلاً بِفؤادي وهو قاطنُهُ

وَساكِناً بِضُلوعي وهيَ تَضطَرِبُ

وَساكِناً بِضُلوعي وهيَ تَضطَرِبُ

O you who depart with my heart while dwelling in it,

O you who carried away my heart while residing in it,

And you who dwell within my ribs while they tremble,

And settled in my ribs while they trembled!

قطعتَ حبلَ الوَفا من غير ما سَبَبٍ

قطعتَ حبلَ الوَفا من غير ما سَبَبٍ

فَهَل إِلى الوَصل من بعد الجَفا سَبَبُ

فَهَل إِلى الوَصل من بعد الجَفا سَبَبُ

You severed the cord of fidelity for no reason;

You severed the cord of loyalty without cause,

So is there a way to reunion after estrangement?

Then is there a way back to union after disloyalty?

أَمّا النفوسُ فَقَد ذابَت عليك أَسىً

أَمّا النفوسُ فَقَد ذابَت عليك أَسىً

وهيَ الَّتي من مَجاري الدَمعِ تَنسَكِبُ

وهيَ الَّتي من مَجاري الدَمعِ تَنسَكِبُ

As for the souls, they have melted in grief for you,

As for the souls, they have melted in sorrow over you,

And it is they that pour forth from the channels of tears.

Pouring from the springs of tears.

فإِن سلبتَ الَّذي أَبقيتَ من رَمَقٍ

فإِن سلبتَ الَّذي أَبقيتَ من رَمَقٍ

أَحييتها ولك المَسلوبُ وَالسَلبُ

أَحييتها ولك المَسلوبُ وَالسَلبُ

Then if you seize the last breath of life you have left,

So if you deprive what life you left me,

You will revive them; yours are the plundered and the plunder.

You give me life, and yours are the spoils and the taking.

وإِن قضيتَ بأَن تَقضي على كمَدٍ

وإِن قضيتَ بأَن تَقضي على كمَدٍ

فإِنَّها في سَبيل اللَه تُحتَسبُ

فإِنَّها في سَبيل اللَه تُحتَسبُ

And if you decree that they perish in grief,

And if you decide to finish off an extinguished wick,

Then their loss is reckoned for reward in God's cause.

Know it is sacrificed in the way of God.