يا منزلَ الحيِّ بسَقطِ اللوى

يا منزلَ الحيِّ بسَقطِ اللوى

لا دَلَّ من دَلَّ عليكَ النوى

لا دَلَّ من دَلَّ عليكَ النوى

O dwelling of the tribe at Siqt al-Liwa,

O dweller of the abode of life when the twisted branches are cast down,

May whoever guided separation to you find no guidance.

None can surpass your guidance when intention turns towards you.

عهدي بأَوطانِكَ مأهولةً

عهدي بأَوطانِكَ مأهولةً

تَقضي العَواديَّ ولا تُقْتَضَى

تَقضي العَواديَّ ولا تُقْتَضَى

I remember your abodes inhabited,

My covenant with your homelands is populated,

Vanquishing calamities, never claimed by them,

Fulfilling promises while no promises are fulfilled for it.

أَيامَ أَرعى فيكَ روضَ المُنَى

أَيامَ أَرعى فيكَ روضَ المُنَى

فاليوم حظّي من هَواكَ البكا

فاليوم حظّي من هَواكَ البكا

In the days when I grazed within you in the meadow of hopes.

Days I would graze in your meadows and roam the gardens of wishes,

But today my share from loving you is weeping.

While today my share of your love is weeping.

تُعَوّلُ العينُ على مائها

تُعَوّلُ العينُ على مائها

والحُزنُ لا يُجدي اذا ما جَرى

والحُزنُ لا يُجدي اذا ما جَرى

The eye relies upon its water,

The eye depends on its tears flowing,

And sorrow does no good when that water flows.

While grief is useless when fate takes its course.

وليس في الدَّمْعِ لها راحةٌ

وليس في الدَّمْعِ لها راحةٌ

وانما راحتُها في الكَرى

وانما راحتُها في الكَرى

And there is no relief for it in tears;

There is no comfort for it in crying,

Its relief lies only in sleep.

Its only comfort is in destiny.

أَينَ نسيمٌ كانَ يعتادُنا

أَينَ نسيمٌ كانَ يعتادُنا

منكَ اذا صادفَ داءً شَفى

منكَ اذا صادفَ داءً شَفى

Where is the breeze that used to visit us

Where is the soft breeze that would visit us,

From you, healing whenever it encountered an ailment?

Healing afflictions whenever it blew from you?

عسى الهَوى تُقضي له دولةٌ

عسى الهَوى تُقضي له دولةٌ

وقلَّما ينفعُ قولي عَسى

وقلَّما ينفعُ قولي عَسى

Perhaps love will be granted a reign,

May longing have its days ruled,

Yet seldom does my saying 'perhaps' avail.

Though my words of “may it be” rarely avail.

هَبْ ذلكَ العيشَ ثَنى عِطفَهُ

هَبْ ذلكَ العيشَ ثَنى عِطفَهُ

وعادَ لي كيفَ يعودُ الصِّبا

وعادَ لي كيفَ يعودُ الصِّبا

Suppose that life turned its flank back,

Grant that life to return bending its shoulder,

And returned to me—how could youth return?

And come back to me as youth returns.

قد غَلَبَتْ سكراً على قَلبِهِ

قد غَلَبَتْ سكراً على قَلبِهِ

جاريةٌ تفضحُ شمسَ الضُّحى

جاريةٌ تفضحُ شمسَ الضُّحى

She has overwhelmed his heart with intoxication—

An alluring girl has overcome its heart with drunkenness,

A maiden who puts the midmorning sun to shame.

Exposing the sun of morning.

ضعيفةُ الخَصرِ لو استُنْشِقَتْ

ضعيفةُ الخَصرِ لو استُنْشِقَتْ

باللثمِ في أَنفاسهِ ما اشتَفى

باللثمِ في أَنفاسهِ ما اشتَفى

Slender-waisted—if she were breathed in

Weak of waist, if she would scent herself

Through kisses into his breath, he would still find no relief.

With a kiss, it would not quench its breath’s thirst.

جملتُها تُشبهُ تَفصيلَها

جملتُها تُشبهُ تَفصيلَها

فكل جزءٍ حسنه مُنتهى

فكل جزءٍ حسنه مُنتهى

Her whole resembles her every detail,

Her totality resembles her detail,

For each part's beauty is unsurpassed.

For each part has reached perfect beauty.

يَلومني العاذلُ في حُبِّها

يَلومني العاذلُ في حُبِّها

لا بَرَحَ العاذلُ أَوْ يُبتلى

لا بَرَحَ العاذلُ أَوْ يُبتلى

The reproacher blames me for loving her.

The critic blames me for loving her,

May the reproacher not depart until he too is afflicted.

May he not rest or be tested!

يا من لبرقٍ مَرِحٍ ضوؤه

يا من لبرقٍ مَرِحٍ ضوؤه

يسبقه قبل الوميضِ الحيا

يسبقه قبل الوميضِ الحيا

Oh, who will watch lightning whose light frolics,

O you whose radiant lightning’s glare

With rain preceding it, before the flash?

Precedes its flash with life.

تُكسى به العيدانُ أوراقَها

تُكسى به العيدانُ أوراقَها

غِبَّ سَوَاريه ويَثري الثَّرى

غِبَّ سَوَاريه ويَثري الثَّرى

By it the boughs are clothed in their leaves,

The twigs are clothed with leaves by it,

After its night showers, and the soil grows rich.

Its bracelets are scattered and enrich the earth.

لا سُقِيَتْ من صَوبهِ بلدةٌ

لا سُقِيَتْ من صَوبهِ بلدةٌ

صاديةٌ أَو يَروِ أهلَ الحِمى

صاديةٌ أَو يَروِ أهلَ الحِمى

May no town be watered by its downpour,

No land was watered by its downpour

Though parched, until it quenches the folk of the protected pasture.

Whether it roared or irrigated the thirsty.

بت أُواعيهِ وما خَفقةٌ

بت أُواعيهِ وما خَفقةٌ

أَسرعُ مما بِضَمِيرِ الحَشَا

أَسرعُ مما بِضَمِيرِ الحَشَا

I spent the night watching it, and no flutter

It lodged in its homes, nor is there a throb

Is swifter than what beats in the depths of my breast.

Swifter than what conscience conceals.

ما لسيورِ الهندِ مزءُودة

ما لسيورِ الهندِ مزءُودة

في خلِلِ الأَجفانِ ما تُنتضَى

في خلِلِ الأَجفانِ ما تُنتضَى

What ails the straps of India, terror-stricken,

The Syrian swords are not sharpened

In the recesses of the scabbards, never drawn?

In the slits of the eyelids to be wiped.

يَحيدُ عن رؤيتنا حدُّها

يَحيدُ عن رؤيتنا حدُّها

كأَنَّ فينا ليس فيها الرَّدى

كأَنَّ فينا ليس فيها الرَّدى

Their edge shuns our sight,

Its extent turns from our sight,

As though death were in us, not in them.

As if there were no returning to us.

انْ سترَ الأَسيافَ أَغمادُها

انْ سترَ الأَسيافَ أَغمادُها

عنَّا فما يسترُ طولُ القَنا

عنَّا فما يسترُ طولُ القَنا

If their scabbards conceal the swords

When the swords sheathe their blades,

From us, what conceals the length of the spears?

Their length does not protect us.

وعدتَنا نصراً فأَخْلفتَنا

وعدتَنا نصراً فأَخْلفتَنا

والسيفُ لا ينفعُ أَو يُنتضَى

والسيفُ لا ينفعُ أَو يُنتضَى

You promised us aid, then broke your promise to us;

You promised us victory but disappointed us,

And the sword is useless unless unsheathed.

While the sword neither benefits nor protects.