أَبا حَسَنٍ كَم أَلومُ الفِراقَ

أَبا حَسَنٍ كَم أَلومُ الفِراقَ

وَحَظِّيَ يوجِبُ أَن يَبعُدا

وَحَظِّيَ يوجِبُ أَن يَبعُدا

O Abu Hasan, how often I blame separation,

Abu Hasan, how much I blame separation

while my lot decrees remoteness.

And my fate makes it be far

وَكَم أَمطُلُ النَّومَ حَتّى أَراكَ

وَكَم أَمطُلُ النَّومَ حَتّى أَراكَ

وَأَمنَعَ عَينِيَ أَن تَرقُدا

وَأَمنَعَ عَينِيَ أَن تَرقُدا

And how often I put sleep off until I see you,

How much I prolong sleep until I see you

and keep my eye from falling asleep.

And prevent my eyes from sleeping

فَقَد صارَ لي فيهِما عادَة

فَقَد صارَ لي فيهِما عادَة

تُعَلِّمُ نَومِيَ أَن يَشرُدا

تُعَلِّمُ نَومِيَ أَن يَشرُدا

For with both I have acquired a habit

So to me in them it has become a habit

that teaches my sleep to wander off.

That teaches my sleep to wander

عَذيري مِنَ الرُّومِ جارَ الفِراقُ

عَذيري مِنَ الرُّومِ جارَ الفِراقُ

عَلَيَّ بِحُكمٍ لَهُ وَاِعتَدى

عَلَيَّ بِحُكمٍ لَهُ وَاِعتَدى

Who will vindicate me against the Byzantines? Separation has wronged

My excuse from the Romans, the neighbor of separation

me with its decree, and overstepped.

Wronged me by a judgment of his and transgressed

دَعَوتُكَ مِن أَرضِهِم عانِيا

دَعَوتُكَ مِن أَرضِهِم عانِيا

فَناهَلتَني ذَلِكَ المَورِدا

فَناهَلتَني ذَلِكَ المَورِدا

I called to you from their land, a captive,

I called you from their land suffering

so you drank with me at that watering place.

So you let me drink from that channel

وَأَوثَقتَ نَفسَكَ خِرصاً عَلَي

وَأَوثَقتَ نَفسَكَ خِرصاً عَلَي

يَ حَتّى عَدمتُ بِأَن أَوجَدا

يَ حَتّى عَدمتُ بِأَن أَوجَدا

And you bound yourself, [out of concern] for me,

And you tied your soul tightly to me

until provision itself left me deprived.

Until I ceased to find

فَلا كانَ وَعدُهُم ما أَغَث

فَلا كانَ وَعدُهُم ما أَغَث

ثَ فيهِ المِطالُ وَما أَبرَدا

ثَ فيهِ المِطالُ وَما أَبرَدا

May their promise never have been! How insipid

So neither was their promise what revived

the delay within it, and how cold!

In it hopes, nor what cooled

لَعَلَّ مَقامَكَ هَذا الطَّويلَ

لَعَلَّ مَقامَكَ هَذا الطَّويلَ

يَكونُ لحينَهمُ مَوعِدا

يَكونُ لحينَهمُ مَوعِدا

Perhaps this long stay of yours

Perhaps this long stay of yours

will be the appointed time of their doom,

Will be for their appointed time

فَيُخرِجُ بطريكَهُمُ مُسلِماً

فَيُخرِجُ بطريكَهُمُ مُسلِماً

وَيَجعَلُ قُسّاً بِهِم مَسجِدا

وَيَجعَلُ قُسّاً بِهِم مَسجِدا

bringing forth their patriarch as a Muslim

So their patriarch may come out Muslim

and making a priest among them a mosque.

And make their church a mosque

فَيَعلَمُ حازِمَهُم أَنَّهُم

فَيَعلَمُ حازِمَهُم أَنَّهُم

أَثاروا بِكَ الأَسَدَ المُلبَدا

أَثاروا بِكَ الأَسَدَ المُلبَدا

Then their prudent man will know that they

So their ruler will know that they

have roused in you the lion with matted mane,

Incited against you the enraged lion

وَإِنَّكَ قَد جئتَهُم مُصلِحاً

وَإِنَّكَ قَد جئتَهُم مُصلِحاً

فَكُنتَ بِجَهلِهمُ مُفسِدا

فَكُنتَ بِجَهلِهمُ مُفسِدا

and that you came to them as a peacemaker,

And you had come to them conciliatory

but through their ignorance became a destroyer.

Yet by their ignorance were corrupting

فَإِن طَلَبوا مِنكَ عَودَ البِلادِ

فَإِن طَلَبوا مِنكَ عَودَ البِلادِ

فَقَد لَحِقَ الأَقرَبُ الأَبعَدا

فَقَد لَحِقَ الأَقرَبُ الأَبعَدا

If they ask you for the return of the lands,

So if they demand from you return to the country

the nearer has already caught up with the farther.

Then the nearest has joined the farthest

وَإِن حاوَلوا بِكَ سَيرَ الجِراحِ

وَإِن حاوَلوا بِكَ سَيرَ الجِراحِ

فَقَد شَرَعَت في العِظامِ المُدى

فَقَد شَرَعَت في العِظامِ المُدى

And if through you they attempt to [probe] the wounds,

And if they attempt to hurt you

the knives have already entered the bones.

Then they initiated breaking the bones

وَخبَّرتَ قَومَكَ ظَنّوا ثَوا

وَخبَّرتَ قَومَكَ ظَنّوا ثَوا

كَ عِندَهُمُ أَبَداً سَرمَدا

كَ عِندَهُمُ أَبَداً سَرمَدا

And you told your people: they thought your stay

And you told your people who thought your

among them would be forever, without end.

Stay with them was eternal

فَأَسرَفَ إِذلالُهُم في الجَفا

فَأَسرَفَ إِذلالُهُم في الجَفا

وَجاءَ يَفوقُ الَّذي عَوَّدا

وَجاءَ يَفوقُ الَّذي عَوَّدا

So their humiliation went too far in cruelty,

So their humiliation in animosity exceeded

and exceeded even what it had made customary.

That to which they were accustomed

وَإِن لَم تَكُن صافِحاً عَنهُمُ

وَإِن لَم تَكُن صافِحاً عَنهُمُ

فَمِن أَينَ صِرتَ لَهُم سَيِّدا

فَمِن أَينَ صِرتَ لَهُم سَيِّدا

And if you were not pardoning them,

And if you were not an intercessor for them

then how did you become their lord?

Then from where did you become their master

أَبوكَ أَبوهُم وَلَولا الضِّيا

أَبوكَ أَبوهُم وَلَولا الضِّيا

ءِ ما فَضَلَ القَمَرُ الفَرقَدا

ءِ ما فَضَلَ القَمَرُ الفَرقَدا

Your father is their father; were it not for radiance,

Your father was their father, and were it not for the light

the moon would not outshine Farqad.

The full moon would not have surpassed the barely visible star

لَكَ الخَيرُ عِندي داء مَرِضتُ

لَكَ الخَيرُ عِندي داء مَرِضتُ

فَكُنتُ أُكاتِمُهُ العوَّدا

فَكُنتُ أُكاتِمُهُ العوَّدا

Blessings be yours: I have an ailment that made me ill,

Goodness to me when I was sick

and I kept it hidden from my sickbed visitors.

I would conceal it out of habit

وَفَنٌّ مِنَ الوَجدِ ما أَستَعينُ

وَفَنٌّ مِنَ الوَجدِ ما أَستَعينُ

بِغَيرِكَ مِن جودِهِ مُسعَدا

بِغَيرِكَ مِن جودِهِ مُسعَدا

And a kind of longing—I seek no help

And there is passion in fervor I do not take help

from anyone other than you, to be aided by his bounty.

With other than you, happily fortunate

أُريدُ لأَكتَم وَالواسِطي

أُريدُ لأَكتَم وَالواسِطي

يُ يَفضَحُهُ كُلَّما غَرَّدا

يُ يَفضَحُهُ كُلَّما غَرَّدا

I wish to conceal it, but al-Wasiti

I want to conceal but the intermediary

exposes it whenever he sings.

Exposes it whenever he chirps

نَدِمتُ كَما نَدِمَ البُحتُرِيُّ

نَدِمتُ كَما نَدِمَ البُحتُرِيُّ

وَزِدتُ عَلَيهِ بِبُعدِ المَدى

وَزِدتُ عَلَيهِ بِبُعدِ المَدى

I regretted it as al-Buhturi regretted,

I regretted like al-Buhturi regretted

and surpassed him, so great is the distance.

And exceeded him in the distance of scope

فَدونَ هَوايَ فَلاً لَو سَرى

فَدونَ هَوايَ فَلاً لَو سَرى

نَسيمُ الرِّياحِ بِهِ ما اِهتَدى

نَسيمُ الرِّياحِ بِهِ ما اِهتَدى

For before my beloved lies a wasteland: were it to travel by night,

So without my love the breeze blew in vain

the breeze of the winds would find no path through it.

It would not have found its way

فَهَل عِندَ رَأيِكَ مِن حيلَةٍ

فَهَل عِندَ رَأيِكَ مِن حيلَةٍ

تُعينُ بِها هائِماً مُفرَدا

تُعينُ بِها هائِماً مُفرَدا

Is there, then, in your judgment some device

So is there in your view a strategy

by which you might help a lone, lovesick wanderer?

That would help a lost wanderer

فَقَد طالَما أَنقَذَتني يَداكَ

فَقَد طالَما أَنقَذَتني يَداكَ

وَقَد عَلِقَتني حِبالُ الرَّدى

وَقَد عَلِقَتني حِبالُ الرَّدى

For many a time your two hands have saved me

For long your hands have saved me

when the ropes of death had ensnared me.

And the ropes of firmness have attached me

وَحملتَ مالَكَ ما لا يُطاق

وَحملتَ مالَكَ ما لا يُطاق

فَكُنتَ عَلى عُسرِهِ أَحمَدا

فَكُنتَ عَلى عُسرِهِ أَحمَدا

And you made your wealth bear what cannot be borne,

And you have borne your money that cannot be borne

and were all the more praiseworthy despite its hardship.

So you were best in easing its difficulty

وَوَاللَّهِ لا شِمتُ غَيثاً سِواكَ

وَوَاللَّهِ لا شِمتُ غَيثاً سِواكَ

فَإِمّا نَداكَ وَإِمّا الصَّدى

فَإِمّا نَداكَ وَإِمّا الصَّدى

And by God, I shall watch for no rain but you:

By God, I perceive no rain but you

either your dew, or thirst.

Either your friendship or the echo