يا ربَّ وادٍ بِهِ النَسيمُ

يا ربَّ وادٍ بِهِ النَسيمُ

سرى مع الماءِ اذ سَرى

سرى مع الماءِ اذ سَرى

O, many a valley in which the breeze

O Lord of a valley wherein blows the breeze

travelled beside the water as it flowed,

It flows with the water as it flows

يهرُبُ منهُ فَلا يُقيمُ

يهرُبُ منهُ فَلا يُقيمُ

وهو لَهُ قد تأَثَّرا

وهو لَهُ قد تأَثَّرا

the water fleeing it, never staying,

It escapes from it, neither staying

while the breeze followed its trail.

While it is affected by it

وادٍ بِهِ الماءُ قد تدفَّق

وادٍ بِهِ الماءُ قد تدفَّق

كأَنَّهُ دمعُ عاشقِ

كأَنَّهُ دمعُ عاشقِ

A valley where the water has gushed forth,

A valley wherein water has gushed

as though it were a lover's tears,

As if it were tears of a lover

وَالطيرُ فَوقَ الغصون صفَّق

وَالطيرُ فَوقَ الغصون صفَّق

مثل المحبِّ المُفارقِ

مثل المحبِّ المُفارقِ

and the birds clapped their wings above the boughs,

And birds above the branches chirped

like a lover at parting.

Like a lover who is separated

فكُلُّ غصنٍ عليهِ اشفَق

فكُلُّ غصنٍ عليهِ اشفَق

فَباتَ محني المَفارقِ

فَباتَ محني المَفارقِ

So every bough took pity on it,

So every branch it pitied

and spent the night with bowed crowns.

Thus it stayed bent from separation

كأَنَّما وجدهُ قَديمُ

كأَنَّما وجدهُ قَديمُ

فَهو محبٌّ تذكَّارا

فَهو محبٌّ تذكَّارا

As though its longing were of old,

As if it had found it an old friend

so it is a lover remembering.

Thus it is a lover, remembering

تَمَلمُلٌ منهُ مُستَديمُ

تَمَلمُلٌ منهُ مُستَديمُ

لَهُ وَنوحٌ تكرَّرا

لَهُ وَنوحٌ تكرَّرا

Its restless stirring is unceasing,

A constant writhing from it

and its lament has kept recurring.

With crying repeating for it

لا بل كأَنَّ الطيور لَمّا

لا بل كأَنَّ الطيور لَمّا

تَراقبَصَت تحتها الغصون

تَراقبَصَت تحتها الغصون

No—rather, it is as though the birds, when

Nay, but as if the birds, when

the boughs danced beneath them,

They fluttered beneath the branches

حنَّت فتصفيقهنَّ مِمّا

حنَّت فتصفيقهنَّ مِمّا

سُررنَ لا من جَرى الشجون

سُررنَ لا من جَرى الشجون

warbled; their wing-clapping sprang from

Bent, so their chirping was from

their joy, not the flow of sorrows.

Joy, not from flowing sorrows

ومن سرورٍ بها أَلَمّا

ومن سرورٍ بها أَلَمّا

غَنَّت بما طابَ من لحون

غَنَّت بما طابَ من لحون

And from joy that had come upon them,

And from a joy in them sometimes

they sang melodies that were sweet.

They sang with melodious tones

وَالغصنُ لَمّا اِنحنى يَرومُ

وَالغصنُ لَمّا اِنحنى يَرومُ

أَن يَرقُبَ الماءَ اذ جَرى

أَن يَرقُبَ الماءَ اذ جَرى

And when the bough bent, it sought

And the branch, when it bent, it intended

to watch the water as it flowed—

To watch the water as it flowed

غِذاؤُهُ اذ بِهِ يَقومُ

غِذاؤُهُ اذ بِهِ يَقومُ

يَشربُهُ دونهُ الثرى

يَشربُهُ دونهُ الثرى

its nourishment, for by it the bough lives;

Its nourishment, as by it it stood

the soil beneath the bough drinks it.

Drinking it, unlike the soil

أَما تَرى الغصنَ كيفَ مالا

أَما تَرى الغصنَ كيفَ مالا

بِهِ على ضعفهِ الهَوا

بِهِ على ضعفهِ الهَوا

Do you not see the bough, how it was bent

Do you not see how the branch inclined

by the wind, frail as it is?

With it in its weakness the air

كأَنَّهُ عاشِقٌ توالى

كأَنَّهُ عاشِقٌ توالى

عليهِ وجدٌ بِهِ هَوتى

عليهِ وجدٌ بِهِ هَوتى

As though it were a lover, repeatedly assailed

As if it were a lover who continued

by longing that brought him low.

Upon it an ardor that impassioned it

مال بِهِ الحُبُّ مُستَمالا

مال بِهِ الحُبُّ مُستَمالا

كِلاهُما مال بالهَوى

كِلاهُما مال بالهَوى

Love bent him, and he was swayed;

The love bent it, exerting allurement

both were bent by desire.

Both inclined with passion

وَجسمهُ ناحلٌ سَقيمُ

وَجسمهُ ناحلٌ سَقيمُ

كالعودِ مِمّا تَحسّرا

كالعودِ مِمّا تَحسّرا

And his body is wasted and sick,

And its body is emaciated, frail

like a twig, from his grieving.

Like a lute from what distressed it

وعندهُ المُقعِدُ المُقيمُ

وعندهُ المُقعِدُ المُقيمُ

مِمّا بِهِ في الهوى جرى

مِمّا بِهِ في الهوى جرى

And he has what makes him sit and rise,

And it has one sitting by it

because of what befell him in love.

From what in love transpired for it