لَقَد هَجَرَت سُعدى وَطالَ صُدودُها

لَقَد هَجَرَت سُعدى وَطالَ صُدودُها

وَعاوَدَ عَيني دَمعُها وَسُهودُها

وَعاوَدَ عَيني دَمعُها وَسُهودُها

Indeed, Suʿdā has forsaken me, and long has her shunning lasted.

Her absence has lasted long, and her aloofness persists,

And tears and sleeplessness have returned to my eye.

My tears have returned to me, and so has their pouring.

وَقَد أُصفيَت سُعدى طَريفَ موَدَّتي

وَقَد أُصفيَت سُعدى طَريفَ موَدَّتي

وَدامَ عَلى العَهدِ الكَريمِ تَليدُها

وَدامَ عَلى العَهدِ الكَريمِ تَليدُها

And Suʿdā has been granted my newfound affection,

Although she has purified my love for her,

While my longstanding love has remained true to the noble pledge.

Her covenant remains steadfast and binding.

نَظَرتُ إِليها نَظرَةً وَهيَ عاتقٍ

نَظَرتُ إِليها نَظرَةً وَهيَ عاتقٍ

على حين أن شبّت وبان نهودها

على حين أن شبّت وبان نهودها

I looked at her once, when she was a young maiden,

I looked at her once when she was still a child,

Just as she came of age and her breasts began to show.

As she grew into a young woman, her breasts appeared.

وقد درّعوها وهيَ ذات مؤصد

وقد درّعوها وهيَ ذات مؤصد

مَجوبٍ وَلَما يَلبَسِ الدِرعَ ريدُها

مَجوبٍ وَلَما يَلبَسِ الدِرعَ ريدُها

They had dressed her in a woman's shift, while she had a child's tunic,

They dressed her in chainmail when she was blossoming,

Cut open, and her age-mate had not yet donned a woman's shift.

Though it does not suit her graceful figure.

نَظَرتُ إِليها نَظرةً ما يَسُرُّني

نَظَرتُ إِليها نَظرةً ما يَسُرُّني

بِها حُمرُ أَنعامِ البِلادِ وَسودُها

بِها حُمرُ أَنعامِ البِلادِ وَسودُها

I looked at her once—a glance I would not trade

Another look I stole, but found no joy in it,

For the land's red livestock and its black.

Among the red camels and black sheep of this land.

وَكُنتُ إِذا ما زُرتُ سُعدى بِأَرضِها

وَكُنتُ إِذا ما زُرتُ سُعدى بِأَرضِها

أَرى الأَرضَ تُطوى لي وَيَدنو بَعيدُها

أَرى الأَرضَ تُطوى لي وَيَدنو بَعيدُها

And whenever I visited Suʿdā in her own land,

Whenever I visited her town in the past,

I saw the earth fold up for me, its far reaches drawing near.

The land would shrink before me, and the horizon drew near.

مِنَ الخَفراتِ البيضِ وَدَّ جَليسُها

مِنَ الخَفراتِ البيضِ وَدَّ جَليسُها

إِذا ما اِنقَضَت أُحدوثَةٌ لَو تُعيدُها

إِذا ما اِنقَضَت أُحدوثَةٌ لَو تُعيدُها

She is among the fair, modest women; her companion wishes,

With robes white as chalk, her companions would come,

Whenever a tale is finished, that she would tell it again.

Renewing their youth, had they but means to restore it.

مُنَعَّمَةٌ لم تَلقَ بُؤسَ مَعيشَةٍ

مُنَعَّمَةٌ لم تَلقَ بُؤسَ مَعيشَةٍ

هي الخُلدُ في الدُنيا لِمَن يَستفيدُها

هي الخُلدُ في الدُنيا لِمَن يَستفيدُها

Pampered, she has never known the hardship of making a living.

Blessed with comfort, knowing no misery in life,

She is everlasting life in this world for whoever wins her;

For one who enjoys it, such is immortality on earth.

هيَ الخُلدُ ما دامَت لِأهلِكَ جارَةً

هيَ الخُلدُ ما دامَت لِأهلِكَ جارَةً

وَهل دامَ في الدُنيا لِنَفسٍ خُلودها

وَهل دامَ في الدُنيا لِنَفسٍ خُلودها

She is everlasting life so long as she is your family's neighbor—

Immortal he remains, so long as for your people,

But has any soul's everlasting life endured in this world?

He proves a neighbor, but does any soul last forever?

فَتِلكَ الَّتي أَصفيتُهابِمَوَدَّتي

فَتِلكَ الَّتي أَصفيتُهابِمَوَدَّتي

وَليدًا وَلمّا يَستَبِن لي نُهودُها

وَليدًا وَلمّا يَستَبِن لي نُهودُها

She, then, is the one I singled out for my affection,

The one I gave my love to since she was a child,

When I was a boy, before her breasts had become apparent to me.

Before her breasts made themselves known.

وَقَد قَتَلَت نَفسًا بِغيرِ جَريرَةٍ

وَقَد قَتَلَت نَفسًا بِغيرِ جَريرَةٍ

وَليسَ لها عَقلٌ وَلا مَن يُقيدُها

وَليسَ لها عَقلٌ وَلا مَن يُقيدُها

And she has slain a soul guilty of no offense,

Yet she has slain a soul though free of guilt,

Yet no blood-money is exacted from her, nor does anyone take her life in return.

For she is mindless, with none to restrain her.

تُحَلِّلُ أَحقادي إِذا ما لَقِيتُها

تُحَلِّلُ أَحقادي إِذا ما لَقِيتُها

وَتَبقى بِلا ذَنبٍ عَليَّ حُقودُها

وَتَبقى بِلا ذَنبٍ عَليَّ حُقودُها

She dissolves my grudges whenever I meet her,

She absolves my deep grudges when we meet,

While her grudges against me remain, though I am without fault.

While hers remain unjustly harbored against me.

وَيَعذُبُ لي مِن غَيرِها فَأَعافُها

وَيَعذُبُ لي مِن غَيرِها فَأَعافُها

مَشارِبُ فيها مَقنَعٌ لو أُريدُها

مَشارِبُ فيها مَقنَعٌ لو أُريدُها

And sweet to me, apart from her—yet I spurn them—

When others torment me, I pardon them,

Are drinking-places with enough to satisfy, if I desired them.

Though that would quench her burning thirst for revenge.

وَأَمنَحُها أَقصى هَوَايَ وَإِنَّني

وَأَمنَحُها أَقصى هَوَايَ وَإِنَّني

عَلى ثِقَةٍ مِن أَنَّ حَظّي صُدودُها

عَلى ثِقَةٍ مِن أَنَّ حَظّي صُدودُها

And I give her the utmost of my passion, though I am

I give her my deepest passion, though I know,

Certain that my lot is her rejection.

Rejection is my destined fate from her hands.

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري بَعدَنا هَل تَغَيَّرَت

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري بَعدَنا هَل تَغَيَّرَت

عَنِ العَهدِ أَم أَمسَت كَعَهدي عُهودُها

عَنِ العَهدِ أَم أَمسَت كَعَهدي عُهودُها

Ah, would that I knew: since we parted, has she turned

Ah, would that I knew, after us, if she will remain

From the pledge, or are her pledges still as I knew them?

True to her covenant, or break her vows like mine!

إِذا ذَكَرَتها النَفسُ جُنَّت بِذِكرِها

إِذا ذَكَرَتها النَفسُ جُنَّت بِذِكرِها

وَريعَت وَحَنَّت وَاِستَخَفَّ جَليدُها

وَريعَت وَحَنَّت وَاِستَخَفَّ جَليدُها

When my soul remembers her, it goes mad at remembering her,

When my soul recalls her, it shakes and softens,

And is startled and yearns, its fortitude shaken.

Melting away everything solid within me.

فَلو كانَ ما بي بِالجِبالِ لَهَدَّها

فَلو كانَ ما بي بِالجِبالِ لَهَدَّها

وَإِن كانَ في الدُّنيا شَديداً هُدودُها

وَإِن كانَ في الدُّنيا شَديداً هُدودُها

If what afflicts me were in the mountains, it would shatter them,

If what lies in me were mountains, it would crumble them,

Though shattering them is hard in this world.

However unyielding her harshness is in this world.

وَلَستُ وَإِن أُوعِدتُ فيها بِمُنتَهٍ

وَلَستُ وَإِن أُوعِدتُ فيها بِمُنتَهٍ

وَإِن أُقِدَت نارٌ فَشُبَّ وَقودُها

وَإِن أُقِدَت نارٌ فَشُبَّ وَقودُها

And I will not desist, even if threatened over her,

Even if she threatens utter destruction,

Even if a fire is lit and its fuel set ablaze.

Or lights a fire whose fuel is my corpse,

أَبيتُ نَجِيًّا لِلهُمومِ مُسَهَّداً

أَبيتُ نَجِيًّا لِلهُمومِ مُسَهَّداً

إِذا أُوقِدَت نَحوي بِليلٍ وُقودُها

إِذا أُوقِدَت نَحوي بِليلٍ وُقودُها

I pass the night in intimate converse with sorrows, sleepless,

I refuse escape from my sorrows, remaining

When their blaze is kindled toward me by night.

Sleepless throughout the night, as the flames rise toward me.

فَأَصبَحتُ ذا نفسينِ نَفسٍ مَريضَةٍ

فَأَصبَحتُ ذا نفسينِ نَفسٍ مَريضَةٍ

مِن اليأسِ ما يَنفَكُّ هَمٌّ يَعودُها

مِن اليأسِ ما يَنفَكُّ هَمٌّ يَعودُها

So I have come to have two souls: one soul sick

Thus I greet the dawn torn in two,

From despair, with grief that never ceases to revisit it;

One soul sick with despair from which no respite comes,

وَنَفسٍ تُرجّى وَصلَها بَعدَ صَرمِها

وَنَفسٍ تُرجّى وَصلَها بَعدَ صَرمِها

تَجَمَّلُ كي يَزدادَ غَيظًا حَسودُها

تَجَمَّلُ كي يَزدادَ غَيظًا حَسودُها

And one soul hopes for union with her after her estrangement,

One still hoping for reunion after our estrangement,

Keeping its composure, so that its envier grows angrier.

So it beautifies itself to further enrage her envious rivals.

وَنَفسي إِذا ما كُنتُ وَحدي تَقَطَّعِت

وَنَفسي إِذا ما كُنتُ وَحدي تَقَطَّعِت

كَما اِنسَلَّ مِن ذاتِ النِظامِ فَريدُها

كَما اِنسَلَّ مِن ذاتِ النِظامِ فَريدُها

And my soul, whenever I am alone, breaks apart,

When alone, my soul falls to pieces,

As a necklace's choice pearl slips out from its string.

Like a string of pearls scattering, each one cut off.

فَلَم تُبدِ لي يأساً فَفي اليَأسِ راحَةٌ

فَلَم تُبدِ لي يأساً فَفي اليَأسِ راحَةٌ

وَلَم تُبدِ لي جوداً فَينفَعَ جودُها

وَلَم تُبدِ لي جوداً فَينفَعَ جودُها

Yet she has shown me no despair—for in despair there is relief—

Her despair never grieved me, so comfort comes with despair,

Nor shown me generosity, so that her generosity might help me.

Her kindness never helped me, so kindness is useless.

كَذاكَ أُذوذُ النَفسَ يا عَزَّ عَنكُمُ

كَذاكَ أُذوذُ النَفسَ يا عَزَّ عَنكُمُ

وَقَد أعوَرَت أَسرارُ مَن لا يَذودُها

وَقَد أعوَرَت أَسرارُ مَن لا يَذودُها

Thus I drive my soul away from you all, O ʿAzza,

Thus I subdue my soul - oh, you are beyond reach!

And indeed, the secrets of whoever does not guard them lie exposed.

While the secrets of one untouched remain obscured.