إذا احرقت في القلبِ موضعَ سُكناها

إذا احرقت في القلبِ موضعَ سُكناها

فَمَن ذا الذي من بَعدُ يُكرِمُ مثواها

فَمَن ذا الذي من بَعدُ يُكرِمُ مثواها

If she burns the place in the heart where she dwells,

If you burn her dwelling place in the heart,

If you burn within the heart her dwelling place, / Who then, hereafter, shall honor her abode?

who, after that, will honor her abode?

Then who after that will honor her abode?

And if you drain the eyes' water in mourning her loss, / From what spring shall the camels hope for their drink?

وإن نزفَت ماءَ العيونِ بهجرِها

وإن نزفَت ماءَ العيونِ بهجرِها

فمِن أىِّ عينٍ تأمُلُ العيسُ سُقياها

فمِن أىِّ عينٍ تأمُلُ العيسُ سُقياها

And if she drains the eyes' water by her desertion,

And if the eyes shed their water at her estrangement,

Tears on the day of parting are naught but pearls, / Which we scattered upon the traces of the dwellings.

from what spring can the pale camels hope to drink?

Then from which eye will the doe expect its watering?

It was not Spring that brought forth the blossoms, / But tears saw the branches' necks and adorned them.

وما الدَّمعُ يوم البَينِ إلا لآليٌ

وما الدَّمعُ يوم البَينِ إلا لآليٌ

على الرَّسمِ في رسم الدّيارِ نَثَرناها

على الرَّسمِ في رسم الدّيارِ نَثَرناها

The tears on the day of parting are nothing but pearls

The tears on the day of separation are but raindrops

And when separation revealed the secret of our breasts, / And the wide eyes found therein their mark to strike,

we scattered, as is customary, among the traces of the dwellings.

That we sprinkled on the vestige in the ruins of the abode.

We counted the tears of the eye as they flowed down / As armor of fair patience that we stripped away.

وما أطلعَ الزهرَ الربيعُ وإِنّما

وما أطلعَ الزهرَ الربيعُ وإِنّما

رأى الدمعُ أجيادَ الغُصونِ فَحلاها

رأى الدمعُ أجيادَ الغُصونِ فَحلاها

It was not spring that brought forth the blossoms; rather,

Spring did not bloom the flowers, but rather

And when we stood for farewell, and her eyes / Translated to mine what lay hidden in the souls,

the tears saw the necks of the boughs and adorned them.

The tears saw the buds of the branches adorned.

She appeared like an image in a sanctuary; and were we / To follow the faith of Christians, we would have worshipped her.

ولمّا أبانَ البَينُ سِرَّ صُدورِنا

ولمّا أبانَ البَينُ سِرَّ صُدورِنا

وأمكنَ فيها الأعينُ النُّجلُ مَرماها

وأمكنَ فيها الأعينُ النُّجلُ مَرماها

And when parting laid bare the secret of our breasts

When separation revealed the secret of our chests,

We composed not poetry out of joy, but rather / Her sight today has polished the mirror of our wits.

and enabled the wide eyes to find their mark within them,

And enabled the eyes therein to take aim and shoot,

And a night we spent: in the darkness of my youth was my journey, / While in the night of her flowing tresses was hers.

عدَدنا دُموعَ العين لمَّا تحدَّرت

عدَدنا دُموعَ العين لمَّا تحدَّرت

دُروعاً من الصَّبرِ الجميل نزَعناها

دُروعاً من الصَّبرِ الجميل نزَعناها

we deemed the eye's tears, when they streamed down,

We counted the tears of the eyes when they flowed

The breezes of the East are scented whenever flows, / With the breath of the highlands at night’s end, her fragrance.

armor of noble patience that we had cast off.

As coats of mail of beautiful patience that we stripped off.

And however much we passed the cup, her eyelids / Poured for us, from the wine, that which we poured for her.

ولمّا وقفنا للوَداعِ وتَرجَمَت

ولمّا وقفنا للوَداعِ وتَرجَمَت

لعينَىَّ عمَّا في الضّمائر عيناها

لعينَىَّ عمَّا في الضّمائر عيناها

And when we stood to bid farewell, and there was conveyed

When we stood to bid farewell, and my eyes interpreted

And had he found, on the day of bounty, within his right hand, / Naught but his youth for the seeker, he would have given it.

to my eyes, by hers, what lay within our hearts,

What was in the conscience through her eyes,

O King of the World, and governor of its people, / With the governance of one who has weighed matters and endured them.

بدَت صُورةً في هَيكلٍ فَلَوَ أنَّنا

بدَت صُورةً في هَيكلٍ فَلَوَ أنَّنا

نَدينُ بأديانِ النّصارى عَبَدناها

نَدينُ بأديانِ النّصارى عَبَدناها

she appeared an image in a sanctuary; and had we

An image appeared in a temple, and had we

And he who tasked the days against their very nature, / Then witnessed the terrors of misfortune and suffered them.

followed the faiths of the Christians, we would have worshipped her.

Believed in Christianity’s creeds, we would have worshipped it.

Perhaps a glance may polish, within my heart and eye, / Their rust, for I am ever seeking to receive it.

وما طرَباً صُغنا القريضَ وإنّما

وما طرَباً صُغنا القريضَ وإنّما

جَلا اليومَ مِرآةَ القرائح مَرآها

جَلا اليومَ مِرآةَ القرائح مَرآها

It was not out of rapture that we fashioned verse; rather,

The reason we recited poetry was not infatuation,

the sight of her today polished the mirror of our poetic gifts.

But the day unveiled the mirror of intuitions to its viewer.

وليلةَ بِتنَا في ظلام شَبيبتى

وليلةَ بِتنَا في ظلام شَبيبتى

سُرَاىَ وفي ليل الذّوائبِ مَسراها

سُرَاىَ وفي ليل الذّوائبِ مَسراها

And on a night we spent—in the darkness of my youth

We passed a night in the darkness of our youth,

lay my night journey, and hers in the night of tresses—

As my destiny and the night of calamities passed their time.

تأرَّجُ أرواحُ الصَّبا كُلّما سرى

تأرَّجُ أرواحُ الصَّبا كُلّما سرى

بانفاسِ رَبَّا آخِرَ الليلِ رَيَّاها

بانفاسِ رَبَّا آخِرَ الليلِ رَيَّاها

the east wind's breezes grew fragrant whenever there wafted

The spirits of youth give off a scent whenever

on the hills' breaths at night's end, her scent.

The morning breeze of the Compassionate fans them at night’s end.

ومهما أدَرنا الكأس باتت جفونُها

ومهما أدَرنا الكأس باتت جفونُها

من الرّاحِ تسقينا الذى قد سَقَيناها

من الرّاحِ تسقينا الذى قد سَقَيناها

And whenever we passed the cup around, her eyelids spent the night

However much we passed around the wine cup, her eyelids

giving us to drink the wine we had given her.

From the wind give us to drink what we have already drunk.

ولو لم يَجِد يوم النّذى في يَمينهِ

ولو لم يَجِد يوم النّذى في يَمينهِ

لسائِلِهِ غيرَ الشَّبِيبَةِ أعطاها

لسائِلِهِ غيرَ الشَّبِيبَةِ أعطاها

And had he found nothing in his right hand on the day of giving

If on the day of pain he finds naught in his right hand

for his petitioner but youth, he would have given it.

To give his questioner but youth, he gives it.

فيا مَلِكَ الدنيا وسائِسَ أهلِها

فيا مَلِكَ الدنيا وسائِسَ أهلِها

سياسةَ مَن قاسَ الأمورَ وقاساها

سياسةَ مَن قاسَ الأمورَ وقاساها

So, O king of the world and governor of its people,

O king of the world and ruler of its people,

governing as one who has weighed affairs and endured them,

The policy of one who weighed matters and weighed them well,

ومَن كلَّفَ الأيامَ ضِدَّ طباعِها

ومَن كلَّفَ الأيامَ ضِدَّ طباعِها

فَعايَنَ أهوالَ الخطوبِ فعاناها

فَعايَنَ أهوالَ الخطوبِ فعاناها

and who has compelled the days to act against their nature,

And tasked the days against their nature,

and so witnessed the terrors of calamities and borne them—

Thus witnessing the horrors of afflictions and so enduring them—

عسى نَظرةٌ تجلُو بقلبي وناظري

عسى نَظرةٌ تجلُو بقلبي وناظري

صداهُ فإنّي دائما أتصَدَّاهَا

صداهُ فإنّي دائما أتصَدَّاهَا

may a glance clear from my heart and my eye

May a glance bring serenity to my heart and eyes,

their rust, for I am forever seeking it.

Its echo, for I constantly try to drive it away.