هَوَتِ الْعَقيقَ وما هَوَتْ فَكَأَنَّها

هَوَتِ الْعَقيقَ وما هَوَتْ فَكَأَنَّها

وَقَفَتْ وَما وَقَفَتْ بِغَيْرِ الأَجْرَعِ

وَقَفَتْ وَما وَقَفَتْ بِغَيْرِ الأَجْرَعِ

She fell for al-ʿAqīq, yet did not fall; as though she

The carnelian fell, though it seemed as if

Halted, and halted nowhere but al-Ajraʿ.

It stood still - without having been tripped by precipice or height.

فَتَعُجُّ إنْ جَرَّدْتَها وتَضِجُّ إنْ

فَتَعُجُّ إنْ جَرَّدْتَها وتَضِجُّ إنْ

حَمَّلْتَها وتَبِيتُ دُونَ الْمَوْضِعِ

حَمَّلْتَها وتَبِيتُ دُونَ الْمَوْضِعِ

So she cries out if you strip her, and clamors if

So it moans if you strip it bare, and it wails if

You burden her, and spends the night short of her destination.

You load it, and it spends the night far from its abode.

يا بَرْقُ قَدْ أجْرَيْتَ بَحْرَ مَدامِعِي

يا بَرْقُ قَدْ أجْرَيْتَ بَحْرَ مَدامِعِي

وشَبَبْتَ نارَ الْوَجْد بَيْنَ الأَضْلُعِ

وشَبَبْتَ نارَ الْوَجْد بَيْنَ الأَضْلُعِ

O lightning, you have set flowing the sea of my tears,

O lightning, you have spurred on the sea of my tears,

And kindled the fire of passionate longing between my ribs.

And ignited the fire of passion in my ribs,

وَأَطَرْتَ باللّمَعانِ طَيْرَ نُزوعِها

وَأَطَرْتَ باللّمَعانِ طَيْرَ نُزوعِها

فَيُسِفُّ وَهْوَ أَخُو الْجَناحِ الأَقْطَعِ

فَيُسِفُّ وَهْوَ أَخُو الْجَناحِ الأَقْطَعِ

And with your flashing made the bird of her yearning fly,

And fluttered about with gleams the bird of her caprice,

So it skims low, though its wing is severed.

So she swoons, she with the wing of the broken one.

وأَثَرْتَ نَارَ الشَّوْقِ وَهْيَ مناخة

وأَثَرْتَ نَارَ الشَّوْقِ وَهْيَ مناخة

فَتَخِبُّ وَهْيَ عَلَى الْحَضِيضِ الأَوْضَعِ

فَتَخِبُّ وَهْيَ عَلَى الْحَضِيضِ الأَوْضَعِ

And roused the fire of longing while she lay kneeling,

You have sparked the fire of longing while it was well-established,

So she trots, though upon the very lowest ground.

So it dwindles while it remains in the lowliest place.

لم تَدْرِ مّما هاجَها ما هاجَها

لم تَدْرِ مّما هاجَها ما هاجَها

فَتَعَسَّفتْ أُثْبَاجَ ظَهْرِ الْبَلْقعِ

فَتَعَسَّفتْ أُثْبَاجَ ظَهْرِ الْبَلْقعِ

She knew not, so stirred was she, what had stirred her,

She did not know what aroused her, what aroused her,

So she blindly crossed the broad reaches of the barren waste's back.

So she was willful upon the back of the long-necked one.

هَجَرَتْ معاهِدَها ولم تَظْفَرْ بِما

هَجَرَتْ معاهِدَها ولم تَظْفَرْ بِما

طَلَبَتْ وَقَدْ نَكَرَتْ طَرِيقَ الْمَرْجعِ

طَلَبَتْ وَقَدْ نَكَرَتْ طَرِيقَ الْمَرْجعِ

She abandoned her familiar haunts and did not attain what

She shunned her treaties and did not gain what

She sought, and no longer recognized the way back.

She sought, and she denied the way back.

ذَهِلَتْ فلا الْمَنْشَاءَ تَأْلَفُهُ وَلا

ذَهِلَتْ فلا الْمَنْشَاءَ تَأْلَفُهُ وَلا

حَظِيَتْ لَدَى لَيْلَى بِكَشْفِ الْبُرْقُعِ

حَظِيَتْ لَدَى لَيْلَى بِكَشْفِ الْبُرْقُعِ

She was bewildered: neither did she feel at home in her birthplace, nor

She was shocked so she finds no joy in companionship

Did she gain the privilege of Laylā's face-veil being lifted.

And was not graced at Layla's with the unveiling.

يا مَنْ تَقْطَّعَ في الْغَرامِ فُؤادُهُ

يا مَنْ تَقْطَّعَ في الْغَرامِ فُؤادُهُ

وَغَدا الْغَريقَ بِفَيْض ثَبْجِ الأَدْمُعِ

وَغَدا الْغَريقَ بِفَيْض ثَبْجِ الأَدْمُعِ

O you whose heart has been torn apart by passion,

O you whose heart was torn apart by love

And has drowned in the overflowing swell of tears,

And who became drowned by a torrent of flowing tears,

كَيْفَ السُّلُوُّ عَنِ الْمَلِيحَةِ بَعْدما

كَيْفَ السُّلُوُّ عَنِ الْمَلِيحَةِ بَعْدما

هَبَطَتْ إليكَ مِنَ الْمَحلِّ الأَرْفَعِ

هَبَطَتْ إليكَ مِنَ الْمَحلِّ الأَرْفَعِ

How can you forget the beautiful one, after

How can you find peace away from the beautiful one after she

She descended to you from the loftiest abode?

Came down to you from the highest abode?

يا عمرو دُلَّ عَلَى الْعَقيقِ وأهْلِهِ

يا عمرو دُلَّ عَلَى الْعَقيقِ وأهْلِهِ

فَلَقَدْ تَضَايق كُلُّ فَيْحٍ أَوْسَعِ

فَلَقَدْ تَضَايق كُلُّ فَيْحٍ أَوْسَعِ

O ʿAmr, show the way to al-ʿAqīq and its people,

O Amr, point the way to the carnelian and its people

For every expanse, however spacious, has grown narrow.

For every broad expanse has grown constricted.

واعْذُرْ فَبَثُّ حديثِ لَيْلَى زَلَّةٌ

واعْذُرْ فَبَثُّ حديثِ لَيْلَى زَلَّةٌ

في شَرْعِها لِمُحبِّها الْمُتَشَرّعِ

في شَرْعِها لِمُحبِّها الْمُتَشَرّعِ

And pardon me: divulging Laylā's tale is a lapse

And excuse me - telling the tale of Layla was a slip

Under her law, for her lover who follows it.

In her law, by her lover who holds himself bound by it.

كَتَّمْتُهُ فَأَبَى وَذَا شَأْنُ الْهَوَى

كَتَّمْتُهُ فَأَبَى وَذَا شَأْنُ الْهَوَى

يا ناصِحي قَدْ ذَاعَ لُمْنِي أَوْ دَعِ

يا ناصِحي قَدْ ذَاعَ لُمْنِي أَوْ دَعِ

I kept it closely hidden, but it would not stay hidden; such is love's way.

I concealed it but it refused containment - such is the way of passion,

O my counselor, it has spread abroad—blame me, or leave me be.

My friend, so my shame has spread whether I stay silent or speak.

الصَّخْرُ وَهْوَ الصَّخْرُ لا يَقْوَى عَلَى

الصَّخْرُ وَهْوَ الصَّخْرُ لا يَقْوَى عَلَى

هَذَا فَكَيْفَ بِقَلْبِيَ المتَصَدِّعِ

هَذَا فَكَيْفَ بِقَلْبِيَ المتَصَدِّعِ

Rock, though it is rock, cannot withstand

The rock, though it be rock, cannot withstand

This—how, then, could my cracked heart?

This - so how can my fragmented heart?