قد زارَ طيفُكِ يا لمياءُ من أمَمِ

قد زارَ طيفُكِ يا لمياءُ من أمَمِ

مَقرَّ مسعاهُ لَيتَ الطَّرفَ لم ينَمِ

مَقرَّ مسعاهُ لَيتَ الطَّرفَ لم ينَمِ

Your phantom, O Lamya, indeed came from nearby

The specter of you, O Lamiya, has visited

To the resting place it sought—if only my eye had not slept!

From the nations, a welcome guest whose eyes did not sleep

سراً يشقُّ دُروَع اللَّيلِ مُعتكِراً

سراً يشقُّ دُروَع اللَّيلِ مُعتكِراً

وَيَقطَعُ البِيدَ خَفَّاقاً على قدَمِ

وَيَقطَعُ البِيدَ خَفَّاقاً على قدَمِ

Secretly, it cleaves the armor of night, thick with darkness,

Secretly tearing through the armor of the night

And crosses the desert wastes, flitting along on foot.

And cutting through the desert sands fluttering on foot

أفديهِ من طَارِقٍ كانَ الفُؤادُ بهِ

أفديهِ من طَارِقٍ كانَ الفُؤادُ بهِ

لولا مُدارَكَهُ الإِلمامِ من أَلَمِ

لولا مُدارَكَهُ الإِلمامِ من أَلَمِ

I would give my life for that night-visitor; my heart would have been—

I would ransom him from the night visitor whom my heart held

But for its visit’s timely rescue—in pain.

If not for your protection that spared me from pain

زارَ الخيالُ مشُوقاً هائِماً فَسَلي

زارَ الخيالُ مشُوقاً هائِماً فَسَلي

أَرادَ غَيرَ خَيالٍ في كَرى الحُلُمِ

أَرادَ غَيرَ خَيالٍ في كَرى الحُلُمِ

The phantom visited a yearning, love-distraught man; so ask:

The imagination visited yearning, wandering, so delight me

Did he desire anything but a phantom in the slumber of dreams?

It wanted more than a mere vision in the domain of dreams

نَوازعُ الشَّوقِ من قَلبي بَعَثنَ لَهُ

نَوازعُ الشَّوقِ من قَلبي بَعَثنَ لَهُ

مَدامِعاً بُدِّلَت في حُبِّكُم بِدَمِ

مَدامِعاً بُدِّلَت في حُبِّكُم بِدَمِ

The stirrings of longing from my heart sent it

Yearnings of passion roused in my heart

Tears transformed, through love for you, into blood.

Tears for you that turned into blood

وَفاوضَتهُ بِأنفاسي وَلَوعتِها

وَفاوضَتهُ بِأنفاسي وَلَوعتِها

فَخافَ من لاعِجٍ للوَجد مُضطرمِ

فَخافَ من لاعِجٍ للوَجد مُضطرمِ

And I conversed with it through my sighs and their burning anguish.

And bargained with my sighs and their agony

So it feared passion’s fiercely blazing flame.

So it feared the blaze of fervent love

فجاءَ يسعى ولولا الشَّوقُ يحمِلُهُ

فجاءَ يسعى ولولا الشَّوقُ يحمِلُهُ

ما سارَ من سَقطِ نَعمانٍ إِلى العَلمِ

ما سارَ من سَقطِ نَعمانٍ إِلى العَلمِ

So it came hastening; and had longing not borne it,

So it came seeking though if not for longing carrying it

It would not have journeyed from Naʿmān’s edge to al-ʿAlam.

It would not have traveled from Na’man’s decline to the banner

هلاَّ تعلمتِ منهُ العطفَ ثُم إذا

هلاَّ تعلمتِ منهُ العطفَ ثُم إذا

ما زُرتني زُرتِ من صُدغيكِ في ظُلمِ

ما زُرتني زُرتِ من صُدغيكِ في ظُلمِ

Why not learn tenderness from it? Then, whenever

If only you learned tenderness from it, then if

You visit me, come in the darkness of your temple-locks.

You visited me, you would visit in the darkness of my temple

يا غُرةَّ الحىِّ لولا الحُبُّ ما سَهِدت

يا غُرةَّ الحىِّ لولا الحُبُّ ما سَهِدت

عَيني وَلَولا خَيالٌ مِنكَ لم أَنمِ

عَيني وَلَولا خَيالٌ مِنكَ لم أَنمِ

O radiance of the tribe, but for love, sleeplessness would not trouble

O charm of life, if not for love my eyes would not lose sleep

My eye; and but for a phantom of you, I would not sleep.

And if not for a vision of you I would not slumber

هذا حَديثي صِلي أَو فاهجُري فَلَقَد

هذا حَديثي صِلي أَو فاهجُري فَلَقَد

عَلِمتِ ما حَلَّ بي في الحُبِّ فاحتَكمي

عَلِمتِ ما حَلَّ بي في الحُبِّ فاحتَكمي

This is my tale: grant me union or else forsake me, for you have indeed

This is my discourse, keep me company or abandon me

Known what has befallen me in love—so judge as you will.

For you know what has befallen me in love, so arbitrate