وَلَمّا اِستَقلّتْ بِابنِ حَمْدٍ رِكابُهُ

وَلَمّا اِستَقلّتْ بِابنِ حَمْدٍ رِكابُهُ

وَأَشعرتُ نَفسي مِن نواهُ بِنَأيها

وَأَشعرتُ نَفسي مِن نواهُ بِنَأيها

And when his riding-camels carried Ibn Hamd away,

When his caravan departed with Ibn Hamad’s son,

And I made my soul feel its own distance through his departure,

And I felt my soul distancing from his intimacy,

ذَهَلتُ فَما أَدري وَنَفسي دريّةٌ

ذَهَلتُ فَما أَدري وَنَفسي دريّةٌ

أَفي أَرضِها وَدّعتُهُ أَم سَمائهَا

أَفي أَرضِها وَدّعتُهُ أَم سَمائهَا

I was dazed, so I do not know—though my soul knows—

I was perplexed, not knowing whether in his land

Whether I bade him farewell on its earth or in its sky.

I bid him farewell, or in the heavens.

وَقُلتُ لِحادِيهِ هُبلتَ فإِنّما

وَقُلتُ لِحادِيهِ هُبلتَ فإِنّما

رَميتَ صَحيحاتِ القُلوبِ بدائِهَا

رَميتَ صَحيحاتِ القُلوبِ بدائِهَا

And I said to his camel-driver, 'May your mother lose you! For you have only

And I said to the one urging on his camel, “Slow down!

Struck healthy hearts with their disease.'

You have shot the hearts’ truths with parting.”

كَأنّي وَقَد فارقته ابنُ رَكِيّةٍ

كَأنّي وَقَد فارقته ابنُ رَكِيّةٍ

رَجاها فَزلّتْ كفُّه عن رِشائِهَا

رَجاها فَزلّتْ كفُّه عن رِشائِهَا

It is as though, having parted from him, I were a son of a well,

As if after leaving him, I am the son of a shepherdess

Who put his hope in it, but whose hand slipped from its rope.

Who hoped for abundant rain, but his palm withheld its clouds.

حَرامٌ على عَيني الكرى بَعدَ بُعدِكم

حَرامٌ على عَيني الكرى بَعدَ بُعدِكم

وَحَلّ لِعَيني أَنْ تَجودَ بمائِهَا

وَحَلّ لِعَيني أَنْ تَجودَ بمائِهَا

Sleep is forbidden to my eye after your departure,

My teary eyes are forbidden to weep after you are gone,

And my eye is permitted to pour forth its water.

And my eyes are allowed to shed their tears abundantly.

وَكَمْ عَبرَةٍ كَفكَفتُ منهُ تجمّلاً

وَكَمْ عَبرَةٍ كَفكَفتُ منهُ تجمّلاً

فلمّا أَبَتْ مرَّتْ على غُلوائِهَا

فلمّا أَبَتْ مرَّتْ على غُلوائِهَا

And many a tear of that water I held back, to keep my composure;

How many tears I held back out of resolve,

Then, when it refused restraint, it streamed on in its fury.

But when they refused, they flowed down their streams!

وَعاذلةٍ هبّتْ تهوّن بَينَكم

وَعاذلةٍ هبّتْ تهوّن بَينَكم

وَهَيهات مِن سَمعي قبولُ نِدائِها

وَهَيهات مِن سَمعي قبولُ نِدائِها

And many a reproachful woman rose to make light of your parting,

And a reproacher blamed, belittling the separation between us,

But my ear is far from heeding her call.

But never will my ears accept her blame!