ألمhave ... not? تَرَنيyou see me فيin كلِّevery يومٍday وليلةِand night
ألم تَرَني في كلِّ يومٍ وليلةِ
أحنُّI yearn إلىfor منone who لاdoes not يحنُّyearn حنينيmy yearning
أحنُّ إلى من لا يحنُّ حنيني
Have you not seen me, every day and night,
Don't you see me every day and night
longing for one who does not long as I do?
Yearning for one who longs not for my longing
وأندُبُand I lament مرموساًone buried بملساءَin a bare place قَفرةٍdesolate
وأندُبُ مرموساً بملساءَ قَفرةٍ
فياso, oh ليتنيif only I ناديتُI called out غيرَsomeone other than دفينِone buried
فيا ليتني ناديتُ غيرَ دفينِ
And I lament one buried in a bare, desolate place.
And lamenting one buried in the smooth sands of a barren wasteland
Oh, if only I had called to someone not buried!
Oh, would that I had called on other than the buried one
كأنّيas though I وقدand already قُطِّعتَyou were torn away عنّيَfrom me هالكاًdead
كأنّي وقد قُطِّعتَ عنّيَ هالكاً
تقطّعwas severed منّيfrom me أكْحَلىmy arm-vein ووَتِينيand my aorta
تقطّع منّي أكْحَلى ووَتِيني
It is as though, with you torn from me in death,
As though when you were cut off from me, destroyed
my arm-vein and my heart's artery had been severed.
You were cut off from me, the most beautiful and fresh
فَرَتْtore apart نائباتُcalamities الدّهرِof time أغصانَbranches دَوْحَتِيmy great tree
فَرَتْ نائباتُ الدّهرِ أغصانَ دَوْحَتِي
ولاقَand took hold of أُصوليmy roots ماwhat أصابstruck غُصونيmy branches
ولاقَ أُصولي ما أصاب غُصوني
Time's calamities have torn apart the branches of my great tree,
The calamities of fate have broken the branches of my palm tree
and what struck my branches has taken hold of my roots.
And what befell the roots befell the branches
فإنْso if بقيتْremains بعدafter القرينِthe companion حُشاشتيmy remnant of life
فإنْ بقيتْ بعد القرينِ حُشاشتي
قليلاًa little while فإنِّيthen indeed I لاحقٌbound to join بقرينيwith my companion
قليلاً فإنِّي لاحقٌ بقريني
So if my remnant of life lingers after my companion,
If, after my companion, some life remains in me
for a little while, then surely I shall join my companion.
It will be but little before I follow my companion