من الجرد للجبل للشوفين

لبلاد غزة مصر إلى عمان

From the barren highlands to the Mountain, to the two Shufs,

to the lands of Gaza, Egypt, and on to Amman.

يا من خبر يا ناس قولوا لي

مثلي ابتلى في جبهم انسان

O you who know, O people, tell me:

has anyone suffered as I have through loving them?

يا من خبر يا ناس قولوا لي

يا هل الهَوى جيبوا عا مسئولي

O you who know, O people, tell me:

O people of love, answer my question.

من هجرهم ضيعت معقولي

ني قريص الداب

Through their desertion I lost my reason.

I am serpent-bitten,

وَالروح بالترقا

لحمي وجسمي ذاب

and my soul is at my collarbone.

My flesh and body have melted

من لَوعة الفُرقا

من الهم راسي شاب

from the anguish of separation.

My head has turned gray from sorrow,

وَالقَلب في حرقا

يا بو عُيون هداب

and my heart is ablaze.

O you with lash-fringed eyes

وَالدقة الزرقا

يا شين شوف الرُوح معلولي

and the blue tattoo,

O unlovely one, see my ailing soul,

من هجركم يا قايد الغُزلان

من هجركم يا قايد العاني

stricken by your desertion, O leader of the gazelles.

Through your desertion, O leader of the captive,

شوف كف الرُوح وَلهاني

خايف انك بس تسلاني

see how my soul is love-distraught.

I fear that you will simply forget me,

يا بو عيون ملاح

وتطول غربتنا

O you with lovely eyes,

and our estrangement will drag on.

ريقك عسك سلساح

هذي مصيبتنا

Your saliva is clear-flowing honey;

this is our affliction.

محبوب قلبك ناح

من عظم فرقتنا

Your heart's beloved has wailed

at the enormity of our parting.

يا حيف عقلي راح

يا ريتنا متنا

Alas, my reason is gone!

If only we had died

من قبل هذا الحال يغشاني

يرتاح قلب العاشق الولهان

before this plight overtook me,

the love-distraught lover's heart would rest.

يرتاح قلب العاشق المَحروق

يا زين يا حلو النبا وَالذوق

The scorched lover's heart would rest.

O fair one, sweet in speech and manner,

عزي لمن في حبكم مشنوق

بين السما وَالأَرض

alas for the one hanged for love of you,

between heaven and earth,

وَالريح يلعب فيه

لو أَن عليي فرض

with the wind playing upon him.

If it were an obligation upon me,

كان الأمل نقضيه

لكن أجت بالعرض

we could fulfill the hope.

But it came by chance;

ما حيلتي يا هيه

حبك حرمني الغمض

what can I do, O you?

Your love has deprived me of sleep;

قلب الشَقي يلظيه

انت يا محبوب يا مدقوق

it sets the wretched one's heart aflame.

You, O beloved, O tattooed one,

عَالخَد الأَبيض الأَحمَر الريان

عَالخَد وَالزندين الك دقا

on the fair, rosy, full cheek.

You have tattoos on your cheek and both forearms;

شفتهم بالعين من حقا

يا حلو ما بتشقلك شَقا

I saw them with my own eyes, truly.

O sweet one, will you not make a little effort

وَتشوف حالي كيف

مضنى بفرقتكم

and see what state I am in,

worn out by separation from you?

ميتين الف يا حيف

ما كبر مصيبتكم

Two hundred thousand times, alas!

How great the calamity of losing you!

حارم على الكيف

بأيام غيبتكم

Pleasure is forbidden to me

in the days of your absence.

قُلنا غَدا بِالصيف

بَلكي نعانقكم

We said, 'Tomorrow, in summer,

perhaps we shall embrace you

ونشوف رَوعة خَدك الزَرقا

يا بَدر بازل يا قَمر نيسان

and see your cheek's blue splendor.'

O full moon in your prime, O April moon!

يا قَمر يا بَدر يا عالي

غير شَخصك ما أَنا ببالي

O moon, O full moon, O lofty one,

I have none but you in my thoughts.

ان خيرةني انت رسمالي

من دُون كل الغيد

If you let me choose, you are all my wealth,

above all the fair maidens.

مالي وليف سِواك

يا حلو ما بتفيد

I have no companion but you.

O sweet one, will you not help

قلبا بلي بهواك

يا أَظرف من الغيد

a heart worn out by love of you?

O you lovelier than the fair maidens

بكثير ما أَحلاك

ما قال عمرو وزيد

by far—how beautiful you are!

What Amr and Zayd said—

كان المثل رباك

يا ما هفا ها لدرب جمالي

the proverb was what raised you.

How often my camels have strayed along this road!

أَين الوشاحي وين راح سنان

أَين الوشاحي في هَواهم راح

Where is al-Washahi? Where has Sinan gone?

Where is al-Washahi? He perished in loving them.

مَجنون لَيلى في البَراري ساح

مَعشوقهم مالو قَلب مرتاح

Layla's Majnun wandered through the wilderness.

Their beloved's heart finds no rest.

لَكن نَهى من قبل

عَنهُم جَميع الناس

But warnings had come before,

against them, from all the people.

غَير إِن عَقلي هبل

حَتّى شربت الكاس

Yet my mind went foolish,

until I drank the cup.

لا في العذب وَالعبل

وَلا في المتن وَالراس

Neither for sweetness nor fullness,

nor for torso or head,

مثلك ربي من قبل غيد ملاح

وَلا من بَعد بتخلف النسوان

has a lovely maiden like you ever been reared;

nor will women bear another afterward,

وَلا من بَعد بتولد الدايات

وَلا ببلاد الرُوم كرجيات

nor will midwives deliver another afterward,

nor will Georgian women in the lands of Rum.

بَلكي عندَ رضوان حُوريات

مثلك عَلى هالرنق

Perhaps with Ridwan there are houris

like you, with such splendor.

يابو خصر مَعزول

محلا بياض العُنق

O you with a slender waist,

how lovely the whiteness of your neck

من فُوق حُلو الزَوال

عدي صويب تفنق

above that lovely form.

Count me as one shot by a rifle,

من هجركم مَعلول

محلا القَتل وَالشَنق

ailing from your desertion.

How sweet killing and hanging would be,

وَلا فراقك حول

يابو خدود ظراف ورديات

rather than a year apart from you!

O you with lovely, rose-red cheeks,

وَنهود طلع التين وَالرُمان

وَنهود طلع النين وَالتُفاح

and breasts like budding figs and pomegranates,

and breasts like budding figs and apples,

معشوقهم قديش جاح وَناح

ياما هفي بالهجر ياما راح

how much their beloved has cried out and wailed!

How many have wasted away in desertion, how many have died!

من قبل ناس كثير

ما توا بحسرتهم

Before, so many people

died in their grief;

من الهَم وَالتشحير

كبرت مصيبتهم

from sorrow and torment,

their calamity grew greater.

يشدا رفيف الطَير

قَلبي بغيتهم

Like the flutter of birds' wings,

my heart yearns for them.

يا ناس ما التدبير

تنشوف طلعتهم

O people, what can be done

so that we may see them appear,

وَنشاهده وِنشرب معاه الراح

وَنبوس فمو خاتم سليمان

and behold him, and drink wine with him,

and kiss his mouth, Solomon's signet ring?