يا لَقَومِي لِكَثرةِ العُذَّالِ

يا لَقَومِي لِكَثرةِ العُذَّالِ

وَلِطَيفٍ سَرَى مَليحِ الدَّلالِ

وَلِطَيفٍ سَرَى مَليحِ الدَّلالِ

O my people, what a multitude of reproachers,

O my people, for the abundance of censors,

and what a night-visiting phantom, charming in its coyness!

And for a gentle one who walked gracefully,

زَائرٍ في قُصُورِ صَنعَاءَ يَسري

زَائرٍ في قُصُورِ صَنعَاءَ يَسري

كُلَّ أَرضٍ مَخُوفَةٍ وَجِبَالِ

كُلَّ أَرضٍ مَخُوفَةٍ وَجِبَالِ

A visitor in the palaces of Sanaa, traveling by night

A visitor in the palaces of Sanaa strolling,

across every fearsome land and over mountains.

Every feared land and mountains,

يَقطَعُ الحُزنَ والمَهَامِة والبِي

يَقطَعُ الحُزنَ والمَهَامِة والبِي

دَ وَمِن دُونِه ثَمانُ لَيَالي

دَ وَمِن دُونِه ثَمانُ لَيَالي

It crosses rugged ground, trackless wastes, and deserts,

Cutting through sorrow, anxiety, and separation,

with eight nights' journey separating us.

And before him, eight nights,

عاتبٌ في المنَامِ أَحبِب بُعُتبَا

عاتبٌ في المنَامِ أَحبِب بُعُتبَا

هُ إِلَينَا وقَولِهِ مِن مَقَالِ

هُ إِلَينَا وقَولِهِ مِن مَقَالِ

Reproachful in sleep—how dear its reproach

Reproaching in a dream, lovingly reproached,

is to us, and the words it speaks!

To us, his words were statements,

قُلتُ أَهلاً وَمَرحَباً عَدَدَ القَط

قُلتُ أَهلاً وَمَرحَباً عَدَدَ القَط

رِ وسَهلاً بِطَيفِ هَذَا الخَيَالِ

رِ وسَهلاً بِطَيفِ هَذَا الخَيَالِ

I said, 'Welcome and greetings, as many as the raindrops,

I said welcome, as many as the rains drop,

and welcome to the phantom of this vision!'

And easy with the coming of this imagination,

حَبَّذَا مَن إِذَا خَلَونَا نَجيَّاً

حَبَّذَا مَن إِذَا خَلَونَا نَجيَّاً

قَالَ أَهلي لَكَ الفِدَاءُ ومَالِي

قَالَ أَهلي لَكَ الفِدَاءُ ومَالِي

How dear the one who, when we are alone in confidence,

Best is he who when alone confided,

says, 'My family and my wealth be your ransom!'

Said my family I sacrifice for you and my wealth,

وَهِي الهَمُّ وَالمُنَى وَهَوَى النَف

وَهِي الهَمُّ وَالمُنَى وَهَوَى النَف

سِ إِذَا اعتَلَّ ذو هَوىً باعتِلاَلِ

سِ إِذَا اعتَلَّ ذو هَوىً باعتِلاَلِ

And she is my care, my hopes, and my soul's desire,

It is the concern, the wish, and the soul's desire,

when a lover is stricken with illness.

When one in love falls ill with illness,

قِستُ مَا كَانَ قَبلَنَا مِن هَوَى النَ

قِستُ مَا كَانَ قَبلَنَا مِن هَوَى النَ

اسِ فَما قِستُ حُبَّها بمِثَالِ

اسِ فَما قِستُ حُبَّها بمِثَالِ

I measured the love of people before us,

I measured what was before us of people's love,

but found no likeness by which to measure my love for her.

Yet I did not measure her love with any example,

لَم أَجِد حُبَّها يُشَاكِلُهُ الحُ

لَم أَجِد حُبَّها يُشَاكِلُهُ الحُ

بُّ وَلاَ وَجدَنَا كَوَجدِ الرِجَالِ

بُّ وَلاَ وَجدَنَا كَوَجدِ الرِجَالِ

I found no love resembling my love for her,

I did not find her love matched by love,

nor our longing like the longing of other men.

Nor did we find like the finding of men,

كُلُّ حُبٍّ إِذَا استَطَالَ سَيَبلَى

كُلُّ حُبٍّ إِذَا استَطَالَ سَيَبلَى

وهَوَى روضةِ المُنىَ غَيرُ بَالِي

وهَوَى روضةِ المُنىَ غَيرُ بَالِي

Every love, when it lasts long, will wear away,

Every love when prolonged will wither,

but love for Rawda, garden of hopes, does not wither.

Except the desire for the garden of wishes is not of my concern,

لَم يَزِده تَقَادُمُ العَهدِ إِلاَّ

لَم يَزِده تَقَادُمُ العَهدِ إِلاَّ

جِدَّةً عِندَنا وَحُسنَ احتِلاَلِ

جِدَّةً عِندَنا وَحُسنَ احتِلاَلِ

The passage of time has only increased its

The passage of time did not increase it,

freshness for us and the beauty of its dwelling.

Except in newness for us and good settlement,

أَيُّها العَاذِلُونَ كَيفَ عِتَابي

أَيُّها العَاذِلُونَ كَيفَ عِتَابي

بَعدَما شَابَ مَفرِقي وَقَذَالِي

بَعدَما شَابَ مَفرِقي وَقَذَالِي

O you reproachers, how can you reproach me

O you who blame, how is my blame

now that my hair has grayed at the parting and the back of my head?

After my parting has grayed and my separation aged me,

كَيفَ عَذلي عَلى الَّتي هِيَ مِنِّي

كَيفَ عَذلي عَلى الَّتي هِيَ مِنِّي

بمكَان اليَمينِ أُختِ الشِّمَالِ

بمكَان اليَمينِ أُختِ الشِّمَالِ

How can you blame me for her who is to me

How is my blame for she who is part of me,

as the right hand, sister of the left?

In the position of the right, sister of the left,

والَّذي أَحرَمُوا لَهُ وَأَحَلُّوا

والَّذي أَحرَمُوا لَهُ وَأَحَلُّوا

بمنىً صُبحَ عَاشِراتِ الليالي

بمنىً صُبحَ عَاشِراتِ الليالي

By Him for whom they entered and left pilgrim consecration,

By those who made pilgrimage for it and made permissible,

at Mina, at dawn following the tenth night:

In Mina, the morning of the tenth night,

ما مَلكتُ الهَوى ولا النَفسَ مِنّي

ما مَلكتُ الهَوى ولا النَفسَ مِنّي

مُنذُ عُلِّقتُها فَكَيفَ احتِيَالِي

مُنذُ عُلِّقتُها فَكَيفَ احتِيَالِي

I have mastered neither love nor my own soul

I have not owned love or my soul,

since I fell in love with her—what recourse have I?

Since I devoted it, so how is my cunning,

إِن نَأَت كَانَ نأيُها الموتَ صِرفاً

إِن نَأَت كَانَ نأيُها الموتَ صِرفاً

أَو دَنَت لِي فَثَّم يَبدُو خَبَالِي

أَو دَنَت لِي فَثَّم يَبدُو خَبَالِي

If she goes far away, her distance is sheer death;

If it kept away, its keeping away is death turning me,

or if she draws near to me, then my madness shows.

Or if it came close to me, my own faults appear,

يا بنةَ المالكيِّ يا بَهجَةِ النَّف

يا بنةَ المالكيِّ يا بَهجَةِ النَّف

سِ أَفي حُبِّكُم يَحِلُّ اقتِتَالِي

سِ أَفي حُبِّكُم يَحِلُّ اقتِتَالِي

O daughter of al-Maliki, O joy of my soul,

O daughter of Malik, O joy of the soul, is there fault

is it lawful to slay me for loving you?

In my loving you that I should fight,

أَيُّ ذَنبٍ عَليَّ إِن قُلتُ إِنِّي

أَيُّ ذَنبٍ عَليَّ إِن قُلتُ إِنِّي

لأُحِبُّ الحِجَازِ حُبَّ الزُلاَلِ

لأُحِبُّ الحِجَازِ حُبَّ الزُلاَلِ

What sin is mine if I say that I

What sin upon me if I say I

truly love the Hijaz as one loves clear, sweet water?

Love the Hejaz with the love of shade,

لأُحِبُّ الحِجَازَ مِن حُبِّ مَن في

لأُحِبُّ الحِجَازَ مِن حُبِّ مَن في

هِ وَأَهوَى حِلاَلَهُ مِن حِلاَلِ

هِ وَأَهوَى حِلاَلَهُ مِن حِلاَلِ

I truly love the Hijaz for love of the one within

I love the Hejaz for the love of those in it,

it, and cherish its dwellers for the sake of some among them.

And I desire its halal more than halal,