لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
Between the Valley of al-Naqā and al-Jizʿ I Have Desires Untold
En
لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
مَـتَـى عَـلَـى فَـرَحٍ تَـدْنُـو لَـنَـا الـدَّارُ
lī bayna wādīn naqā wal jizʿi awṭāru
matā ʿalā faraḥin tadnū lanad dāru
Between the valleys of Naqā and Jizʿ, my heart still holds its deepest longings
When will our home draw near to us again, and when will we return to the joy of meeting?
إِنِّـي بِـتِـذْكَـارِ بَـانِ الـحَـيِّ ذُو شَـجَـنٍ
دَمْـعِـي لِـفَـرْطِ الـنَّـوَى فِـي الـخَـدِّ مِـدْرَارُ
innī bitidhkāri bānil ḥayyi dhū shajanin
damʿī lifarṭin nawā fīl khaddi midrāru
Whenever I remember the loved ones who once lived there, a deep sorrow rises within me
Because of the pain of being so far from them, my tears flow endlessly down my cheeks
لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
مَـتَـى عَـلَـى فَـرَحٍ تَـدْنُـو لَـنَـا الـدَّارُ
lī bayna wādīn naqā wal jizʿi awṭāru
matā ʿalā faraḥin tadnū lanad dāru
Between the valleys of Naqā and Jizʿ, my heart still holds its deepest longings
When will our home draw near to us again, and when will we return to the joy of meeting?
يَـا مُـعْـمِـلَ الـعِـيـسِ هَـلْ عَـرَّسْـتَ حَـوْلَ فِـنَـا
وَادِي الـعَـقِـيـقِ وَهَـلْ فِـي الـعِـلْـمِ أَخْـبَـارُ
yā muʿmilal ʿīsi hal ʿarrasta ḥawla finā
wādīl ʿaqīqi wahal fīl ʿilmi akhbāru
O traveler who drives the camels onward, did you stop for the night near the courtyard
of the valley of ʿAqīq? Do you have any news of those who dwell there?
لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
مَـتَـى عَـلَـى فَـرَحٍ تَـدْنُـو لَـنَـا الـدَّارُ
lī bayna wādīn naqā wal jizʿi awṭāru
matā ʿalā faraḥin tadnū lanad dāru
Between the valleys of Naqā and Jizʿ, my heart still holds its deepest longings
When will our home draw near to us again, and when will we return to the joy of meeting?
وَهَـلْ مَـرَرْتَ عَـلَـى أَحْـيَـاءِ ذِي سَـلَـمٍ
وَهَـلْ عَـبَـرْتَ الـحِـمَـا وَالـقَـومُ سُـمَّـارُ
wahal mararta ʿalā aḥyā’i dhī salamin
wahal ʿabartal ḥimā wal qawmu summāru
Did you pass by the people of Dhū Salam? Did you cross through the sacred pasturelands,
while the people remained awake, speaking together beneath the night?
لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
مَـتَـى عَـلَـى فَـرَحٍ تَـدْنُـو لَـنَـا الـدَّارُ
lī bayna wādīn naqā wal jizʿi awṭāru
matā ʿalā faraḥin tadnū lanad dāru
Between the valleys of Naqā and Jizʿ, my heart still holds its deepest longings
When will our home draw near to us again, and when will we return to the joy of meeting?
إِنِّـي إِلَـى قُـرْبِـهِـمْ قَـدْ زَادَ بِـي شَـغَـفِـي
وَالـقَـلْـبُ أَشْـجَـنَـهُ بِـالـبُـعْـدِ تِـذْكَـارُ
innī ilā qurbihim qad zāda bī shaghafī
wal qalbu ashjanahu bil buʿdi tidhkāru
My longing to be near them has only grown stronger
And whenever I remember them, my heart aches even more because of the distance
لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
مَـتَـى عَـلَـى فَـرَحٍ تَـدْنُـو لَـنَـا الـدَّارُ
lī bayna wādīn naqā wal jizʿi awṭāru
matā ʿalā faraḥin tadnū lanad dāru
Between the valleys of Naqā and Jizʿ, my heart still holds its deepest longings
When will our home draw near to us again, and when will we return to the joy of meeting?
لِـي فِـي الْأَجَـارِعِ أَحْـبَـابٌ وَلِـعْـتُ بِـهِـمْ
يَـا مَـا أُحَـيْـلَـى أُوَيْـقَـاتِـي إِذَا زَارُوا
lī fīl ajāriʿi aḥbābun waliʿtu bihim
yā mā uḥaylā uwayqātī idhā zārū
I have beloved ones in those far-off lands, and I have become deeply attached to them
How beautiful were those little moments of my life whenever they came to visit
لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
مَـتَـى عَـلَـى فَـرَحٍ تَـدْنُـو لَـنَـا الـدَّارُ
lī bayna wādīn naqā wal jizʿi awṭāru
matā ʿalā faraḥin tadnū lanad dāru
Between the valleys of Naqā and Jizʿ, my heart still holds its deepest longings
When will our home draw near to us again, and when will we return to the joy of meeting?
مَـا زَمْـزَمَ الـرَّكْـبُ حَـادِي الـرَّكْـبِ فِـي سَـحَـرٍ
وَمَـا تَـرَنَّـمَ فِـي الْأَغْـصَـانِ أَطْـيَـارُ
mā zamzamar rakbu ḥādīr rakbi fī saḥarin
wamā tarannama fīl aghṣāni aṭyāru
When the caravan began to stir before dawn, and its guide softly sang to the traveling camels,
and when the birds began to sing among the branches
لِـي بَـيْـنَ وَادِي الـنَّـقَـا وَالـجِـزْعِ أَوطَـارُ
مَـتَـى عَـلَـى فَـرَحٍ تَـدْنُـو لَـنَـا الـدَّارُ
lī bayna wādīn naqā wal jizʿi awṭāru
matā ʿalā faraḥin tadnū lanad dāru
Between the valleys of Naqā and Jizʿ, my heart still holds its deepest longings
When will our home draw near to us again, and when will we return to the joy of meeting?
أَلَا وَهَـيَّـجَ مِـنِّـي الـوَجْـدَ وَانْـتَـعَـشَـتْ
رُوحِـي إِلَـى قُـرْبِـهِـمْ وَانْـزَاحَ أَكْـدَارُ
alā wahayyaja minnīl wajda wan taʿashat
rūḥī ilā qurbihim wan zāḥa akdāru
My spirit came alive at the thought of being near them,
and the sorrows within me began to disappear