1. Whenever I speak of love, I see fires of longing blazing in my heart
Had all the seas poured out, the heat would have multiplied

2. When the breeze blows, it renews souls of varying hues
Had I drunk all the water on earth, I would still remain thirsty

3. If I say our homes once stood close, their nearness brings me more sorrow
Neither closeness alleviates me, nor does distance benefit me

4. In our closeness, passion drove me to distraction
In our distance, yearning lacerates my entrails like parsing verse

5. My longing grows with every visit, my torment with every reunion
O my wounded heart, enduring separation and union, your remedy is dear and gentle

6. O my liver, melt in sorrow and burn in agony
O my eyes, you remain flooded with tears

7. I ask about myself, for I have lost my way
My madness was like what they say of love-sickness

8. I ask everyone I meet about me, mesmerized
Not avoiding men or riders along the way

9. I say to them, who is it that possesses me
Taking me enslaved for eternity, smooth-cheeked

10. I ask about Nejd, where my campsite lies
Seeking the garden at Ruqumatayn and Nu’man

11. Abodes that were my summer and winter lodgings
Tomorrow in them I will be called boy and old man

12. Wondrously, I cared for none but my beloved
Loving no other, for my beloved was peerless

13. I am the lover, the beloved, and the love entire
In secret and openly, I am the lover and the loved