1. Some people stood against me before my beloved
And insisted on keeping me away from him, though they were misguided

2. And whenever I tried to get closer to his features
Their arrows came threatening me with misfortune

3. It was as if they were an obstinate gang of unbelievers
In whose hearts dwelt no truth or submission

4. They went astray in their tyranny, ignorant of the wisdom of Him
By whose command creation and destruction come to be

5. And they plotted my death through separation from the fresh pasture
Without which I would not have raised the banners of love

6. They embarked upon the sea of love without weakening or humbling
Without yielding or swimming or effort

7. They did not know that I have spent my life in ardour
Swimming in the sea of passion for years

8. So how many precious necklaces have I gained from Him
While the pearl seeker is not discouraged by fantasies

9. And how many times have I crashed against rocks in His paths
Until foam and gems were the same to me

10. And He knows all that has come upon me in passion
As I have described to that gazelle in my poems

11. But he follows the ways of his gang
In all they desisted from and said

12. With malice they erred, far from resembling
The family of Joseph though their ignorance made them stumble

13. And if they recited verses of love's deception in devotion
Whether praying or fasting

14. I always see in the course of their glances
Arrows that in the darkness are quivers

15. I fear for the gaze from the whispering of their resentments
Since their hands are quick to betray

16. My hand is on my heart morning and night
For one who still lives though his companion is no more