أقاسي الحب من قاسي الفؤاد

أقاسي الحب من قاسي الفؤاد

وأرعاه ولا يرعى ودادي

وأرعاه ولا يرعى ودادي

I suffer love at the hands of one hard of heart.

I suffer the pain of love from one who suffers my heart

I endure the agony of love from one of hardened heart,

I nurture it, yet she does not cherish my affection.

And I care for him, yet he cares not for my love

I nurture our bond, while she nurtures not my love.

أريد حياتها وتريد قتلي

أريد حياتها وتريد قتلي

بهجرٍ أو بصدّ أو بعاد

بهجرٍ أو بصدّ أو بعاد

I wish her life, while she wishes for my death,

I want her life, and she wants me dead

I desire life for her, while she desires my slaying,

Through abandonment, rejection, or distance.

With estrangement, indifference, or separation

Through abandonment, rejection, or estrangement.

وأبكيها فتضحك ملء فيها

وأبكيها فتضحك ملء فيها

وأسهر وهي في طيب الرقاد

وأسهر وهي في طيب الرقاد

I weep for her, while she laughs with her mouth wide open.

And I weep for her, yet she laughs, filled with mirth

I weep for her sake, while she laughs with mouth agape,

And I stay awake while she enjoys sweet sleep.

While I stay up, she is in sweet slumber

I keep a sleepless vigil, while she lies in sweet slumber.

وتعمى مقلتي إما تناءت

وتعمى مقلتي إما تناءت

وعيناها تعمّى عن مرادي

وعيناها تعمّى عن مرادي

My eye goes blind whenever she draws away,

My eyes grow blind when she turns away

My vision goes blind whenever she departs,

And her eyes are blind to my desire.

While her eyes grow blind to my desires

Yet her eyes remain blind to my deepest desire.

وتهجرني بلا ذنبٍ تراه

وتهجرني بلا ذنبٍ تراه

فظامي قد رأت دون العباد

فظامي قد رأت دون العباد

She abandons me though she sees no fault,

She shuns me though no sin of mine she sees

She forsakes me without seeing any fault I committed,

So she has chosen to wrong me, out of all mankind.

So I have sinned while the pious she perceives

Singling me out among all people to endure her cruelty.

وأشكوها البعاد وليس تصغي

وأشكوها البعاد وليس تصغي

إلى الشكوى وتمكث في ازدياد

إلى الشكوى وتمكث في ازدياد

I complain to her of separation, but she does not listen

And I complain of her estrangement, but she does not listen

I complain to her of our estrangement, yet she lends no ear

To my lament, and only grows more distant.

To my lament, and persists in growing distant

To my pleas, but persists in increasing her aloofness.

وأبذل مهجتي في لثم فيها

وأبذل مهجتي في لثم فيها

فتمنعني وأرجع منه صاد

فتمنعني وأرجع منه صاد

I offer my soul for a kiss upon her mouth,

I offer my soul to kiss her lips

I offer my very soul just to kiss her mouth,

But she denies me, and I return from it thirsty.

But she refuses me and I return rejected

But she denies me, and I return parched and deprived.

وأغتفر العظيم لها وتحصي

وأغتفر العظيم لها وتحصي

علي الذنب في وقت العداد

علي الذنب في وقت العداد

I forgive her grave offenses, while she counts

I pardon her grave sins, while she counts

I forgive her great offenses, while she keeps count

My faults against me at the time of reckoning.

My faults at the time of reckoning

Of every minor fault of mine on the day of reckoning.

وأخضع ذلةً فتزيد تيهاً

وأخضع ذلةً فتزيد تيهاً

وفي هجري أراها في اشتداد

وفي هجري أراها في اشتداد

I submit in abasement, and she grows more haughty,

I humble myself, so she grows more lost

I submit in abject humility, and she increases in haughty pride,

And I see her grow harsher in abandoning me.

And in my estrangement I see her become more stubborn

And in abandoning me, I see her severity intensify.

فما تنفك عني ذات عزّ

فما تنفك عني ذات عزّ

وما أنفك في ذلي أنادي

وما أنفك في ذلي أنادي

So she remains ever proud toward me,

She does not cease to be one of pride

She never ceases to lord her power over me,

While I never cease to call out in my abasement.

Nor do I cease in my humility to call her

And I never cease calling out from the depths of my abasement.

فما في الذل للمحبوب عارٌ

فما في الذل للمحبوب عارٌ

سبيل الحب ذلٌّ للمراد

سبيل الحب ذلٌّ للمراد

There is no shame in abasement before the beloved;

There is no shame for the beloved in humility

For there is no shame in humbling oneself for the beloved;

Love's path is submission to the one desired.

The path of love is humiliation to attain the desire

The path of love is submission to the one desired.

رضا المحبوب ليس له عديلٌ

رضا المحبوب ليس له عديلٌ

بغير الذل عليس بمستفاد

بغير الذل عليس بمستفاد

The beloved's favor has no equal;

The pleasure of the beloved has no equal

The beloved's favor has no equal or substitute,

Without abasement it cannot be attained.

But through humility, nothing else will work

And without humility, it cannot be attained.

ألا من منصفي من ظبي قفرٍ

ألا من منصفي من ظبي قفرٍ

لقد أضحت مراتعه فؤادي

لقد أضحت مراتعه فؤادي

Ah, who will do me justice against a gazelle of the wilderness?

Oh you who judges me for a barren gazelle

O, who will grant me justice against a gazelle of the wasteland,

My heart has indeed become its grazing grounds.

Indeed my heart has become its pasture

One whose grazing grounds have become my very heart?

ومن عجب تهاب الأسد بطشي

ومن عجب تهاب الأسد بطشي

ويمنعني غزالٌ عن مرادي

ويمنعني غزالٌ عن مرادي

And how strange: lions fear my onslaught,

And how strange, the lion fears my power

It is a marvel that lions fear my ferocity,

Yet a gazelle bars me from my desire.

Yet a gazelle prevents my wants

Yet a mere gazelle denies me my desire.

وماذا غير أن له جمالاً

وماذا غير أن له جمالاً

تملّك مهجتي ملك السواد

تملّك مهجتي ملك السواد

And what else is there but that it possesses beauty

What but that he has a beauty

What is the cause, other than her possession of such beauty

That rules my soul as a sovereign rules the multitude?

That has seized my soul with the possession of blackness

That has taken possession of my soul with total dominion?

وسلطان الجمال له اعتزاز

وسلطان الجمال له اعتزاز

على ذي الخيل والرجل الجواد

على ذي الخيل والرجل الجواد

And beauty's sovereignty claims proud ascendancy

The sultan of beauty has a pride

For the sovereignty of beauty holds a mighty power

Over the noble master of horses and foot soldiers.

Above the owner of horses and the generous steed

Over the master of cavalry and the brave foot soldier.

وهذا الفعل مغتفر وزين

وهذا الفعل مغتفر وزين

إذا يوماً أبيت على معاد

إذا يوماً أبيت على معاد

And this conduct is forgivable and beautiful,

This action is forgivable and virtuous

Yet this behavior is forgiven and deemed fair,

If one day I refuse to yield to an adversary.

If one day I refuse to keep my vow

Even if, one day, she refuses my return.

فإن رضيت علي أرت محيا

فإن رضيت علي أرت محيا

بشوشا بالملاحة ظلّ باد

بشوشا بالملاحة ظلّ باد

Then, if she is pleased with me, she shows a face

For if you accept me, I will show you

For if she is pleased with me, she reveals a countenance

Smiling, with loveliness ever shining forth.

A cheerful face, with jest and without gloom

Radiating cheer and lasting beauty.

خليلي إن أتيتَ إليّ يوما

خليلي إن أتيتَ إليّ يوما

بشيراً بالوصال وبالوداد

بشيراً بالوصال وبالوداد

My friend, if one day you come to me

My friend, if you come to me one day

O my friend, if you should come to me one day,

Bearing glad tidings of union and affection,

With good tidings of union and affection

Bearing good tidings of reunion and affection,

فنفسي بالبشارة إن ترمها

فنفسي بالبشارة إن ترمها

فخذها بالطريف وبالتلاد

فخذها بالطريف وبالتلاد

My soul is yours for the tidings, if you desire it;

Then if the news brings delight to my soul

Then my soul is yours as a reward for such news, if you desire it;

Then take it, with my new possessions and inherited wealth.

Take it with charm and gentle voice

Take it, along with all my new wealth and old inheritance.

إذا ما الناس ترغب في كنوزٍ

إذا ما الناس ترغب في كنوزٍ

فبنت العم مكتنزي وزادي

فبنت العم مكتنزي وزادي

When people yearn for treasures,

While people covet treasures and goods

While other men may covet hoarded treasures,

My paternal uncle's daughter is my treasure and my sustenance.

The daughter of the prince, you are my treasure and provision

My cousin is my sole treasure and my provision.