أراكَ فما لعينكَ لا تراني

أراكَ فما لعينكَ لا تراني

وأنتَ وصَبوتي فَرَسا رِهانِ

وأنتَ وصَبوتي فَرَسا رِهانِ

I see you—why, then, does your eye not see me?

I see you, yet your eyes do not see me

And you and my passion are two steeds in a race.

Though you and I are horses racing

نصبتُ حِبالتي لَكَ فاستحالتْ

نصبتُ حِبالتي لَكَ فاستحالتْ

حُبىً وبقيتَ منطلقَ العِنانِ

حُبىً وبقيتَ منطلقَ العِنانِ

I set my snare for you, but it turned into

I set my ropes for you, and they turned to

Gifts, while you remained unbridled.

Love, while you remained loose-reined

ولي فوق السُّها عزمٌ طموحٌ

ولي فوق السُّها عزمٌ طموحٌ

فمن عني ثناكَ ومن ثناني

فمن عني ثناكَ ومن ثناني

And I have a soaring resolve above Suha.

And I have great ambition above passion

So who turned you away from me, and who turned me away?

So who distracted you from me, and who distracted me?

مضى زمنُ المحال فلا تمنٍّ

مضى زمنُ المحال فلا تمنٍّ

فقد كَذَبَتْ بواديكَ الأماني

فقد كَذَبَتْ بواديكَ الأماني

The age of the impossible has passed—no more wishing;

The time of impossibilities has passed, so do not wish

For your first signs have belied my hopes.

For your valley has belied hopes

وها أنا في هواكَ أضعتُ عمري

وها أنا في هواكَ أضعتُ عمري

مُقاربةً على أملِ التداني

مُقاربةً على أملِ التداني

And here I am: I have wasted my life loving you,

And here I am, losing my life in love of you

Seeking closeness, in the hope of drawing near.

Drawing near in hopes of closeness

ومهما عنَّ وصلٌ عنَّ شأنٌ

ومهما عنَّ وصلٌ عنَّ شأنٌ

لكم عني فساعاتي ثوانِ

لكم عني فساعاتي ثوانِ

And whenever union offers itself, some concern arises

However much a union distracts or preoccupies

For you, drawing you away from me—so my hours are seconds.

My hours for you are but moments

ولولا الحُبُّ في الأعناق رِقٌّ

ولولا الحُبُّ في الأعناق رِقٌّ

مَلَكْتُكَ باليمين وباليماني

مَلَكْتُكَ باليمين وباليماني

And were love not bondage about our necks,

And were it not for tender love in necks

I would have made you mine by my right hand and Yemeni sword.

I would possess you by oath and faith

ولو فوقَ العنان تَخِذْتَ مثوىً

ولو فوقَ العنان تَخِذْتَ مثوىً

هتكتُ عليكَ أغشية العَنانِ

هتكتُ عليكَ أغشية العَنانِ

And even had you made your dwelling above the clouds,

And if above the reins you sought refuge

I would have torn away the veils of cloud around you.

I would rend the veils of the reins from you

دعوتُ الشِّعرَ فيكَ فما عصاني

دعوتُ الشِّعرَ فيكَ فما عصاني

ولانَ قيادُهُ بعد الحِرانِ

ولانَ قيادُهُ بعد الحِرانِ

I called on poetry to speak of you; it did not disobey me.

I called poetry in you, and it did not disobey me

And its reins grew pliant after stubborn resistance.

And yielded its lead after defiance

أتى جبريلُهُ وأَسَرَّ وحياً

أتى جبريلُهُ وأَسَرَّ وحياً

إليَّ كأنه رَجْعُ المثاني

إليَّ كأنه رَجْعُ المثاني

Its Gabriel came and whispered a revelation

Its Gabriel came and confided inspiration

To me, as though it were an echo of the oft-repeated verses.

To me, as if a return of ecstasy