كتبت ولولا دمع عيني سائل

كتبت ولولا دمع عيني سائل

تلظى جوابي من تلهب أنفاسي

تلظى جوابي من تلهب أنفاسي

I wrote—and were the tears of my eyes not flowing,

I wrote; but for my eye’s flowing tears,

I would have written, were it not for tears flowing from my eyes

my reply would blaze with the fire of my breath.

My reply would have blazed from the fire of my breaths.

That would have dried my reply, from my burning breath

وعندي من الأشواق ما لم يبج به

وعندي من الأشواق ما لم يبج به

لسان يراع في مسامع قرطاس

لسان يراع في مسامع قرطاس

I harbor longings that have never been divulged

And I harbor longings never disclosed

And I have longing, the likes of which no tongue proclaimed

by the tongue of a pen into the ears of paper.

By a reed pen’s tongue into the ears of paper.

To ears that heed, on sheets of paper

ولي من تباريح الهوى وشجونه

ولي من تباريح الهوى وشجونه

أحاديث تلهى الشرب عن لذة الكاس

أحاديث تلهى الشرب عن لذة الكاس

I have tales of love’s searing torments and sorrows

And I have, from love’s torments and its sorrows,

And I have, of the flirtations of love and its passions

that would distract the drinkers from the cup’s delight.

Tales that distract the drinkers from the cup’s delight.

Conversations that distract one from the pleasure of the cup

ولو كنت من دهري أنال مآربي

ولو كنت من دهري أنال مآربي

لسرت لكم سعياً على العين والراس

لسرت لكم سعياً على العين والراس

And if I could win my heart’s desires from fate,

And if I could gain my desires from my fate,

And if I were, in my time, to attain my hopes

I would hasten to you gladly, upon my eyes and head.

I would hasten to you upon my eye and head.

I would have moved for you, with great effort, eyes and head