حبيبتي لولا الحب والحب حبني

حبيبتي لولا الحب والحب حبني

لما طالَ في دُنيا المحبةِ شانيا

لما طالَ في دُنيا المحبةِ شانيا

My beloved, were it not for love—and love has loved me—

My beloved, if not for love and love loving me

My standing would not have risen in the world of love,

I wouldn't have been renowned in the world of love

ولا ذَرفت عينايَ في الحب دمعةً

ولا ذَرفت عينايَ في الحب دمعةً

ولا كٌنتَ يوماً للمُحبينَ هاويا

ولا كٌنتَ يوماً للمُحبينَ هاويا

Nor would my eyes have shed a tear for love,

And my eyes wouldn't have shed in love a tear

Nor would I ever have been enamored of lovers,

And I wouldn't have been one day a lover of lovers

ولا كُنتَ في دوامة اللهوِ والهوى

ولا كُنتَ في دوامة اللهوِ والهوى

تُحيطُ بي الأحداثُ للهمِ شاريا

تُحيطُ بي الأحداثُ للهمِ شاريا

Nor would I have been in the whirlpool of diversion and passion,

And I wouldn't have been in the whirlpool of joy and passion

With events surrounding me as I purchased sorrow.

With events surrounding me busying me with worries

حبيبتي لولاكِ ما شاقني الجوى

حبيبتي لولاكِ ما شاقني الجوى

ولا كانَ لي قلب من الحب هاويا

ولا كانَ لي قلب من الحب هاويا

My beloved, but for you, love's anguish would not have made me yearn,

My beloved, if not for you, passion wouldn't have fatigued me

Nor would I have had a heart yearning because of love,

And I wouldn't have had a heart falling in love

ولا قَرعتَ أبوابُ قلبي قوارعُ

ولا قَرعتَ أبوابُ قلبي قوارعُ

ولا ظلت العينان مني بواكيا

ولا ظلت العينان مني بواكيا

Nor would calamities have knocked at the doors of my heart,

And the doors of my heart wouldn't have been knocked by yearnings

Nor would my two eyes have kept on weeping.

And my eyes wouldn't have kept crying

فإن غابَ عن عَيني شخصكَ إنما

فإن غابَ عن عَيني شخصكَ إنما

خيالكَ في الأحشاء كان البواقيا

خيالكَ في الأحشاء كان البواقيا

For if your form vanished from my sight, only

For if your image disappears from my eyes

Your image was left deep within me.

Your imagination in my inner self remains

لقد كُنتَ في دُنياكَ جشَهداً وشاهداً

لقد كُنتَ في دُنياكَ جشَهداً وشاهداً

على من غدا يهواكِ في الحب راضيا

على من غدا يهواكِ في الحب راضيا

Indeed, in your world you were honey and a witness

You were in your world a witness and evidence

To the one who came to love you, content in love.

To whoever willingly loves you in love

فَرقي لِقلبٍ قَد تحداهُ ماردٍ

فَرقي لِقلبٍ قَد تحداهُ ماردٍ

ومزقه شوقًُ وصار مُعاديا

ومزقه شوقًُ وصار مُعاديا

So have pity on a heart that a demon has challenged,

So relieve a heart challenged by a stubborn one

And longing tore it apart and turned hostile.

And torn by passion and became hostile

ولا ذنب لي إن قَد وهبتَ مليكتي

ولا ذنب لي إن قَد وهبتَ مليكتي

حياتي فذاكَ الجزءُ بعض وفائيا

حياتي فذاكَ الجزءُ بعض وفائيا

And no fault is mine if I have given, my queen,

And I'm not to blame if I gave away my queen

My life; for that portion is part of my fidelity.

My life, for that is but some of my loyalty

فقالت وقاك الله من لطمةَ القضا

فقالت وقاك الله من لطمةَ القضا

فَأنتَ مُنايا لا تَكُن لي شاكيا

فَأنتَ مُنايا لا تَكُن لي شاكيا

Then she said: May God protect you from the slap of fate.

So she said, may God protect you from the blow of fate

For you are my heart's desire; do not complain to me.

Do not complain to me for you are my demise

فلو كُنت في حلًّ أتيتُكَ في الضُحى

فلو كُنت في حلًّ أتيتُكَ في الضُحى

على مشهدٍ بالعاديات العواديا

على مشهدٍ بالعاديات العواديا

For if I were free, I would come to you at midmorning,

If I were able, I would've come to you at dawn

In full view, with the galloping, charging steeds.

To a sight with the returning travelers

ولكنني والله يعلم أنني

ولكنني والله يعلم أنني

رهينةَ حُب ضَلَ في القلب خافيا

رهينةَ حُب ضَلَ في القلب خافيا

But I—and God knows that I—

But by God I am, as He knows,

Am captive to a love that strayed, hidden within the heart.

A captive of love hidden in the heart

فلا تحسبنّ البُعد نوعاً من الجفا

فلا تحسبنّ البُعد نوعاً من الجفا

ولو صَحَ هذا ما كَشفتَ رِدائيا

ولو صَحَ هذا ما كَشفتَ رِدائيا

So do not think distance a kind of coldness,

So think not distance a kind of estrangement

And if that were true, you would not have drawn back my cloak.

If this were true, I wouldn't have uncovered my secret

عتَبتكَ في شعري وشعركَ قائلُ

عتَبتكَ في شعري وشعركَ قائلُ

عسى ومتى ألقى المُنى والأمانيا

عسى ومتى ألقى المُنى والأمانيا

I reproached you in my verse, and your verse says:

My reproach of you is in my poetry and your poetry saying

Perhaps—and when shall I attain my wishes and hopes?

Perhaps and when will I attain my wishes and hopes

فَكُن مُطمئناً وأرشف الشهدَ من فمي

فَكُن مُطمئناً وأرشف الشهدَ من فمي

فأنتَ حياتي يا حياة لِقائيا

فأنتَ حياتي يا حياة لِقائيا

So be at ease, and sip the honey from my mouth,

So be reassured and sip the honey from my mouth

For you are my life, O life of my meeting with you.

For you are my life, O life of my union