طِباعي أَبَت إِلّا التَذَلُّلَ في الهَوى

طِباعي أَبَت إِلّا التَذَلُّلَ في الهَوى

وَلا زالَ خَدّي لِلحَبيبِ بِساطا

وَلا زالَ خَدّي لِلحَبيبِ بِساطا

My nature refused all but self-abasement in love.

My nature insisted on humbling itself to love

My nature refused all but submission in love,

And may my cheek ever remain a carpet for the beloved.

And my cheek remained a carpet for the beloved

And my cheek remains a carpet for the Beloved to tread.

طَريفُ الهَوى بَينَ الحَشا وَتَليدُهُ

طَريفُ الهَوى بَينَ الحَشا وَتَليدُهُ

طَوَيتُهُما طَيَّ التِجارِ رِياطا

طَوَيتُهُما طَيَّ التِجارِ رِياطا

New love and old lie within my breast;

The darling of love between yearning and its renewal

The new passion within my vitals, and the ancient too,

I folded them both as merchants fold fine cloths.

I folded them both with the folding of the sail's ropes

I have folded them away as merchants fold fine silks.

طَعِمتُ الهَوى في لَحظَةٍ وَشَرِبتُهُ

طَعِمتُ الهَوى في لَحظَةٍ وَشَرِبتُهُ

فَلَم أَستَطِع نَحوَ السُلُوِّ نَشاطا

فَلَم أَستَطِع نَحوَ السُلُوِّ نَشاطا

I tasted love in a glance and drank it;

I tasted love in a glance and drank it

I tasted love in a fleeting glance and drank it deep,

So I could not rouse myself toward forgetting.

Yet I was unable to have energy towards diversion

And found no strength to move towards consolation.

طَلَبتُ فكاكاً مِن يَدَيك فَلَم أطِق

طَلَبتُ فكاكاً مِن يَدَيك فَلَم أطِق

وَمَن يَهدِني إِلّا إِلَيكَ صِراطا

وَمَن يَهدِني إِلّا إِلَيكَ صِراطا

I sought release from your two hands, but could not manage it;

I sought release from your hands but could not endure

I sought liberation from your hands but could not bear it,

And who can guide me along any path but one that leads to you?

And who can guide me except to your path?

For who can guide me to a path that leads anywhere but to you?

طَمِعتُ بِأَن أَسلو الهَوى فَغَلَبتني

طَمِعتُ بِأَن أَسلو الهَوى فَغَلَبتني

وَقَد ضَرَبَتني مُقلَتاكَ سِياطا

وَقَد ضَرَبَتني مُقلَتاكَ سِياطا

I hoped to forget love, but you overcame me,

I hoped to distract myself from love but it overpowered me

I hoped to forsake this passion, but was overpowered,

And your two eyes had already beaten me with whips.

And your glances have whipped me with lashes

For the lashes of your eyes had already struck me like whips.

طَوَيتُ بُطونَ العَينِ نَحوَكَ حُجَّةً

طَوَيتُ بُطونَ العَينِ نَحوَكَ حُجَّةً

وَأَوجَفتُ خَيلي في هَواكَ رِباطا

وَأَوجَفتُ خَيلي في هَواكَ رِباطا

I traversed the eye’s depths toward you as proof,

I turned the interior of my eye towards you as proof

I folded the valleys of the earth traversing toward you as a plea,

And sent my horses galloping in love for you, to stand guard.

And I anchored my horses in love of you

And spurred my horses in your love, stationed for the guard.

طَعَنتُ فُؤادي مِن بَعيد وَهكَذا

طَعَنتُ فُؤادي مِن بَعيد وَهكَذا

قَنا اللَحظ يَبلُغنَ النُجومَ شِطاطا

قَنا اللَحظ يَبلُغنَ النُجومَ شِطاطا

I pierced my heart from afar, and thus

I stabbed my heart from afar, and thus

You pierced my heart from afar, and truly,

The towering spears of a glance reach the stars.

The glances reach the stars in bounds

The spears of your glances reach the very stars in their height.

طَرِبنا وَمِن أَلحاظِ عَينَيكَ سكرنا

طَرِبنا وَمِن أَلحاظِ عَينَيكَ سكرنا

فَأَيَّةُ خَمرٍ مِنهُما نَتَعاطى

فَأَيَّةُ خَمرٍ مِنهُما نَتَعاطى

We were enraptured, and grew drunk on the glances of your eyes;

We were disturbed, and drunk from the glances of your eyes

We were enraptured, and by the looks of your eyes intoxicated;

What wine, then, do we drink from them both?

So which wine shall we acquire from them?

So from which of the two wines are we now drinking?

طِوالَ اللَيالي فيكَ أَرعى نُجومها

طِوالَ اللَيالي فيكَ أَرعى نُجومها

إِذا غَشي النَومُ الجُفونَ فَخاطا

إِذا غَشي النَومُ الجُفونَ فَخاطا

All through the nights, for you, I watch their stars,

All night long within you I pasture its stars

Throughout the long nights, for your sake, I shepherd the stars,

When sleep covers the eyelids, then sews them shut.

When sleep covers the eyelids in layers

Whenever sleep descends to stitch the eyelids shut.

طَمى بحرُ شَوقي وَاِلتَظى جاحِمُ الهَوى

طَمى بحرُ شَوقي وَاِلتَظى جاحِمُ الهَوى

فَهذا بِقَلبي ثُمَّ ذاكَ أَحاطا

فَهذا بِقَلبي ثُمَّ ذاكَ أَحاطا

The sea of my longing overflowed, and love’s inferno blazed;

My sea of longing raged and the ferocious love encompassed

The sea of my longing surged, and the furnace of passion blazed,

So this, and then that, encircled my heart.

So this is in my heart, and that surrounded

So that the flood engulfed my heart, and the fire besieged it.