1. متى خيام من احب تقرب

    ويشتفى قلب بها معذب

    When will the tents of the one I love draw near,

    And a tormented heart find healing in them?

  2. وينطوي بساط بعد طالما

    اج بقلبي منه نار نلهب

    And the carpet of separation be rolled up? For so long,

    From it, a fire we kindle has blazed within my heart.

  3. والقطع يمحوه الوصال مسرعا

    وان اوقات الوصال تعذب

    And union swiftly erases separation,

    And indeed the hours of union grow sweet.

  4. لله اشكو لوعة ضرامة

    ودمعة كالسيل مني تسكب

    To God I complain of blazing anguish,

    And a tear pouring from me like a torrent.

  5. اقطع ليلي هائما مولها

    وخيل من اهوى بقلبي تلعب

    I spend my night wandering, distraught with love,

    And the horses of the one I love play in my heart.

  6. حباه هل تدري بأن كلما

    بعدت من روحي بلطف تقرب

    O beloved, do you know that whenever

    You grow distant, you draw gently nearer to my soul?

  7. يا من رأيت الهجر في دين الهوى

    سهلا تأمل فهو امر يصعب

    O you who have deemed estrangement, in love's creed,

    Easy—reflect, for it is a difficult matter.

  8. يا مستريحا بالتجافي ربما

    بما جناه المستريح يتعب

    O you who find ease in shunning, perhaps

    The one at ease grows weary from what he has done.

  9. رميتني بالذنب قصدك الجفا

    وما انا لا وهواك مذنب

    You charged me with guilt; your aim is estrangement.

    And I am not—no, by your love—guilty.

  10. كذبت دعواي وصدقت السوى

    وتارة يصدّق المكذب

    You disbelieved my claim and believed others,

    And sometimes the one branded a liar is believed.

  11. كن حيثما شئت وباعد انه

    ذيلك في فيفاء قلبي يسحب

    Be wherever you wish, and keep away; indeed,

    Your hem is dragged through the wilderness of my heart.

  12. نقضت عهد الحب ظالما فارتقب

    جزاءه فسر ربي يرهب

    You broke love's covenant unjustly; so await

    Its recompense, for my Lord's mystery inspires dread.

  13. كم ليلة بات الخؤن آمنا

    وانشق عنه مرط فجر مرعب

    Many a night the traitor has passed in safety,

    And a terrifying dawn's mantle split away from him.

  14. انفاسك التي مع الغدر مضت

    عليك باللوح الخفي تكتب

    Your breaths that passed with treachery

    Are written against you on the hidden tablet.

  15. وانها معدودة وما طوت

    جميعها حكما عليك يحسب

    And they are numbered; and what was enfolded

    By them all is reckoned as a judgment against you.

  16. لم يحكم الصدق ويحفظ الوفا

    والود الا الطيب المهذب

    None upholds truthfulness and preserves fidelity

    And affection except the good-hearted and refined.

  17. كم قبل جربناك يا مخادعا

    وعبثا يجرب المجرب

    How often have we tested you before, O deceiver!

    And it is futile to test one already tested.

  18. نعم لنا بالمكرمات شيمة

    عن الصنا الزاكي العروق تعرب

    Yes, noble deeds are a trait of ours,

    That speaks of stock whose roots are pure.

  19. على هناتك التي بك انطوت

    انت لدينا الايد المحبب

    Despite your failings, which lie folded within you,

    You are to us the mighty, cherished one.

  20. كفرت للخلق القبيح انعما

    عليك مد ظلها المطنب

    Through vile character, you were ungrateful for favors

    Whose outstretched shade was spread over you.

  21. عن الاله أي وعز قدسه

    مثقال ذرة مدى لا يعزب

    From God—yes, by the majesty of His holiness—

    Not an atom's weight is ever hidden.

  22. حككت جلدك ارتفاعا وكذا

    يحك جلده السقيم الاجرب

    You scratched your skin in self-exaltation; likewise,

    The sick, scab-ridden man scratches his skin.

  23. لله بالله مضت ايامنا

    وسجف التقوى عليها تضرب

    For God, by God, our days have passed,

    And the curtains of piety are drawn over them.

  24. حرفت حقنا ورحت خائضا

    وللدنايا والزعوم تغضب

    You distorted our rightful claim and went wading into reckless talk,

    And rage on behalf of base deeds and pretensions.

  25. فدينك الغدر وديننا الوفا

    لكل قوم يا حبيب مذهب

    So your creed is treachery, and ours is fidelity;

    Every people has a path, O beloved.