لي حبيب اضر بالبعد قلبي

لي حبيب اضر بالبعد قلبي

ودلالا اسأني بالجفء

ودلالا اسأني بالجفء

I have a beloved whose distance has wounded my heart,

I have a beloved who wounded my heart through separation,

And, in his coyness, he grieved me with coldness.

And, in coyness, hurt me with coldness.

راعني بالنفار وهو غزال

راعني بالنفار وهو غزال

ولعمري النفار طبع الظباء

ولعمري النفار طبع الظباء

His shying away startled me—though he is a gazelle;

He startled me with his skittishness, gazelle that he is;

By my life, shying away is the nature of gazelles.

And, by my life, skittishness is the nature of gazelles.

لي وفاء وللحبيب جفاء

لي وفاء وللحبيب جفاء

فسلامي على قليل الوفاء

فسلامي على قليل الوفاء

I offer faithfulness, while my beloved offers coldness;

Mine is faithfulness, and my beloved's is coldness;

So my greetings to one of scant faithfulness.

So my greetings to one of little faithfulness.