غرامك اضنى الجسم فالنار توقد

غرامك اضنى الجسم فالنار توقد

بقلبي ودمع العين فالبحر مزبد

بقلبي ودمع العين فالبحر مزبد

Love for you has wasted my body, so fire is kindled

Your love has made my body grow thin, so fire is lit

in my heart, and my eye's tears are a foaming sea.

In my heart, and tears flood my eyes like the sea's foam.

نهبت دمي والورد من خدك ازدهى

نهبت دمي والورد من خدك ازدهى

به واصفراري لي بذلك يشهد

به واصفراري لي بذلك يشهد

You stole my blood, and the rose of your cheek grew radiant

You have plundered my blood, and the rose on your cheek grew more radiant

with it; my pallor bears witness to that for me.

From it, while my pallor bears witness to that.

تحكمت يا ريم الابيرق بالذي

تحكمت يا ريم الابيرق بالذي

يمر الدياجي برق ثغرك يرصد

يمر الدياجي برق ثغرك يرصد

You have ruled, O gazelle of al-Ubayriq, over one

You have power, O Rib, over lightning

who passes the dark nights watching for the lightning of your smile.

That flashes through the darkness of your smile's gap.

فانت على فرش التدلل راقد

فانت على فرش التدلل راقد

واني على ترب التذلل اسهد

واني على ترب التذلل اسهد

So you sleep upon the bedding of coyness,

While you lie on cushions of indulgence,

while I stay sleepless upon the dust of abasement.

I lie prostrate on the ground of humiliation.

يميس اذا ما قمت كالغصن طائر

يميس اذا ما قمت كالغصن طائر

عليك فؤادي والجوارح ترعد

عليك فؤادي والجوارح ترعد

When you rise like a bough, a bird sways

When you rise, my heart flutters toward you like a flying branch,

upon you—my heart—while my limbs tremble.

And my limbs tremble.

جمعت من الاضداد كل عجيبة

جمعت من الاضداد كل عجيبة

فوجه صحا لونا وطرف معربد

فوجه صحا لونا وطرف معربد

You have gathered every wonder from opposites:

You've combined every wondrous contradiction -

a face sober in hue, and a gaze riotously drunk.

Your face is radiant, your glance veiled.

عكست لي المعنى فجئت بمثله

عكست لي المعنى فجئت بمثله

فدمعي وقلبي مطلق ومقيد

فدمعي وقلبي مطلق ومقيد

You reversed the meaning for me, so I answered in kind:

You've reversed the meaning, so I've given its likeness -

my tears are unbound, and my heart is bound.

My tear and heart are both free and bound.

وحقك لو ترضى بكلي بذلته

وحقك لو ترضى بكلي بذلته

واني ببذل الروح لا ارتدد

واني ببذل الروح لا ارتدد

And by your right, if you would accept all of me, I would give it;

By your right, if you'd consent to all of me, I'd give it,

and I do not draw back from surrendering my soul.

And I do not hesitate to give my soul.

نثرت اللاءلي من دموعي قلائدا

نثرت اللاءلي من دموعي قلائدا

اليك وشعري فيه در منضد

اليك وشعري فيه در منضد

I scattered the pearls of my tears as necklaces

I've strewn my tears like necklaces before you

to you; my poetry holds pearls neatly arrayed.

And my poetry, wherein your beauty lies as pearls in a thread.

وشيدت ابياتا بحبك كلها

وشيدت ابياتا بحبك كلها

عقود عليها خنصر اللطف يعقد

عقود عليها خنصر اللطف يعقد

And I built verses with love for you, all of them

I've built verses of love for you, all

necklaces upon which grace's little finger ties knots.

Fastened with kindness's delicate knot.

تكاد قوافي الشعر حين يروزها

تكاد قوافي الشعر حين يروزها

لرقة معناها بوصفك تسجد

لرقة معناها بوصفك تسجد

The rhymes of verse, when one weighs them, almost

When poetry's rhymes portray you, they nearly

prostrate themselves, so delicate is their meaning in describing you.

Bow down in worship for the delicacy of their meaning.

فدع كرما هجري وبدله بالتي

فدع كرما هجري وبدله بالتي

فشملي من الهجر الملح مبدد

فشملي من الهجر الملح مبدد

So kindly cease forsaking me, and replace it with that which...

So kindly end my estrangement and replace it with

for relentless estrangement has shattered my wholeness.

Reunion, dispersing the salty bitterness of separation.

وانعم بفصو واجعل القطع وصلة

وانعم بفصو واجعل القطع وصلة

فمن مثلك الاحسان والعفو يحمد

فمن مثلك الاحسان والعفو يحمد

And bestow [unclear word], and turn severance into union;

Bestow union and make disconnection connection,

for kindness and pardon from one like you deserve praise.

For the like of you, kindness and pardon are praised.

سقى الله ايام الوصال بعارض

سقى الله ايام الوصال بعارض

يجود عليها هامرا يتجدد

يجود عليها هامرا يتجدد

May God water the days of union with a raincloud

May God water the days of reunion with clouds

that pours generously upon them, a downpour ever renewed.

That rain generously, renewing themselves.

اذ الوقت صاف والزمان مساعد

اذ الوقت صاف والزمان مساعد

وليل اجتماع الشمل بالوصل مسعد

وليل اجتماع الشمل بالوصل مسعد

When the moment was serene and the times favorable,

For the time is clear and fate favorable,

and the night of gathering together in union brought joy.

The night of reuniting in intimacy is auspicious,

وآيات اسفار الغرام كريمة

وآيات اسفار الغرام كريمة

مع الوصل تتلى خلوة وتجود

مع الوصل تتلى خلوة وتجود

And the verses of love's books are noble,

And the verses of passion's epics are generous

recited in seclusion amid union, and chanted with care.

When recited intimately - they overflow with meaning.

هنالك معنى لا يفسر سره

هنالك معنى لا يفسر سره

اجل كل يوم فد خلا بعده غد

اجل كل يوم فد خلا بعده غد

There lies a meaning whose secret cannot be explained:

Therein is a mystery whose secret cannot be explained -

yes, every day that has passed is followed by a tomorrow.

For every day that has passed another follows.