أتخذُلُني إذ كُنتُ أُخفي وأكتُمُ

أتخذُلُني إذ كُنتُ أُخفي وأكتُمُ

غراماً غَدَت عنهُ العُيونُ تترجمُ

غراماً غَدَت عنهُ العُيونُ تترجمُ

Do you forsake me when I was hiding and concealing

I take you to task, for when you were concealed, and I kept secret

a passion the eyes have come to reveal?

A love that eyes began translating from it.

وسرُّ الهوى لا يُمكنُ الحرَّ كتمهُ

وسرُّ الهوى لا يُمكنُ الحرَّ كتمهُ

وأيسر معنى فيه بالعين يُفهمُ

وأيسر معنى فيه بالعين يُفهمُ

And a noble soul cannot conceal the secret of love,

And the secret of passion cannot remain hidden by the free.

and its slightest meaning is understood through the eye.

Its easiest meaning through the eye is understood.

لَعُمركَ لو ذُقتَ الذي أنا ذائقٌ

لَعُمركَ لو ذُقتَ الذي أنا ذائقٌ

تألَّمت لي لو كان يُجدى التألُّمُ

تألَّمت لي لو كان يُجدى التألُّمُ

By your life, had you tasted what I am tasting,

By your life! If you tasted what I taste

you would have ached for me—if aching did any good.

You would have felt sorry for me, if feeling sorry could avail.

دَع الصبَّ يُبدي ما يلاقي منَ الهوى

دَع الصبَّ يُبدي ما يلاقي منَ الهوى

على أنَّه يشكو لمن ليسَ يرحَمُ

على أنَّه يشكو لمن ليسَ يرحَمُ

Let the lovesick lover reveal what he suffers from love,

Leave the youth to confess what he faces from passion

though he complains to one who shows no mercy.

As if he complains to one who does not pity.

أتامرُ بالسُّلوانِ قلباً متيَّماً

أتامرُ بالسُّلوانِ قلباً متيَّماً

وهيهاتَ يسلو الحبَّ قلبٌ متيَّمُ

وهيهاتَ يسلو الحبَّ قلبٌ متيَّمُ

Do you bid a heart enslaved by love to forget?

Do you command a heart struck with calamity

And never can a love-enslaved heart forget love!

And woe, passion cannot soothe a stricken heart.

وبي رشأٌ فأرقت من طيب وصله

وبي رشأٌ فأرقت من طيب وصله

رَبيعاً فصبرى مذنايتُ مُحرَّمُ

رَبيعاً فصبرى مذنايتُ مُحرَّمُ

And I am smitten with a young gazelle; his sweet union kept me sleepless

I had tranquility, so I became sleepless from its goodness.

through spring; since I drew away, patience is forbidden to me.

My two companions became forbidden in spring.

أقام لتعذيبي بقلبي لأنَّه

أقام لتعذيبي بقلبي لأنَّه

غدا مالكاً والقلبُ منَّي جَهنَّمُ

غدا مالكاً والقلبُ منَّي جَهنَّمُ

He settled in my heart to torment me, because

He set up my torment in my heart, for he

he has become its master, Malik, and my heart is Hell.

Became its owner, while my heart from me is hell

رَمَيتُ فؤادي في يديه وطالما

رَمَيتُ فؤادي في يديه وطالما

تندَّمت لكن ما أفادَ التندُّمُ

تندَّمت لكن ما أفادَ التندُّمُ

I cast my heart into his hands, and often

I threw my heart in his hands, and how much

I regretted it—but regret did no good.

I regretted, but regret does not avail.

فهلُ منصفٌ أشكُو إلى عدل حُكمه

فهلُ منصفٌ أشكُو إلى عدل حُكمه

حبيباً على ضعفٍ يجورُ ويَظلِمُ

حبيباً على ضعفٍ يجورُ ويَظلِمُ

Is there, then, a fair judge to whose just judgment I may appeal

Is there an arbiter I may complain to about the justice of his rule,

against a beloved who, though frail, is tyrannical and unjust?

A lover of weakness who is unjust and oppresses?

ويسحرُ عيني والعيون قريرةٌ

ويسحرُ عيني والعيون قريرةٌ

ويسهرني في الليل والناسُ نومُ

ويسهرني في الليل والناسُ نومُ

And he bewitches my eye, while other eyes are at ease,

He bewitches my eyes while they are innocent,

and keeps me awake at night, while people sleep.

And keeps me awake in the night while people sleep.

وألبَسَني ثوباً من السُّقمِ سَاذجاً

وألبَسَني ثوباً من السُّقمِ سَاذجاً

فطرَّزه دمعي فوجدي مُعلَمُ

فطرَّزه دمعي فوجدي مُعلَمُ

And he clothed me in an unadorned robe of sickness,

He made me wear a garment of sickness innocently,

then my tears embroidered it, so my passion is emblazoned.

So my tears embroidered it, and I found it marked.

أجدُّ به وجداً وأُصَبحُ هَاذياً

أجدُّ به وجداً وأُصَبحُ هَاذياً

وأشكو إليه وهو بالحال أعلمُ

وأشكو إليه وهو بالحال أعلمُ

I grow more ardent in my passion for him and become delirious,

I show passion towards him and become well in the morning,

and complain to him, though he knows my condition best.

And complain to him while he is the most knowing of my condition.

وأبكي لتذكارِ العُذَيبِ وبَارق

وأبكي لتذكارِ العُذَيبِ وبَارق

وما القصدُ إلا رِيقُهُ والتَّبسُّمُ

وما القصدُ إلا رِيقُهُ والتَّبسُّمُ

And I weep at the memory of al-Udhayb and Bariq,

And I cry in remembrance of torment and shining

and all I mean is his saliva and his smile.

While my only aim is his smile and cheerfulness.

وَليلةِ وَصلٍ منهُ باتَ يُعيدُها

وَليلةِ وَصلٍ منهُ باتَ يُعيدُها

بفكري ظنٌّ كاذبٌ وتوهُّم

بفكري ظنٌّ كاذبٌ وتوهُّم

And a night of union with him was replayed all night

The night of union with him I pass repeatedly

in my mind by false surmise and illusion.

With my thoughts, a false assumption and imagination.

فلو كان طرفي ذاق من بعدها الكرى

فلو كان طرفي ذاق من بعدها الكرى

تَخيَّلتُ أني منه بالطَّيفِ أحلُمُ

تَخيَّلتُ أني منه بالطَّيفِ أحلُمُ

Then, had my eye tasted slumber after that night,

If my eye had tasted separation from him after it

I would have imagined I was dreaming of his apparition.

I would have imagined I was dreaming him in apparition.