بنفسي مَن أغلقتُ كفي بحبله

بنفسي مَن أغلقتُ كفي بحبله

فأصبح لي من ذروة المجد غارب

فأصبح لي من ذروة المجد غارب

With my very life I ransom him whose cord I clasped tight in my hand;

My life for him whose rope I clasped in my hand,

And so the loftiest crest of glory became mine.

and a lofty crest upon the summit of glory became mine.

وجدتُ به مولىً منيعا جنابه

وجدتُ به مولىً منيعا جنابه

جواداً ترجَّى من يديه المواهب

جواداً ترجَّى من يديه المواهب

In him I found an impregnable refuge, whose precinct was secure—

In him I found a patron whose domain was impregnable,

A generous man from whose hands gifts were hoped for.

a generous man from whose hands gifts were hoped for.

تعمَّد إيناسي إِلى أن ألفته

تعمَّد إيناسي إِلى أن ألفته

كأني له من ضجعة المهد صاحب

كأني له من ضجعة المهد صاحب

He deliberately befriended me until I grew intimate with him,

He deliberately put me at ease until I grew close to him,

As though I had been his companion since his cradle.

as though I had been his companion since lying in the cradle.

وأُدني سِراري من سرائرِ قلبه

وأُدني سِراري من سرائرِ قلبه

فلم يبقَ من دون الضميرين حاجب

فلم يبقَ من دون الضميرين حاجب

He drew my confidences close to the secrets of his heart,

And I drew my inmost secrets close to the secrets of his heart,

Until no veil remained between our two hearts.

until no veil remained between our two hearts.

وكان عصَا موسى لديّ ودادُ

وكان عصَا موسى لديّ ودادُ

أظلّ ولي ما عشت فيه مآرب

أظلّ ولي ما عشت فيه مآرب

Moses’ staff in my hand was love;

And affection was for me the staff of Moses:

As long as I lived, I had many uses for it.

I would always have uses for it as long as I lived.

وكنا تعاهدنا على مشرع الهوى

وكنا تعاهدنا على مشرع الهوى

عهود وفاء أخلصتها الترائب

عهود وفاء أخلصتها الترائب

We had pledged ourselves beside passion’s watering place—

And we had exchanged vows at love's watering place—

Covenants of fidelity our breasts had made sincere.

vows of fidelity made sincere by our breasts.

فصرت له عبداً تصرف مهجتي

فصرت له عبداً تصرف مهجتي

بأهوائه في كل ما هو خاطب

بأهوائه في كل ما هو خاطب

I became his slave; he directed my very soul

So I became his slave, my very soul governed

According to his desires in everything he sought.

by his desires in everything he sought.

أهيم بلقياه إذا كان حاضرا

أهيم بلقياه إذا كان حاضرا

وأبكي دماً من شوقه وهو غائب

وأبكي دماً من شوقه وهو غائب

I raved for meeting him whenever he was present,

I am enraptured by meeting him when he is present,

And wept blood from longing for him while he was absent.

and weep blood with longing for him when he is absent.

إذا ما التقينا فالضلوع سواكنٌ

إذا ما التقينا فالضلوع سواكنٌ

وإمّا افترقنا فالدموع سواكب

وإمّا افترقنا فالدموع سواكب

Whenever we met, the hearts within our ribs were still;

When we meet, the ribs lie still;

Whenever we parted, the tears streamed down.

but when we part, the tears pour down.

وأرعى له عهد الوداد محافظاً

وأرعى له عهد الوداد محافظاً

عليه ولو سُلَّت عليّ القواضب

عليه ولو سُلَّت عليّ القواضب

I faithfully guarded his covenant of love,

And I honor my pledge of affection to him, guarding

Even if keen-edged swords were drawn against me for it.

it even if sharp swords are drawn against me.

وما خلت أن الدهر ينقض عهده

وما خلت أن الدهر ينقض عهده

فتدرك فينا للأعادي مطالب

فتدرك فينا للأعادي مطالب

Never did I think that Time would break his covenant,

And I never thought that Time would break his pledge,

Allowing our enemies’ designs against us to succeed;

and our enemies' aims against us be achieved,

ولا أن وداً أخلصته سرائر

ولا أن وداً أخلصته سرائر

تكدّره بعد الصفا شوائب

تكدّره بعد الصفا شوائب

Nor that a love my innermost thoughts had made sincere

nor that a love made pure by our inmost hearts

Would, after such purity, be clouded by impurities.

would be clouded by impurities after being clear.

رماني بأمر لم يبح لي بذكره

رماني بأمر لم يبح لي بذكره

وأقبل بالأعراض عني يعاقب

وأقبل بالأعراض عني يعاقب

He accused me of something he would not disclose to me by name,

He accused me of something he never disclosed to me,

And set about punishing me by turning away.

and began punishing me by turning away from me.

وأصغى إِلى رجم الظنون مصدِّقاً

وأصغى إِلى رجم الظنون مصدِّقاً

ألا إنما تلك الظنون كواذب

ألا إنما تلك الظنون كواذب

He listened, believing, to the accusations born of suspicion—

And he lent a believing ear to the guesswork of suspicion.

But behold: those suspicions were nothing but lies.

Behold, those suspicions are nothing but lies!

وأظهر لي حُسنَ اللقاء تكلفاً

وأظهر لي حُسنَ اللقاء تكلفاً

ومن تحتِ إحسان اللقاء عقارب

ومن تحتِ إحسان اللقاء عقارب

He put on a gracious welcome when he met me,

And he showed me a gracious welcome, all pretense,

While beneath that gracious welcome lurked scorpions.

while beneath that gracious welcome lay scorpions.

وصار يرى بالظن فيّ معايبا

وصار يرى بالظن فيّ معايبا

توهُّمها في ودِّ مثلي معايب

توهُّمها في ودِّ مثلي معايب

Through mere suspicion he began to see faults in me,

He began to see faults in me on mere suspicion;

Taking them for blemishes in the love of one like me.

to imagine them in the love of one like me is itself blameworthy.

ولا عجب إن غيَّر الدهر صاحبا

ولا عجب إن غيَّر الدهر صاحبا

فكلّ تصاريف الزمان عجائب

فكلّ تصاريف الزمان عجائب

No wonder if Time should alter a friend,

It is no wonder if Time changes a friend,

For every turn of Time is a marvel.

for all the turns of time are wonders.

وما كان ذنبي غير أني ذخرته

وما كان ذنبي غير أني ذخرته

لدهري ألا إني إِلى الدهر تائب

لدهري ألا إني إِلى الدهر تائب

My only fault was that I treasured him up

My only fault was that I had kept him in reserve

Against my hard days. Ah, now I repent to Time.

for my days of need—behold, I repent to Time.

سأمنحه هجراً كما هو مشته

سأمنحه هجراً كما هو مشته

فإني فيما يشتهيه لراغب

فإني فيما يشتهيه لراغب

I shall grant him separation, just as he desires,

I shall grant him estrangement, just as he desires,

For I am willing to give him whatever he desires.

for I am indeed eager for what he desires.

ولست على هجرانه الدهَر ناكبا

ولست على هجرانه الدهَر ناكبا

عن الودِّ لكني عن الوصل ناكب

عن الودِّ لكني عن الوصل ناكب

Despite his desertion, never through all time will I turn away

And despite his abandonment, I shall never turn

From love; only from union do I turn away.

from affection; but I do turn away from reunion.

فإني على عتبي عليه لَشيِّقٌ

فإني على عتبي عليه لَشيِّقٌ

وإني على شوقي إليه لعاتب

وإني على شوقي إليه لعاتب

Even as I reproach him, I ache with longing;

For despite my reproach toward him, I am full of longing,

And even as I long for him, I reproach him.

and despite my longing for him, I am full of reproach.

سيعلم والأيام فيها كِفاية

سيعلم والأيام فيها كِفاية

إذا مِلتُ عنه قدر مَن هو ذاهب

إذا مِلتُ عنه قدر مَن هو ذاهب

He will learn—the days themselves are lesson enough—

He will learn—and the days are lesson enough—

When I turn from him, the worth of the one who has gone.

when I turn away from him, the worth of the one who leaves.

وإن هو بعدي جرَّب الناس كلهم

وإن هو بعدي جرَّب الناس كلهم

ليحظى بمثليندّمته التجارب

ليحظى بمثليندّمته التجارب

And if, after me, he tries all humankind

And if, after me, he tests all people

In hopes of finding one like me, experience will make him rue it.

to find someone like me, his trials will make him regret it.