وِدادي صَحيحٌ لَم تَشُنهُ النَقائصُ

وِدادي صَحيحٌ لَم تَشُنهُ النَقائصُ

وَحَظّي عَلى فَرطِ المَحَبَّةِ ناقِصُ

وَحَظّي عَلى فَرطِ المَحَبَّةِ ناقِصُ

My love is true, unmarred by flaws,

My love is true; no flaws have marred it.

yet for all my boundless love, my fortune falls short.

Yet my lot, despite my abundant love, is scant.

وَلَو رامَ عَذلي من يُريني نَصيحَةً

وَلَو رامَ عَذلي من يُريني نَصيحَةً

رَدَدتُ عذولي وَهوَ خزيانُ ناكِصُ

رَدَدتُ عذولي وَهوَ خزيانُ ناكِصُ

Even if one who offered me counsel sought to reproach me,

And if one offering me counsel sought to reproach me,

I would turn my reproacher back, disgraced and retreating.

I would turn my reproacher back, ashamed and retreating.

وَعلّقتُه تركي أَصلٍ وَمُقلَةٍ

وَعلّقتُه تركي أَصلٍ وَمُقلَةٍ

لَهُ نَسَبٌ في آلِ خاقان خالِصُ

لَهُ نَسَبٌ في آلِ خاقان خالِصُ

I fell for him—a Turk in lineage and in the cast of his eyes,

And I fell in love with him, Turkish in lineage and eyes;

of pure descent from the house of the Khagan.

His lineage in the house of Khaqan is pure.

رَبا وَهوَ ظَبيٌ بَينَ أُسدٍ وَغِزلةٍ

رَبا وَهوَ ظَبيٌ بَينَ أُسدٍ وَغِزلةٍ

قسيُّ فَؤادٍ نافرُ الطَبعِ نائِصُ

قسيُّ فَؤادٍ نافرُ الطَبعِ نائِصُ

He grew up a gazelle among lions and gazelles,

He grew up, a gazelle among lions and gazelles,

hard of heart, wild by nature, ever elusive.

Hard of heart, skittish by nature, given to flight.

وَعَهدي بِغزلانِ الفَلا يَقنِصونها

وَعَهدي بِغزلانِ الفَلا يَقنِصونها

وَهَذا غَزالٌ لِلضَراغيمِ قانِصُ

وَهَذا غَزالٌ لِلضَراغيمِ قانِصُ

I had known the gazelles of the wilderness to be hunted,

And I have known the gazelles of the wilderness to be hunted,

but this is a gazelle who hunts the lions.

Yet this gazelle is a hunter of fierce lions.

خَصائصُ حُسنٍ زَيَّنتها صِفاتُهُ

خَصائصُ حُسنٍ زَيَّنتها صِفاتُهُ

وَغَيرُ حَبيبي زََيَّنتهُ الخَصائِصُ

وَغَيرُ حَبيبي زََيَّنتهُ الخَصائِصُ

Rare beauties are adorned by his qualities,

His qualities adorned beauty's distinctive graces;

while anyone but my beloved is adorned by such beauties.

While those graces adorned others, not my beloved.

مُحجَّبُ حُسنٍ لا يَزال يَصونُه

مُحجَّبُ حُسنٍ لا يَزال يَصونُه

رَقيبٌ عَلى حِفظٍ لَهُ الدَهر حارِصُ

رَقيبٌ عَلى حِفظٍ لَهُ الدَهر حارِصُ

His is a veiled beauty, forever guarded

His beauty is veiled; he is ceaselessly protected

by a watchman whom fate keeps intent on preserving it.

By a watcher, forever intent on guarding him.

فَلا وَصلَ إِلا بِاختِلاسَةِ ناظِرٍ

فَلا وَصلَ إِلا بِاختِلاسَةِ ناظِرٍ

إِلَيهِ لَهُ طَرفٌ إِذا لاحَ شاخِصُ

إِلَيهِ لَهُ طَرفٌ إِذا لاحَ شاخِصُ

There can be no union save by stealing a glance—

So no union is possible except through a beholder's stolen glance

the beholder’s eye fixed upon him whenever he appears.

Toward him, with a gaze fixed on him whenever he appears.

وَها هُوَ ذا عَن طَرفِيَ الشَهرَ غائِبٌ

وَها هُوَ ذا عَن طَرفِيَ الشَهرَ غائِبٌ

وَها أَنا ذا عَن حَتفيَ اليَومَ فاحِصُ

وَها أَنا ذا عَن حَتفيَ اليَومَ فاحِصُ

And here he is, absent from my sight for a month;

And here he is, absent from my sight this month,

and here am I today, searching out my death.

And here I am, searching for my death today.

فَقَلبيَ في نارٍ مِن الوَجدِ خالِدٌ

فَقَلبيَ في نارٍ مِن الوَجدِ خالِدٌ

وَطَرفيَ في بَحرٍ مِن الدَمعِ غائِصُ

وَطَرفيَ في بَحرٍ مِن الدَمعِ غائِصُ

My heart abides in a fire of longing,

So my heart abides forever in a fire of longing,

and my eye dives into a sea of tears.

And my eye is submerged in a sea of tears.