يا بَخيلاً حَتّى بِرَجعِ سَلامٍ

يا بَخيلاً حَتّى بِرَجعِ سَلامٍ

زارَني مِن خَيالِكَ الصبح طَيفُ

زارَني مِن خَيالِكَ الصبح طَيفُ

O you who are miserly even in returning a greeting!

O miser, even with returning greetings

At dawn, a phantom of your image visited me.

An apparition of you visited me at dawn

حينَ وافى يشُقُّ جُنحَ الدَياجي

حينَ وافى يشُقُّ جُنحَ الدَياجي

قُلتُ أَهلاً بِزائِرٍ هُوَ ضَيفُ

قُلتُ أَهلاً بِزائِرٍ هُوَ ضَيفُ

When he arrived, cleaving the wing of darkness,

When it came rending the wings of darkness

I said, “Welcome to a visitor who is a guest!”

I said, welcome O guest, though but a specter

كُلَما رُمتُ قُربَهُ قَد تَناءى

كُلَما رُمتُ قُربَهُ قَد تَناءى

وَاحتفاءً بِهِ بَدا مِنهُ حَيفُ

وَاحتفاءً بِهِ بَدا مِنهُ حَيفُ

Whenever I sought nearness to him, he drew far away;

Whenever I drew near, it shrank away

and in return for my warm welcome, he showed me injustice.

And to receive it, from it wafted a scent

قُلت كَيفَ الخَلاصُ مِن حُبِّ ريمٍ

قُلت كَيفَ الخَلاصُ مِن حُبِّ ريمٍ

قَد سَباني وَلَيس يَنفَعُ كَيفُ

قَد سَباني وَلَيس يَنفَعُ كَيفُ

I asked: how can I escape love for a gazelle

I said, how escape love of a fawn

who has taken me captive? Yet asking “how” is no help.

Who has enchanted me, and nothing avails

بِقَوامٍ قَد هُزَّ لي مِنهُ رُمحٌ

بِقَوامٍ قَد هُزَّ لي مِنهُ رُمحٌ

وَبِطَرفٍ قَد سُلَّ لي مِنهُ سَيفُ

وَبِطَرفٍ قَد سُلَّ لي مِنهُ سَيفُ

With a figure from which a spear was brandished at me,

With a figure that has hurled at me a lance

and a glance from which a sword was unsheathed against me.

And a glance that has unsheathed against me a sword

فَدُموعٌ تهمي وَحَرُّ لَهيب

فَدُموعٌ تهمي وَحَرُّ لَهيب

فَبِعيني مشتى وَبِالقَلبِ صَيفُ

فَبِعيني مشتى وَبِالقَلبِ صَيفُ

So tears pour down, and a flame burns hot;

So tears flow and the heat of flames

thus winter dwells in my eye, and summer in my heart.

My eyes are awash, my heart but embers

كانَ زَرعي ودادُه أَرتَجيهِ

كانَ زَرعي ودادُه أَرتَجيهِ

فَإِذا الزَرعُ جاءهُ مِنهُ هَيفُ

فَإِذا الزَرعُ جاءهُ مِنهُ هَيفُ

His affection was the crop I hoped for;

My crop was his love I hoped to reap

then, behold, a scorching wind from him struck the crop.

But when the crop came, from it blew a gust

وَأَراهُ فَزِدتُ فيهِ وِداداً

وَأَراهُ فَزِدتُ فيهِ وِداداً

وَيَراني فَزادَني مِنهُ عَيفُ

وَيَراني فَزادَني مِنهُ عَيفُ

I see him and grow fonder of him;

I saw him and my love for him grew

he sees me, and his aversion to me grows.

He saw me and against me wafted disdain

قسماً بِالمَقامِ وَالرُكنِ وَالبيت

قسماً بِالمَقامِ وَالرُكنِ وَالبيت

وَما ضَمَّهُ الآلُ وَخَيفُ

وَما ضَمَّهُ الآلُ وَخَيفُ

I swear by the Station, the Corner, and the House,

I swear by the Place, the Black Stone and the House

and all that al-Āl and Khayf embrace:

And whom it encompasses, protector and protected

إِنَّ حُبّي لخالصٌ ذو صَفاءٍ

إِنَّ حُبّي لخالصٌ ذو صَفاءٍ

وَمحباتُ ذا الوَرى الكلِّ زيفُ

وَمحباتُ ذا الوَرى الكلِّ زيفُ

indeed, my love is unalloyed and pure,

That my love is sincere, of limpid quintessence

while the loves of all these people are counterfeit.

While the loves of the folk of this world are naught but tinsel