فُؤادي صَبورٌ وَاللِسانُ كَتومُ

فُؤادي صَبورٌ وَاللِسانُ كَتومُ

وَدَمعي بِأَسرارِ الفُؤادِ نَمومُ

وَدَمعي بِأَسرارِ الفُؤادِ نَمومُ

My heart is patient, and my tongue keeps secrets.

My heart is patient, though my tongue is mute,

My heart endures, my tongue guards what I feel,

But my tears betray the heart's secrets.

My tears, with my heart's secrets, freely flow.

But tears betray the secrets I conceal.

إِذا قُلتُ أَفناهُ البُكاءُ تَحَدَّرَت

إِذا قُلتُ أَفناهُ البُكاءُ تَحَدَّرَت

لَهُ عَبَراتٌ تَستَهِلُّ سُجومُ

لَهُ عَبَراتٌ تَستَهِلُّ سُجومُ

Whenever I say, 'Weeping has exhausted it,' there stream down

When I say, weeping has undone me, tears

If I say weeping has drained my eyes dry,

tears for it, welling forth in torrents.

Stream down my cheeks in overwhelming woe.

Fresh torrents pour forth in a swift reply.

فَطَرفي الَّذي قادَ الفُؤادَ إِلى الهَوى

فَطَرفي الَّذي قادَ الفُؤادَ إِلى الهَوى

أَلا إِنَّ طَرفي ما عَلِمتُ مَشومُ

أَلا إِنَّ طَرفي ما عَلِمتُ مَشومُ

So my gaze, which led the heart into passion—

My eye it was that led my heart astray -

It was my glance that led my heart astray,

ah, my gaze, as I have learned, is ill-omened.

Indeed, my eye was blind, I did not know!

A cursed glance that brought an ill-fated day.

دَعاهُ الهَوى فَانقادَ طَوعاً إِلى الهَوى

دَعاهُ الهَوى فَانقادَ طَوعاً إِلى الهَوى

وَداعي الهَوى ظَبيٌ أَغَنَّ رَخيمُ

وَداعي الهَوى ظَبيٌ أَغَنَّ رَخيمُ

Passion called it, and it willingly yielded to passion;

Passion called out, he willingly obeyed,

Passion called out; it yielded to the sway,

and passion's caller is a gazelle, nasal-voiced and mellow.

The herald of desire sang soft and low.

Of a soft-voiced gazelle who led the way.

مُنايَ مِنَ الدُنيا العَريضَةِ خودَةٌ

مُنايَ مِنَ الدُنيا العَريضَةِ خودَةٌ

وَتِلكَ مُناها في الفَضاءِ سُدومُ

وَتِلكَ مُناها في الفَضاءِ سُدومُ

My wish from this vast world is a tender young maiden,

I'm weary of this spacious world - a tent

My sole desire in this vast world is she,

and that maiden's wishes are mists in the open expanse.

Pitched in the void, with pegs not driven home.

While her desires are lost in mystery.

هِيَ الشَمسُ إِشراقاً وَدُرَّةُ غائِصٍ

هِيَ الشَمسُ إِشراقاً وَدُرَّةُ غائِصٍ

وَمِسكَةُ عَطّارٍ تُصانُ وَريمُ

وَمِسكَةُ عَطّارٍ تُصانُ وَريمُ

She is the sun in radiance, and a diver's pearl,

It is the rising sun, a pearl submerged,

She is the sun in radiance, a pearl of the deep,

and a perfumer's guarded musk, and a white gazelle.

Sweet perfume in a vial sealed and stowed.

A perfumer's musk, a gazelle to keep.

حَلَفتُ لَها بِاللَهِ أَنّي أُحِبُّها

حَلَفتُ لَها بِاللَهِ أَنّي أُحِبُّها

وَما كُلُّ حَلّافٍ لَهُنَّ أَثيمُ

وَما كُلُّ حَلّافٍ لَهُنَّ أَثيمُ

I swore to her by God that I love her,

I swore by God I loved her. But what oaths

I swore to her by God my love is true,

and not every man who swears to women is a sinner.

Sworn by the oath-prone are not lies, I trow!

For not every oath sworn to women is untrue.

فَما رَحِمَتني إِذ شَكَوتُ صَبابَتي

فَما رَحِمَتني إِذ شَكَوتُ صَبابَتي

وَلا كانَ في دارِ الحَبيبِ رَحيمُ

وَلا كانَ في دارِ الحَبيبِ رَحيمُ

Yet she did not pity me when I lamented my longing,

She did not pity me, though I complained -

She showed no mercy when I cried my pain,

and there was no merciful soul in the beloved's house.

No pity stirs in that beloved's abode.

Nor in her house did any mercy remain.

سَأَلتُ أَبا عيسى وَأَكمَلَ عاقِلٍ

سَأَلتُ أَبا عيسى وَأَكمَلَ عاقِلٍ

وَلَيسَ سَواءً جاهِلٌ وَعَليمُ

وَلَيسَ سَواءً جاهِلٌ وَعَليمُ

I asked Abu Isa, the most accomplished of wise men,

I asked wise Jesus and the perfect sage -

I asked Abu Isa, wisest of the wise,

and an ignorant man and a learned man are not alike.

Not equal are the wise man and the fool!

For truth is hidden from the ignorant eyes.

فَقُلتُ أَراني لا أَراكَ كَأَنَّني

فَقُلتُ أَراني لا أَراكَ كَأَنَّني

سَليمٌ فَقالَ المُستَهامُ سَليمُ

سَليمٌ فَقالَ المُستَهامُ سَليمُ

I said, 'I find myself—not you—as though I were

I said, "I cannot see you, yet can see -

I said: "I see myself like one by serpents bitten,"

venom-stricken.' He said, 'The love-stricken are venom-stricken.'

As if I, Salim, were both blind and whole."

He answered: "The lovesick are indeed thus smitten."