يا مَن لِعَينٍ سَرِبَه

يا مَن لِعَينٍ سَرِبَه

تَفعَلُ فِعلَ الطَرِبَه

تَفعَلُ فِعلَ الطَرِبَه

O who will aid a tear-streaming eye,

O he whose eyes have caused mischief,

Oh, who will tend to a streaming eye,

That behaves like a woman in rapture?

Acting like one intoxicated,

Behaving like a woman enraptured,

وَمَن لِنَفسٍ في الهَوى

وَمَن لِنَفسٍ في الهَوى

تَدورُ دَورَ العَرَبَه

تَدورُ دَورَ العَرَبَه

And who will aid a soul in love,

And he whose soul is infatuated with love,

And who will tend to a soul in love,

That turns like a cart?

Spinning like a whirlwind,

Spinning round like a wagon wheel,

أَنحَلَني الحُبُّ فَأَصـ

أَنحَلَني الحُبُّ فَأَصـ

ـبَحتُ شَبيهَ القَصَبَه

ـبَحتُ شَبيهَ القَصَبَه

Love made me thin, so I be-

Love has undone me, so I have become

Love has wasted me away until I became

-came like a reed.

Like a pliant reed,

The very likeness of a hollow reed,

لا خَيرَ في الصَبِّ إِذا

لا خَيرَ في الصَبِّ إِذا

كانَ غَليظَ الرَقَبَه

كانَ غَليظَ الرَقَبَه

There is no good in a lovesick man if

No good is in youth when

There is no good in a lover if

He is thick-necked.

His neck is stubborn,

He possesses a thick neck,

أَحبَبتُ ريماً غَنِجاً

أَحبَبتُ ريماً غَنِجاً

ذا وَجنَةٍ مُذَهَّبَه

ذا وَجنَةٍ مُذَهَّبَه

I loved a coquettish white gazelle,

I loved a charming gazelle

I fell in love with a coquettish gazelle,

With a gilded cheek.

With a gilded neck,

Possessor of a gilded cheek,

فَلَستُ أَنسى قَولَهُ

فَلَستُ أَنسى قَولَهُ

مِن غَمزِ كَفّي يا أَبَه

مِن غَمزِ كَفّي يا أَبَه

So I cannot forget his words

I cannot forget his words

I shall not forget his saying

At my hand's pinch: 'O father!'

From a wink of his eyelids, O my father,

From the squeeze of my hand: "Oh, Daddy!"

داحَةُ يا نَفسي الفِدى

داحَةُ يا نَفسي الفِدى

وَيا غَزالَ الكَتَبَه

وَيا غَزالَ الكَتَبَه

O Daha, my soul be your ransom,

Yearning, O my soul ransomed

"A delight!"—may my soul be his ransom—

And O gazelle of the scribes!

And O gazelle of poems,

"And oh, you gazelle of the scribes,"

تَرَكتَني مُشتَهِراً

تَرَكتَني مُشتَهِراً

أَشهَرَ مِن مُخشَلَبَه

أَشهَرَ مِن مُخشَلَبَه

You have left me famous,

You left me notorious

You have left me famously exposed,

More famous than Mukhshalaba.

More notorious than someone with slit nostrils

More famous than a public spectacle,

فَلَيسَ حَظّي قَبلَهُ

فَلَيسَ حَظّي قَبلَهُ

مِنكَ شِراءٌ أَو هِبَه

مِنكَ شِراءٌ أَو هِبَه

So no kiss is my lot

So my share from you before was not

My fortune, regarding him, was not

From you, whether bought or given.

A purchase or a gift,

From you, a purchase or a gift,

وَلائِمٍ قُلتُ لَهُ

وَلائِمٍ قُلتُ لَهُ

لا تُكثِرَنَّ الجَلَبَه

لا تُكثِرَنَّ الجَلَبَه

And to a reproacher I said:

I said to one blaming me

And to a blamer, I said to him,

'Do not make such a clamor.

Do not increase the pulling,

"Do not increase the clamor,"

إِنَّ الَّذي أَحبَبتُهُ

إِنَّ الَّذي أَحبَبتُهُ

لَهُ بِحُبّي الغَلَبَه

لَهُ بِحُبّي الغَلَبَه

Indeed, the one I have loved

Indeed the one I loved

"For indeed, the one whom I loved,"

Has the upper hand through my love.'

Has with my love overcome me.

"Holds the victory through my love."