أَيا مَن سارَ مُنطَلِقا

أَيا مَن سارَ مُنطَلِقا

وَزَوَّدَ مُقلَتي الأَرَقا

وَزَوَّدَ مُقلَتي الأَرَقا

O you who went off on your way,

O you who journeyed forth

O you who journeyed, setting forth,

and provisioned my eye with sleeplessness,

And saddled my sleepless nights

And stocked my eyes with wakefulness,

سَقاكَ اللَهُ وَالأُفُقَ ال

سَقاكَ اللَهُ وَالأُفُقَ ال

لَذي يَمَّمتَهُ أُفُقا

لَذي يَمَّمتَهُ أُفُقا

may God water you and the horizon—

May God quench your thirst

May Allah water you, and the horizon

that horizon toward which you set your course.

And lead you to the horizons you sought

Toward which you turned your face,

لَئِن أَشعَرتَني حُبّاً

لَئِن أَشعَرتَني حُبّاً

لَقَد أَشعَرتَني فَرَقا

لَقَد أَشعَرتَني فَرَقا

If you have made me feel love,

If you made me feel love

If you have made me know love,

you have certainly made me feel fear.

You made me feel separation more

You have surely made me know fear.

فَما لي عِندَكُم سَمِجاً

فَما لي عِندَكُم سَمِجاً

وَعِندَ سِواكُمُ لَبِقا

وَعِندَ سِواكُمُ لَبِقا

Why, then, am I unappealing to you,

I have no charm around you

Why do I seem repulsive in your sight,

yet charming to others?

Or grace except in your company

When to all others I appear refined?

كَأَنَّكَ خَيرُ مَعشوقٍ

كَأَنَّكَ خَيرُ مَعشوقٍ

يَراني شَرَّ مَن عَشِقا

يَراني شَرَّ مَن عَشِقا

As though you were the finest beloved,

It's as if you're the best beloved

As if you are the finest of all beloveds,

who sees me as the worst of lovers.

Who sees me as the worst lover

Who deems me the wretchedest of lovers.

سَلَبتَ الظَبيَ مُقلَتَهُ

سَلَبتَ الظَبيَ مُقلَتَهُ

وَلَم تَترُك لَهُ العُنُقا

وَلَم تَترُك لَهُ العُنُقا

You robbed the gazelle of its eye,

You robbed the gazelle of its glance

You plundered the gazelle of its dark gaze,

and did not leave it its neck.

And left it nothing but the neck

And left it not its slender neck.

وَقالوا مَن عَشِقتَ فَقُل

وَقالوا مَن عَشِقتَ فَقُل

تُ خَيرُ وَشَرُّ مَن عُشِقا

تُ خَيرُ وَشَرُّ مَن عُشِقا

And they asked, "Whom did you love?" I said:

And when asked who you loved, you said

They asked, "Who is it you adore?" I said:

"The best and the worst of all who were loved."

The best and worst of those who loved

"The best and worst of all who are loved;"

فَخَيرُهُمُ مَعاً خُلُقاً

فَخَيرُهُمُ مَعاً خُلُقاً

وَشَرُّهُمُ مَعاً خُلُقا

وَشَرُّهُمُ مَعاً خُلُقا

The best of them all in outward form,

The best of them in character

The best of them all in beauty of form,

and the worst of them all in character.

The worst of them in character

And the worst of them all in temper of heart.

تُغَمِّسُ في العَبيرِ قَمي

تُغَمِّسُ في العَبيرِ قَمي

صَها حَتّى شَكا الغَرَقا

صَها حَتّى شَكا الغَرَقا

She dips her shirt in perfume,

You dip your perfect body in perfume

She steeps her shift in ambergris and scent,

until it complains of drowning.

Until it almost drowned

Until the fabric cries out that it drowns,

وَسالَت مِن عَقيصَتِها

وَسالَت مِن عَقيصَتِها

سَلاسِلُ كُسِّرَت حَلَقا

سَلاسِلُ كُسِّرَت حَلَقا

And from her braid streamed

And chains slipped from her throat

And from her plaited locks flow down

chains broken into rings,

Onto skin like pearls when they sweat

Chains shattered into rippling rings,

عَلى بَشَرٍ كَأَنَّ الدُر

عَلى بَشَرٍ كَأَنَّ الدُر

رَ يَعلوهُ إِذا عَرِقا

رَ يَعلوهُ إِذا عَرِقا

over skin—as though pearls

So if you saw her, you'd fall

Upon a skin where pearls seem

cover it whenever it sweats.

At her door, struck down

To rise upon the surface when she sweats.

فَلَو أَبصَرتَها لَخَرَر

فَلَو أَبصَرتَها لَخَرَر

تَ عِندَ دُنُوِّها صَعِقا

تَ عِندَ دُنُوِّها صَعِقا

Had you seen her, you would have fallen

Were you to see her, you would surely fall

struck senseless at her approach.

Thunderstruck, the moment she drew near.