لَقَد كُنتُ وَما في النا

لَقَد كُنتُ وَما في النا

سِ مِنّي لِلهَوى أَستَر

سِ مِنّي لِلهَوى أَستَر

Once, indeed, among the people

I was not inclined to passion before

I was—and none among the throng

none concealed passion more than I.

Nor content with less than my fill of play and jest

Was more discreet with love than I;

وَلا أَقنَعُ بِالدونِ

وَلا أَقنَعُ بِالدونِ

عَلى اللَهوِ وَلا أَصبِر

عَلى اللَهوِ وَلا أَصبِر

Nor do I settle for less

But when they revealed my secret

Refusing baseness in delight,

in pleasure, nor can I hold back.

Long hidden though it was

And unable to endure the wait.

فَلَمّا أَظهَروا أَمري

فَلَمّا أَظهَروا أَمري

وَقَدماً كانَ لا يَظهَر

وَقَدماً كانَ لا يَظهَر

So when they revealed my affair,

And blamed me for it, from first to last

But when they brought my case to light,

though before it had stayed hidden,

I took courage and openly declared

Which formerly had been unshown,

وَأَغروا بي تَأنيباً

وَأَغروا بي تَأنيباً

مِنَ المُقبِلِ وَالمُدبِر

مِنَ المُقبِلِ وَالمُدبِر

and stirred up reproach against me

My passion - no, by God! -

And stirred up censure against me

from those coming and those going,

I did not, no! hold back

From those who come and those who go,

تَجاسَرتُ فَأَقدَمتُ

تَجاسَرتُ فَأَقدَمتُ

عَلى كَشفِ الهَوى المُضمَر

عَلى كَشفِ الهَوى المُضمَر

I grew bold, and so I ventured

What I hid is now spread far and wide

I gathered courage and stepped forth

to unveil the hidden passion.

And what I feared has come to pass

To uncover love that lay concealed.

وَلا وَاللَهِ لا وَاللَ

وَلا وَاللَهِ لا وَاللَ

هِ لا وَاللَهِ لا أَقصِر

هِ لا وَاللَهِ لا أَقصِر

And no, by God! No, by God!

No, by God! No, by God!

No, by God, I will not desist.

No, by God, I will not yield!

وَقَد شاعَ الَّذي أُخفي

وَقَد شاعَ الَّذي أُخفي

وَقَد كانَ الَّذي أَحذَر

وَقَد كانَ الَّذي أَحذَر

And what I hide has become widely known,

For what I hid has spread abroad,

and what I fear has come to pass.

And what I feared has come to pass.