مَلَأتِ قَلبي نُدوبا

مَلَأتِ قَلبي نُدوبا

فَصِرتُ صَبّاً كَئيبا

فَصِرتُ صَبّاً كَئيبا

You filled my heart with scars,

You have filled my heart with wounds

You have filled my heart with scars,

so I became lovesick and sorrowful.

So I've become a gloomy youth

So I became a yearning, melancholic lover.

عَلَّمتِ دَمعِيَ سَكباً

عَلَّمتِ دَمعِيَ سَكباً

وَمُقلَتَيَّ نَحيبا

وَمُقلَتَيَّ نَحيبا

You taught my tears to flow,

You taught my tears to pour

You taught my tears to pour forth,

and my eyes to sob.

And my eyelids to weep

And schooled my eyes in wailing.

ما مَسَّكِ الطيبُ إِلّا

ما مَسَّكِ الطيبُ إِلّا

أَهدَيتِ لِلطيبِ طيبا

أَهدَيتِ لِلطيبِ طيبا

Perfume never touched you without

Nothing touched you but goodness

Perfume has never touched you, save that

your giving fragrance to perfume.

Yet to goodness you gave only good

You gifted the perfume a scent more sweet.

عَدَدتِ أَحسَنَ ما فيـ

عَدَدتِ أَحسَنَ ما فيـ

نيَ يا ظَلومُ ذُنوبا

نيَ يا ظَلومُ ذُنوبا

You counted the best of what is in

You counted the best in me

You counted the very best virtues within me,

me, O cruel one, as sins.

O unjust one, as faults

O tyrant, as though they were sins.

أَقَمتِ دَمعي عَلى ما

أَقَمتِ دَمعي عَلى ما

يَطوي الضَميرُ رَقيبا

يَطوي الضَميرُ رَقيبا

You stationed my tears over what

You made my tears last over what

You set my tears as a watchman over

the inner self conceals, as a watchman.

My conscience hides, a watcher

The secrets my conscience conceals.

وَتَضحَكينَ فَأَبكي

وَتَضحَكينَ فَأَبكي

طَلاقَةً وَقُطوبا

طَلاقَةً وَقُطوبا

And you laugh, so I weep—

You laugh, so I cry

You laugh while I am weeping—

you cheerful, and I frowning.

Eloquently and sullenly

You in radiance, and I in gloom.

أَلقَيتِ ما بَينَ طَرفي

أَلقَيتِ ما بَينَ طَرفي

وَبَينَ قَلبي حُروبا

وَبَينَ قَلبي حُروبا

You cast, between my gaze

You cast between my eyes

You have cast between my glance

and my heart, wars.

And my heart wars

And my heart, a state of war.

بَينَ الجَوانِحِ نارٌ

بَينَ الجَوانِحِ نارٌ

تَدعو الغَزالَ الرَبيبا

تَدعو الغَزالَ الرَبيبا

Between my ribs is a fire

Between my sides a fire

Between my ribs burns a fire,

calling to the hand-reared gazelle.

That calls the tender gazelle

Calling out to the pampered gazelle.

فَلا يَرُدُّ جَوابي

فَلا يَرُدُّ جَوابي

وَلا يَحُلُّ قَريبا

وَلا يَحُلُّ قَريبا

Yet it sends me no reply,

So my answer doesn't come back

But she returns no answer to me,

nor does it settle nearby.

Nor does a kinsman solve

Nor does she settle anywhere near.

جِنانُ يا نورَ عَيني

جِنانُ يا نورَ عَيني

نَهَكتِ جِسمي خُطوبا

نَهَكتِ جِسمي خُطوبا

Jinan, O light of my eye,

O light of my eye, Jinnan

Jinan, O light of my eyes,

you have worn my body out with calamities.

You have worn out my body with sorrows

You have worn down my body with trials.

إِن غِبتِ عَنّي فَقَلبي

إِن غِبتِ عَنّي فَقَلبي

يَوَدُّ أَلّا يَغيبا

يَوَدُّ أَلّا يَغيبا

If you are absent from me, my heart

If you are absent from me

If you are absent from me, my heart

longs not to be absent.

My heart wishes it would not be absent

Yearns never to be absent.