سَلُوا عُلَمَاءَ الحُبِّ عَمَّا أُكِنُّهُ

سَلُوا عُلَمَاءَ الحُبِّ عَمَّا أُكِنُّهُ

فَإنِّيَ مِن بُعدِي وقُربيَ في لَبسِ

فَإنِّيَ مِن بُعدِي وقُربيَ في لَبسِ

Ask the sages of love about what I conceal;

Ask the scholars of love, about my secret passion

For my distance and my nearness leave me bewildered.

For I am confused, between my closeness and distance

سَقِيمُ الهَوى بَينَ المخَافَةِ والرَّجا

سَقِيمُ الهَوى بَينَ المخَافَةِ والرَّجا

أرُوحُ إلى رَوضٍ وأغدُو إلى رَمسِ

أرُوحُ إلى رَوضٍ وأغدُو إلى رَمسِ

Sick with love, between fear and hope,

Sick with love, between fear and hope

I go to a garden at evening, and to a grave in the morning.

I wander to a garden, and return to a wasteland

سَبَقَتُ وَلَكِنِّي طَرِيقاًَ للمَحَبَّةِ بَلقَعاً

سَبَقَتُ وَلَكِنِّي طَرِيقاًَ للمَحَبَّةِ بَلقَعاً

وَحِيداً مِنَ الجِنسَينِ ألجِنَّ والإنسِ

وَحِيداً مِنَ الجِنسَينِ ألجِنَّ والإنسِ

I went ahead, yet along a barren path of love,

I raced ahead, yet I'm alone on the path of love

Alone among the two kinds, jinn and humankind.

Apart from both genders, shunning jinn and mankind

سَبَقتُ وَلَكِنِّي حُجِبتُ لِعلَّةٍ

سَبَقتُ وَلَكِنِّي حُجِبتُ لِعلَّةٍ

وَليسَ يُنالُ الفَوزُ بالثَّمَنِ البَخسِ

وَليسَ يُنالُ الفَوزُ بالثَّمَنِ البَخسِ

I went ahead, but was kept behind a veil for a reason;

I raced ahead, yet I'm veiled for a reason

And triumph is not won at a paltry price.

And triumph is not won with a paltry price

سَألتُكَ وَصلاً لَستُ أهلاً لبَذلِهِ

سَألتُكَ وَصلاً لَستُ أهلاً لبَذلِهِ

وَقَد تَطمَعُ الظَّلماءُ فِي وَضَحِ الشَّمسِ

وَقَد تَطمَعُ الظَّلماءُ فِي وَضَحِ الشَّمسِ

I asked you for union, though I am unworthy to be granted it.

I asked you for union, though I'm not worthy of granting it

And the dark night may yearn for the sun's radiance.

Yet the blind may covet the radiance of the sun

سَبيلُ شكاتي فِيكَ غيرُ خَفيَّةٍ

سَبيلُ شكاتي فِيكَ غيرُ خَفيَّةٍ

فَمن أدمُعِي نَقشِي وَمِن وَجنتَي طِرسي

فَمن أدمُعِي نَقشِي وَمِن وَجنتَي طِرسي

The manner of my lament over you is not hidden:

My way of complaining about you is no secret

For my tears form my inscription, and my cheeks my parchment.

So my tears etched my cheeks and my eyelids swelled

سَواءٌ عَلَيَّ النَّومُ واللَّيلُ والأسَىَ

سَواءٌ عَلَيَّ النَّومُ واللَّيلُ والأسَىَ

فأمسِي كما أُضحي وأُضحِي كَما أُمسي

فأمسِي كما أُضحي وأُضحِي كَما أُمسي

Sleep, night, and sorrow are all the same to me;

It’s all the same to me, night, sleep and sorrow

So I pass the evening as I do the morning, and the morning as I do the evening.

I greet the morn as I did eve, and eve as I did morn

سُكَوتِي عَلى النَّومُ واللَّيلُ والأسَىَ

سُكَوتِي عَلى النَّومُ واللَّيلُ والأسَىَ

فَأمسِي كما أُضحي وأُضحِي كَما أُمسي

فَأمسِي كما أُضحي وأُضحِي كَما أُمسي

My silence about sleep, night, and sorrow—

My silence over the night, sleep and sorrow

So I pass the evening as I do the morning, and the morning as I do the evening.

I greet the morn as I did eve, and eve as I did morn

سُكَوتِي عَلى ذُلِّ الحِجابِ تُكلُّمٌ

سُكَوتِي عَلى ذُلِّ الحِجابِ تُكلُّمٌ

إذا نَطقَت حَالِي فَلا صَمتَ للحِسِّ

إذا نَطقَت حَالِي فَلا صَمتَ للحِسِّ

My silence under the humiliation of the veil is speech;

My silence over the veil of separation is speech

When my state speaks, feeling cannot be silent.

When my state speaks, there is no silence in feeling

سَكَبتُ فُؤادِي أدمُعاً وسَفَحتُهُ

سَكَبتُ فُؤادِي أدمُعاً وسَفَحتُهُ

لَعَلَّ غَداً يُعدِي عَلى اليَومٍِ والأمسِ

لَعَلَّ غَداً يُعدِي عَلى اليَومٍِ والأمسِ

I poured my heart out as tears and shed it,

I poured out my heart in tears and flooded it

Perhaps tomorrow will grant me redress against today and yesterday.

Perhaps tomorrow will pass over today and yesterday

سَمَحتُ بِنَفسِي للهَوى واحتسَبتُها

سَمَحتُ بِنَفسِي للهَوى واحتسَبتُها

علَيكَ وَلولا أنتَ لَم أحتَسِب نَفسِي

علَيكَ وَلولا أنتَ لَم أحتَسِب نَفسِي

I gave my soul freely to love and counted it an offering

I indulged my soul in passion and sacrificed it

For your sake; but for you, I would not have offered my soul.

For you—without you I'd not have sacrificed myself