جَوانِحُهُ جَمرٌ وَمَدمَعَهُ سكبُ

جَوانِحُهُ جَمرٌ وَمَدمَعَهُ سكبُ

وَمَطلَبُهُ صَعب وَأَيّامُهُ حَربُ

وَمَطلَبُهُ صَعب وَأَيّامُهُ حَربُ

His ribs are embers, and his eye pours tears;

His vitals are embers, and his tears pour forth,

And his quest is hard, and his days are war.

His quest is difficult, and his days are battles,

وَلا دَهرُهُ يَرثي وَلا أَلفَهُ يَفي

وَلا دَهرُهُ يَرثي وَلا أَلفَهُ يَفي

وَلا دَمعَهُ يَرقى وَلا نارهُ تَخبو

وَلا دَمعَهُ يَرقى وَلا نارهُ تَخبو

And his fate shows no pity, nor does his beloved keep faith;

Neither does time mourn him, nor are friends loyal,

And his tears do not cease, nor does his fire die down.

Neither do tears flow, nor does his fire subside,

فَمِن لِعَليل جَسمَهُ وَفُؤادَهُ

فَمِن لِعَليل جَسمَهُ وَفُؤادَهُ

بِحُكم التَجَني لِلضَنا وَالأَسى نَهب

بِحُكم التَجَني لِلضَنا وَالأَسى نَهب

Who, then, will help a sick man whose body and heart

So who will tend to the illness of his body and heart

are prey to wasting and grief by the decree of injustice?

With the justice of sympathy for grief and sorrow's plunder?

وَمُستَعجم الأَلفاظ مِن خَمرة اللَما

وَمُستَعجم الأَلفاظ مِن خَمرة اللَما

عَلى أَنَّها مِن دونَها اللُؤلؤ الرَطب

عَلى أَنَّها مِن دونَها اللُؤلؤ الرَطب

And his words are slurred by the wine of dark lips,

And the one whose words are intoxicated with the wine

though moist pearls fall short of them.

Of eloquence, as if it were the moistest pearls,

أَغنّ إِذا أَملى الحَديث تَرى الَّذي

أَغنّ إِذا أَملى الحَديث تَرى الَّذي

يُحادثهُ مِن سُكر أَلفاظِهِ يَكبو

يُحادثهُ مِن سُكر أَلفاظِهِ يَكبو

Nasal-voiced, when he delivers his words, you see the one

He sings, and if he speaks you see the one

who speaks with him stumble, drunk on his words.

Conversing with him drunk from the intoxication of his words,

لَهُ سَيف طَرف سحر أَلحاظِهِ لَهُ

لَهُ سَيف طَرف سحر أَلحاظِهِ لَهُ

فَرند تَكل المُرهَفات وَلا يَنبو

فَرند تَكل المُرهَفات وَلا يَنبو

His gaze is a sword; the magic of his glances is its

He has a sword, the magic of his glance's edge, he has

watered sheen: keen blades grow blunt, but it never misses.

A ponytail that entices and does not announce,

إِذا عَطَّفتُهُ رَحمة لِمُحبِهِ

إِذا عَطَّفتُهُ رَحمة لِمُحبِهِ

ثَنَت قَلبُهُ عَنهُ المَلالة وَالعَجَب

ثَنَت قَلبُهُ عَنهُ المَلالة وَالعَجَب

If I move him to pity for his lover,

If I show him mercy due to loving him

weariness and conceit turn his heart away from him.

His heart turns away from boredom and wonder,

وَيَجني فَأَمحو بِاِعتِذاري ذُنوبَهُ

وَيَجني فَأَمحو بِاِعتِذاري ذُنوبَهُ

فَلا يَنقَضي عُذري وَلا يَنقَضي العَتَب

فَلا يَنقَضي عُذري وَلا يَنقَضي العَتَب

And he does wrong, so with my apologies I erase his sins;

And I reap, so I erase his sins with my apology

so my apologies never end, nor does the reproach.

So my excuse does not end, nor does reproach end,

وَكُلُ عَذاب يَرتَضيهِ عُقوبَةً

وَكُلُ عَذاب يَرتَضيهِ عُقوبَةً

لِنَفسي سِوى الأَعراض يَحمِلهُ القَلب

لِنَفسي سِوى الأَعراض يَحمِلهُ القَلب

And every torment he chooses as punishment

And any torment he accepts as punishment

for my soul, the heart endures—except rejection.

For myself other than dignity bears the heart,

يَقول وَقَد أَفنى دَمي بَعدَ عِبرَتي

يَقول وَقَد أَفنى دَمي بَعدَ عِبرَتي

بَكايَ فَلا شَيءٌ يَجود بِهِ الغَرب

بَكايَ فَلا شَيءٌ يَجود بِهِ الغَرب

He says—my blood, after my tears, now exhausted

He says, and after my crying he has spent his blood,

by my weeping, with nothing left for the eye's bucket to give—

There is nothing left in the west to give,

أَما لَكَ قَلب يا فَتى فَتُذيبُهُ

أَما لَكَ قَلب يا فَتى فَتُذيبُهُ

وَتَسفحهُ دَمعاً لِيَرضى بِهِ الحُب

وَتَسفحهُ دَمعاً لِيَرضى بِهِ الحُب

'Have you no heart, young man, to melt

Do you not have a heart, oh youth, to melt

and pour out as tears, so love may be pleased with it?

And pour forth tears to please love?

فَلَيسَ يُدين الحُب أَن يَصحَب الَّذي

فَلَيسَ يُدين الحُب أَن يَصحَب الَّذي

تُصاحِبُهُ الأَشواق قَلب وَلا لُب

تُصاحِبُهُ الأَشواق قَلب وَلا لُب

For love does not permit the one

Love cannot be tied to one whose longing

whom longings attend to keep either heart or mind.

Is not accompanied by a heart and mind,

وَما الحُب إِلّا إِن تَسيل مَدامع

وَما الحُب إِلّا إِن تَسيل مَدامع

تَفيض دَماً صَرفاً فَتَفتَضح السُحب

تَفيض دَماً صَرفاً فَتَفتَضح السُحب

And love is nothing unless tearful eyes stream,

And what is love if tears do not flow

pouring pure blood, so the clouds are put to shame.'

Pouring pure blood, exposing the clouds?

فَقُلت لَهُ تَفديكَ نَفسي مِن الرَدى

فَقُلت لَهُ تَفديكَ نَفسي مِن الرَدى

وَلَيسَ مِن الإِنصاف أَن يَقتُل الصَب

وَلَيسَ مِن الإِنصاف أَن يَقتُل الصَب

Then I said to him, 'May my soul ransom you from death;

So I said to him, my soul redeems you from evil,

and it is not just to kill the lovesick.

And it is not justice for the youth to be killed,

لَقَد طالَما ذَرَيت دَمعي وَطالَما

لَقَد طالَما ذَرَيت دَمعي وَطالَما

بَكَيت دَماً حَتّى إِرتَوى مِن دَمي التُرب

بَكَيت دَماً حَتّى إِرتَوى مِن دَمي التُرب

Long indeed have I scattered my tears, and long

I have long shed my tears and long cried

have I wept blood, until the dust drank its fill of my blood.

Blood until the soil was watered by my blood,

وَلَو كانَ قَلبي باقياً لَأَذَبتُهُ

وَلَو كانَ قَلبي باقياً لَأَذَبتُهُ

وَلَكِنَهُ أَودى بِهِ الشَوق وَالكَرب

وَلَكِنَهُ أَودى بِهِ الشَوق وَالكَرب

And if my heart still remained, I would melt it,

If my heart remained I would melt it

but longing and anguish have destroyed it.

But longing and hardship have destroyed it,

فَمَن لي بِقَلب يَشتَفي بِعَذابِهِ

فَمَن لي بِقَلب يَشتَفي بِعَذابِهِ

مُعذِبُهُ مِنهُ وَإِن لَم يَكُن ذَنب

مُعذِبُهُ مِنهُ وَإِن لَم يَكُن ذَنب

Who, then, can give me a heart through whose torment

So who can I find with a heart that heals its tormentor

its tormentor may sate his vengeance on it, even if there is no sin?

With its torment, even if there was no crime?

تَداوَيت مِما بي بِكُل مُجَرب

تَداوَيت مِما بي بِكُل مُجَرب

صَحيح أَفادَتهُ الأَطباءُ وَالكُتب

صَحيح أَفادَتهُ الأَطباءُ وَالكُتب

I treated my ailment with every tested

I have treated myself from what ails me with every remedy

and sound remedy supplied by physicians and books;

That benefited doctors and books,

فَما إِزدَدت إِلّا علة وَصبابَةً

فَما إِزدَدت إِلّا علة وَصبابَةً

وَلَم تَنقض البَلوى وَما نَفَع الطب

وَلَم تَنقض البَلوى وَما نَفَع الطب

so I gained nothing but sickness and ardent longing.

But I have only increased in illness and confusion,

And the affliction did not end, nor did medicine help.

And troubles have not ceased, nor has medicine helped,

فَأَيقَنت إِن الحُب لَيسَ لَهُ دَوا

فَأَيقَنت إِن الحُب لَيسَ لَهُ دَوا

عَلى أَنَّهُ قَد يَنفَع المدنف القُرب

عَلى أَنَّهُ قَد يَنفَع المدنف القُرب

So I knew for certain that love has no cure,

So I realized that love has no cure,

though nearness may help the gravely ill.'

Even though intimacy may benefit the lovesick.