فُؤادٌ مُلؤُهُ أَلمُ

فُؤادٌ مُلؤُهُ أَلمُ

وَجِسمٌ حَشوهُ سقمُ

وَجِسمٌ حَشوهُ سقمُ

A heart filled with pain,

A heart filled with pain

and a body filled with sickness;

And a body stuffed with illness

وَعَين كُحلَها سَهَرٌ

وَعَين كُحلَها سَهَرٌ

وَطَرف دَمعه ديم

وَطَرف دَمعه ديم

an eye whose kohl is sleeplessness,

And an eye whose kohl is sleeplessness

and an eye whose tears are steady rains;

And a lid whose tear is continual

وَقَلب وَجدُهُ يَزدا

وَقَلب وَجدُهُ يَزدا

دان وَصَلوا وَإِن صَرَموا

دان وَصَلوا وَإِن صَرَموا

a heart whose longing grows,

And a heart whose passion increases

whether they draw near or sever their bond.

Whether they unite or part

وَأَغيد لَحظِهِ يَبلو

وَأَغيد لَحظِهِ يَبلو

سَرائِرُنا وَيَتَهم

سَرائِرُنا وَيَتَهم

And a graceful youth whose glance probes

And a glance that examines

our hidden thoughts and casts suspicion.

Our innermost secrets and conjectures

فَيَنكَشف الضَمير لَهُ

فَيَنكَشف الضَمير لَهُ

وَلَم يَنطُق هُناكَ قُم

وَلَم يَنطُق هُناكَ قُم

So the inner thought is revealed to him,

So the conscience is laid bare to it

though no [mouth] had spoken there.

Yet no word was uttered there

يَجرَحني بِمُقلَتِهِ

يَجرَحني بِمُقلَتِهِ

جِراحاً لَيسَ تَلتَئِمُ

جِراحاً لَيسَ تَلتَئِمُ

He wounds me with his eye,

It wounds me with its eyelash

with wounds that do not heal.

Wounds that do not heal

فَأَقضي بَينَ جُلّاسي

فَأَقضي بَينَ جُلّاسي

وَيَحييني وَما عَلِموا

وَيَحييني وَما عَلِموا

So I perish among my companions,

So I judge between my companions

and he revives me without their knowing.

And it revives me though they know not

قَليل العَدل وَالإِنصا

قَليل العَدل وَالإِنصا

ف وَهُوَ الخَصم وَالحَكَم

ف وَهُوَ الخَصم وَالحَكَم

Scant in justice and fairness,

Little fairness and empathy

though he is both adversary and judge.

It is the adversary and the judge

يُصد في أَعدائي

يُصد في أَعدائي

فَيأَخذُني بِما زَعَموا

فَيأَخذُني بِما زَعَموا

He [believes] my enemies concerning me,

It opposes my enemies

then holds me accountable for what they alleged.

So it takes me for what they claimed

يُعَذِبُني بِلا ذَنب

يُعَذِبُني بِلا ذَنب

وَيَجفوني وَيَنتَقم

وَيَجفوني وَيَنتَقم

He torments me without a sin,

It punishes me without a sin

and shuns me and takes revenge.

And spurns me and takes revenge

وَأَسلاك مِن الشَكوى

وَأَسلاك مِن الشَكوى

وَلَكن دُرَّها كلم

وَلَكن دُرَّها كلم

And strands of complaint,

And I hold back my complaints

whose pearls, however, are words.

But their pearls slip out

أَجمجِمُها وَتَسبُقني

أَجمجِمُها وَتَسبُقني

وَإِنثُرها فَتنَتظِمُ

وَإِنثُرها فَتنَتظِمُ

I mutter them, yet they outrun me;

I stammer them and they outpace me

I scatter them, and they form a string,

And I scatter them and they string together

كَأَدمُع عاشق كَلفٍ

كَأَدمُع عاشق كَلفٍ

يَكفكفها وَتَنسَجم

يَكفكفها وَتَنسَجم

like the tears of a love-stricken lover:

Like the tears of a bashful lover

he wipes them away, yet they stream down.

That he suppresses and they stream

وَنَدمان طَرَدَت نُعا

وَنَدمان طَرَدَت نُعا

سَهُ وَاللَيل يَنَهزم

سَهُ وَاللَيل يَنَهزم

And a drinking companion whose drowsiness I drove away,

And the regret of a drunkard who drove away

while the night was retreating;

His companions, and night recedes

وَجفن غَمامِهِ يَبكي

وَجفن غَمامِهِ يَبكي

وَثَغر البَرق يَبتَسم

وَثَغر البَرق يَبتَسم

the eyelid of its cloud was weeping,

And the clouds' eyelids weep

and lightning's mouth was smiling;

While the lightning's mouth smiles

وَجَيشُ الصُبح يَصدم عَسكَر

وَجَيشُ الصُبح يَصدم عَسكَر

الظُلما وَيَقتَحم

الظُلما وَيَقتَحم

dawn's army was striking the host

And the dawn's army clashes with the troops of darkness

of darkness and storming through.

And charges and penetrates

لَهُ مِن لَو دَمعيَ إِذ

لَهُ مِن لَو دَمعيَ إِذ

بَدا في شَرقِهِ علم

بَدا في شَرقِهِ علم

It had, in the [hue] of my tears, when

It deserves my tears when

it appeared in its east, a banner.

Its banner appeared in its east

بِصافية مُشعشَعة

بِصافية مُشعشَعة

تَصب فَتَتجلى الظُلم

تَصب فَتَتجلى الظُلم

With clear wine diluted with water,

With a radiant purity

poured out so that darkness clears;

That pours and illuminates the gloom

مَدام عَمرت حقباً

مَدام عَمرت حقباً

فَأَبلى جِسمُها القَدَم

فَأَبلى جِسمُها القَدَم

wine that had lived through ages,

As long as it lived eras

so that age wore away its body.

Its body wore out from the passage of time

وَغابَت رَقة حَتّى

وَغابَت رَقة حَتّى

كَأَنَّ وَجودَها عَدَم

كَأَنَّ وَجودَها عَدَم

And it vanished through its fineness, until

And its softness faded until

its existence seemed like nothingness.

Its existence was like nonexistence

فَقُلت إِلّا تَرى هَمي

فَقُلت إِلّا تَرى هَمي

أُدافِعُهُ وَيَزدَحم

أُدافِعُهُ وَيَزدَحم

So I said, “[Do you not] see my sorrow?

So I said unless you see my worry

I fend it off, yet it presses upon me.

I will resist it and it will multiply

إِنكَرى مَعرضاً عَني

إِنكَرى مَعرضاً عَني

وَتُهمِلُني وَتَهتَضم

وَتُهمِلُني وَتَهتَضم

[Do you doze], turning away from me,

If you turn away from me

and neglect me and do me wrong?

And neglect me and shun me

وَلَيسَ لِدَفع هَم النَفس

وَلَيسَ لِدَفع هَم النَفس

إِلّا الراح وَالنَغَم

إِلّا الراح وَالنَغَم

Nothing dispels the soul's sorrow

And there is no dispelling the soul's woe

but wine and melody.

Except with comfort and melody

فَهَل لَكَ في مُساعَدَتي

فَهَل لَكَ في مُساعَدَتي

فود الحرّ يَغتَنم

فود الحرّ يَغتَنم

Will you, then, help me?

So would you help me

For a noble man's friendship is a prize.”

A hot coals picker seizes the opportunity?

فَأطرق رَأسَهُ خَجَلاً

فَأطرق رَأسَهُ خَجَلاً

وَغِنىً وَهُوَ مُحتَشم

وَغِنىً وَهُوَ مُحتَشم

So he lowered his head in shyness,

So he bowed his head shyly

and [sang], bashful as he was:

Rich yet modest

عِتاب لَيسَ يَنصَرم

عِتاب لَيسَ يَنصَرم

وَحُب لَيسَ يَنكَتم

وَحُب لَيسَ يَنكَتم

“Reproach that never ends,

Reproach that does not fade away

and love that cannot be concealed.”

And love that does not conceal

فَأَزكى نار أَشواقي

فَأَزكى نار أَشواقي

وَزاد الوَجد وَالأَلَم

وَزاد الوَجد وَالأَلَم

So he fanned the fire of my longings,

So the purest fire of my longing blazed

and longing and pain grew.

And passion and pain increased

فَقَد أَيقَنتَ إِن الحُ

فَقَد أَيقَنتَ إِن الحُ

ب داء لَيسَ يَنحَسم

ب داء لَيسَ يَنحَسم

For you have become certain that love

For you have realized that love is an illness

is an ailment that cannot be cured.

That does not diminish