أَمير لجَّ في هَجري

أَمير لجَّ في هَجري

فَعيل هَجره صَبري

فَعيل هَجره صَبري

A prince persists in shunning me;

My beloved turned away in estrangement

his desertion has exhausted my patience.

So I must be patient with his estrangement

مُهَنَد لَحظَهُ يَذري

مُهَنَد لَحظَهُ يَذري

بِها رَوَت وَبِالسحر

بِها رَوَت وَبِالسحر

The Indian blade of his glance puts to shame

His glancing eyes pierce me

Harut and sorcery.

Refreshing me, as if by sorcery

يَسلّ الروح مِن بَدَني

يَسلّ الروح مِن بَدَني

بِعَينيهِ وَلا أَدري

بِعَينيهِ وَلا أَدري

He draws the soul from my body

His eyes draw out my soul from my body

with his eyes, without my knowing.

And I know not why

سَقيم الوَعد وَالعُشّا

سَقيم الوَعد وَالعُشّا

ق وَالأَجفان وَالخصر

ق وَالأَجفان وَالخصر

Frail are his promise and his lovers,

Languid in his promise and passion

his eyelids and his waist.

Are his eyes, his waist, his figure

يَود البَدر لَو يَكسي

يَود البَدر لَو يَكسي

سَناهُ لَيلة البَدر

سَناهُ لَيلة البَدر

The full moon wishes it could be clothed

The full moon wishes it could dress

in his radiance on the night of the full moon.

Its brilliance in his raiment some night

وَيَهوى الوَرد وَجنَتُهُ

وَيَهوى الوَرد وَجنَتُهُ

فَيَهجر شَمهُ هَجري

فَيَهجر شَمهُ هَجري

The rose longs for his cheek,

The rose loves his cheek’s bloom

and he shuns its scent as he shuns me.

So it abandons its own scent in estrangement

وَواشوقي إِلى تَقبي

وَواشوقي إِلى تَقبي

ل مَبسَمِهِ مَع الفَجر

ل مَبسَمِهِ مَع الفَجر

And oh, how I long to kiss

And my craving to kiss his smile

his smiling mouth at dawn!

With the dawn stabs me

وَمَن لي لَو يَجود بِنه

وَمَن لي لَو يَجود بِنه

لة مِن ريقِهِ الخَمري

لة مِن ريقِهِ الخَمري

And if only he would grant me

If only I had someone to give me a draft

a draught of his wine-like saliva,

Of his sweet wine

فَيَطفي بَردَها أَحشا

فَيَطفي بَردَها أَحشا

يَ أَو أَقضي مِن السكر

يَ أَو أَقضي مِن السكر

so its coolness might quench my burning entrails,

To cool my burning thirst

or I might die of intoxication.

Or to free me from intoxication

أَقول لَهُ وَقَد فَضحت

أَقول لَهُ وَقَد فَضحت

سَوابق عبرَتي سَرى

سَوابق عبرَتي سَرى

I say to him, now that

I say to him, though I stand exposed

my first tears have betrayed my secret:

By the tracks of my flowing tears:

أَيا من صيغ مِن ماء

أَيا من صيغ مِن ماء

وَمِن نور وَمِن دُرّ

وَمِن نور وَمِن دُرّ

O you, fashioned from water,

O you who were created from water

from light, and from pearls,

And light and pearls

أَيُحسن مِنكَ أَن يَعزى

أَيُحسن مِنكَ أَن يَعزى

لِقليك قَسوة الصَخر

لِقليك قَسوة الصَخر

is it fitting for you that one should ascribe

Is it fair that a heart of stone

the hardness of stone to your aversion,

Should lie in your gentle breast?

وَأَنتَ أَرَق طَبعاً مِن

وَأَنتَ أَرَق طَبعاً مِن

صَباً مَسكية النَشر

صَباً مَسكية النَشر

when you are gentler in nature than

You are more gentle in nature than

an east wind wafting musk?

A musky eastern breeze

بِحَسبك أَن سَقي

بِحَسبك أَن سَقي

بَعض ما أَشكو مِن الضَر

بَعض ما أَشكو مِن الضَر

Let it suffice you that my sickness

It is enough that you hear

is but part of the suffering I lament.

Some of my complaints and sorrows

وَإِن حَياة نَفسي في

وَإِن حَياة نَفسي في

يَمينك دَعكَ مِن أَمري

يَمينك دَعكَ مِن أَمري

And though my soul's life lies in

Since my soul’s life is in

your right hand, leave my affairs alone.

Your hands, leave be my affairs

وَإِن صرت مِن فَرط ال

وَإِن صرت مِن فَرط ال

ضنا أَخفى مِن الذَر

ضنا أَخفى مِن الذَر

And if I have grown, through excessive

If, from an excess of thinness, I have become

wasting, less visible than motes,

More hidden than an atom

فَلَيسَ بِمَدرَكي بَصَرٌ

فَلَيسَ بِمَدرَكي بَصَرٌ

وَلَستُ أَجول في فكر

وَلَستُ أَجول في فكر

then no eye can perceive me,

Neither sight can perceive me

nor do I pass through any mind.

Nor can I wander in thought

أَتَحسَب أَن قَتل النَفس

أَتَحسَب أَن قَتل النَفس

يابأ مِن الأَجر

يابأ مِن الأَجر

Do you think that killing a soul

Do you think that killing one’s soul

is a path to reward?

Brings safety from punishment?

يَضيق بِمَن قَتَلت غَدا

يَضيق بِمَن قَتَلت غَدا

هَجرك مَوقف الحَشر

هَجرك مَوقف الحَشر

Tomorrow, those you have killed

Will not the place of gathering on the Day of Reckoning be narrow

by your desertion will crowd the gathering-place of resurrection.

For whoever you have killed by your estrangement?

فَمَسَّ بِكَفِهِ صُدري

فَمَسَّ بِكَفِهِ صُدري

لِيُطفئ واقد الجَمر

لِيُطفئ واقد الجَمر

Then he touched my chest with his palm

So he placed his hand upon my breast

to extinguish the blazing embers.

To extinguish the burning embers

فَقُلت لَهُ فَدَيتك زِد

فَقُلت لَهُ فَدَيتك زِد

تَني حرّاً عَلى حر

تَني حرّاً عَلى حر

I said to him: May I be your ransom! You have added

And I said, “I ransom you, increase

heat upon heat to me,

My heat above heat’s degree!

لِأَن النار في قَلبي

لِأَن النار في قَلبي

وَقَلبي لَيسَ في صَدري

وَقَلبي لَيسَ في صَدري

for the fire is in my heart,

For the fire is in my heart

and my heart is not in my chest.

And my heart is not in my breast!”