يَقضي عَلَيَّ تَعَسُفا

يَقضي عَلَيَّ تَعَسُفا

حكَمٌ أَبي أَن يَنصفا

حكَمٌ أَبي أَن يَنصفا

He passes judgment on me unjustly—

Unjustly, he rules against me

a judge who refused to be fair.

A judge unwilling to be fair

يا مَن هَواهُ شَفَني

يا مَن هَواهُ شَفَني

أَنا مَن جَفاكَ عَلى شَفا

أَنا مَن جَفاكَ عَلى شَفا

O you, love for whom has wasted me away,

O you whose love cured me

I stand on the brink through your cruelty.

I'm the one who was unfair to you

قَد مَلَّ جانِبيَ الطَبي

قَد مَلَّ جانِبيَ الطَبي

ب وَما مَلَلت مِن الجَفا

ب وَما مَلَلت مِن الجَفا

The physician has grown weary of tending me,

My physician has grown weary

yet I have not grown weary of cruelty.

Of curing, though I'm not yet cured of being cold

إِن كانَ لا يُرضيكَ بر

إِن كانَ لا يُرضيكَ بر

ئي لا أَلمَّ بِيَ الشِفا

ئي لا أَلمَّ بِيَ الشِفا

If my recovery does not please you,

If my innocence doesn't please you

may healing never come to me.

Healing hasn't found me yet

أَصبَحت فيكَ أَرق مَن

أَصبَحت فيكَ أَرق مَن

نَفس النَسيم وَالطَفا

نَفس النَسيم وَالطَفا

Through you, I have become more delicate than

For you, more restless than

the breeze's breath, and finer still.

A breeze, more gentle than dew

حَتّى لَقَد دَقيت في

حَتّى لَقَد دَقيت في

ك عَن الضنار وَعَن الجَفا

ك عَن الضنار وَعَن الجَفا

till, through you, I have grown too slight

Indeed, I have been stung by you

for wasting [uncertain reading] or cruelty.

By aloofness and coldness too

أَفبعد هَذا غاية

أَفبعد هَذا غاية

إِن كانَ هَذا ما كَفى

إِن كانَ هَذا ما كَفى

Is there any further limit beyond this,

After this, is it enough?

if even this has not sufficed?

If this is all it takes

يا راقد منع المُتيم

يا راقد منع المُتيم

هَجرُهُ أَن يَطرفا

هَجرُهُ أَن يَطرفا

O sleeper, the love-stricken one is kept

O sleeping one, do not forbid

from blinking by your estrangement.

The orphan from glancing your way

لا كانَ دَمعي إِن رَقا

لا كانَ دَمعي إِن رَقا

لا قَرّ طَرفي إِن غَفا

لا قَرّ طَرفي إِن غَفا

May my tears perish if they cease to flow;

Neither my tears falling

may my eye find no rest if it dozes.

Nor my eyes closing, bring me relief

حتامَ تَخفي لي الجَفا

حتامَ تَخفي لي الجَفا

ظُلماً وَتَظهر لي الوَفا

ظُلماً وَتَظهر لي الوَفا

How long will you hide your cruelty from me,

You insist on hiding your coldness

unjustly, and show me fidelity?

And showing undeserved loyalty

وَالحُب اقتل ما يَكو

وَالحُب اقتل ما يَكو

ن إِذا الحَبيب تَعطَفا

ن إِذا الحَبيب تَعطَفا

And love is at its deadliest

And killing all love

when the beloved shows tenderness.

When the beloved is kind

وَالامَ تُبدي لي المَودَ

وَالامَ تُبدي لي المَودَ

ة وَالوَفاءَ تَكَلَفا

ة وَالوَفاءَ تَكَلَفا

And how long will you show me affection

You show me affection

and fidelity, merely feigned?

And pretend loyalty and faith

في كُل عُضو مِنكَ اقرأ

في كُل عُضو مِنكَ اقرأ

ما تَسرّ مِن الصَفا

ما تَسرّ مِن الصَفا

In every limb of yours I read

In every part of you, read

the sincerity you conceal.

Whatever brings you joy

فَيَغيب سُكراً مِن تَأَم

فَيَغيب سُكراً مِن تَأَم

ل بَل يَذوب تَلهفا

ل بَل يَذوب تَلهفا

Then it swoons, drunk with contemplation—

And get drunk on contemplation

nay, it melts with yearning.

Melting away in passion

يا مَن يَلوم أَخا شُجو

يا مَن يَلوم أَخا شُجو

ن لِلنبال اِستَهدَفا

ن لِلنبال اِستَهدَفا

O you who reproach a man of sorrows,

O you who blame a wounded heart

who has made himself a target for arrows:

For aiming arrows your way

خَلِ الفُؤاد وَجفنُهُ

خَلِ الفُؤاد وَجفنُهُ

دَنفاً يُناضل مُدنَفا

دَنفاً يُناضل مُدنَفا

leave the heart and his eyelid be—

With an aching heart and tearful eyes

one stricken combatant dueling with another.

He fights against one healed

يا عاذِلي في غَيرة

يا عاذِلي في غَيرة

أَصبَحَت فيها مُسرِفا

أَصبَحَت فيها مُسرِفا

O you who blame me for jealousy,

O you who rebuke me for jealousy

in which I have grown excessive:

Yet are excessive in your own

إِن الجُنون هُوَ الهَوى

إِن الجُنون هُوَ الهَوى

أَفعاقِلٌ مَن عَنَفا

أَفعاقِلٌ مَن عَنَفا

indeed, madness is love;

Passion itself is madness

is a harsh reproacher, then, sane?

Is the critic rational then?

لَيسَ الغَيور عَلى الجَما

لَيسَ الغَيور عَلى الجَما

ل كَما تَظن مُكلفا

ل كَما تَظن مُكلفا

The one jealous over beauty is not,

The jealous lover is not

as you think, accountable.

As fake as you suppose

وَالحُب يَردي في المَحبة

وَالحُب يَردي في المَحبة

غَيرة وَتَعففا

غَيرة وَتَعففا

And love brings death amid affection,

Love brings jealousy and modesty

through jealousy and chastity.

To affection

إِني لَأَقضي كُلَما

إِني لَأَقضي كُلَما

نَظَروا إِلَيهِ تَأَسَفا

نَظَروا إِلَيهِ تَأَسَفا

Indeed, I perish whenever

Indeed, whenever

they look at him—such is my grief.

They look upon you, I grieve

وَيقلُّ عِندي أَن تَمرّ

وَيقلُّ عِندي أَن تَمرّ

بِهِ العُيون فَأَتلَفا

بِهِ العُيون فَأَتلَفا

And I deem it a small thing that

And it pains me that eyes

eyes pass over him, and so I perish.

Should pass by you, and not be blinded

ما كُنت أَهلاً لِلجَفا

ما كُنت أَهلاً لِلجَفا

لَو أَن دَهري أَنصَفا

لَو أَن دَهري أَنصَفا

I would not have deserved cruelty,

I did not deserve your coldness

had my fate dealt fairly.

If fate had been more just

يا نَفس دونك وَالرَدى

يا نَفس دونك وَالرَدى

وَعَلَيكَ يا دُنيا العَفا

وَعَلَيكَ يا دُنيا العَفا

O soul, take death for yourself;

O soul, you are to blame

and upon you, O world, be dust!

And upon you, O world, is forgiveness