ما كُنتُ أَعهد ما بِالعَبدِ مِن أَسَف

ما كُنتُ أَعهد ما بِالعَبدِ مِن أَسَف

وَلا أَعي فيهِ حالا كانَ قَبل خَفي

وَلا أَعي فيهِ حالا كانَ قَبل خَفي

I had never known the grief within the servant,

I did not expect such passion from a slave,

Nor understood in him a state previously hidden,

Nor did I know of a state he had before being tamed.

حَتّى تَقَلَّبت في أَحصاب حَرقَتِهِ

حَتّى تَقَلَّبت في أَحصاب حَرقَتِهِ

وَصِرتُ مِمّا ألاقى عاذِرا سلفى

وَصِرتُ مِمّا ألاقى عاذِرا سلفى

Until I tossed among the stones of his burning anguish,

Until I tossed in the embers of his burning,

And my own suffering made me excuse those before me.

And I became, because of what I encountered, excusing my past.

لا غرو اِن الصِبا يَأتي بِنَفحَتِكُم

لا غرو اِن الصِبا يَأتي بِنَفحَتِكُم

وَكُلَّما مراغدو بِالغَرامِ هفى

وَكُلَّما مراغدو بِالغَرامِ هفى

No wonder if the east wind brings your fragrance,

No wonder the youth comes with your blow,

And whenever it passes, I grow faint with passion.

And whenever the tender ones swoon with love, they sigh.

وَلَم أَنَل مِن نَسيم الصُبحِ لي أَربا

وَلَم أَنَل مِن نَسيم الصُبحِ لي أَربا

يَشفى فُؤادي مِن التَسهيدِ وَالشَغف

يَشفى فُؤادي مِن التَسهيدِ وَالشَغف

Nor did I gain from the morning breeze what I sought,

And I did not get from the morning breeze a single

To heal my heart of sleeplessness and consuming love.

Breath to heal my heart from sadness and fervor.

لِما يَئِست وَلَم يَسمَح لململتي

لِما يَئِست وَلَم يَسمَح لململتي

قاضي الهَوى بِنَشيق من هَواك شَفى

قاضي الهَوى بِنَشيق من هَواك شَفى

When I despaired, and my restlessness was denied

When I despaired and my wishes were not fulfilled,

By love’s judge a healing breath of your love,

The judge of love healed me with a breath from your love.

خاصَمت كل نَسيم فيكَ مبتَكرا

خاصَمت كل نَسيم فيكَ مبتَكرا

وَعفته بِخَيال مائِس الهيف

وَعفته بِخَيال مائِس الهيف

I quarreled with every breeze over you at dawn,

I contended with every playful breeze about you

And forsook it for a slender-waisted, swaying phantom.

And rebuked it with the image of desperate life.

خلوت لِلخل خلواتي وَخلت بِها

خلوت لِلخل خلواتي وَخلت بِها

خلو صدري من اللوعات وَاللَهف

خلو صدري من اللوعات وَاللَهف

I withdrew for the beloved into my solitudes, and imagined there

I secluded myself in seclusion and secluded with it

That my breast was free of burning sorrows and anguished longing.

The seclusion of my chest from sorrows and passions.

نَفيت طيب الكَرى لِلقَدِّ مُنتَظِرا

نَفيت طيب الكَرى لِلقَدِّ مُنتَظِرا

وَكَم شَكَوت بِقَلب خافِق رَجف

وَكَم شَكَوت بِقَلب خافِق رَجف

I banished sweet slumber, awaiting that figure,

I denied the sweetness of the meadows waiting

And how often I lamented with a pounding, trembling heart!

And how often I complained with a fluttering heart.

فَيا لَهُ مِن خَيال غَرَّني وَنَأى

فَيا لَهُ مِن خَيال غَرَّني وَنَأى

وَقَد رَماني بِسَهم السَهد وَالكَلف

وَقَد رَماني بِسَهم السَهد وَالكَلف

Ah, what a phantom—it deceived me and withdrew,

What an image that deceived me and went far,

And it had struck me with the arrow of sleeplessness and passion.

And it hurt me with the arrow of prose and malice!

مَياس قَدك عِندي غَدوَة وَمسا

مَياس قَدك عِندي غَدوَة وَمسا

فَلا تَضن بِمرآه عَلى الدَنف

فَلا تَضن بِمرآه عَلى الدَنف

Your graceful, swaying figure is with me morning and evening;

Your appearance in my eyes is a daily event morning and evening

So do not begrudge the lovesick one the sight of it.

So do not be stingy towards the mirror with it.

حر التَهاني وَوجدى وَاِحتِراق دمى

حر التَهاني وَوجدى وَاِحتِراق دمى

يَفيح وادي الغَضا عَمَّن سِواكَ خفى

يَفيح وادي الغَضا عَمَّن سِواكَ خفى

The heat of congratulations, my passion, and my blood’s burning

The heat of my congratulations, passion, and burning blood

Spread through the valley of ghada trees, hidden from all but you.

Spreads in the valley of modesty from anyone other than you hidden.

لما بَصرت بِما لا يَبصرون بِهِ

لما بَصرت بِما لا يَبصرون بِهِ

يا سامِرى فَلا تَعجَل عَلى تلفى

يا سامِرى فَلا تَعجَل عَلى تلفى

When I perceived what they do not perceive,

When I saw what they do not see,

O Samiri, do not hasten my destruction.

O Cupbearer! Do not rush to my ruin.

وَراجِع النَفسَ اِنّي قَد ضَلَلتُ بِها

وَراجِع النَفسَ اِنّي قَد ضَلَلتُ بِها

عَمّا عَداكَ فَلَم أُبرِح وَلَم أَقف

عَمّا عَداكَ فَلَم أُبرِح وَلَم أَقف

And reconsider the soul: through it I have gone astray

And return the self, I have gone astray with it

From all but you; I neither departed nor stopped.

Away from other than you, so I did not stop or stand still.

فَقالَ لي بِاِبتِسام من مُباسَمه

فَقالَ لي بِاِبتِسام من مُباسَمه

يا مُؤمِن القَلبَ لا تَحذَر وَلا تَخَف

يا مُؤمِن القَلبَ لا تَحذَر وَلا تَخَف

Then he said to me, with a smile upon his lips:

So he said to me with a smile from his smiles,

“O trusting-hearted one, do not be wary or afraid.

"O believer of the heart! Do not fear or worry."

ما كُنتَ اِلّا خَيالا مَعفوى لقا

ما كُنتَ اِلّا خَيالا مَعفوى لقا

لا يَستَفيدُ الشَجى مِنّي سِوى الكَلف

لا يَستَفيدُ الشَجى مِنّي سِوى الكَلف

You were only a phantom—[unclear phrase about an encounter];

"You were nothing but a fanciful illusion I met,

The sorrowing lover gains from me nothing but passion.”

From me, sadness gains nothing but malice."