عَينايَ شامَت دَمي وَالشُؤمُ في النَظَرِ

عَينايَ شامَت دَمي وَالشُؤمُ في النَظَرِ

بُعداً لِعَينٍ تَبيعُ النَومَ بِالسَهَرِ

بُعداً لِعَينٍ تَبيعُ النَومَ بِالسَهَرِ

My eyes have doomed my blood; ill fortune lies in looking.

My eyes saw the blood in me, and ill omens in the looks,

Perdition to an eye that trades sleep for sleeplessness!

Away with an eye that sells sleep for vigilance,

يا مَن لِظَمآنَ يَغشى الماءَ قَد مَنَعوا

يا مَن لِظَمآنَ يَغشى الماءَ قَد مَنَعوا

مِنهُ الوُرودَ وَأَبقَوه عَلى الصَدَرِ

مِنهُ الوُرودَ وَأَبقَوه عَلى الصَدَرِ

Oh, who will aid a thirsty man approaching water, whom they have barred

O You from whom thirst overwhelms the water they have denied,

from reaching it and kept turned away?

And left it flowing on the chest,

أُخفي الهَوى وَهوَ لا يَخَفى عَلى أَحَدٍ

أُخفي الهَوى وَهوَ لا يَخَفى عَلى أَحَدٍ

إِنّي لَمُستَتِرٌ في غَيرِ مُستَتَرِ

إِنّي لَمُستَتِرٌ في غَيرِ مُستَتَرِ

I conceal my love, though it is hidden from no one.

I concealed passion, and it cannot be hidden from anyone,

Indeed, I hide where there is no hiding place.

I am a concealer in other than a concealer,

فَأَكثِروا أَو أَقِلّوا مِن مَلامِكُمُ

فَأَكثِروا أَو أَقِلّوا مِن مَلامِكُمُ

فَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ مَحمولٌ عَلى القَدَرِ

فَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ مَحمولٌ عَلى القَدَرِ

So increase your blame or lessen it;

So increase or decrease your blame,

for all of that is laid upon fate.

All that is borne on fate,

لَو كانَ جَدّي سَعيداً لَم يَكُن غَرَضاً

لَو كانَ جَدّي سَعيداً لَم يَكُن غَرَضاً

قَلبي لِمَن قَلبُهُ أَقسى مِنَ الحَجَرِ

قَلبي لِمَن قَلبُهُ أَقسى مِنَ الحَجَرِ

Had my luck been good, it would not have been a target—

If my grandfather Saeed had been happy, my heart would not have been

my heart—for one whose heart is harder than stone.

A target for one whose heart is harder than stone,

إِن أَحسَنَ الفِعلَ لَم يُضمِر تَعَمُّدَهُ

إِن أَحسَنَ الفِعلَ لَم يُضمِر تَعَمُّدَهُ

وَإِن أَساءَ تَمادى غَيرَ مُعتَذِرِ

وَإِن أَساءَ تَمادى غَيرَ مُعتَذِرِ

If he does a kindness, he has not intended it;

If he did good he did not intend it,

and if he does wrong, he persists without apology.

And if he did bad he insisted without apologizing,

وَأَخلَفُ الناسِ مَوعوداً وَأَمطَلُهُم

وَأَخلَفُ الناسِ مَوعوداً وَأَمطَلُهُم

وَعداً وَأَنقَضُهُم لِلعَهدِ ذي المِرَرِ

وَعداً وَأَنقَضُهُم لِلعَهدِ ذي المِرَرِ

And he is the most faithless of people in promises, and the slowest

And the most violating of promises of people and their most procrastinating

to keep a promise, and the readiest to unravel a tightly twisted covenant.

Of a promise and their most violating of a compact full of bitterness,

إِذا كَتَبتُ كِتاباً لَم أَجِد ثِقَةً

إِذا كَتَبتُ كِتاباً لَم أَجِد ثِقَةً

يُنهي إِلَيكِ وَيأتي عَنكِ بِالخَبَرِ

يُنهي إِلَيكِ وَيأتي عَنكِ بِالخَبَرِ

When I write a letter, I find no one trustworthy

Whenever I wrote a letter I could not find,

to deliver it to you and bring back news of you.

Confidence to end it to you and bring the news about you,

ما ضَرَّ أَهلَكِ أَلاّ يَنظُروا أَبَداً

ما ضَرَّ أَهلَكِ أَلاّ يَنظُروا أَبَداً

ما دُمتِ فيهِم إِلى شَمسٍ وَلا قَمَرِ

ما دُمتِ فيهِم إِلى شَمسٍ وَلا قَمَرِ

It would not harm your family never to look

It did your family no harm that they do not look forever

at sun or moon, so long as you remain among them.

As long as you are among them to a sun or a moon,

إِذا أَرَدتُ سُلُوّاً كانَ ناصِرَكُم

إِذا أَرَدتُ سُلُوّاً كانَ ناصِرَكُم

قَلبي وَما أَنا مِن قَلبي بمُنتَصِرِ

قَلبي وَما أَنا مِن قَلبي بمُنتَصِرِ

When I seek to forget, your champion is

Whenever I wanted a request, my heart was your supporter

my heart, and I cannot prevail against my heart.

And I am not from my heart a victor,

هَل تَذكُرينَ فَدَتكِ النَفسُ مَجلِسَنا

هَل تَذكُرينَ فَدَتكِ النَفسُ مَجلِسَنا

يَومَ اللّقاءِ فَلَم أَنطِق مِنَ الحَصَرِ

يَومَ اللّقاءِ فَلَم أَنطِق مِنَ الحَصَرِ

Do you remember—may my soul ransom you—how we sat together

Do you remember when we met and my soul ransomed me,

the day we met, when I was too tongue-tied to speak?

On the day of meeting, I did not speak out of being overwhelmed

لا أَرفَعُ الطَرفَ حَولي حينَ أَرفَعُهُ

لا أَرفَعُ الطَرفَ حَولي حينَ أَرفَعُهُ

بُقيا عَلَيكِ وَكُلُّ الحَزمِ في الحَذَرِ

بُقيا عَلَيكِ وَكُلُّ الحَزمِ في الحَذَرِ

When I raise my eyes, I do not look around me,

I do not raise my eyes around me when I raise them,

out of care for you; all prudence lies in caution.

Remaining upon you and all the composure is on the guard,

قالَت قَعَدتَ فَلَم تَنظُر فَقُلتُ لَها

قالَت قَعَدتَ فَلَم تَنظُر فَقُلتُ لَها

شَغَلتِ قَلبي فَلَم أَقدِر عَلى النَظَرِ

شَغَلتِ قَلبي فَلَم أَقدِر عَلى النَظَرِ

She said, “You sat but did not look.” I said to her:

She said you sat and did not look, so I said to her,

“You occupied my heart, so I could not look.

You distracted my heart so I could not look

غَطّى هَواكِ عَلى قَلبي فَدَلَّهَهُ

غَطّى هَواكِ عَلى قَلبي فَدَلَّهَهُ

وَالقَلبُ أَعظَمُ سُلطاناً مِنَ البَصَرِ

وَالقَلبُ أَعظَمُ سُلطاناً مِنَ البَصَرِ

Love for you veiled my heart and bewildered it,

Your love covered my heart so it guided it,

and the heart wields greater power than sight.”

And the heart has greater authority than sight,

وَضَعتُ خَدّي لِأَدنى مِن يُطيفُ بِكُم

وَضَعتُ خَدّي لِأَدنى مِن يُطيفُ بِكُم

حَتّى اِحتُقِرتُ وَما مِثلي بَمحتَقَرِ

حَتّى اِحتُقِرتُ وَما مِثلي بَمحتَقَرِ

I laid my cheek down before the lowliest of those who gather around you,

I put my cheek to get closer to those strolling around you

until I was despised, though one like me deserves no contempt.

Until I was despised and the like of me is not to be despised,

لا عارَ في الحُبِّ إِنَّ الحُبَّ مَكرُمَةً

لا عارَ في الحُبِّ إِنَّ الحُبَّ مَكرُمَةً

لَكِنَّهُ رُبُّما أَزرى بِذي الخَطَرِ

لَكِنَّهُ رُبُّما أَزرى بِذي الخَطَرِ

There is no shame in love; love is indeed a virtue,

There is no shame in love, for love is an honor,

yet it sometimes debases one of high standing.

But sometimes it troubles those in danger.