ذَري عَنكِ يا ذَلفاءُ طولَ عِتابي

ذَري عَنكِ يا ذَلفاءُ طولَ عِتابي

وَلا تَترُكي داعيكِ غَيرَ مُجابِ

وَلا تَترُكي داعيكِ غَيرَ مُجابِ

Put aside, O Dhalfa, my long reproach,

Leave off, Dhalfa, reproaching me at length,

and do not leave your supplicant unanswered.

and do not leave the one who calls to you unanswered.

أَحينَ صَفا مِنّي لَكِ الوِدُّ وَالهَوى

أَحينَ صَفا مِنّي لَكِ الوِدُّ وَالهَوى

يَكونُ ثَوابي مِنكِ شَرَّ عِقابِ

يَكونُ ثَوابي مِنكِ شَرَّ عِقابِ

I bend tenderly to you; my affection and passion are pure—

Is it when my affection and love for you have grown pure

yet my recompense from you is the cruelest punishment.

that my reward from you is the worst punishment?

سَعى بي إِلَيكِ الحُبُّ عَزماً عَلى دَمي

سَعى بي إِلَيكِ الحُبُّ عَزماً عَلى دَمي

فَلِلَّهِ دَرُّ الحُبِّ أَينَ سَعى بي

فَلِلَّهِ دَرُّ الحُبِّ أَينَ سَعى بي

Love has denounced me to you, resolved upon my blood.

Love hurried me to you, intent on shedding my blood;

How wondrous love is—where it has driven me!

so God bless love—where has it led me!

أُطيلُ وُقوفي مُستَهاماً بِبابِكُم

أُطيلُ وُقوفي مُستَهاماً بِبابِكُم

وَمِن دونِكُم ضيقٌ وَمَنعُ حِجابِ

وَمِن دونِكُم ضيقٌ وَمَنعُ حِجابِ

I stand for long, love-distraught, at your door,

I stand long at your door, bewildered by love,

while before I reach you lie straits, refusal, and a veil.

and between us lie hardship and a veil that bars the way.

أَتَيتُكُمُ حَتّى لَقَد صِرتُ شُهرَةً

أَتَيتُكُمُ حَتّى لَقَد صِرتُ شُهرَةً

بِطولِ مَجيئي نَحوَكُم وَذَهابي

بِطولِ مَجيئي نَحوَكُم وَذَهابي

I have come to you until I have become a byword

I kept coming to you until I became a byword

for my endless coming toward you and going away.

for my endless coming to you and going away.

فَما لي وَما لِلحُبِّ أَمسى يَقودُني

فَما لي وَما لِلحُبِّ أَمسى يَقودُني

إِلى المَوتِ حَتّى قَد أَحالَ شَبابي

إِلى المَوتِ حَتّى قَد أَحالَ شَبابي

What have I to do with love? It has come to lead me

So what have I to do with love, now that it leads me

toward death, until it has transformed my youth.

to death, till it has worn away my youth?

فَطوبى لِمَن يُغفي مِنَ اللَيلِ غَفوَةً

فَطوبى لِمَن يُغفي مِنَ اللَيلِ غَفوَةً

وَطوبى لِمَن يَهنيهِ سَوغُ شَرابِ

وَطوبى لِمَن يَهنيهِ سَوغُ شَرابِ

Blessed is whoever sleeps even one brief sleep at night,

So blessed is whoever dozes a little in the night,

and blessed is he whom a smooth draught gives delight.

and blessed is whoever enjoys a drink that goes down easily.

فَإِن كانَ عَيشي كُلَّهُ مِثلَ ما أَرى

فَإِن كانَ عَيشي كُلَّهُ مِثلَ ما أَرى

لَقَد طالَ فيكُم يا ظَلومُ عَذابي

لَقَد طالَ فيكُم يا ظَلومُ عَذابي

If all my life is to be like what I now endure,

For if my whole life is like what I see,

long indeed has my torment over you lasted, O cruel one.

my torment for you has indeed been long, O cruel one.

فَيا لَيَتَ لي يَوماً مِنَ الحُبِّ راحَةً

فَيا لَيَتَ لي يَوماً مِنَ الحُبِّ راحَةً

تُريحُ فُؤادي مِن هَوىً وَطِلابِ

تُريحُ فُؤادي مِن هَوىً وَطِلابِ

Ah, if only I had one day of respite from love,

Oh, if only I had one day's respite from love,

to relieve my heart of passion and pursuit.

to ease my heart of passion and pursuit.

وَقَد كُنتُ مِن هَذا بَعيداً فَساقَني

وَقَد كُنتُ مِن هَذا بَعيداً فَساقَني

لَهُ الحَينُ سَوقاً مُؤذِناً بِذَهابي

لَهُ الحَينُ سَوقاً مُؤذِناً بِذَهابي

Once I was far removed from this, but I was driven

And I had been far from this; then I was driven

to it by doom—a driving that heralded my death.

to it by doom, driven in a way that foretold my passing.

أَلا كُلُّ شَيءٍ كانَ أَوهُوَكائِنٌ

أَلا كُلُّ شَيءٍ كانَ أَوهُوَكائِنٌ

يَكونُ بِعِلمٍ سابِقٍ وَكِتابِ

يَكونُ بِعِلمٍ سابِقٍ وَكِتابِ

Behold: everything that was, or is yet to be,

Behold, everything that has been or is yet to be

comes to pass through foreknowledge and a written decree.

comes to pass through foreknowledge and a written decree.