كَتَبتُ فَلَيتَني مُنّيتُ وَصلاً

كَتَبتُ فَلَيتَني مُنّيتُ وَصلاً

وَلَم أَكتُب إِلَيكِ بِما كَتَبتُ

وَلَم أَكتُب إِلَيكِ بِما كَتَبتُ

I wrote—if only I had been promised union,

I wrote and I wish I had died fasting

and had not written to you what I wrote.

And I had not written to you what I wrote

كَتَبتُ وَقَد شَرِبتُ الراحَ صِرفاً

كَتَبتُ وَقَد شَرِبتُ الراحَ صِرفاً

فَلا كانَ الشَرابُ وَلا شَرِبتُ

فَلا كانَ الشَرابُ وَلا شَرِبتُ

I wrote when I had drunk the wine unmixed.

I wrote while I drank wine undiluted

So would that the wine had never existed, and I had never drunk it!

So blame not the wine nor the drinking

فَلا تَستَنكِروا غَضَبي عَلَيكُم

فَلا تَستَنكِروا غَضَبي عَلَيكُم

فَلَو هُنتُم عَلَيَّ لَما غَضِبتُ

فَلَو هُنتُم عَلَيَّ لَما غَضِبتُ

So do not find my anger at you strange;

Reproach me not for my anger against you

for had you mattered little to me, I would not have grown angry.

Had you been gentle with me I'd not have been angry