أَيا مُظهِرَ الهِجرانِ وَالمُضمِرَ الحُبّا

أَيا مُظهِرَ الهِجرانِ وَالمُضمِرَ الحُبّا

سَتَزدادُ حُبّاً إِن أَتَيتَهُمُ غِبّا

سَتَزدادُ حُبّاً إِن أَتَيتَهُمُ غِبّا

O you who display estrangement and conceal love,

O you who show estrangement yet harbor love,

you will be loved all the more if you visit them only now and then.

Your love will only grow if you stay away.

لَنا جارَةٌ بِالمِصرِ تُضحي كَأَنَّها

لَنا جارَةٌ بِالمِصرِ تُضحي كَأَنَّها

مُجاوِرَةٌ أَكنافَ جَيحانَ وَالدَربا

مُجاوِرَةٌ أَكنافَ جَيحانَ وَالدَربا

We have a neighbor in the city; by day she seems as though she

We have a neighbor in Egypt who seems

were dwelling in the environs of Jayhan and al-Darb.

As if she dwells on the outskirts of Al-Jīḥān.

تَراها عُيونٌ شانِئاتٌ وَتُتَّقى

تَراها عُيونٌ شانِئاتٌ وَتُتَّقى

عَلَيها عُيونٌ لَيسَ تُكذِبُها الحُبّا

عَلَيها عُيونٌ لَيسَ تُكذِبُها الحُبّا

Hateful eyes behold her, yet she is guarded

Some eyes look on her with enmity and avoid her,

against eyes whose love for her is true.

While other eyes cannot doubt their love for her.

وَقَد وَثِقَت بِالصِدقِ مِنكَ فَأَصبَحَت

وَقَد وَثِقَت بِالصِدقِ مِنكَ فَأَصبَحَت

تَزيدُكَ بُعداً كُلَّما زِدتَها قُربا

تَزيدُكَ بُعداً كُلَّما زِدتَها قُربا

And she has trusted in your sincerity, so now

She has gained your trust through her honesty, so the more

she holds you farther off whenever you draw nearer to her.

You draw near, the further you push her away.

فَلَو أَنَّ ما أَبكي لِبَلوى وَراءَها

فَلَو أَنَّ ما أَبكي لِبَلوى وَراءَها

سُكونٌ لِقَلبي لَم أُفِض عِبرَتي سَكبا

سُكونٌ لِقَلبي لَم أُفِض عِبرَتي سَكبا

For if my weeping were for an affliction beyond which

If what makes me weep leads to tranquility,

lay peace for my heart, I would not pour out my tears in streams.

I would not pour out my tears in floods.

وَلَكِنَّما أَبكي لِجُهدٍ مُبَرِّحٍ

وَلَكِنَّما أَبكي لِجُهدٍ مُبَرِّحٍ

مَداهُ إِذا قَصَّرتُ أَن أَسكُنَ التُربا

مَداهُ إِذا قَصَّرتُ أَن أَسكُنَ التُربا

But I weep for an excruciating ordeal,

But I cry from an exhausting effort,

whose end, even at its least, is my dwelling in the dust.

Whose end, if I fall short, is the grave.

تَبَرّأَتِ مِمّا بي وَأَنتِ حَبيبَةٌ

تَبَرّأَتِ مِمّا بي وَأَنتِ حَبيبَةٌ

وَعوفيتِ مِمّا شَفَّني فَاِحمِدي الرَبّا

وَعوفيتِ مِمّا شَفَّني فَاِحمِدي الرَبّا

You are free of what afflicts me, though you are beloved,

You have disavowed me though you are my beloved,

and spared what has wasted me away—so praise the Lord.

So praise your Lord for healing you of me.

وَلَو ذُقتِ ما أَلقى وَخامَرَكِ الأَذى

وَلَو ذُقتِ ما أَلقى وَخامَرَكِ الأَذى

لَسَرَّكِ أَن أَهدا وَأَن لا أَرى كَربا

لَسَرَّكِ أَن أَهدا وَأَن لا أَرى كَربا

And had you tasted what I endure, and had pain taken hold of you,

If you tasted my torment and anguish,

it would gladden you for me to find peace and know no anguish.

You would be glad if I found peace and saw no distress.

تَحَصَّنتِ بِالهِجرانِ حِصناً مِنَ الهَوى

تَحَصَّنتِ بِالهِجرانِ حِصناً مِنَ الهَوى

أَلا كانَ ذا مِن قَبلِ أَن تُمرِضي القَلبا

أَلا كانَ ذا مِن قَبلِ أَن تُمرِضي القَلبا

You have made estrangement your fortress against passion;

You have fortified yourself with estrangement, a fortress against passion.

could this not have been before you made the heart ill?

If only you had done so before sickening my heart!

أَذاقَتكَ طَعمَ الحُبِّ ثُمَّ تَنَكَّرَت

أَذاقَتكَ طَعمَ الحُبِّ ثُمَّ تَنَكَّرَت

عَلَيكَ بِوَجهٍ لَم يَكُن يَعرِفُ القَطبا

عَلَيكَ بِوَجهٍ لَم يَكُن يَعرِفُ القَطبا

She gave you a taste of love, then grew cold

She made you taste the sweetness of love, then pretended

toward you, with a face that had never known a frown.

Not to know you, with a face that knew no steadfastness.