الحبّ أوله ولع

الحبّ أوله ولع

فإذا قوي ثبت الطمع

فإذا قوي ثبت الطمع

Love begins in infatuation.

Love's first is passion

Then, when it grows strong, desire takes root.

If it grows strong, hope becomes firm

نظر يوثبه المنى

نظر يوثبه المنى

فيزيد ما نقص الورع

فيزيد ما نقص الورع

A glance is spurred on by wishes,

A look leaps with desire

and so increases what piety has diminished.

Increasing what lack of devotion lessened

فإذا تبسّم من يحب إلى

فإذا تبسّم من يحب إلى

المحبّ فقد وقع

المحبّ فقد وقع

Then, when the one he loves smiles toward

When the beloved smiles at the lover

the lover, he has indeed fallen.

Then it has happened

والشح يعمل في الهوى

والشح يعمل في الهوى

مرضا تداويه الخلع

مرضا تداويه الخلع

And stinginess breeds in passion

Stinginess works in love

a sickness that robes of honor cure.

A sickness cured by generosity

ويرُمّ ما عملَ الجفا

ويرُمّ ما عملَ الجفا

فيه الهدايا والقطَع

فيه الهدايا والقطَع

And mending what estrangement has wrought

And it restores what harshness did

within it are gifts and coins.

With gifts and rupture

ويفيد صاحبه الهوى

ويفيد صاحبه الهوى

ذُلّا يقارنهُ الفزَع

ذُلّا يقارنهُ الفزَع

And passion grants its possessor

And love benefits its companion

abasement accompanied by fear.

With humility matched by delight

فإذا تمكن في الهوى

فإذا تمكن في الهوى

بالصفعِ فرّق ما جمع

بالصفعِ فرّق ما جمع

Then, when he is firmly established in passion,

When firmly rooted in love

with slaps he scatters what he has gathered.

It shatters with a blow what was joined