تعرّضَ لي والدهر جمٌّ خطوبه

تعرّضَ لي والدهر جمٌّ خطوبه

أو انسُ إلا أنّهنّ موانع

أو انسُ إلا أنّهنّ موانع

There appeared before me, while time’s calamities were many,

The days brought me so many troubles,

maidens—yet they withheld themselves [reading the split “أو انسُ” as “أوانسُ,” meaning “maidens”].

Yet I forget them all except for the barriers.

وفيهنّ من لو استطيع كلامها

وفيهنّ من لو استطيع كلامها

لكلّمتها أو كلمتها المدامع

لكلّمتها أو كلمتها المدامع

And among them is one: if I could speak to her,

Among them is one, if I could speak to her,

I would speak to her—or my tearful eyes would speak to her.

I would speak to her, or else my tears would speak.

فتاةٌ فإن لم تنطوي لي على الوفا

فتاةٌ فإن لم تنطوي لي على الوفا

فعندي لها من لوعة الحبّ سامعٌ

فعندي لها من لوعة الحبّ سامعٌ

A maiden—if she harbors no fidelity to me,

A girl - if she won't be faithful to me,

then I have, from love’s burning anguish, a listener for her.

My aching love has someone who will listen.

وأعظم ما بي من هواها افتراقنا

وأعظم ما بي من هواها افتراقنا

وكتمانُنا للحبّ والشمل جامع

وكتمانُنا للحبّ والشمل جامع

And my greatest suffering from loving her is our separation,

But my greatest agony is our parting

and our concealing love while we are together.

And keeping our love secret, though we're so close.