أنتَ الذي نقضَ الميثاقَ ليسَ أنا

أنتَ الذي نقضَ الميثاقَ ليسَ أنا

فدعْ جفاءَك إنْ كانَ الوفاءُ أنا

فدعْ جفاءَك إنْ كانَ الوفاءُ أنا

You are the one who broke the covenant—not I.

You are the one who broke the covenant, not I.

So cease your coldness, if fidelity is what I am.

So abandon your coldness, if I am fidelity itself.

أبقيتَ مني روحاً ما لَها بدنٌ

أبقيتَ مني روحاً ما لَها بدنٌ

لِذاكَ زوَّرتَ من ثوبي لها بَدنَا

لِذاكَ زوَّرتَ من ثوبي لها بَدنَا

You left within me a spirit that has no body;

You left of me a soul that has no body;

And so you fashioned it a body from my robe.

So you forged it a body from my robe.

يا فالقَ الصُّبحِ من لألاءِ غُرتِهِ

يا فالقَ الصُّبحِ من لألاءِ غُرتِهِ

وجاعِلَ الليلِ من أصداغِهِ سَكنَا

وجاعِلَ الليلِ من أصداغِهِ سَكنَا

O you who split the dawn from the shimmer of his brow,

O you who cleave dawn from the radiance of his brow,

And make the night from his side-locks a dwelling place—

And make night from his temple-locks a time of rest,

بصورةِ الوَثَنِ استعبدْتَني وبِها

بصورةِ الوَثَنِ استعبدْتَني وبِها

فتنْتَني وقديماً هِجتَ لي فِتناَ

فتنْتَني وقديماً هِجتَ لي فِتناَ

In an idol’s form you enslaved me, and by it

With the idol's form you enslaved me, and with it

Bewitched me; long ago you stirred temptations for me.

You bewitched me, and long ago stirred up temptations for me.

لا غَرو لوْ أحرقَتْ نارُ الهوى كَبِدي

لا غَرو لوْ أحرقَتْ نارُ الهوى كَبِدي

والنارُ حَقٌّ على مَن يَعبُدُ الوثَنا

والنارُ حَقٌّ على مَن يَعبُدُ الوثَنا

No wonder if the fire of passion has burned my heart:

No wonder if love's fire has burned my liver,

For fire is rightly due to one who worships an idol.

And fire is rightly due to whoever worships the idol.

وطافَ طيفُكَ وهناً بي فأعجبَني

وطافَ طيفُكَ وهناً بي فأعجبَني

طَوفُ الخَيالِ على مثلِ الخيالِ ضَنى

طَوفُ الخَيالِ على مثلِ الخيالِ ضَنى

Your phantom circled me in the depth of night, delighting me—

And your phantom circled me late at night, and I marveled at

A phantom circling one whom wasting made its likeness.

The phantom circling one made phantomlike by wasting sickness.

حاشاكَ حاشاكَ يا رُوحي فداؤُكَ مِن

حاشاكَ حاشاكَ يا رُوحي فداؤُكَ مِن

فِعلِ القبيحِ يُنافي وجهَكَ الحَسَنا

فِعلِ القبيحِ يُنافي وجهَكَ الحَسَنا

Far be it—far be it from you, my soul be your ransom—to do any

Far be it from you, far be it—O you for whom my soul is ransom—to

Vile deed; it would ill suit your beautiful face.

Commit an ugly deed at odds with your beautiful face.

إنْ كنتَ أسهلتَ فاذكُرْ مألَفاً خشَناً

إنْ كنتَ أسهلتَ فاذكُرْ مألَفاً خشَناً

جاذبْتَني فيهِ أهدابَ المُنى زَمنَا

جاذبْتَني فيهِ أهدابَ المُنى زَمنَا

If you have taken the easy ground, remember a rough old haunt;

If you have reached smooth ground, remember a rugged haunt

There, for a time, tug with me at the fringes of desire.

Where you tugged with me at the fringes of hopes for a time.

ولم تكُنْ تَستجيزُ الظلمَ لو فعلتْ

ولم تكُنْ تَستجيزُ الظلمَ لو فعلتْ

بكَ الصّبابَةُ أَدنى ما صنعْتَ بِنا

بكَ الصّبابَةُ أَدنى ما صنعْتَ بِنا

You would never deem oppression lawful, if yearning had done

And you would not have deemed injustice permissible, had

To you the least of what you have done to us.

Ardent longing done to you the least of what you have done to us.

تبيعُ مِثليَ مجّاناً بلا ثمنٍ

تبيعُ مِثليَ مجّاناً بلا ثمنٍ

نْ كانَ لا بُدَّ من بيعٍ فخُذ ثَمَنا

نْ كانَ لا بُدَّ من بيعٍ فخُذ ثَمَنا

You sell one like me freely, without a price?

You sell one like me for nothing, without a price;

If selling is unavoidable, then take a price.

If a sale is unavoidable, then take a price.

يا نخلُ يا نَحلُ حظِّي منكَ ليسَ سِوى

يا نخلُ يا نَحلُ حظِّي منكَ ليسَ سِوى

شَوكٍ ولسعٍ فهل مِن أَطْيَبَيْكَ جَنى

شَوكٍ ولسعٍ فهل مِن أَطْيَبَيْكَ جَنى

O palm, O bee, my lot from you is nothing but

O date-palms, O bees, my share from you is nothing but

Thorns and stings—may I reap none of your two sweet gifts?

Thorns and stings—is there any harvest from your two sweetest gifts?

واللهُ يعلمُ أنِّي ما مررتُ على

واللهُ يعلمُ أنِّي ما مررتُ على

معاهدِ الحزنِ إلا قلتُ واحَزَنا

معاهدِ الحزنِ إلا قلتُ واحَزَنا

God knows that whenever I passed by

And God knows that I have never passed by

The haunts of sorrow, I cried, “Alas, my grief!”

The haunts of sorrow without saying, 'Alas, my sorrow!'