أَضنى الهوى جَسدي وأَكسفَ بالي

أَضنى الهوى جَسدي وأَكسفَ بالي

وحُرمتُ وصلَ الشادِنِ الطّبَّالِ

وحُرمتُ وصلَ الشادِنِ الطّبَّالِ

Love has wasted my body and clouded my mind,

Love has made my body frail and clothed it in mourning

And I was denied union with the young gazelle, the drummer.

I am denied union with the singer, the tambourine player.

رمتُ الوِصالَ فقالَ خطبٌ هيِّنٌ

رمتُ الوِصالَ فقالَ خطبٌ هيِّنٌ

لكنَّ كيسَك مثلُ طَبلي خالِ

لكنَّ كيسَك مثلُ طَبلي خالِ

I sought union, so he said, “An easy matter—

I aspired to union, and it said “easy does it”

but your purse, like my drum, is empty.”

But your purse is as empty as my tambourine.