فديتكَ من ظالمٍ منصفِ

فديتكَ من ظالمٍ منصفِ

وناهيكَ من باخلٍ مُسْعفِ

وناهيكَ من باخلٍ مُسْعفِ

May I be your ransom, oppressor yet fair!

I sacrifice myself for you from an oppressor who is just

And what a miser who nevertheless grants help!

And I forbid you from an ungrateful person who helps

بلقياكَ يُشفى سقامي الممضُّ

بلقياكَ يُشفى سقامي الممضُّ

ولكن بسفكِ دمي تشتفي

ولكن بسفكِ دمي تشتفي

Meeting you heals my agonizing sickness,

Meeting you heals my persistent illness

Yet you find healing in shedding my blood.

But shedding my blood makes you quenched

وتخلفُ وعدَكَ لي بالوصال

وتخلفُ وعدَكَ لي بالوصال

حنانيكَ من واعدٍ مُخلفِ

حنانيكَ من واعدٍ مُخلفِ

You break your promise to me of union;

And keeping your promise of union fails me

Have mercy—what a promise-maker who breaks his word!

Your affection from a promiser who fails

وتستحسنُ الغدرَ طبعاً ومَنْ

وتستحسنُ الغدرَ طبعاً ومَنْ

وَفَى من ذوي الحُسنِ حتى تفي

وَفَى من ذوي الحُسنِ حتى تفي

By nature you find treachery pleasing—and who

And you see betrayal as a nature and who

Among the beautiful has kept faith, that you should?

Fulfilled from the good-natured until you are satisfied

أَمثْلكَ كلُّ حبيبٍ جفا

أَمثْلكَ كلُّ حبيبٍ جفا

ومثليَ كلُّ حبيبٍ جُفي

ومثليَ كلُّ حبيبٍ جُفي

Is every beloved who turns away like you,

Are you like every lover who abandoned

And every forsaken lover like me?

And am I like every abandoned lover

أَيا ليِّنَ العطفِ قاسي الفؤادِ

أَيا ليِّنَ العطفِ قاسي الفؤادِ

بعيشكَ باللّهِ لنْ واعطفِ

بعيشكَ باللّهِ لنْ واعطفِ

O you of supple flank and hard heart,

O gentle kindness, hardhearted

By your life, by God, be gentle and show kindness.

Live by God, you will not be compassionate

فما تركَ الوجدُ لي مُسْكَةً

فما تركَ الوجدُ لي مُسْكَةً

ولا منَّةً ليَ لمْ تَضْعُفِ

ولا منَّةً ليَ لمْ تَضْعُفِ

For passion has left me no self-command,

So attachment left me no comfort

Nor any strength in me that has not weakened.

And you did not bestow on me any grace you did not double

تلافَ قصدُّكَ لي متلفٌ

تلافَ قصدُّكَ لي متلفٌ

فؤادي من الأَسفِ المتلفِ

فؤادي من الأَسفِ المتلفِ

Rescue—your intent toward me is deadly—

Your intention to me is destructive

My heart from consuming grief.

My heart from sorrow is destructive

وإن كنتَ لابدَّ لي قاتلاً

وإن كنتَ لابدَّ لي قاتلاً

بما صنعَ الوجدُ بي فاكتفِ

بما صنعَ الوجدُ بي فاكتفِ

And if you must indeed be my killer,

And if you must be my killer

Then be content with what passion has done to me.

With what passion did to me, be satisfied

تناهيتَ في قتلتي عامداً

تناهيتَ في قتلتي عامداً

فحيثُ انتهيتَ بقتلي قفِ

فحيثُ انتهيتَ بقتلي قفِ

You have deliberately gone to extremes in killing me;

You went too far in killing me intentionally

So halt where you have reached in killing me.

So where you ended with my murder, stop

ثناياكَ بُرئيَ في رَشْفها

ثناياكَ بُرئيَ في رَشْفها

وقد طالَ سُقمي ولم أَرشُفِ

وقد طالَ سُقمي ولم أَرشُفِ

Your front teeth—my cure lies in sipping from them,

Your cheeks were proven in their radiance

And my sickness has lasted long, and I have not sipped.

And my illness went on long and I did not gain consciousness

أَنجو ومن قدَّك السّمهريِّ

أَنجو ومن قدَّك السّمهريِّ

لحَيْني وفي جفنكَ المَشْرَفي

لحَيْني وفي جفنكَ المَشْرَفي

Can I escape, with your Samhari-spear stature

I get relief and from your intoxication, Samharra

Set for my doom, and a Mashrafi sword in your eyelid?

For my withering, and in your eyelid that is curved

أَيا مسرفاً في عذابي اقتصدْ

أَيا مسرفاً في عذابي اقتصدْ

أَعيذكَ من شَطَطِ المُسرفِ

أَعيذكَ من شَطَطِ المُسرفِ

O you who go too far in tormenting me, be moderate;

O you who go to extremes in tormenting me, be moderate

I seek protection for you from the immoderate one's excess.

I seek refuge for you from the excess of the excessive

نحوليَ من خصرِكَ النّاحلِ

نحوليَ من خصرِكَ النّاحلِ

السّقيمِ كعاشقكَ المُدْنَففِ

السّقيمِ كعاشقكَ المُدْنَففِ

My wasting comes from your slender waist,

My emaciation from your slender waist

Ailing like your lover, worn down by sickness.

The feeble, like your enamored wasted lover

ومن سُقمِ لحظكَ ذاكَ المريضِ

ومن سُقمِ لحظكَ ذاكَ المريضِ

شفائي وأُشفى أَنا لو شُفي

شفائي وأُشفى أَنا لو شُفي

And from the sickness of that ailing glance of yours

And from the illness of your glance, that sick one

Comes my cure; I too would heal, were it healed.

My healing, and I will be cured if he is cured

على خَطْفِ قلبي يحل الشّبا

على خَطْفِ قلبي يحل الشّبا

كَ عقدُ وشاحكَ في مُخْطَفِ

كَ عقدُ وشاحكَ في مُخْطَفِ

To snatch my heart, the snares are let loose

On seizing my heart the youth descends

By the knot of your sash upon a slender waist.

Like your necklace in your bosom

أَنا المستهامُ بذاكَ القوام

أَنا المستهامُ بذاكَ القوام

وذاكَ الموشّحِ والمعْطَفِ

وذاكَ الموشّحِ والمعْطَفِ

I am love-bewildered by that stature,

I am infatuated with that figure

And that sash-girded waist and flank,

And that garment and cloak

وذاك المقبّلِ والمبسمِ ال

وذاك المقبّلِ والمبسمِ ال

مفدَّى المقدَّمِ والقرقفِ

مفدَّى المقدَّمِ والقرقفِ

And that place of kisses and the smiling mouth,

And that kisser and smiler

Cherished and exalted, and the wine.

My ransom for the respected and honorable

بخدِّكَ من وَهَجٍ شعلةٌ

بخدِّكَ من وَهَجٍ شعلةٌ

أَحاطتْ بقلبي فما تنطقي

أَحاطتْ بقلبي فما تنطقي

In your cheek is a flame of blazing heat;

On your cheek a flame from ardor

It has engulfed my heart, so you do not speak.

Surrounded my heart so do not speak

فإنْ تُخْفِ ألحاظُكَ القاتلاتُ

فإنْ تُخْفِ ألحاظُكَ القاتلاتُ

دمي فبخديّكَ ما يختفي

دمي فبخديّكَ ما يختفي

And if your murderous glances conceal

If your murderous glances hide

My blood, upon your two cheeks it is not hidden.

My blood then by your cheek it will not disappear

غدا عاذلي عاذراً مذْ رأَى

غدا عاذلي عاذراً مذْ رأَى

عذاركَ كالقمرِ الأَكلفِ

عذاركَ كالقمرِ الأَكلفِ

My reproacher became forgiving when he saw

Tomorrow my blamer blaming me since he saw

Your downy cheek, like the dark-marked moon.

Your bashfulness like the crescent moon ensnaring

وقال أَرى خدَّه مرهفاً

وقال أَرى خدَّه مرهفاً

ولا عيبَ في خَصْرِه المُرهفِ

ولا عيبَ في خَصْرِه المُرهفِ

And said: 'I see his cheek finely drawn,

And said I see his cheek splendid

And no flaw in his slender waist.'

And no blemish in his slender waist

أَقاحٍ وآسٌ ووردٌ لها اج

أَقاحٍ وآسٌ ووردٌ لها اج

ماعٌ على غُصن أَهيف

ماعٌ على غُصن أَهيف

Daisies, myrtle, and roses have come

Myrtle, pearls, and roses it has blossoms

Together upon a slender bough.

Dripping on a bending branch

ترفّقْ رفيقي فليستْ الذي

ترفّقْ رفيقي فليستْ الذي

يعنِّفُ في الحبِّ لم يَعْنُفِ

يعنِّفُ في الحبِّ لم يَعْنُفِ

Be gentle, my friend, for it is not the one

Be gentle, my friend, for it is not who

Who rebukes in love who has not been harsh.

Is harsh in love that did not gentled

عرامٌ عرا وزمانٌ عَدا

عرامٌ عرا وزمانٌ عَدا

فهل ظالمٌ منهما منصفي

فهل ظالمٌ منهما منصفي

Wildness has beset me, and time has turned hostile;

A time passed by and so did an era

Will either of these two oppressors do me justice?

Did an oppressor of them do justice for me

زمانٌ خلا من جميلٍ فليس

زمانٌ خلا من جميلٍ فليس

لغير ذوي نقصهِ يَصْطفي

لغير ذوي نقصهِ يَصْطفي

An age devoid of goodness—so it does not

A time passed without beauty so it has no

Favor any but those who share its flaws.

Other than people of its flaws to choose

جنى ظلمةَ الفضلِ حظي المنيرُ

جنى ظلمةَ الفضلِ حظي المنيرُ

ولولا سنا الشَّمسِ لم تُكْسَفِ

ولولا سنا الشَّمسِ لم تُكْسَفِ

My radiant fortune has reaped the darkness of merit;

It reaped the injustice of merit, my luminous share

Were it not for the sun's radiance, it would not be eclipsed.

And if not for the sun's brilliance, it would not eclipse

ويا ليتَ دهري إذا لم يكنْ

ويا ليتَ دهري إذا لم يكنْ

بسؤليَ يُسْعفُ لم يَعْسُفِ

بسؤليَ يُسْعفُ لم يَعْسُفِ

And would that my fate, when it does not

And would that my time if it does not

Grant my wish, would not mistreat me.

Answer my request, it does not mistreat

أَيبلغُ دهريَ قصدي وقد

أَيبلغُ دهريَ قصدي وقد

قصدتُ بمصرَ ذُرَى يوسفِ

قصدتُ بمصرَ ذُرَى يوسفِ

Will my fate fulfill my purpose, now that

Do I accomplish my intention and I have

I have sought Yusuf's heights in Egypt?

Intended by Egypt the progeny of Joseph

ويوسفُ مصر بغيرِ التُّقى

ويوسفُ مصر بغيرِ التُّقى

وبذلُ الصَّنائع لم يوصفِ

وبذلُ الصَّنائع لم يوصفِ

And Yusuf of Egypt, by anything but piety

And Joseph ruled Egypt without piety

And the bestowal of favors, has not been described.

And without perfecting the arts did not excel

فَسرْ وافتحِ القدسَ واسفكْ بهِ

فَسرْ وافتحِ القدسَ واسفكْ بهِ

دماءً متى تجرها ينظفِ

دماءً متى تجرها ينظفِ

So march, conquer Jerusalem, and shed there

So travel and conquer Jerusalem and shed in it

Blood; whenever you make it flow, Jerusalem grows clean.

Blood when you drag it, it cleans

وأهدِ إلى الأَسْبار البتار

وأهدِ إلى الأَسْبار البتار

وهُدّ السُّقوفَ على الأسقفِ

وهُدّ السُّقوفَ على الأسقفِ

And offer the Asbar the cleaving sword,

And send to the rebels the cutting swords

And bring the roofs down upon the bishop.

And drop ceilings on the bishops

وخلِّصْ من الكفرِ تلكَ البلادَ

وخلِّصْ من الكفرِ تلكَ البلادَ

يُخلِّصُكَ اللّهُ في الموقفِ

يُخلِّصُكَ اللّهُ في الموقفِ

And deliver those lands from unbelief;

And free those countries from blasphemy

God will deliver you at the gathering for Judgment.

God will free you on the Day of Judgment