أَلَبَّ داعي الهوى وَهْنَاً فلَبّاها

أَلَبَّ داعي الهوى وَهْنَاً فلَبّاها

قلبٌ أتاها ولولا ذِكرُها تاها

قلبٌ أتاها ولولا ذِكرُها تاها

Love's summoner persisted late at night; she was answered

The caller of passion importuned weakness, so it complied

By a heart that came to her; but for remembrance of her, it would have strayed.

A heart came to it, and were it not for the memory of her, it would have been lost

تَلَتْ علينا ثناياها سُطورَ هوىً

تَلَتْ علينا ثناياها سُطورَ هوىً

لم نَنْسَها مُذْ وَعَيْناها وَعَيْناها

لم نَنْسَها مُذْ وَعَيْناها وَعَيْناها

Her front teeth recited to us lines of love—

She recited to us the folds of passion in lines

We have not forgotten them since we understood them, nor her eyes—

Since we saw her eyes, we have not forgotten them

وعَرَّفْتنا معانيها التي بَهَرَتْ

وعَرَّفْتنا معانيها التي بَهَرَتْ

سُبْلَ الغرام فَهِمْنا إذ فَهِمْناها

سُبْلَ الغرام فَهِمْنا إذ فَهِمْناها

And revealed to us their meanings, which outshone

And she introduced to us their meanings that dazzled

The paths of passion; so we grew lovesick when we understood them.

The ways of love, so we understood when we understood her

عِفْتُ الأَثام وما تحت اللِّثامِ لها

عِفْتُ الأَثام وما تحت اللِّثامِ لها

وما اسْتَبَحْتُ حِماها بل حُمَيّاها

وما اسْتَبَحْتُ حِماها بل حُمَيّاها

I shunned sin and what lay beneath her veil,

I shunned sins and what is beneath the veil for her

And took no liberties with her sanctuary, only with her heady wine.

And I did not violate her sanctity, rather I protected her

يا طالبَ الحُبّ مَهْلاً إنّ مَطْلَبه

يا طالبَ الحُبّ مَهْلاً إنّ مَطْلَبه

يُنسي بأكثره اللاهي به اللهَ

يُنسي بأكثره اللاهي به اللهَ

O seeker of love, slow down! Its pursuit

O seeker of love, go slowly, for the pursuit of it

Most often makes one engrossed in it forget God.

Makes the heedless forget, with most of it, God

ولا تَمَنَّ أُموراً غِبُّها عَطَبٌ

ولا تَمَنَّ أُموراً غِبُّها عَطَبٌ

فَرُبَّ نفسٍ مُناها في مَناياها

فَرُبَّ نفسٍ مُناها في مَناياها

And do not wish for things whose aftermath is ruin,

And do not wish for matters whose inner reality is ruin

For many a soul's desires lie in its doom.

For many a soul has ended in its demise

فَأَنْفَعُ العُدَد التقوى وأرْفَعُها

فَأَنْفَعُ العُدَد التقوى وأرْفَعُها

لأَنْفُسٍ إن وَضَعْناها أَضَعْناها

لأَنْفُسٍ إن وَضَعْناها أَضَعْناها

Thus piety is the most useful provision, and the most elevating

The most beneficial of possessions is piety, the most sublime

For souls: if we debase them, we lose them.

If we place souls in it, we elevate them