يا أفتَنَ الناسِ ألحاظاً إذا رَمَقا

يا أفتَنَ الناسِ ألحاظاً إذا رَمَقا

وأعذب الناس ألفاظاً إذا نَطَقا

وأعذب الناس ألفاظاً إذا نَطَقا

O you, the most enchanting of all people in your glances when you look,

O you whose glances are the most enchanting of all when you gaze,

And the sweetest of all people in your words when you speak:

And whose words are the sweetest of all when you speak.

ما إن فقدتُك إلا ظَلتُ مكتئباً

ما إن فقدتُك إلا ظَلتُ مكتئباً

ولا رأيتُك إلا زادني قَلَقا

ولا رأيتُك إلا زادني قَلَقا

Whenever I am parted from you, I remain heartsick,

Whenever I was without you, I remained downcast,

And whenever I see you, my anguish only grows.

And whenever I saw you, my restlessness only grew.

ولا ذكرتُك إلا اعتادَني نَفَسٌ

ولا ذكرتُك إلا اعتادَني نَفَسٌ

يبدي الضميرَ ففاض الدَّمعُ مُندَفِقا

يبدي الضميرَ ففاض الدَّمعُ مُندَفِقا

Whenever I remember you, a sigh comes over me,

Whenever I recalled you, a sigh returned to me,

Revealing what the heart conceals; then tears stream forth.

Revealing my hidden feelings; then tears gushed forth.

ولا تَأوَّبَني بعد السهاد كَرى

ولا تَأوَّبَني بعد السهاد كَرى

إلا وبتُّ لِطَيفٍ منك معتنِقا

إلا وبتُّ لِطَيفٍ منك معتنِقا

Nor does slumber revisit me after sleeplessness

Whenever slumber returned to me after sleeplessness,

Without my spending the night embracing a phantom of you.

I spent the night embracing a phantom of you.

ولا حللتُ رياضاً منك شاسعةً

ولا حللتُ رياضاً منك شاسعةً

إلا رأيتُ خيالاً منك قد طرقا

إلا رأيتُ خيالاً منك قد طرقا

Nor do I alight in gardens far away from you

Whenever I alighted in gardens far from you,

Without seeing a phantom of you that has called by night.

I saw a vision of you that had come by night.

فلو ترانيَ تِلقا بابِ دارِكمُ

فلو ترانيَ تِلقا بابِ دارِكمُ

كأنَّني دَيدَبانٌ أحرس الطُّرقا

كأنَّني دَيدَبانٌ أحرس الطُّرقا

If only you could see me facing the door of your house,

So if you could see me opposite your doorway,

As though I were a watchman guarding the roads—

As though I were a watchman guarding the roads,

مُدَلَّهاً طامحَ العينَين تحسبه

مُدَلَّهاً طامحَ العينَين تحسبه

بغُصَّة الشَّجو والعبراتِ مختنقا

بغُصَّة الشَّجو والعبراتِ مختنقا

Love-distraught, eyes straining upward—you would think him

Dazed with love, my eyes raised—you would think me

Choking on a lump of sorrow and tears.

Choking on a lump of grief and on tears.

أقول للطرف إذ سحَّت مدامعُه

أقول للطرف إذ سحَّت مدامعُه

صبابةً واكتسى بعد الكرى أرَقا

صبابةً واكتسى بعد الكرى أرَقا

I say to my eye, as its tears pour down

I say to my eye, as its tears pour down

From longing, and after sleep it clothes itself in insomnia:

In longing and it dons sleeplessness after slumber:

يا طرفُ ويحك لِم أبليتَني بِرَشاً

يا طرفُ ويحك لِم أبليتَني بِرَشاً

لم يُبقِ لي حبُّه روحاً ولا رَمَقا

لم يُبقِ لي حبُّه روحاً ولا رَمَقا

O eye, woe to you! Why have you afflicted me with a dappled gazelle

"O eye, woe to you! Why have you afflicted me with a young gazelle

Whose love has left me neither soul nor breath of life?

Whose love has left me neither spirit nor a breath of life?"

فقال لُم قلبَك الجاني عليك متى

فقال لُم قلبَك الجاني عليك متى

حنَّ ارتياحاً إلى المعشوق أو حفَقَا

حنَّ ارتياحاً إلى المعشوق أو حفَقَا

It answered, “Blame your heart, the culprit against you, whenever

It replied: "Blame your heart, which wrongs you whenever

It yearns eagerly for the beloved or throbs.”

It yearns in rapture for the beloved or flutters."

فالقلب والطرف قاداني إلى تلفي

فالقلب والطرف قاداني إلى تلفي

وكان ذا في قضاء اللَه قد سَبَقا

وكان ذا في قضاء اللَه قد سَبَقا

For heart and eye have led me to my ruin,

Thus heart and eye have led me to my ruin,

And this had already been ordained in God’s decree.

And this had already been ordained in God's decree.