برّح الشّوقُ فواصِلْ

برّح الشّوقُ فواصِلْ

أنْتَ عمّا بيَ غافلْ

أنْتَ عمّا بيَ غافلْ

Longing torments me; so join me.

Longing flared up, so visit me

You are unaware of what ails me.

You are unaware of my state

زُرْ فأيّام المحبّين

زُرْ فأيّام المحبّين

كما قيل قَلائِلْ

كما قيل قَلائِلْ

Visit me, for lovers' days,

Come, for the days of lovers

as has been said, are few.

Are few, it's said

قد تركْتَ القلبَ مِنّي

قد تركْتَ القلبَ مِنّي

ذاهباً والعَقْلَ ذَاهِلْ

ذاهباً والعَقْلَ ذَاهِلْ

You have indeed left this heart of mine

You left my heart to depart

lost, and my mind bewildered.

While my mind grew confused

بأبي بدراً بَدَا لي

بأبي بدراً بَدَا لي

في سماءِ الحسْنِ كَامِلْ

في سماءِ الحسْنِ كَامِلْ

My father be ransom for a full moon that appeared to me,

By my father Badr appeared

perfect in the sky of beauty.

Perfect beauty in the sky

كلّما فوَّق سَهْماً

كلّما فوَّق سَهْماً

لم يُصِبْ إلاّ المَقَاتِلْ

لم يُصِبْ إلاّ المَقَاتِلْ

Whenever he nocked an arrow,

Whenever he fired an arrow

he struck only the vital spots.

It struck only the warrior

رِدْفُه لِلْخَصْر منهُ

رِدْفُه لِلْخَصْر منهُ

ظَالمٌ والقدّ عادِلْ

ظَالمٌ والقدّ عادِلْ

His hips, toward his own waist,

His figure slim at the waist

are unjust, while his figure is justly balanced.

Upright, though bending

أَقوامٌ ذاكَ أم غُصْنُ نقاً

أَقوامٌ ذاكَ أم غُصْنُ نقاً

في الدَّوحِ مائِلْ

في الدَّوحِ مائِلْ

Is that a figure, or a branch on a sand dune,

Are they people or a willow branch

bending in the grove?

Inclining in the basin there

وعيونٌ فاتراتٌ

وعيونٌ فاتراتٌ

تِلك أَمْ ورودٌ في غلائِلْ

تِلك أَمْ ورودٌ في غلائِلْ

And are those languid eyes,

Eyes languid and dimmed

or roses in sheer robes?

Or are they roses in tresses

قيّدتْني عارضاهُ

قيّدتْني عارضاهُ

لِهَواهُ بِسَلاِسِلْ

لِهَواهُ بِسَلاِسِلْ

His two cheek-locks have fettered me

Her glances bound me

to love of him with chains.

To passionate love with chains

قالَ لي لما رآني

قالَ لي لما رآني

مِن هَواهُ في حبائلْ

مِن هَواهُ في حبائلْ

He said to me when he saw me

When she saw me trapped

caught in snares through love of him:

In the snare of her love

حاجبي المقرون نُونٌ

حاجبي المقرون نُونٌ

وعذاري سَالَ سائلْ

وعذاري سَالَ سائلْ

“My joined eyebrow is the letter nūn,

My conjoined eyebrows are noon

and my cheek-down has flowed, streaming.”

My loose tresses flowing water

قد مَضى العمرُ وولّى

قد مَضى العمرُ وولّى

ولم أفز مِنهُ بطَائِلْ

ولم أفز مِنهُ بطَائِلْ

Life has passed and slipped away,

Life passed me by and turned away

and I have gained nothing worthwhile from it.

And I gained nothing from it

لَسْتُ أصغي في هواهُ

لَسْتُ أصغي في هواهُ

لوشاةٍ أو عواذِلْ

لوشاةٍ أو عواذِلْ

I do not listen, in my love for him,

I don't listen in her love

to talebearers or reproachful women.

To slanderers or chiders

إن دينَ الحُب حَقٌ

إن دينَ الحُب حَقٌ

وسلوّي عنه باطِلْ

وسلوّي عنه باطِلْ

Indeed, the creed of love is truth,

The creed of love is truth

and my forgetting him is falsehood.

While to shun it is vain

فدعِ العاذلَ فيهِ

فدعِ العاذلَ فيهِ

فلْيقُلْ ما هو قائلْ

فلْيقُلْ ما هو قائلْ

So leave the reproacher of this love alone;

So leave the chider to say

let him say whatever he will.

What he will say

هُو لا شكَ لِما بي

هُو لا شكَ لِما بي

من جوىً في القلب جَاهِلْ

من جوىً في القلب جَاهِلْ

He surely knows nothing of what ails me:

He is doubtless ignorant

the burning anguish in my heart.

Of the ardour within my heart

أنكرَ العَاذِلُ وجْدي

أنكرَ العَاذِلُ وجْدي

وعلى الوجْدِ دلائِلْ

وعلى الوجْدِ دلائِلْ

The reproacher denied my passion,

The chider denied my fervour

yet passion has its proofs.

Yet fervour has proofs

وكَفَى السّقمُ دَليلاً

وكَفَى السّقمُ دَليلاً

ودمٌ في الخدِّ هَأمِلْ

ودمٌ في الخدِّ هَأمِلْ

And sickness suffices as proof,

Lovesickness itself is proof

and blood streaming down the cheek.

As is the blood that throbs hopefully in my cheek