قالوا الأَحِبَّةُ ما صَدّوا وَلا وَصَلوا

قالوا الأَحِبَّةُ ما صَدّوا وَلا وَصَلوا

إِذاً فَقُل لِيَ ما أَحيَوا وَما قَتَلوا

إِذاً فَقُل لِيَ ما أَحيَوا وَما قَتَلوا

They said, “The beloved have neither turned away nor drawn near.”

They said the loved ones neither turned away nor joined

Then tell me: they have neither kept me alive nor killed me.

Then tell me if they ever lived or were they killed

وَالقَتلُ لي راحَةٌ لَكِنَّهُم أَبَداً

وَالقَتلُ لي راحَةٌ لَكِنَّهُم أَبَداً

لا يَسمَحونَ بِشَيءٍ فيهِ لي أَمَلُ

لا يَسمَحونَ بِشَيءٍ فيهِ لي أَمَلُ

And being slain is rest for me, yet they always

And death for me would be rest but they

refuse me anything in which I have hope.

Would never allow anything in which I have hope

مِثلُ العَواذِلِ لَمّا ضَلَّ سَعيُهُمُ

مِثلُ العَواذِلِ لَمّا ضَلَّ سَعيُهُمُ

لا أَمسَكوا عَذلَهُم عَنّي وَلا عَذَلوا

لا أَمسَكوا عَذلَهُم عَنّي وَلا عَذَلوا

Like the reproachers, when their efforts came to nothing:

Like the indifferent when their quest went astray

they neither withheld their reproach from me nor reproached me.

They spared me not their indifference nor felt indifference

ما لي بِهِم وَبِهِجرانِ الحَبيبِ وَإِس

ما لي بِهِم وَبِهِجرانِ الحَبيبِ وَإِس

رافِ الرَقيبِ وَتَشنيعِ العِدا قِبَلُ

رافِ الرَقيبِ وَتَشنيعِ العِدا قِبَلُ

I have no strength to bear them, the beloved’s desertion, and the excesses

What have I to do with them or with the beloved's estrangement and the watchman's

of the watcher and the enemies’ slander.

Surveillance and the enemy's accusation. I cannot bear

وَلَيسَ في خاطِري أَيضاً وَلا زَمَني

وَلَيسَ في خاطِري أَيضاً وَلا زَمَني

وَلا لِمَعشارِ ما أَلقاهُ مُحتَمَلُ

وَلا لِمَعشارِ ما أَلقاهُ مُحتَمَلُ

Nor in my mind, nor in my lifetime either,

Nor does it cross my mind or stay in my memory

is there endurance for even a tenth of what I suffer.

Or anything like what I have endured

إِن زَلَّ عَزمِيَ فَهوَ البَحرُ زَلزَلَةً

إِن زَلَّ عَزمِيَ فَهوَ البَحرُ زَلزَلَةً

وَقَد يَخِفُّ إِذا ما زُلزِلُ الجَبَلُ

وَقَد يَخِفُّ إِذا ما زُلزِلُ الجَبَلُ

If my resolve falters, it is the sea in upheaval;

If my resolve falters it's the sea shuddering

and a mountain may grow unsteady when shaken.

And the mountain may quake when made to quiver

أَخرَجتُموني مِنَ الدُنيا وَما خَرَجَت

أَخرَجتُموني مِنَ الدُنيا وَما خَرَجَت

نَفسي وَفارَقَها مَن لا لَهُ أَمَلُ

نَفسي وَفارَقَها مَن لا لَهُ أَمَلُ

You drove me from the world, yet there still remains

You've cast me out of life and my soul never left

my soul; and one without hope has parted from it.

And left it one with no hope

فَالنَفسُ مِن هَمِّها في جِسمِها اِعتُقِلَت

فَالنَفسُ مِن هَمِّها في جِسمِها اِعتُقِلَت

بَل صاحِبُ النَفسِ تَحتَ الهَمِّ مُعتَقَلُ

بَل صاحِبُ النَفسِ تَحتَ الهَمِّ مُعتَقَلُ

So the soul, from its sorrow, is imprisoned in its body;

So the soul from its worries remains imprisoned in its body

rather, the soul’s possessor is imprisoned beneath sorrow.

Nay, the soul's companion remains imprisoned under worries

الذنبُ لِلحُسنِ لا لِلحُبِّ إِن عَدَلوا

الذنبُ لِلحُسنِ لا لِلحُبِّ إِن عَدَلوا

في الحُكمِ لَكِنَّهُم في الحُكمِ ما عَدَلوا

في الحُكمِ لَكِنَّهُم في الحُكمِ ما عَدَلوا

The fault is beauty’s, not love’s, if they are just

The sin is for beauty not for love if they judge fairly

in judgment—but in judgment they have not been just.

But they never judge fairly

مَنِ الَّذي مِنهُما مِن قَبلِ صاحِبِهِ

مَنِ الَّذي مِنهُما مِن قَبلِ صاحِبِهِ

أَم لَم يَكُن بَينَ وَجدانَيهِما مَهَلُ

أَم لَم يَكُن بَينَ وَجدانَيهِما مَهَلُ

Which of the two came before the other,

Who of the two failed the other

or was there no interval between their being perceived?

Or was there no respite between their two passions

مالي سَبيلٌ إِلى الدُنيا وَكَيفَ بِها

مالي سَبيلٌ إِلى الدُنيا وَكَيفَ بِها

يا لَيتَني مِثلُ مَن ضاقَت بِهِ السُبُلُ

يا لَيتَني مِثلُ مَن ضاقَت بِهِ السُبُلُ

I have no path to the world—how could I reach it?

I have no way to life now how can I live it

Oh, would that I were like one whose paths have narrowed!

Oh would that I were like one whose paths are blocked