الشَوقُ أَكثَرَ مِن أَن

الشَوقُ أَكثَرَ مِن أَن

يَحويهِ مِنّي كِتابُ

يَحويهِ مِنّي كِتابُ

Longing is too great for

Longing is too great to be

a book of mine to contain it.

contained in any book of mine,

وَالحِبُّ أَكبَرُ مِن أَن

وَالحِبُّ أَكبَرُ مِن أَن

يُخفيهِ عَنّي حِجابُ

يُخفيهِ عَنّي حِجابُ

And the beloved is too great for

And love is too immense to

a veil to hide him from me.

be hidden from me by any veil.

عابَ اِشتِهاري قَومٌ

عابَ اِشتِهاري قَومٌ

عَن مِشهَدي فيهِ غابوا

عَن مِشهَدي فيهِ غابوا

Some people faulted my renown,

Some people disapproved of my fame—

absent from my witnessing of him.

they avoided seeing me.

وَلَو رَأَوهُ بِعَيني

وَلَو رَأَوهُ بِعَيني

لِاِستَحسَنوا ما أَعابوا

لِاِستَحسَنوا ما أَعابوا

And had they seen him with my eye,

Had they seen me with their own eyes

they would have admired what they condemned.

they would have approved what they disdained.