حُبَيْشيٌّ كَلِفْتُ به

حُبَيْشيٌّ كَلِفْتُ به

فيا بأبي لذا الحبشي

فيا بأبي لذا الحبشي

A little Abyssinian—I am enamored of him.

A Habeshi I was entrusted with

Ah, may my father be this Abyssinian’s ransom!

So, by my father, this Habeshi

إذا استوحشتُ أَنَّسني

إذا استوحشتُ أَنَّسني

تذكُّرُ وجُهِهِ الوَحِش

تذكُّرُ وجُهِهِ الوَحِش

Whenever I feel lonely, I am comforted

If I feel lonely, he comforts me

by remembering his unlovely face.

Remembering his shy face

وليس كذا فلا تَعْذُلْ

وليس كذا فلا تَعْذُلْ

خليلَكَ عَذْلَ منكمش

خليلَكَ عَذْلَ منكمش

Yet he is not so; therefore do not reproach

It's not like that, don't be unjust

your friend with a zealous man’s reproach.

To your friend, with your withdrawal

قَلِيتُ صفاتِهِ أيْ والن

قَلِيتُ صفاتِهِ أيْ والن

بيِّ المصطفى القُرَشي

بيِّ المصطفى القُرَشي

I loathed his qualities—yes, by the

His characteristics are few, but

chosen Prophet of Quraysh—

By the Chosen One, the Qurashi

حذارَ العينِ أحياناً

حذارَ العينِ أحياناً

وأحياناً من الدَّهَش

وأحياناً من الدَّهَش

sometimes for fear of the evil eye,

Beware of the evil eye sometimes

and sometimes out of astonishment.

And sometimes of being startled

غزالٌ إِن أُجَمِّشْهُ

غزالٌ إِن أُجَمِّشْهُ

بِطَرْفِ العينِ يَنْجَمِش

بِطَرْفِ العينِ يَنْجَمِش

A gazelle: if I caress him

A gazelle, if stared with the eye

with a glance of the eye, he yields to the caress.

Shies away and starts trembling

أَعيشُ بحسنِ طاعته

أَعيشُ بحسنِ طاعته

ولولا ذاك لم أَعِش

ولولا ذاك لم أَعِش

I live by his gracious obedience,

I live by his beautiful obedience

and without that I would not live.

Without that, I would not have lived