صِلْني فَقَدْ والهَوى يا أَحْسَنَ النَّاسِ

صِلْني فَقَدْ والهَوى يا أَحْسَنَ النَّاسِ

وَصَلْتَ بِالهَجْرِ لي تَقْطيعَ أَنْفاسي

وَصَلْتَ بِالهَجْرِ لي تَقْطيعَ أَنْفاسي

Grant me union, for—by love, O fairest of people—

Connect with me, for love has possessed me, O fairest of mankind,

Through estrangement you have kept me gasping for breath.

Yet you have severed me, cutting short my breath through estrangement,

أَثْبَتَّ سَهْمَكَ في قَلْبي فَكانَ لَهُ

أَثْبَتَّ سَهْمَكَ في قَلْبي فَكانَ لَهُ

لَمَّا تَعَمَّدْتَهُ في حالِ بُرجاسِ

لَمَّا تَعَمَّدْتَهُ في حالِ بُرجاسِ

You lodged your arrow in my heart, and to that arrow it was,

You fixed your arrow in my heart, and it belonged to him

When you took aim at it, like an archery target.

When you deliberately lodged it at the time of parting.

كَمْ قَدْ شَرِقْتُ بِرَدِّي دَمْعَةً بَدَرَتْ

كَمْ قَدْ شَرِقْتُ بِرَدِّي دَمْعَةً بَدَرَتْ

لَمَّا تَرَكْتُ رَجائِي في يَدِ القاسي

لَمَّا تَرَكْتُ رَجائِي في يَدِ القاسي

How often I have choked while holding back a tear that sprang forth,

How often my tears flowed like the rising full moon

When I left my hope in the cruel one's hand.

When I lost hope in the hand of the cruel one.

سالَتْ فَلَمَّا خَشِيتُ الوَجْدَ يُظْهِرُها

سالَتْ فَلَمَّا خَشِيتُ الوَجْدَ يُظْهِرُها

فَيَغْتَدي كَلَفِي قَدْ شاعَ في النَّاسِ

فَيَغْتَدي كَلَفِي قَدْ شاعَ في النَّاسِ

It flowed; then, when I feared that longing would reveal it,

It flowed, but when I feared grief would reveal it

And so my infatuation would become known among people,

And my anguish, already spread among the people, would exult,

سَتَرْتُ بِالكَأسِ لَحْظي عَنْ لَواحِظِهِ

سَتَرْتُ بِالكَأسِ لَحْظي عَنْ لَواحِظِهِ

عَمْداً وغَيَّضْتُها في لُجَّةِ الكاسِ

عَمْداً وغَيَّضْتُها في لُجَّةِ الكاسِ

I hid my gaze with the cup from his glances,

I hid my glance from its observer with a cup,

Deliberately, and made the tear vanish in the cup's depths.

Deliberately, and drowned it in the darkness of the cup.