كَيفَ خَلاصي مِن هَوىً

كَيفَ خَلاصي مِن هَوىً

مازَجَ روحي وَاِختَلَط

مازَجَ روحي وَاِختَلَط

How can I escape his love—

How am I to find release from a passion

How can I escape a passion

it has mingled with my soul and fused with it—

that has mingled with my very soul and merged into it?

that mingled with my soul and blended with it?

وَتائِهٍ أُقبَضُ في

وَتائِهٍ أُقبَضُ في

حُبّي لَهُ وَما اِنبَسَط

حُبّي لَهُ وَما اِنبَسَط

and a haughty one? I am dying

And many a proud, aloof beauty — I am gripped with gloom in

And a haughty one—I am constrained in

through my love for him, though he has never relented.

my love for him, and never once has it opened into ease.

my love for him, yet he never unbends.

يا بَدرُ إِن رُمتَ بِهِ

يا بَدرُ إِن رُمتَ بِهِ

تَشَبُّهاً رُمتَ الشَطَط

تَشَبُّهاً رُمتَ الشَطَط

O full moon, if you sought to resemble him,

O full moon, should you aim at wearing his

O full moon, if you seek his

in seeking such likeness you would overreach all bounds.

likeness, you are aiming at sheer extravagance.

likeness, you aim beyond all bounds.

وَدَعهُ يا غُصنَ النَقا

وَدَعهُ يا غُصنَ النَقا

ما أَنتَ مِن ذاكَ النَمَط

ما أَنتَ مِن ذاكَ النَمَط

Leave him be, O bough of the dune;

And let him be, O bough of the sand hill —

And leave him be, O bough of the sand dune;

you are not of that kind.

you are not of that order at all.

you are not of that class.

قامَ بِعُذري حُسنُهُ

قامَ بِعُذري حُسنُهُ

عِندَ عُذولي وَبَسَط

عِندَ عُذولي وَبَسَط

His beauty rose to plead my case

His beauty rose up to plead my excuse

His beauty stood in my defense

before my censor, and laid it bare.

before my reproachers, and set the case out plainly.

before my reproacher and set it forth.

لِلَّهِ أَيُّ قَلَمٍ

لِلَّهِ أَيُّ قَلَمٍ

لِواوِ ذاكَ الصَدغِ شَط

لِواوِ ذاكَ الصَدغِ شَط

By God, what a pen—

God! What a pen was that,

By God, what pen

that temple-lock swept wide to form a wāw!

which ran so far in tracing the wāw of that sidelock —

strayed to trace the wāw of that temple-lock?

وَيا لَهُ مِن عَجَبٍ

وَيا لَهُ مِن عَجَبٍ

في خَدِّهِ كَيفَ نَقَط

في خَدِّهِ كَيفَ نَقَط

And oh, what a marvel

and oh, what a marvel it is:

And what a marvel it is,

how it dotted his cheek!

upon his cheek, how it set the dot!

how it dotted his cheek!

يَمُرُّ بي مُلتَفِتاً

يَمُرُّ بي مُلتَفِتاً

فَهَل رَأَيتَ الظَبيَ قَط

فَهَل رَأَيتَ الظَبيَ قَط

He passes me, looking back—

He passes me by, glancing back over his shoulder —

He passes by me, turning to look—

have you ever seen a gazelle do so?

have you ever in your life seen such a gazelle?

so, have you ever seen a gazelle?

مافيهِ مِن عَيبٍ سِوى

مافيهِ مِن عَيبٍ سِوى

فُتورِ عَينَيهِ فَقَط

فُتورِ عَينَيهِ فَقَط

He has no flaw except

There is nothing of fault in him, except

There is no flaw in him except

the languor of his eyes alone.

the languor of his two eyes, and that alone.

the languor of his eyes alone.

ياقَمَرَ السَعدِ الَّذي

ياقَمَرَ السَعدِ الَّذي

لَدَيهِ نَجمي قَد سَقَط

لَدَيهِ نَجمي قَد سَقَط

O moon of good fortune, before whom

O moon of good fortune, in whose presence

O moon of good fortune, before whom

my star has already fallen;

my own star has fallen from the sky:

my star has indeed fallen!

يامانِعاً حُلوَ الرِضا

يامانِعاً حُلوَ الرِضا

وَباذِلاً مُرَّ السَخَط

وَباذِلاً مُرَّ السَخَط

O you who withhold the sweetness of favor

O you who withhold the sweetness of your favor

O you who withhold the sweetness of favor

and bestow the bitterness of wrath—

and lavish freely the bitterness of your wrath —

and lavish the bitterness of displeasure,

حاشاكَ أَن تَرضى بِأَن

حاشاكَ أَن تَرضى بِأَن

أَموتَ في الحُبِّ غَلَط

أَموتَ في الحُبِّ غَلَط

far be it from you to consent

far be it from you to be content that

far be it from you to agree that

that I should die of love by mistake.

I die of love, and die by mistake.

I should die of love by mistake.