عِندي أَحاديثُ أَشواقٍ أَضَنُّ بِها

عِندي أَحاديثُ أَشواقٍ أَضَنُّ بِها

فَلَستُ أودِعُها لِلكُتبِ وَالرُسُلِ

فَلَستُ أودِعُها لِلكُتبِ وَالرُسُلِ

I have tales of longing that I guard jealously,

I have tender words of longing that I cherish,

So I entrust them neither to letters nor to messengers.

Yet I do not confide them to books or messengers.

وَلي رَسائِلُ في طَيِّ النَسيمِ لَكُم

وَلي رَسائِلُ في طَيِّ النَسيمِ لَكُم

فَفتِّشوا فيهِ آثاراً مِنَ القُبَلِ

فَفتِّشوا فيهِ آثاراً مِنَ القُبَلِ

And I have messages for you in the folds of the breeze;

I have letters borne on the folds of the breeze for you -

So search it for traces of kisses.

Search in them for traces of kisses.

كَتَمتُ حُبَّكُم عَن كُلِّ جارِحَةٍ

كَتَمتُ حُبَّكُم عَن كُلِّ جارِحَةٍ

مِنَ المَسامِعِ وَالأَفواهِ وَالمُقَلِ

مِنَ المَسامِعِ وَالأَفواهِ وَالمُقَلِ

I concealed my love for you from every bodily organ—

I have kept my love for you from each bodily faculty,

From ears and mouths and eyes.

From hearing, speech, and eyes.

وَما تَغَيَّرتُ عَن ذاكَ الوِدادِ لَكُم

وَما تَغَيَّرتُ عَن ذاكَ الوِدادِ لَكُم

خُذوا حَديثي عَن أَيّامِيَ الأُوَلِ

خُذوا حَديثي عَن أَيّامِيَ الأُوَلِ

And I have not turned away from that affection for you;

My affection for you has not changed from what it was before;

Take my story from my earliest days.

Take my words about my early days.

بَيني وَبَينَكُم ما تَعلَمونَ بِهِ

بَيني وَبَينَكُم ما تَعلَمونَ بِهِ

حُبٌّ يُنَزَّهُ عَن عَيبٍ وَعَن مَلَلِ

حُبٌّ يُنَزَّهُ عَن عَيبٍ وَعَن مَلَلِ

Between me and you lies what you know:

Between you and me is something you know well:

A love free of blemish and weariness.

A love kept safe from fault or boredom,

وُدٌّ بِلا مَلَقٍ مِنّا يُزَخرِفُهُ

وُدٌّ بِلا مَلَقٍ مِنّا يُزَخرِفُهُ

يُغني المَليحَةَ عَن حَليٍ وَعَن حُلَلَلِ

يُغني المَليحَةَ عَن حَليٍ وَعَن حُلَلَلِ

An affection no flattery from us adorns,

Affection with no pretense to adorn it,

It frees the fair woman from need of jewels and fine robes.

That makes jewelry and necklaces superfluous.

غِبتُم فَما لِيَ مِن أُنسٍ لِغَيبَتِكُم

غِبتُم فَما لِيَ مِن أُنسٍ لِغَيبَتِكُم

سِوى التَعَلُّلِ بِالتَذكارِ وَالأَمَلِ

سِوى التَعَلُّلِ بِالتَذكارِ وَالأَمَلِ

You are gone; in your absence I have no comfort

You went away, and I have no intimacy to console me for your absence

Except consoling myself with remembrance and hope.

Except recollection, hope, and making excuses.

أَحتالُ في النَومِ كَي أَلقى خَيالَكُمُ

أَحتالُ في النَومِ كَي أَلقى خَيالَكُمُ

إِنَّ المِحِبَّ لَمُحتاجٌ إِلى الحِيَلِ

إِنَّ المِحِبَّ لَمُحتاجٌ إِلى الحِيَلِ

I contrive to sleep so I may meet your image;

I scheme in sleep to meet your phantom,

Indeed, a lover surely needs stratagems.

For lovers need their stratagems.

بَعدَ الحَبيبِ هَجَرتُ الشِعرَ أَجمَعُهُ

بَعدَ الحَبيبِ هَجَرتُ الشِعرَ أَجمَعُهُ

فَلا غَزالٌ يُلَهّيني وَلا غَزَلي

فَلا غَزالٌ يُلَهّيني وَلا غَزَلي

With my beloved gone, I have abandoned poetry altogether;

After my beloved, I have shunned poetry altogether,

So neither a gazelle nor my love verse distracts me.

So no gazelle diverts me, nor verses of mine.

وَعاذِلٍ آمِرٍ بِالصَبرِ قُلتُ لَهُ

وَعاذِلٍ آمِرٍ بِالصَبرِ قُلتُ لَهُ

إِنّي وَحَقِّكَ مَشغولٌ عَنِ العَذَلِ

إِنّي وَحَقِّكَ مَشغولٌ عَنِ العَذَلِ

And to a reproacher who enjoined patience, I said:

When a critic ordered me to show patience, I said to him:

Indeed, by your honor, I am too preoccupied to heed reproach.

"Indeed, by your life, I am too busy for criticism!"

طَلَبتَ مِنِّيَ شَيئاً لَستُ أَملِكُهُ

طَلَبتَ مِنِّيَ شَيئاً لَستُ أَملِكُهُ

وَخُذ يَميني وَما عِندي وَما قِبَلي

وَخُذ يَميني وَما عِندي وَما قِبَلي

You have asked me for something I do not possess;

You asked of me something I do not possess;

And take my right hand, whatever I have, and whatever is in my keeping.

take my oath, all I own, and whatever is still to come.

أَطَلتَ عَذلَ مُحِبٍّ لَيسَ يَقبَلُهُ

أَطَلتَ عَذلَ مُحِبٍّ لَيسَ يَقبَلُهُ

فَكانَ أَضيَعَ مِن دَمعٍ عَلى طَلَلِ

فَكانَ أَضيَعَ مِن دَمعٍ عَلى طَلَلِ

You prolonged your reproach of a lover who would not accept it;

You prolonged reproach of a lover who will not accept it,

So it was more futile than tears upon a ruined dwelling.

So it was more futile than tears shed on a ruined abode.

إِنّي لَأَعجَزُ عَن صَبرٍ تُشيرُ بِهِ

إِنّي لَأَعجَزُ عَن صَبرٍ تُشيرُ بِهِ

وَلو قَدَرتُ لَكانَ الصَبرُ أَروَحَ لي

وَلو قَدَرتُ لَكانَ الصَبرُ أَروَحَ لي

Indeed, I am incapable of the patience you recommend;

I confess I cannot show the patience you recommend,

And if I could, patience would bring me greater ease.

And if I could, such patience would be no consolation.