1. لَئِن صَدَّقَتني في الحَديثِ ظُنوني

    لَقَد نَقَلَت سِرّي وُشاةُ جُفوني

    If my suspicions have proved true about what was said,

    the telltales of my eyelids have indeed divulged my secret.

  2. وَبِالرَغمِ مِنّي أَنَّ سِرّاً أَصونُهُ

    يَصيرُ بِدَمعي وَهوَ غَيرُ مَصونِ

    And against my will, a secret I guard

    is left unguarded through my tears.

  3. وَقَد رابَني يا أَهلَ وُدِّيَ أَنَّكُم

    مَطَلتُم وَأَنتُم قادِرونَ دُيوني

    And it has troubled me, O my loved ones, that you

    have delayed paying my dues, though you are able.

  4. بِروحِيَ أَنتُم مَن رَسولي إِلَيكُمُ

    وَمَن مُسعِدي في حُبِّكُم وَمُعيني

    My soul be your ransom! Who is my messenger to you,

    and who will comfort me in my love for you and help me?

  5. سَلوا دَمعَ عَيني عَن أَحاديثِ لَوعَتي

    لِتُعرِبَ عَن تِلكَ الشُؤونِ شُؤوني

    Ask the tears of my eye about the tales of my anguish,

    so my tear ducts may speak of those affairs.

  6. فَلِلدَمعِ مِن عَيني مَعينٌ يَمُدُّهُ

    فَإِن تَسأَلوهُ تَسأَلوا اِبنَ مَعينِ

    For the tears from my eye have a spring that feeds them;

    so if you question them, you question Ibn Ma'in.

  7. عَلى أَنَّ دَمعي لا يَزالُ يَخونُني

    وَمَن ذا الَّذي يَروي حَديثَ خَؤونِ

    Yet my tears never cease betraying me—

    and who would repeat the tale of a habitual traitor?

  8. فَلا تَقبَلوا لِلدَمعِ عَنّي رِوايَةً

    فَلَيسَ عَلى سِرِّ الهَوى بِأَمينِ

    So accept no account of me from my tears,

    for they cannot be trusted with love's secret.

  9. حَلَفتُ لَكُم أَن لا أَخونَ عُهودَكُم

    وَأَعطَيتُكُم عِندَ اليَمينِ يَميني

    I swore to you not to break my pledges to you,

    and gave you my right hand when I took the oath.

  10. وَها أَنا كَالمَجنونِ فيكُم صَبابَةً

    وَحاشاكُمُ تَرضَونَ لي بِجُنوني

    And here I am, like a madman, yearning for you;

    and far be it from you to be content with my madness.

  11. وَهَبتُكُمُ في الحُبِّ عَقلِيَ راضِياً

    وَيا لَيتَكُم أَبقَيتُمُ لِيَ ديني

    I willingly gave you my reason in love,

    and would that you had left me my faith!

  12. أَرى سُقمَ جِسمي قَد حَوَتهُ جُفونُكُم

    فَلا تَأخُذوا يا ظالِمينَ جُفوني

    I see my body's sickness gathered in your eyelids;

    so do not take my eyelids, O cruel ones.

  13. أَأَحبابَنا إِنّي ضَنينٌ بِوُدِّكُم

    وَما كُنتُ يَوماً قَبلَهُ بِضَنينِ

    O our beloved ones, I jealously guard your love,

    though I had never been miserly before.

  14. فَمَن ذا الَّذي أَعتاضُ عَنكُم مِنَ الوَرى

    يَكونُ حَبيبي مِثلَكُم وَخَديني

    So who among humankind could I take in your place,

    to be, like you, my beloved and intimate friend?

  15. وَمَن ذا الَّذي أَرضى بِهِ لِمَحَبَّتي

    فَتَحسُنَ فيهِ لَوعَتي وَحَنيني

    And whom could I accept as the object of my love,

    so that my anguish and longing for him would be fitting?

  16. أُحِبُّ مِنَ الأَشياءِ ماكانَ فائِقاً

    وَما الدونُ إِلّا مَن يَميلُ لَدونِ

    Of all things, I love whatever is outstanding;

    and none is base but one who inclines to what is base.

  17. وَأَهجُرُ شُربَ الماءِ غَيرَ مُصَفِّقٍ

    زُلالٍ وَأَكلَ اللَحمِ غَيرَ سَمينِ

    And I refrain from drinking water unless it is purified

    and limpid, and from eating meat unless it is fat.

  18. وَإِن قيلَ لي هَذا رَخيصٌ تَرَكتُهُ

    وَلا أَرتَضي إِلّا بِكُلِّ ثَمينِ

    And if I am told, 'This is cheap,' I leave it;

    and I accept nothing but what is precious.

  19. فَإِنّي رَأَيتُ الشَيءَ إِن يَغلُ قيمَةً

    يَكُن بِمَكانٍ في القُلوبِ مَكينِ

    For I have found that when a thing is high in price,

    it holds a secure place in hearts.

  20. حَبيبِيَ زِدني مِن حَديثٍ ذَكَرتُهُ

    لِيَسكُنَ هَذا القَلبُ بَعضَ سُكونِ

    My beloved, tell me more of the tale I mentioned,

    so this heart may find some rest.

  21. وَقُل لي وَلا تَحلِف فَإِنَّكَ صادِقٌ

    وَقَولُكَ عِندي مِثلُ أَلفِ يَمينِ

    And tell me—do not swear, for you are truthful,

    and to me your word is worth a thousand oaths.

  22. فَوَاللَهِ لَم أَرتَب بِما قَد ذَكَرتَهُ

    وَلَم تَختَلِج بِالشَكِّ فيكَ ظُنوني

    For by God, I have not doubted what you mentioned,

    nor have my thoughts of you wavered with doubt.

  23. وَإِنَّ حَديثاً أَنتَ راويهِ إِنَّني

    عَلى ثِقَةٍ مِنهُ وَحُسنِ يَقينِ

    And any tale you tell—I

    am confident of it, with sound certainty.

  24. كَذَلِكَ تَلقاني إِذا ما اِختَبَرتَني

    يَسُرُّ حِفاظي صاحِبي وَقَريني

    Thus you will find me whenever you test me:

    my fidelity gladdens my friend and companion.

  25. إِذا قُلتُ قَولاً كُنتُ لِلقَولِ فاعِلاً

    وَكانَ حَيائي كافِلي وَضَميني

    Whenever I said a thing, I put it into action,

    and my sense of shame was my surety and guarantor.

  26. تُبَشِّرُ عَنّي بِالوَفاءِ بَشاشَتي

    وَيَنطِقُ نورُ الصِدقِ فَوقَ جَبيني

    My cheerful countenance heralds my fidelity,

    and the light of truth speaks upon my brow.