مَهلاً أَخي لَم تَلقَ ما قَد لَقيتُ

مَهلاً أَخي لَم تَلقَ ما قَد لَقيتُ

تَكادُ أَنفاسي بِروحي تَفوتُ

تَكادُ أَنفاسي بِروحي تَفوتُ

Easy, my brother; you have not endured what I have endured.

Slow down, my brother, you have not endured what I have endured

My breaths are almost slipping away with my soul.

My soul almost slips away with my breath

في القَولِ يَأتيكَ بَيانُ الفَتى

في القَولِ يَأتيكَ بَيانُ الفَتى

وَالعَيُّ ما أَغناكَ عَنهُ السُكوتُ

وَالعَيُّ ما أَغناكَ عَنهُ السُكوتُ

Through speech, a young man's eloquence becomes apparent to you;

In speech comes the eloquence of the young man

And inarticulacy is what silence spares you from.

While blindness has not benefited you from silence

مِن حِكَمٍ صَمتٌ فَدَع مَنطِقاً

مِن حِكَمٍ صَمتٌ فَدَع مَنطِقاً

إِن كانَ خَيراً لَكَ مِنهُ الصُموتُ

إِن كانَ خَيراً لَكَ مِنهُ الصُموتُ

Silence is among wise counsels, so forgo speech

Wisdom is in silence so leave off from speaking

If keeping silent is better for you than speaking.

If silence is better for you than prattling

إِن تَجفُني فَإِنّي اِمرُؤٌ

إِن تَجفُني فَإِنّي اِمرُؤٌ

أَصبو وَأَصبي رُبَّما قَد جُفيتُ

أَصبو وَأَصبي رُبَّما قَد جُفيتُ

If you shun me, I am a man

If you are harsh to me, I am a man

Who yearns and inspires yearning; sometimes I have been shunned.

Who is patient and forbearing, though I may be treated harshly

قُل أَيُّها اللائِمُ في حُبِّها

قُل أَيُّها اللائِمُ في حُبِّها

لَم تَدرِ ما وُدّي وَلا ما هَويتُ

لَم تَدرِ ما وُدّي وَلا ما هَويتُ

Speak, you who blame me for loving her;

Say, O faultfinder in his love

You have not understood my affection, nor what I have loved.

You know not who I love nor whom I desire

سَلمى هِيَ النَفسُ وَهَمُّ الفَتى

سَلمى هِيَ النَفسُ وَهَمُّ الفَتى

رَضيتُ مِنها بِمَقالٍ رَضيتُ

رَضيتُ مِنها بِمَقالٍ رَضيتُ

Salma is the soul and the young man's concern.

Salma is the soul, and the fancy of the young man

I was content with her saying, 'I am content.'

I was pleased by her with that which pleased me

مِن حُبِّ سَلمى عَبرَتي ثَرَّةٌ

مِن حُبِّ سَلمى عَبرَتي ثَرَّةٌ

تَمنَعُني النَومَ وَرَأيي شَتيتُ

تَمنَعُني النَومَ وَرَأيي شَتيتُ

For love of Salma, my tears are copious;

From love of Salma my tears flowed copiously

They deny me sleep, and my thoughts are scattered.

Depriving me of sleep and scattering my thoughts

قَد مُتُّ مِن شَوقٍ إِلى وَجهِها

قَد مُتُّ مِن شَوقٍ إِلى وَجهِها

وَلَو أَراها في مَنامي حَيِيتُ

وَلَو أَراها في مَنامي حَيِيتُ

I have died of longing for her face;

I am dying from yearning for her face

And if I saw her in my dreams, I would live again.

And if I saw her in my dreams I would come alive

يا حَبَّذا سَلمى عَلى بُخلِها

يا حَبَّذا سَلمى عَلى بُخلِها

صَدَّت وَقَلبي هالِكٌ مُستَميتُ

صَدَّت وَقَلبي هالِكٌ مُستَميتُ

Oh, how delightful is Salma, despite her stinginess!

Oh, how wonderful is Salma in her aloofness

She turned away, and my heart is perishing, desperate unto death.

She turned me away and my heart is utterly destroyed

وَبِالمُنَهّى يَومَ راحَ العِدى

وَبِالمُنَهّى يَومَ راحَ العِدى

ذَكَّرتُها وَأياً فَقالَت نَسيتُ

ذَكَّرتُها وَأياً فَقالَت نَسيتُ

And at al-Munahha, the day the enemies departed,

And on the day the beloved went away

I reminded her of a promise, and she said, 'I forgot.'

I reminded her but she said "I forgot"

وَرُبَّما راحَت عَلى رِقبَةٍ

وَرُبَّما راحَت عَلى رِقبَةٍ

تَنوي لِقائي مَعَها العَنكَبوتُ

تَنوي لِقائي مَعَها العَنكَبوتُ

And sometimes she went out under watch,

Sometimes she goes to a neck

Intending to meet me, with the spider beside her.

Where spiders intend to meet her

أَيّامَ مَعروفٌ عَلَيَّ الضَنا

أَيّامَ مَعروفٌ عَلَيَّ الضَنا

مِنها وَلَو لا حُبُّها ما ضَنيتُ

مِنها وَلَو لا حُبُّها ما ضَنيتُ

In the days when wasting illness was evident in me,

In days of estrangement she was unkind to me

Because of her; without love of her, I would not have wasted away.

And were it not for love of her I would not have felt it

لَمّا رَأَتني غَرِقاً في الحَوى

لَمّا رَأَتني غَرِقاً في الحَوى

أَجرَضُ بِالمَوتِ وَحَولي كَتيتُ

أَجرَضُ بِالمَوتِ وَحَولي كَتيتُ

When she saw me drowning in love,

When she saw me drowning in passion

Choking on death, with a noisy crowd around me,

Struggling with death, utterly devastated

قالَت ثَقيلٌ قَد دَنا مَوتُهُ

قالَت ثَقيلٌ قَد دَنا مَوتُهُ

فَقُلتُ ما كُلُّ مَريضٍ يَموتُ

فَقُلتُ ما كُلُّ مَريضٍ يَموتُ

She said, 'A tiresome fellow—his death is near.'

She said "His death is near"

So I said, 'Not every sick person dies.

But I said "Not every sick person dies"

تَحتَ يَدِ اللَهِ فَلا تَحزَني

تَحتَ يَدِ اللَهِ فَلا تَحزَني

إِن مُتُّ مِن داءِ الهَوى أَو بَريتُ

إِن مُتُّ مِن داءِ الهَوى أَو بَريتُ

I am in God's hands, so do not grieve,

In God's hands so do not worry

Whether I die of lovesickness or recover.'

If I die of lovesickness or am cured

وَروقَةٍ بِكرٍ يُصَلّى بِها

وَروقَةٍ بِكرٍ يُصَلّى بِها

حينَ تُجَلّى وَيُطالُ القُنوتُ

حينَ تُجَلّى وَيُطالُ القُنوتُ

And a lovely virgin, before whom prayers are offered

In a blessed, chaste coffin I will be prayed over

When she is unveiled and devotion is prolonged—

When the prayer is prolonged and the supplication continues

جَهَّزتُها لَيلاً إِلى مالِكٍ

جَهَّزتُها لَيلاً إِلى مالِكٍ

يَفوتُ أَجناداً وَمَن لا يَفوتُ

يَفوتُ أَجناداً وَمَن لا يَفوتُ

I dispatched her by night to Malik,

I prepared it at night for Malik

Who surpasses armies—and whom does he not surpass?

Missing regiments while others do not miss

لَمّا أَتَت قالَ لَها مَرحَباً

لَمّا أَتَت قالَ لَها مَرحَباً

فَداكِ مَن ضُمَّت عَلَيهِ البُيوتُ

فَداكِ مَن ضُمَّت عَلَيهِ البُيوتُ

When she arrived, he said to her, 'Welcome!

When she came he said "Welcome!"

May everyone enclosed by houses be your ransom.

"To whom the houses are contracted"

بِمِثلِها أَعطى الفَتى مالَهُ

بِمِثلِها أَعطى الفَتى مالَهُ

وَمالُ ذي الوَفرِ مَعاشٌ وَصيتُ

وَمالُ ذي الوَفرِ مَعاشٌ وَصيتُ

For one like her, a young man would give his wealth;

With the like of her the young man gives his money

And a wealthy man's riches are livelihood and renown.

And the money of the wealthy is inheritance and bequest

عِندي لِمَن زَفَّكِ طولُ الغِنى

عِندي لِمَن زَفَّكِ طولُ الغِنى

مِن نائِلٍ يَبقى لَهُ ما بَقيتُ

مِن نائِلٍ يَبقى لَهُ ما بَقيتُ

I have lasting wealth for whoever brought you as a bride,

For the one who marries you I have abundant wealth

From bounty that shall remain his as long as I live.'

Remaining for him as long as I remain

مِن طَعَمِ اللَهِ المُحَيّا بِهِ

مِن طَعَمِ اللَهِ المُحَيّا بِهِ

بَلجُ المُحَيّا أَريَحِيٌّ زَميتُ

بَلجُ المُحَيّا أَريَحِيٌّ زَميتُ

One of God's provisions, through whom life is sustained,

From the sustenance of God by which I survive

Bright-faced, generous-hearted, dignified.

The sustained live comfortably, I have found