1. فَدَيتُ مَن حُبّي لَهُ

    مُصاحِبي في كَفَني

    I would give my life for him—my love for him

    will keep me company in my shroud—

  2. وَمَن إِذا عاتَبتُهُ

    تَساقَطَ الوَردُ الجَنى

    and for him—whenever I reproach him,

    fresh-picked roses shower down.

  3. مُهَفهَفٌ ناظِرُهُ

    إِلى الرَدى أَسلَمَني

    A slender one, whose gaze

    has delivered me to death.

  4. عَلَّمتُهُ الجَورَ عَلَي

    يَ وَالبُكا عَلَّمَني

    I taught him to wrong me,

    and he taught me to weep.

  5. يا لَيتَهُ قَبلَ المَما

    تِ ساعَةَ نادَمَني

    O, if only, before death,

    he had drunk with me for an hour,

  6. فَاِجتَلى مِن وَجهِهِ

    بَدرَ دُجىً في غُصُنِ

    so I might behold in his face

    a full moon of night in a bough.

  7. يَسأَلُني عَن حالَتي

    وَهوَ الَّذي أَمرَضَني

    He asks me how I fare,

    though he is the one who made me ill.

  8. وَكُلَّما عَرَّفتُهُ

    وَجدي بِهِ أَنكَرَني

    And whenever I tell him

    of my passion for him, he denies knowing me.

  9. يا صاحِبَ الوَجهِ المَلي

    حِ وَالقَوامِ الحَسَنِ

    O you with the lovely face

    and the handsome figure,

  10. مَن ذا الَّذي أَفتاكَ يا

    مَولايَ اَن تَقتُلَني

    who ruled it lawful for you, O

    my lord, to kill me?

  11. سَل طَرفَكَ الفَتّانَ لِم

    أَقسَم لا يَرحَمُني

    Ask your bewitching gaze why

    it swore to show me no mercy.

  12. أَنصَفَكَ الحُسنُ فَحا

    شاكَ بِأَن تَظلِمَني

    Beauty has done you justice; so far

    be it from you to wrong me!

  13. أَنتَ الَّذي جَمالُهُ

    نَصبُ الرَدى أَوقَعَني

    You are the one whose beauty

    has cast me into death's snare.

  14. وَقَد بَقَيتُ هائِمَ ال

    قَلبِ كَما تَنظُرُني

    And I remain with a lovesick

    heart, as you see me.

  15. وَحَربا مِن لائِمٍ

    مَلامُهُ أَقلَقَني

    And ah, the anguish a reproacher brings—

    his blame has made me restless!

  16. فَنَّدَني وَما دَرى

    بِأَنه حَرَّضَني

    He called me foolish, not knowing

    that he was spurring me on.

  17. قالَ الوُشاةُ قَد سَلا

    فَقُلتُ طيب الوَسَنِ

    The talebearers said, 'He has ceased to love.'

    So I said, 'May his slumber be sweet.'

  18. قالوا فَما أَحسَنهُ

    قُلتُ فَما أَعشَقَني

    They said, 'And how beautiful he is!'

    I said, 'And how enamored I am!'

  19. قالوا وَما أَعَزَّهُ

    قُلتُ وَما أَذَلَّني

    They said, 'And how exalted he is!'

    I said, 'And how abased I am!'

  20. هَيهاتَ لا مُدَّ إِلى

    سِوى هَواهُ رَسَني

    Never! May my halter never be stretched

    toward anything but love for him.

  21. وَلا أَطَعتُ لا ئِماً

    في حُبِّهِ يَعذلُني

    Nor have I obeyed a reproacher

    who blames me for loving him.