بِأَبي وإِنْ قَلّتْ لَهُ بأبي

بِأَبي وإِنْ قَلّتْ لَهُ بأبي

مَنْ ليسَ يَعْرِفُ غيرَهُ أَرَبِي

مَنْ ليسَ يَعْرِفُ غيرَهُ أَرَبِي

May my father be his ransom—though “my father” is too little for him—

By my father, though I said to him 'my father',

The one besides whom my desire knows no other.

He who knows no one but himself is but a stranger.

قَرْطَسْتُ عَشْراً في مَودَّتِهِ

قَرْطَسْتُ عَشْراً في مَودَّتِهِ

لِبُلوغِ ما أَمّلْتُ مِنْ طَلَبي

لِبُلوغِ ما أَمّلْتُ مِنْ طَلَبي

Ten times I hit the bull’s-eye in my love for him,

For ten years I was persistent in my affection

To attain what I hoped to gain from my quest.

To attain what I hoped for from my quest.

ولقدْ أُراني لَوْ مَددْتُ يَدِي

ولقدْ أُراني لَوْ مَددْتُ يَدِي

شَهرينِ أَرْمي الأرضَ لَمْ أُصِبِ

شَهرينِ أَرْمي الأرضَ لَمْ أُصِبِ

And indeed, I reckon that, were I to stretch out my hand,

And truly, if I had extended my hand,

For two months, shooting at the earth, I would not hit it.

For two months, I would have possessed the earth were I to have reached.