وَقائِلَةٍ ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ الحُبِّ

وَقائِلَةٍ ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ الحُبِّ

فَقُلتُ الرَدى وَالخَوفَ في البُعد وَالقُربِ

فَقُلتُ الرَدى وَالخَوفَ في البُعد وَالقُربِ

And a woman asked, “What have you found in love?”

And a woman asked, what did you get from love?

And she asked, "What have you encountered from love?"

I said, “Death and fear, in distance and nearness.”

I said: distress and fear in distance and nearness.

I replied, "Ruin and fear, in distance and in nearness."

فَقالَت عَهَدتُ الحُبَّ يَكسَبُ رَبَّهُ

فَقالَت عَهَدتُ الحُبَّ يَكسَبُ رَبَّهُ

شَمائِلَ غُرّاً لا تُنالُ بِلا حُبِّ

شَمائِلَ غُرّاً لا تُنالُ بِلا حُبِّ

She said, “I have known love to endow its possessor

She said: I knew love earns its Lord

She said, "I have known love to endow its possessor"

with noble traits unattainable without love.”

Traits of pride that cannot be attained without love.

With radiant virtues that are not attained without love."

فَقُلتُ لَها قَد كانَ حُبّاً فَزادَهُ

فَقُلتُ لَها قَد كانَ حُبّاً فَزادَهُ

نُفورُ المَهى راءً فَأَمسَيتُ في حَربِ

نُفورُ المَهى راءً فَأَمسَيتُ في حَربِ

I said to her, “It was love (ḥubb), but it gained

I said to her: It was love once but his

I told her, "It was indeed 'Love', but added to it—"

an r from the oryxes’ shying away, so I found myself at war (ḥarb).

Disdain for desires made it war.

By the gazelle's aversion—was the letter 'R', so I ended up in 'War'."

وَقَد كانَ لي قَلب وَكُنتُ بِلا هَوىً

وَقَد كانَ لي قَلب وَكُنتُ بِلا هَوىً

فَلَمّا عَرَفتُ الحُبَّ صُرتُ بِلا قَلبِ

فَلَمّا عَرَفتُ الحُبَّ صُرتُ بِلا قَلبِ

And I had a heart, and I was without passion;

And I had a heart once and had no passion

I once possessed a heart when I was free of passion,

then, when I came to know love, I was left without a heart.”

But when I knew love, I became heartless.

But when I came to know love, I was left without a heart.