أأذوب لا واللَه لست أذوب

أأذوب لا واللَه لست أذوب

إن قال ترك قلت ذا المطلوب

إن قال ترك قلت ذا المطلوب

Shall I melt away? No, by God—I shall not melt away.

Shall I melt away? No, by God, I will not melt away.

If he says, “Leave,” I say, “That is precisely what I want.”

If he speaks of parting, I say, “That is what I seek.”

إني امرؤ عف الطباع وليس لي

إني امرؤ عف الطباع وليس لي

في هوى الذي لم يهوني تشبيب

في هوى الذي لم يهوني تشبيب

I am a man chaste in disposition, and I have no

I am a man of chaste nature, and I have no

share in loving one who does not love me.

Love verses for one who has not loved me.

لا أنكرنّ عليه حق دلالة

لا أنكرنّ عليه حق دلالة

فجماله للناظرين عجيب

فجماله للناظرين عجيب

I do not deny him his rightful coquettish pride;

I will not deny him his right to coquetry,

his beauty is a wonder to all who behold it.

For his beauty is wondrous to those who behold him.

ولكل عين أعين ترنو له

ولكل عين أعين ترنو له

ولكل قلب في هواه قلوب

ولكل قلب في هواه قلوب

For every eye, there are eyes that gaze toward him,

And for every eye, there are eyes gazing at him;

and for every heart, hearts enamored of him.

And for every heart, there are hearts in love with him.

لكنّ قلبي لا يرن بحب ذي

لكنّ قلبي لا يرن بحب ذي

قلب أصم الطبع ليس يجيب

قلب أصم الطبع ليس يجيب

But my heart will not ring with love for one

But my heart does not resound with love for one whose

whose heart is deaf by nature and makes no answer.

Heart is deaf by nature and does not answer.

وكذاك لم أنكر أناسة وجهه

وكذاك لم أنكر أناسة وجهه

لكنه شرس الفؤاد غضوب

لكنه شرس الفؤاد غضوب

Nor do I deny the warmth and charm of his face,

And likewise, I did not deny the warmth of his face,

but his heart is fierce and quick to anger.

But he is fierce of heart and quick to anger.

ما لم يكن بين القلوب تبادل

ما لم يكن بين القلوب تبادل

في الحب لا حب ولا محبوب

في الحب لا حب ولا محبوب

Unless there is exchange between hearts,

Unless there is reciprocity between hearts

in love there is neither love nor beloved.

In love, there is neither love nor beloved.

رح يا رسول إلى الحبيب وقل له

رح يا رسول إلى الحبيب وقل له

مات الغرام لك البقا فتطيب

مات الغرام لك البقا فتطيب

Go, messenger, to the beloved, and tell him:

Go, messenger, to the beloved and tell him:

“Passion is dead; may you live on—take heart.

“Passion has died; may you live on—so take heart.

إن المحب سلاك فابشر بالمنى

إن المحب سلاك فابشر بالمنى

واذهب فأنت لمن تشاء حبيب

واذهب فأنت لمن تشاء حبيب

Your lover has forgotten you; rejoice, then, in your hopes,

Indeed, your lover has forgotten you; rejoice in your wishes.

and go—you may be the beloved of whomever you please.

And go, for you are beloved to whomever you choose.”

وليهن واش ولتسرّ حواسد

وليهن واش ولتسرّ حواسد

وليرض لاح وليقرّ رقيب

وليرض لاح وليقرّ رقيب

Let the slanderer rejoice and the envious delight;

And let the slanderer rejoice, and envious women be glad;

let the reproacher be satisfied and the watcher rest content.”

And let the reproacher be pleased, and the watcher rest easy.

واللَه لو لم يدعني هو أوّلا

واللَه لو لم يدعني هو أوّلا

بوداده لوداده فأجيب

بوداده لوداده فأجيب

By God, had he not first invited me,

By God, had he not himself first called me

through his affection, to love him—and I responded—

With his affection to love him, drawing my response,

ما كنت لا واللَه همت بمثله

ما كنت لا واللَه همت بمثله

حبا ولم يك مضنى التخييب

حبا ولم يك مضنى التخييب

I would never, by God, have become infatuated with his like,

I would not—no, by God—have been smitten with his like

nor would disappointment in love have wasted me away.

In love, nor been worn down by disappointment.

لكنما لا يعرف الدنيا سوى

لكنما لا يعرف الدنيا سوى

من راح يكشفها له التجريب

من راح يكشفها له التجريب

Yet no one knows the ways of the world except

But none knows the world except

one for whom experience sets about unveiling them.

One to whom experience keeps revealing it.

يا ظبي بل يا نافراً عن ودّ من

يا ظبي بل يا نافراً عن ودّ من

قد كان منك لودّه التسبيب

قد كان منك لودّه التسبيب

O gazelle—rather, O you who flee the love of one

O gazelle—rather, O you fleeing the affection of one

whom you yourself had caused to love you:

Whose love was brought about by you!

واللَه لم يضرب فؤادي بالهوى

واللَه لم يضرب فؤادي بالهوى

لو لم يئن فؤادك المضروب

لو لم يئن فؤادك المضروب

by God, my heart would not have been struck by passion

By God, my heart would not have been struck by love

had yours not been the heart first struck;

Had your stricken heart not moaned.

وكذاك لم يسكب بحبك مدمعي

وكذاك لم يسكب بحبك مدمعي

لو لم يبن لي دمعك المسكوب

لو لم يبن لي دمعك المسكوب

nor would my tears have poured for love of you

And likewise, my tears would not have been shed for love of you

had your own shed tears not shown themselves to me.

Had your shed tears not appeared to me.

والآن أنت رميت بي سهم الجفا

والآن أنت رميت بي سهم الجفا

فرددته لك والمصيب يصيب

فرددته لك والمصيب يصيب

And now you have shot estrangement’s arrow at me;

And now you have shot the arrow of estrangement at me,

I sent it back to you—and the true marksman strikes.

So I returned it to you—and the marksman hits his mark.

أبتِ المروءة أن يقيم على الهوى

أبتِ المروءة أن يقيم على الهوى

قلبي وقلبك للسوى مقلوب

قلبي وقلبك للسوى مقلوب

Honor refused to let my heart persist in passion

Honor would not let love endure

while your heart was turned toward another.

In my heart, while yours was turned toward another.

أما فلا عاد الجمال يصيدني

أما فلا عاد الجمال يصيدني

حتى يصيد أبا العرين ربيب

حتى يصيد أبا العرين ربيب

Now beauty shall never ensnare me again

Now beauty shall never again ensnare me

until a lair-bred cub hunts the lion of the lair.

Until a fosterling hunts the lord of the lair.

مذ شبت عشقاً عفتني فأغظتني

مذ شبت عشقاً عفتني فأغظتني

فلسوف من غيظي عليك تشيب

فلسوف من غيظي عليك تشيب

Since I turned gray with love, you shunned me and roused my anger;

Since I grew gray with love, you spurned me and so enraged me;

soon, from my anger at you, you too will turn gray.

So you shall grow gray from my anger at you.

ولكم شجيت بذا إلى سهر الدجى

ولكم شجيت بذا إلى سهر الدجى

ها نمت فاسهر أيها المشجوب

ها نمت فاسهر أيها المشجوب

How often grief over this consigned me to wakefulness through the dark;

And how often grief at this kept me awake through night's darkness!

now I sleep—so you keep vigil, O grief-stricken one.

Look, I have slept; now stay awake, O grief-stricken one!

قد تبت عنك فلست أرجع لا ومن

قد تبت عنك فلست أرجع لا ومن

يهب الندامة ذا الخطا فيتوب

يهب الندامة ذا الخطا فيتوب

I have repented of you and shall not return—no, by Him who

I have repented of you; I shall not return—no, by Him

grants the sinner remorse, and so the sinner repents.

Who grants remorse to the one who errs, so he repents.