قد كنت أسمع بالهوى فأكذّبُ

قد كنت أسمع بالهوى فأكذّبُ

وبغير ذكراهُ ألذُّ وأطربُ

وبغير ذكراهُ ألذُّ وأطربُ

I used to hear of love and disbelieve it,

I used to hear of love and deny it,

And found pleasure and delight apart from its remembrance.

And without mentioning it, my joy and delight were more.

وأصدّ عن نظر الملاح وحبِهم

وأصدّ عن نظر الملاح وحبِهم

وأرى المحبَّ وما يقول فأعجبُ

وأرى المحبَّ وما يقول فأعجبُ

And turned away from gazing at the fair and loving them,

I used to turn away from the glances of the beloveds,

And observed the lover and his words, then marveled.

And see the lover and his words with wonder.

حتى رُميت بحلوه وبمرّه

حتى رُميت بحلوه وبمرّه

وعرفت ما يحلو وما لا يعذبُ

وعرفت ما يحلو وما لا يعذبُ

Until I was struck by its sweetness and its bitterness,

Until I was struck by its sweetness and its bitterness,

And learned what is sweet and what is not pleasing.

And I knew what was sweet and what was not sweet.

فرأيت ما يلهى العقول غرابة

فرأيت ما يلهى العقول غرابة

من كان لا يدري الهوى فيجربُ

من كان لا يدري الهوى فيجربُ

So I saw what distracts minds with its strangeness;

So I saw what amazes minds in its strangeness,

Let whoever does not know love try it.

Whoever does not know love, let him experience it.