أفدي الذي زارني من بعد هجرته

أفدي الذي زارني من بعد هجرته

ورقَّ لي إذ رأى آثار جفوته

ورقَّ لي إذ رأى آثار جفوته

I would give my life for him who visited me after abandoning me.

I ransom with my soul the one who visited me after his estrangement

And grew tender toward me when he saw the traces of his coldness.

And was kind to me when he saw the effects of his aloofness

فنلتُ في قُربه الدنيا يا جمعها

فنلتُ في قُربه الدنيا يا جمعها

ومرّ أسعَدُ وقتٍ لي برؤيته

ومرّ أسعَدُ وقتٍ لي برؤيته

So in his nearness I gained the world—oh, all of it!

So I gained through his nearness the pleasures of this world altogether

And my happiest time passed in beholding him.

And the happiest time for me passed in seeing him

كأنَّ أوتارَه إذ بات يُعمِلها

كأنَّ أوتارَه إذ بات يُعمِلها

قد اكتست مُلَحاً من حسن نغمته

قد اكتست مُلَحاً من حسن نغمته

It was as though his strings, as he spent the night playing them,

As if when he stayed up at night playing the strings

Had been clothed in charms drawn from his melody's beauty.

They had gained sweetness from the beauty of his melody

ما أطيب الكاس للندمانِ من يده

ما أطيب الكاس للندمانِ من يده

ممزوجةً بجنى فيه ونكهتهِ

ممزوجةً بجنى فيه ونكهتهِ

How sweet the cup from his hand is to the drinking companions,

How good is the cup for the repentant from his hand

Mixed with the fruit of his mouth and the fragrance of his breath.

Mixed with wine in it and its flavor