إذا جَنّ ليلي واستقلَّت نجومُه

إذا جَنّ ليلي واستقلَّت نجومُه

ولم أَرَ مَن أهواه جُنَّ جنوني

ولم أَرَ مَن أهواه جُنَّ جنوني

When my night grew dark and its stars rose,

When night falls and the stars align

and I did not see the one I love, my madness went mad.

And I cannot see my beloved, I go insane

ولما نهانِي أَن أحنَّ إِليكُمُ

ولما نهانِي أَن أحنَّ إِليكُمُ

ضنايَ وفَرطُ الشوقِ حَنَّ حنيني

ضنايَ وفَرطُ الشوقِ حَنَّ حنيني

And when I was forbidden to yearn for you

Though they forbid I yearn for you all

by my wasting sickness and excess of longing, my yearning itself yearned.

My sorrow and intense longing make me pine

ورقَّت دموعُ العَينِ حتى حسبتُها

ورقَّت دموعُ العَينِ حتى حسبتُها

دموعَ دموعي لا دموعَ جفوني

دموعَ دموعي لا دموعَ جفوني

And the eye's tears grew so thin that I thought them

My tears flowed until I thought

the tears of my tears, not the tears of my eyelids.

They were tears of my tears, not of my eyes

هُمُ عذلوِني جاهلونَ بقِصَّتي

هُمُ عذلوِني جاهلونَ بقِصَّتي

ولَو عَرفُوا ما نالَني رَحِمُوني

ولَو عَرفُوا ما نالَني رَحِمُوني

They reproached me, ignorant of my story;

They blame me, unaware of my story

and had they known what befell me, they would have pitied me.

If they knew my plight, they'd sympathize

وذُبتُ ضنىً حتى خَفِيتُ عن الضَّنى

وذُبتُ ضنىً حتى خَفِيتُ عن الضَّنى

فسقُمِي عن سُقمي يدافعُ دوني

فسقُمِي عن سُقمي يدافعُ دوني

And I melted away with wasting sickness until I was hidden from sickness itself;

I've withered in sorrow until I'm hidden from sorrow

so my sickness defends my sickness in my stead.

So my sickness hides me from my own illness

تركتُ عذولي في الهوى بشجونهِ

تركتُ عذولي في الهوى بشجونهِ

فِلم لَم يَدعَنِي عاذِلي بشُجوني

فِلم لَم يَدعَنِي عاذِلي بشُجوني

I left my reproacher to his sorrows in love;

I left my blamer absorbed in his laments

so why did my reproacher not leave me to my sorrows?

Why doesn't he allow me my laments