قُويتُ عَلى الهُجرانِ حَتّى مَلَلتَني

قُويتُ عَلى الهُجرانِ حَتّى مَلَلتَني

وَلَكِنَّني عَن حَملِ هَجرِكَ أَضعَفُ

وَلَكِنَّني عَن حَملِ هَجرِكَ أَضعَفُ

I could bear estrangement until you tired of me,

I was strengthened to endure separation, until you wearied me,

but I am too weak to bear your abandonment.

Yet I am too weak to bear being estranged from you.

لَعَمرُكَ قَد أَحبَبتُكَ الحُبَّ كُلَّهُ

لَعَمرُكَ قَد أَحبَبتُكَ الحُبَّ كُلَّهُ

وَزِدتُكَ حُبّاً لَم يَكُن قَطُّ يُعرَفُ

وَزِدتُكَ حُبّاً لَم يَكُن قَطُّ يُعرَفُ

By your life, I have loved you with all the love there is,

By your life! I have loved you with all my love,

and given you still more love, such as was never known.

And I have increased in love that was never known before.

سَقى اللَهُ نَهرَ الكَرخِ ما شاءَ جودُهُ

سَقى اللَهُ نَهرَ الكَرخِ ما شاءَ جودُهُ

فَإِنّي بِهِ حَتّى المَماتِ مُكَلَّفُ

فَإِنّي بِهِ حَتّى المَماتِ مُكَلَّفُ

May God water the river of al-Karkh as much as His bounty wills,

May God water the river Kharkheh as much as His generosity wills,

for I am enamored of it until death.

For I am bound to it until death.

وَلا حُرِمَ القَصرُ الخَليجَ وَجِسرَهُ

وَلا حُرِمَ القَصرُ الخَليجَ وَجِسرَهُ

وَقَصرٌ لِأَشناسٍ عَلَيهِ مُشَرِّفُ

وَقَصرٌ لِأَشناسٍ عَلَيهِ مُشَرِّفُ

And may the palace never be deprived of the canal and its bridge,

Neither was the palace on the bay denied to me, nor its bridge,

and a palace of Ashnas towers above it.

And a palace for Ashanas, over which I preside.

تَدورُ عَلَينا الراحُ مِن كَفِّ شادٍ

تَدورُ عَلَينا الراحُ مِن كَفِّ شادٍ

لَهُ لَحظُ عَينٍ يَشتَكي السُقمَ مُدنَفُ

لَهُ لَحظُ عَينٍ يَشتَكي السُقمَ مُدنَفُ

Wine goes round among us from a singer’s hand;

The wind turns around us from the palm of a youth

his eye’s languishing glance complains of sickness.

Whose glance of the eye complains of lovesickness.

كَأَنَّ سُلافَ الخَمرِ مِن ماءِ خَدِّهِ

كَأَنَّ سُلافَ الخَمرِ مِن ماءِ خَدِّهِ

وَعُنقودَها مِن شَعرِهِ الغَضِّ يُقطَفُ

وَعُنقودَها مِن شَعرِهِ الغَضِّ يُقطَفُ

As though the choicest wine came from the moisture of his cheek,

As if the first pouring of wine were from his cheek

and its grape-cluster were plucked from his soft hair.

And its clusters were plucked from his soft hair.

أَتَعذُلُني في يوسُفٍ وَهوَ مَن تَرى

أَتَعذُلُني في يوسُفٍ وَهوَ مَن تَرى

وَيوسُفُ أَبلاني وَيوسُفُ يوسُفُ

وَيوسُفُ أَبلاني وَيوسُفُ يوسُفُ

Do you reproach me over Yusuf, when he is the one you see?

Do you blame me for a Joseph, when it is he whom you see?

And Yusuf has worn me down, and Yusuf is Yusuf.

Yet Joseph blames me, and Joseph is Joseph!