يا غَزالَ الوادي بِنَفسي أَنتا

يا غَزالَ الوادي بِنَفسي أَنتا

لا كَما بِتُّ لَيلَةَ الهَجرِ بِتّا

لا كَما بِتُّ لَيلَةَ الهَجرِ بِتّا

O gazelle of the valley, I would ransom you with my life.

O gazelle of the valley, you are my soul

May you not pass a night as I passed the night of estrangement.

Not as you spent the night of estrangement bitterly

لَم تَدَعني عَيناكَ أَنجو صَحيحاً

لَم تَدَعني عَيناكَ أَنجو صَحيحاً

مِنكَ حَتّى حُسِبتُ فيمَن قَتَلتا

مِنكَ حَتّى حُسِبتُ فيمَن قَتَلتا

Your eyes did not let me escape unharmed

Your eyes did not let me live healthy

from you, until I was counted among those you slew.

Until I was counted among those you had killed

يَومَ يَشكو طَرفي إِلى طَرفِكَ الحُب

يَومَ يَشكو طَرفي إِلى طَرفِكَ الحُب

بُ فَأَوحى إِلَيهِ أَن قَد عَلِمتا

بُ فَأَوحى إِلَيهِ أَن قَد عَلِمتا

When my eye complains of love to your eye,

The day my eyelid complains to your eyelid of love

yours signals back that you already know.

It inspires to it that it had already known

لَيتَ شِعري أَما قَضى اللَهُ أَن تَذ

لَيتَ شِعري أَما قَضى اللَهُ أَن تَذ

كُرَ في الذاكِرينَ لي مِنكَ وَقتا

كُرَ في الذاكِرينَ لي مِنكَ وَقتا

Would that I knew: has God not decreed that you remember

I wish I knew, did Allah decree you remember

me, among those who remember, for a moment of your time?

Those who remember you from me sometime

قُسِمَت في الهَوى البُخوتُ فَيا بَخ

قُسِمَت في الهَوى البُخوتُ فَيا بَخ

تِيَ في حُبِّها عَدِمتُكَ بَختا

تِيَ في حُبِّها عَدِمتُكَ بَختا

Fortunes were allotted in love; O my luck

Good fortunes in love were divided, so O my good fortune

in loving her—may I lose you as my fortune!

In loving her, you made me miss good fortune

لا تَلُمني يا صاحِ في حُبِّ مَكتو

لا تَلُمني يا صاحِ في حُبِّ مَكتو

مَةِ نَفسي لَها الفِداءُ وَأَنتا

مَةِ نَفسي لَها الفِداءُ وَأَنتا

Do not blame me, friend, for loving Maktuma;

Do not blame me, O companion, in loving

my soul is her ransom—and you, too!

My soul to whom belongs salvation, and you

كُفَّ عَنّي فَقَد بُليتُ وَخَلّا

كُفَّ عَنّي فَقَد بُليتُ وَخَلّا

كَ بَلائي يا عاذِلي فَاِستَرَحتا

كَ بَلائي يا عاذِلي فَاِستَرَحتا

Leave me alone, for I have been afflicted, and

Stop blaming me, for I have been tested enough

my affliction has spared you, my reproacher, so you rest easy.

And my test is enough, O you who reproach, so relax

أَنتَ مِن حُبِّها مُعافىً وَلَو قا

أَنتَ مِن حُبِّها مُعافىً وَلَو قا

سَيتَ مِن حُبِّها الهَوى لَعَذَرتا

سَيتَ مِن حُبِّها الهَوى لَعَذَرتا

You are spared the pain of loving her; had you endured

You are safe from her love, and if you had

the passion of loving her, you would have excused me.

Tasted her love, passion would have excused you

فَجَزاكِ الإِلَهُ حَقَّكِ عَنّي

فَجَزاكِ الإِلَهُ حَقَّكِ عَنّي

لَم يُخَفِّف عَنّي بَلائي وَزِدتا

لَم يُخَفِّف عَنّي بَلائي وَزِدتا

So may God give you your due on my behalf;

So may God reward you your due from me

He did not ease my affliction, and you added to it.

You did not alleviate my test and increased it

هاكَ قَلبي قَطِّعهُ لَوماً فَإِن أَن

هاكَ قَلبي قَطِّعهُ لَوماً فَإِن أَن

سَيتَهُ حُبَّها فَقَد أَحسَنتا

سَيتَهُ حُبَّها فَقَد أَحسَنتا

Take my heart; tear it apart with reproach, for if you

Forget it, her love, you would have done good

make it forget its love for her, you have done well.

O heart, can you endure patience

أَيُّها القَلبُ هَل تُطيقُ اِصطِباراً

أَيُّها القَلبُ هَل تُطيقُ اِصطِباراً

طالَما قَد أَطلَقتَني فَصَبِرتا

طالَما قَد أَطلَقتَني فَصَبِرتا

O heart, can you hold out in patience?

Since you have released me, so be patient

Often you have set me free, then endured patiently.

He whose love is vast

إِنَّهُ مَن هَوَيتُهُ واسِعَ الحُب

إِنَّهُ مَن هَوَيتُهُ واسِعَ الحُب

بِ كَثيرَ القِلى كَما قَد عَرَفتا

بِ كَثيرَ القِلى كَما قَد عَرَفتا

Indeed, the one I love is lavish in love,

With much torment, as you have known

full of aversion, as you already know.

So avoid him as you scarcely

فَاِجتَنِبهُ كَما تَعُزُّ عَلَيهِ

فَاِجتَنِبهُ كَما تَعُزُّ عَلَيهِ

كُلَّما زادَ مِن لِقائِكَ هُنتا

كُلَّما زادَ مِن لِقائِكَ هُنتا

So keep away from him while you are dear to him:

See him, every time you meet him weaker

the more he meets you, the less you are esteemed.

Or were you not about to give up ogling

أَوَما كُنتَ قَد نَزَعتَ عَنِ الغِي

أَوَما كُنتَ قَد نَزَعتَ عَنِ الغِي

يِ وَسافَرتَ في التُقى وَرَجَعتا

يِ وَسافَرتَ في التُقى وَرَجَعتا

Had you not turned away from waywardness,

And travel in piety and return

and journeyed in piety, only to return?

And by whom you have been tested, if only, O wretch

وَبِمَن قَد بُليتَ لَيتَكَ يا مِس

وَبِمَن قَد بُليتَ لَيتَكَ يا مِس

كينُ أَحبَبتَ واصِلاً طَو تَرَكتا

كينُ أَحبَبتَ واصِلاً طَو تَرَكتا

And what a one you have been afflicted with! If only, poor

You had loved a constant one or left

wretch, you had loved one who returned your love [or?] given it up.

And it has become clear that he is to you saying

وَلَقَد بانَ أَنَّهُ لَكَ قالٍ

وَلَقَد بانَ أَنَّهُ لَكَ قالٍ

مُخلِفُ الوَعدِ خائِنٌ لَو عَقَلتا

مُخلِفُ الوَعدِ خائِنٌ لَو عَقَلتا

And it has become clear that he loathes you,

Breaking promises, betraying if you had used your mind

a promise-breaker, a traitor—if you had sense.

A granter delaying promises

أَبَداً مُنعِمٌ يُعَلِّقُ وَعداً

أَبَداً مُنعِمٌ يُعَلِّقُ وَعداً

فَإِذا قُلتَ هاتِهِ قالَ حَتّى

فَإِذا قُلتَ هاتِهِ قالَ حَتّى

Always saying yes, he dangles a promise;

So if you say “give it” he says “wait”

then when you say, 'Give it here,' he says, 'Wait until...'

As long as you were deviating before this

طالَما كُنتَ حائِداً قَبلَ هَذا

طالَما كُنتَ حائِداً قَبلَ هَذا

عَن حِبالِ الهَوى فَكَيفَ وَقَعتا

عَن حِبالِ الهَوى فَكَيفَ وَقَعتا

For so long before this, you steered clear

From the ropes of passion, so how did you fall

of love's snares; how, then, did you fall into them?

I do not see that the devil has sinned in love

ما أَرى في الهَوى لِإِبليسَ ذَنباً

ما أَرى في الهَوى لِإِبليسَ ذَنباً

إِنَّ عَيني قادَت وَأَنتَ اِتَّبَعتا

إِنَّ عَيني قادَت وَأَنتَ اِتَّبَعتا

I see no blame for Iblis in love:

Surely my eye led and you followed

indeed, my eye led, and you followed.

So taste love, you were prohibited yet disobeyed

فَذُقِ الحُبَّ قَد نُهيتَ فَخالَف

فَذُقِ الحُبَّ قَد نُهيتَ فَخالَف

تَ أَلَستَ الَّذي عَصيتَ أَلَستا

تَ أَلَستَ الَّذي عَصيتَ أَلَستا

So taste love: you were warned, yet you defied it.

Are you not the one who disobeyed, are you not

Are you not the one who disobeyed—are you not?

A gazelle who emptied your imagination of her

ظَبيَةٌ فَرَّغَت خَيالَكَ مِنها

ظَبيَةٌ فَرَّغَت خَيالَكَ مِنها

لَم يَدُم عَهدُها كَما عَهِدتا

لَم يَدُم عَهدُها كَما عَهِدتا

A gazelle has emptied your imagination of herself;

Her promise did not last as you covenanted

her pledge did not endure as you had known it.

And she had given you enjoyment of her company

وَلَقَد مَتَّعتَكَ مِنها بِوَصلٍ

وَلَقَد مَتَّعتَكَ مِنها بِوَصلٍ

زَمَناً ماضِياً وَكانَت وَكُنتا

زَمَناً ماضِياً وَكانَت وَكُنتا

And you did enjoy union with her

For a past time, and it was and you were

for a time now past—she was, and you were.

So ask about her, for now is the time of consolation

فَاِسلُ عَنها فَالآنَ وَقتُ التَسَلّي

فَاِسلُ عَنها فَالآنَ وَقتُ التَسَلّي

قَطَعَت مِنكَ حَبلَها فَاِنبَتّا

قَطَعَت مِنكَ حَبلَها فَاِنبَتّا

So forget her; now is the time for consolation.

She cut her rope from you, so move on

She cut her cord from you, and it snapped.