لعمري لقد ظَنّوا الظنونَ وأيقَنوا

لعمري لقد ظَنّوا الظنونَ وأيقَنوا

ببعضِ إشاراتٍ تنِمّ على الصبِّ

ببعضِ إشاراتٍ تنِمّ على الصبِّ

By my life, they entertained suspicions and became certain

By my life, they made assumptions and became certain

from certain signs that betray the lovesick lover.

Through some gestures that indicate passion.

وقالوا اكشفوا بالبحثِ عن أصل وَجْدِهِ

وقالوا اكشفوا بالبحثِ عن أصل وَجْدِهِ

فلا فَلَكٌ إلا يدور على قُطْبِ

فلا فَلَكٌ إلا يدور على قُطْبِ

And they said, "Uncover through inquiry the source of his passion,

They said, "Investigate the origin of his love;

for no sphere revolves except around an axis.

Every orbit revolves around a pole."

سَلُوهُ وراعوا لفظةً من خِطابهِ

سَلُوهُ وراعوا لفظةً من خِطابهِ

لتُعْلَمَ من نجواه ناجيةُ الحبِّ

لتُعْلَمَ من نجواه ناجيةُ الحبِّ

Ask him, and heed a word from his speech,

Ask him, and pay attention to a word of his speech,

so that love's secret may be known from his confidences."

So the confidante of love may be known from his intimate talk.

أناسٌ رأوْا مني مخادعةَ الهَوى

أناسٌ رأوْا مني مخادعةَ الهَوى

أشدّ عليهم مِن مخادَعَةِ الحرْبِ

أشدّ عليهم مِن مخادَعَةِ الحرْبِ

Some people found my deceptions in love

Some people saw me pretending love

harder on them than the deceptions of war.

More intensely than pretending war.

جعلتُ وُشاتي مثلَ صحبي مخافةً

جعلتُ وُشاتي مثلَ صحبي مخافةً

فلم يطّلِعْ سرّي وشاتي ولا صحبي

فلم يطّلِعْ سرّي وشاتي ولا صحبي

Out of fear, I treated my tale-bearers just like my companions,

I made my friends like my companions out of fear,

so neither my tale-bearers nor my companions learned my secret.

So neither my friends nor companions discovered my secret.

يَقَرّ قَرارُ السرّ عندي كأنّهُ

يَقَرّ قَرارُ السرّ عندي كأنّهُ

غريبُ ديارٍ قال في وطنٍ حسبي

غريبُ ديارٍ قال في وطنٍ حسبي

The secret rests securely with me, as though it were

The secret rests assured with me as if

a stranger in foreign lands who said in a homeland, "This is enough for me."

A stranger said in his homeland, "That's enough for me."

ألا بأبي من جُمْلَةِ الغيدِ واحدٌ

ألا بأبي من جُمْلَةِ الغيدِ واحدٌ

فهل علموا ذاك الغزال من السربِ

فهل علموا ذاك الغزال من السربِ

Ah, may my father be ransom for one among the graceful beauties!

Oh, amongst the herd is there one,

Have they, then, recognized that gazelle among the herd?

Did they know that gazelle from the flock?

قُتِلْتُ ولا واللَّه أذكرُ قاتلي

قُتِلْتُ ولا واللَّه أذكرُ قاتلي

لأخْذِ قصاصٍ منه بينَ يدَيْ ربّي

لأخْذِ قصاصٍ منه بينَ يدَيْ ربّي

I have been slain, yet, by God, I will not name my slayer

I was killed, by God, but do not remember my killer

to exact retribution from him before my Lord.

To take vengeance on him before my Lord.

إذا قيل لي قلْ من هويت وما اسمه

إذا قيل لي قلْ من هويت وما اسمه

وما سببُ الشكوى وما علّةُ الكربِ

وما سببُ الشكوى وما علّةُ الكربِ

When I am told, "Say whom you have loved, and what his name is,

If they say to me, "Say, whom did you love and what is his name?

and what causes your complaint, and what brings your anguish,"

What is the cause of your complaint and what is the reason for grief?"

ضربتُ لهم قوماً بقوْمٍ فصدّقوا

ضربتُ لهم قوماً بقوْمٍ فصدّقوا

ولفظُ لساني غيرُ معناهُ من قلبي

ولفظُ لساني غيرُ معناهُ من قلبي

I passed off one group as another to them, and they believed me;

I gave them a people instead of a people, and they believed.

yet my tongue's words differ from what my heart means.

But my tongue's utterance was not the meaning of my heart.

وهل يطمع الواشونَ في سرِّ كاتمٍ

وهل يطمع الواشونَ في سرِّ كاتمٍ

يريدُ السّهى إمّا أشارَ إلى الترْبِ

يريدُ السّهى إمّا أشارَ إلى الترْبِ

And can tale-bearers hope to learn the secret of one who conceals it,

How could spies hope to uncover the secret of a concealer

who means Suha whenever he points toward the dust?

Who only hinted toward the dust?