سَلا الدَّمعَ على قلبي المعذَّبِ هل سَلا

سَلا الدَّمعَ على قلبي المعذَّبِ هل سَلا

فما للسانِ الدمعِ أن يتقوَّلا

فما للسانِ الدمعِ أن يتقوَّلا

The tears found solace over my tormented heart—but has it found solace?

Ask the tears about my tormented heart: has it found solace?

What business have fire and tears meeting one another?

For it is not for the tongue of tears to speak falsely.

فلا تَخشَيا مِنَّي الملالَ فإنَّ لي

فلا تَخشَيا مِنَّي الملالَ فإنَّ لي

فؤاداً إذا ما قيلَ مَلَّ تَمَلملا

فؤاداً إذا ما قيلَ مَلَّ تَمَلملا

So fear no reproach from me, you two, for I possess

So do not fear weariness from me, you two, for I have

a heart that, whenever told “Be still,” grows restless.

a heart that grows restless whenever they say, 'It has wearied.'

وإنَّ الذي يُهدي لسمعي في الهوي

وإنَّ الذي يُهدي لسمعي في الهوي

مَلاماً لكالمستودعِ الماء مُنخلا

مَلاماً لكالمستودعِ الماء مُنخلا

Indeed, whoever offers my ears, in love,

And whoever brings to my ears, in matters of love,

reproach is like one entrusting water to a sieve.

reproach is surely like someone entrusting water to a sieve.

وقالوا يزيلُ الحسنُ شَعرُ عَذارِه

وقالوا يزيلُ الحسنُ شَعرُ عَذارِه

فقيَّده شعرُ العِذارِ وسَلسَلا

فقيَّده شعرُ العِذارِ وسَلسَلا

They said the down upon his cheek would undo his beauty;

They said, 'The hair on his cheeks takes away his beauty';

instead, that cheek-down fettered beauty and chained it.

yet his cheek-down has bound that beauty and chained it.

ومن كرمي أنِّي ذَبلتُ من الهوى

ومن كرمي أنِّي ذَبلتُ من الهوى

فإنَّ رماحَ الخطّ يُكرَ منَ ذُبَّلا

فإنَّ رماحَ الخطّ يُكرَ منَ ذُبَّلا

It is proof of my nobility that love has made me wither,

It is a sign of my nobility that I have withered from love,

for the lances of al-Khatt ennoble the slender.

for al-Khatt's spears are prized when slender [text unclear].

دعوني أمُت ما كنتُ أولَ من دَنا

دعوني أمُت ما كنتُ أولَ من دَنا

إلى حَسَن حتى يذوبَ ويَنحلا

إلى حَسَن حتى يذوبَ ويَنحلا

Let me die; I was not the first to draw near

Let me die: I was not the first to draw near

to beauty until he melted and wasted away.

to someone beautiful, only to melt and waste away.

فليس يَزالُ البدرُ يدنو بجهده

فليس يَزالُ البدرُ يدنو بجهده

إلى الشمسِ حتى يَستَسرَّ ويبطُلا

إلى الشمسِ حتى يَستَسرَّ ويبطُلا

The full moon never ceases striving to approach

For the full moon keeps drawing near with all its might

the sun, until it hides away and vanishes.

to the sun, until it becomes hidden and disappears.

أجدَّك ما أَزدادُ إلا تذلُّلا

أجدَّك ما أَزدادُ إلا تذلُّلا

إليك وما تزدادُ إلا تَدلُّلا

إليك وما تزدادُ إلا تَدلُّلا

Truly, I only grow more humbled

Truly, I grow only more submissive

before you, while you grow ever more coquettish.

to you, while you grow only more coquettish.

تَصدَّق علينا في التفاريقِ رحمةً

تَصدَّق علينا في التفاريقِ رحمةً

بوصلِك يا من أوتِيَ الحسنَ مُجملا

بوصلِك يا من أوتِيَ الحسنَ مُجملا

Bestow on us, amid these partings, the mercy

Give us mercy as alms, in scattered portions,

of union with you, O you endowed with beauty entire.

through union with you, O you granted beauty in its entirety.

روقت نَفتضح في عشقِ وجهك أنَّي

روقت نَفتضح في عشقِ وجهك أنَّي

رأيت أفتضاحَ العاشقين تجمُّلا

رأيت أفتضاحَ العاشقين تجمُّلا

It seemed fair that we be exposed for loving your face, for I

[Opening unclear] we are exposed in love for your face, for I

have seen a lover’s exposure become an adornment.

have found the exposure of lovers an adornment.

تسمي بجفن جفنُ عينك أنَّه

تسمي بجفن جفنُ عينك أنَّه

هو الَجفن يحوي من لحاظك مُنصلا

هو الَجفن يحوي من لحاظك مُنصلا

Your eye’s lid is called a jفن—a sheath—because it

Your eyelid is called a sheath, for

is the sheath that holds a blade forged from your glances.

it is the sheath that holds a blade of your glances.

تطبَّع فيها القتلُ حتى لو أنها

تطبَّع فيها القتلُ حتى لو أنها

رَنَت نحو صَخرٍ وَلَّدت فيه مَقتلا

رَنَت نحو صَخرٍ وَلَّدت فيه مَقتلا

Slaying is so ingrained in those glances that, if they

Killing has become ingrained in it: were it even

gazed toward a rock, they would engender death within it.

to gaze toward a rock, it would create a mortal weak spot within it.

وأقتلُ شيءٍ منك ثغرٌ مُؤَشَّرٌ

وأقتلُ شيءٍ منك ثغرٌ مُؤَشَّرٌ

كذاك أري أمضي السيوفِ المفَلَّلا

كذاك أري أمضي السيوفِ المفَلَّلا

The deadliest thing in you is a mouth of notched teeth;

And the deadliest thing about you is a mouth with delicately serrated teeth;

thus I see that the keenest sword is the notched one.

just so, I see the sharpest of swords as the notched one.

وثَغرُك ثغرٌ إن هممتُ برشفِهِ

وثَغرُك ثغرٌ إن هممتُ برشفِهِ

وإن كان نَهبا للمساويك مُهمَلا

وإن كان نَهبا للمساويك مُهمَلا

Your mouth is a frontier stronghold: if I should seek to sip it,

And your mouth is a frontier if I think of sipping from it,

though it lies as plunder, abandoned to the tooth-sticks—

though it lies unguarded, plunder for tooth-sticks.

فو اأسفيَ فضَّلت كلَّ محقرٍ

فو اأسفيَ فضَّلت كلَّ محقرٍ

على عاشقٍ حتى أركاً وإسحلا

على عاشقٍ حتى أركاً وإسحلا

oh, my grief! You have preferred every lowly thing

So, alas for me! You have preferred every paltry thing

to a lover—even arak and isḥil wood.

to a lover—even arak and ishil.

فكم قرصة عند العناق رقيقة

فكم قرصة عند العناق رقيقة

تركتُ بها ديباجَ خدِّك مُخملا

تركتُ بها ديباجَ خدِّك مُخملا

How many a delicate pinch, amid an embrace,

And how many a gentle pinch during an embrace—

has left the brocade of your cheek like velvet;

with it I left the brocade of your cheek velveted!

وكم قبلة مسروقة من رقيبها

وكم قبلة مسروقة من رقيبها

شكلتُ بها من غُفل خطِّك مُشكلا

شكلتُ بها من غُفل خطِّك مُشكلا

and how many a kiss, stolen from its watcher,

And how many a kiss, stolen from its watcher—

with which I marked your unpointed script until it was fully pointed.

with it I vowel-marked the unmarked script of your cheek-down!

تذوَّقتُ أيامي فكان نعيمُها

تذوَّقتُ أيامي فكان نعيمُها

وأريُ العيشِ فيهن حَنظلا

وأريُ العيشِ فيهن حَنظلا

I tasted my days: their bliss,

I tasted my days, and their delight

and life’s honey in them, were bitter colocynth.

and life's honey within them proved bitter colocynth.

وما طابتِ الأيامُ لي مذعرفتُها

وما طابتِ الأيامُ لي مذعرفتُها

فياليتني أصبحت عنها مُغفَّلا

فياليتني أصبحت عنها مُغفَّلا

The days’ false gilding has never pleased me;

And the days have never been sweet to me since I knew them;

would that I had become oblivious to them.

oh, if only I could become oblivious to them!