بك في ملَّة الغَرام اِقتديتُ

بك في ملَّة الغَرام اِقتديتُ

أَتُراني إلى سواكَ اِنتميتُ

أَتُراني إلى سواكَ اِنتميتُ

I followed your example in the creed of love.

In the doctrine of love, I followed your example

Do you think I have belonged to anyone but you?

Do you think I could belong to another but you?

وَهَواكُ الَّذي عليه اِنطويتُ

وَهَواكُ الَّذي عليه اِنطويتُ

لك طَرفي حمىً وَقَلبي بيتُ

لك طَرفي حمىً وَقَلبي بيتُ

By my love for you, which I have harbored within,

And it is your love that I have wrapped myself in

For you, my gaze is a sanctuary, and my heart a home.

My eyes keep your promise, and my heart is your home

فيهما عهدك القَديم خَبيتُ

فيهما عهدك القَديم خَبيتُ

تحسبُ القَلبَ عنك مال وملّا

تحسبُ القَلبَ عنك مال وملّا

In them both I have hidden your old covenant.

In them your ancient pact I have hidden

You think my heart has turned from you and grown weary,

You reckon the heart is done with you and has turned away

وَصحا بعد سُكره وتخلّى

وَصحا بعد سُكره وتخلّى

لا وَعينيكَ لَستُ مِمَّن تسلّى

لا وَعينيكَ لَستُ مِمَّن تسلّى

And sobered after its drunkenness and withdrawn.

Yet sober again after its drunkenness, and left behind

No, by your eyes! I am not one who has found consolation.

No - by your eyes, I'll never be one to abandon

ومن السُكر ما صحوتُ وكلّا

ومن السُكر ما صحوتُ وكلّا

كَيفَ أَصحو ومِن هواك اِنتشيتُ

كَيفَ أَصحو ومِن هواك اِنتشيتُ

And I have not sobered from drunkenness—certainly not!

How can I sober up when drunk with love for you?

How can I sober, when love for you has intoxicated me?

I never concealed this passion, which overflowed

ما كَتمتُ الهوى وَفرطَ الهُيام

ما كَتمتُ الهوى وَفرطَ الهُيام

بك إلّا وزادَ حرُّ أوامي

بك إلّا وزادَ حرُّ أوامي

Never have I concealed my love and overwhelming passion

Except it increased the heat of my longing

For you without the burning of my thirst growing fiercer.

And when I confessed my love openly

وإذا فهتُ للوَرى بغَرامي

وإذا فهتُ للوَرى بغَرامي

بسطَ العاذلون فيك مَلامي

بسطَ العاذلون فيك مَلامي

And when I spoke to humankind of my passion,

The censurers stretched out their blame against me

The reproachers spread out their censure of me on your account,

So I folded up the carpet of acceptance before them

وَبساطَ القبول عنهم طويتُ

وَبساطَ القبول عنهم طويتُ

زعم اللائمُ الَّذي قد تعنّى

زعم اللائمُ الَّذي قد تعنّى

And I rolled up the carpet of acceptance, withholding it from them.

The critic who turned against me supposed

The reproacher, who had taken pains, claimed

That I had lost myself in fancy and illusion

أَنَّني قد سَلوتُ وهماً وظنّا

أَنَّني قد سَلوتُ وهماً وظنّا

وَفؤادي أَدرى بما قد أَجنّا

وَفؤادي أَدرى بما قد أَجنّا

That I had found consolation—mere delusion and conjecture.

Yet my heart knows better what it has garnered

And my heart knows best what it has concealed.

How can the meaning intend to neglect you

كَيفَ يَنوي السلوَّ عنك المُعنى

كَيفَ يَنوي السلوَّ عنك المُعنى

يا مُنى القلب وهو في الحَيِّ مَيتُ

يا مُنى القلب وهو في الحَيِّ مَيتُ

How can the tormented lover intend to forget you,

You, the wish of my heart, while it still beats?

O my heart's desire, when he is dead among the tribe?

Long has absence been, and the distance still binds me

قَد أَطالَ الفراقُ والبين أَسري

قَد أَطالَ الفراقُ والبين أَسري

وَقَضى لي عنكَ البعادُ بهجرِ

وَقَضى لي عنكَ البعادُ بهجرِ

Parting and separation have prolonged my captivity.

And ordained for me, apart from you, estrangement

And distance has decreed estrangement from you for me.

And guided me to patience, though it does not know

وَهَداني للصَبرِ من ليس يَدري

وَهَداني للصَبرِ من ليس يَدري

وَضلالٌ عن مثل حسنكَ صَبري

وَضلالٌ عن مثل حسنكَ صَبري

And one who does not understand has guided me toward patience.

That my patience in the absence of your beauty is misguidance

Yet for me to endure without beauty such as yours is to go astray,

So to my heart its aberration, that I thought myself guided

فَلِقَلبي الهَنا بأَنّي اِهتديتُ

فَلِقَلبي الهَنا بأَنّي اِهتديتُ

هامَ قَلبي عَلى حماك ولُبّي

هامَ قَلبي عَلى حماك ولُبّي

So joy is my heart's, for I have found the right path.

My heart was infatuated with your love, and my reason

My heart and my mind wandered in longing about your sanctuary,

Became, in its passion for you, infatuation

وَغدا العَقلُ في هَواكَ يُلبّي

وَغدا العَقلُ في هَواكَ يُلبّي

رمتُ قرباً فمذ خطيت بقرب

رمتُ قرباً فمذ خطيت بقرب

And reason began to chant 'Here I am' in love for you.

I drew near, having set out to draw near to you

I sought nearness; then, when I stepped close,

And my heart circled around you, O Kaaba of Loyalty

بك يا كعبةَ الوفا طافَ قَلبي

بك يا كعبةَ الوفا طافَ قَلبي

وَبدا بارقُ الصَفا فَسَعيتُ

وَبدا بارقُ الصَفا فَسَعيتُ

My heart circled you, O Kaaba of fidelity,

And the brilliant dawn of intimacy shone, so I hastened

And the lightning-flash of Safa appeared, so I hastened.