لي سَيّدٌ بَعضُ اِسمِه جَنَّةٌ

لي سَيّدٌ بَعضُ اِسمِه جَنَّةٌ

وبَعْضُهُ نارُ مَحِبّيهِ

وبَعْضُهُ نارُ مَحِبّيهِ

I have a master: part of his name is Paradise,

I have a master, part of whose name is Heaven

And part of it is his lovers’ fire.

And part of him is a fire for his lovers

مَن زَارَهُ كانَ كَنِصفِ اِسْمِهِ

مَن زَارَهُ كانَ كَنِصفِ اِسْمِهِ

أَو صَدَّهُ كان كَباقيهِ

أَو صَدَّهُ كان كَباقيهِ

To whoever visits him, he is like half his name;

Whoever visits him is like half his name

Or, if he turns him away, he is like the rest.

Or whoever avoids him is like the rest of him

تَقَلّصَ العَقْرَبُ من صُدْغِهِ

تَقَلّصَ العَقْرَبُ من صُدْغِهِ

عَن خَدِّهِ خَوْفَ تَلَظّيهِ

عَن خَدِّهِ خَوْفَ تَلَظّيهِ

The scorpion at his temple shrank back

The scorpion shrank away from his cheek

From his cheek, fearing its blaze.

Fearing the heat of his face

وَكَم لَهُ في كَبِدي لَسعَةٌ

وَكَم لَهُ في كَبِدي لَسعَةٌ

بُرودُها الدّرْياقُ مِن فيهِ

بُرودُها الدّرْياقُ مِن فيهِ

And how many a sting of his lies in my liver—

And how much does he sting my liver

Its cooling remedy is the antidote from his mouth.

Its antidote, the remedy from his mouth