أَضاعَ وَقاري مَن عَلِقتُ جَمالَهُ

أَضاعَ وَقاري مَن عَلِقتُ جَمالَهُ

فَيا زَهرَةً قَد زَلزَلَت جَبَلاً راسي

فَيا زَهرَةً قَد زَلزَلَت جَبَلاً راسي

He whose beauty I fell in love with has undone my dignity.

He wasted my dignity, the one whose beauty I admired,

So, O flower that has shaken a firmly rooted mountain!

Oh blossom, you who made a steadfast mountain quake,

وَما ضَرَّ لَو واسى وَسَلّى بِزَورَةٍ

وَما ضَرَّ لَو واسى وَسَلّى بِزَورَةٍ

خَلِيٌّ جَرى فيهِ القَضاءُ عَلى راسي

خَلِيٌّ جَرى فيهِ القَضاءُ عَلى راسي

And what harm if he comforted and consoled me with a visit—

It would not hurt if he would console and comfort with a visit,

That man untouched by love, through whom fate has fallen upon my head?

An empty evening passed, fate played out as it would,

فَأَلقُطُ دُرّاً مِن فُضولِ حَديثِهِ

فَأَلقُطُ دُرّاً مِن فُضولِ حَديثِهِ

وَأَشرَبُ طيبَ العَيشِ مِن فَضلَةِ الكاسِ

وَأَشرَبُ طيبَ العَيشِ مِن فَضلَةِ الكاسِ

Then I would gather pearls from the overflow of his talk,

So I pick up pearls from the excess of his talk,

And drink life's sweetness from what remains in the cup.

And I drink the pleasure of life from the remainder of the cup,

وَأَرخَصتُ عُمُري فيهِ وَهوَ ذَخيرَتي

وَأَرخَصتُ عُمُري فيهِ وَهوَ ذَخيرَتي

وَأَنفَقتُ فيهِ كَنزَ صَبري وَإِناسي

وَأَنفَقتُ فيهِ كَنزَ صَبري وَإِناسي

And I held my life cheap for him, though it is my treasure,

And I spent my life on him though he was my treasure,

And spent on him the treasure of my patience and my ease with others.

And I spent on him my reserve of patience and companionship,

وَغادَرتُ رَأييِ بِالعَراءِ مُذَمِّماً

وَغادَرتُ رَأييِ بِالعَراءِ مُذَمِّماً

وَأَوحَشتُ نَفسي فيهِ مِن سائِرِ الناسِ

وَأَوحَشتُ نَفسي فيهِ مِن سائِرِ الناسِ

And abandoned my judgment in the open, reviled,

And I abandoned my opinion in the wilderness, blaming,

And for his sake estranged myself from everyone else.

And I isolated myself from him, from all other people,

وَأَفسَدتُ بَينَ النَومِ فيهِ وَناظِري

وَأَفسَدتُ بَينَ النَومِ فيهِ وَناظِري

وَأَكَّدتُ وُدّاً بَينَ فِكري وَوَسواسي

وَأَكَّدتُ وُدّاً بَينَ فِكري وَوَسواسي

And, because of him, set sleep and my eye at odds,

And I corrupted between sleep and my watcher,

And strengthened the affection between my thoughts and my obsessive whisperings.

And I strengthened love between my thoughts and obsessions,

سَأَصرِفُ صَرفَ الحُرِّ عَنهُ مَطامِعي

سَأَصرِفُ صَرفَ الحُرِّ عَنهُ مَطامِعي

وَآوي بِهَذا القَلبِ مِنهُ إِلى الياسِ

وَآوي بِهَذا القَلبِ مِنهُ إِلى الياسِ

I shall turn my hopes away from him as a freeborn man would,

I will divert my aspirations from him like a free man,

And seek refuge from him, with this heart, in despair.

And I will shelter this heart from him into despair,

أَما حيلَةٌ فيهِ فَيَعشَقُ ساعَةً

أَما حيلَةٌ فيهِ فَيَعشَقُ ساعَةً

عَسى رُقَيَّةٌ أُرقي بِها قَلبَهُ القاسي

عَسى رُقَيَّةٌ أُرقي بِها قَلبَهُ القاسي

Is there no stratagem to make him fall in love for an hour?

If only he would love for an hour,

If only there were a charm with which I could enchant his hard heart!

Perhaps a moment of intimacy would soften his harsh heart.