سَقى الهَوى فَاِنتَشى العَميدُ

سَقى الهَوى فَاِنتَشى العَميدُ

وَالذِكرُ نُقلٌ وَالدَمعُ راح

وَالذِكرُ نُقلٌ وَالدَمعُ راح

Love poured the drink, and the lovesick man grew drunk.

The passion was quenched, and the pillar revived,

Remembrance is the sweetmeat, and tears are the wine.

Remembrance conveyed, and tears flowed.

مُنىً أَطارَ الفُؤادَ عَنّي

مُنىً أَطارَ الفُؤادَ عَنّي

وَقَصَّ مِن شَوقِيَ الجَناح

وَقَصَّ مِن شَوقِيَ الجَناح

Desires sent my heart flying away from me,

Bliss took my heart away from me,

And clipped the wing of my longing.

And clipped the wings of my passion.

يا باخِلاً بِالرِضى وَعُمري

يا باخِلاً بِالرِضى وَعُمري

يُنفَقُ فيهِ بِلا حِساب

يُنفَقُ فيهِ بِلا حِساب

O you who begrudge your favor, while my life

O you who are stingy with consent, though my life

Is spent on it without reckoning.

Is spent without account in it.

أَصلَيتَ قَلبي هَجيرَ هَجرِ

أَصلَيتَ قَلبي هَجيرَ هَجرِ

وَعدُكَ لي فيهِ كَالسَراب

وَعدُكَ لي فيهِ كَالسَراب

You scorched my heart with estrangement's noon-heat;

You have tormented my heart with estrangement, estrangement,

Your promise to me amid it is like a mirage.

And your promise to me is like a mirage.

أَغرَقتَني لِلهَوى بِبَحرِ

أَغرَقتَني لِلهَوى بِبَحرِ

عُمرِيَ فيهِ عُمرُ الحَباب

عُمرِيَ فيهِ عُمرُ الحَباب

You drowned me in a sea of love;

You have drowned me in the sea of passion

My life within it is a bubble's life.

In which the lifetime of the loved ones passed away.

فَليَهنَني أننَّي شَهيدُ

فَليَهنَني أننَّي شَهيدُ

أَدرَكتُ حُلوَ المُنى مُباح

أَدرَكتُ حُلوَ المُنى مُباح

So let me rejoice that I am a martyr;

So let it make me happy that I am a martyr

I have attained the lawful sweetness of desire.

Who attained the sweet wishes faultlessly.

أَنتَ مِنَ الحورِ إِن تَصِلَني

أَنتَ مِنَ الحورِ إِن تَصِلَني

تَصِل شَهيداً بِلا جُناح

تَصِل شَهيداً بِلا جُناح

You are one of the houris; if you join me,

If you unite me, unite a martyr without sin

You will join a martyr without sin.

You are of the maidens if you reach me.

لِلَّهِ مَن هُمتُ في المَلامِ

لِلَّهِ مَن هُمتُ في المَلامِ

مِن أَجلِ ذِكرِ اِسمِهِ لَدَيه

مِن أَجلِ ذِكرِ اِسمِهِ لَدَيه

By God, how wondrous he for whom I fell in love with reproach,

To God belongs he who resolved with courage

For the sake of mentioning his name in his presence.

For the sake of mentioning His name through him

هَل دَبَّ في لَحظِهِ سَقامي

هَل دَبَّ في لَحظِهِ سَقامي

أَو نارُ قَلبي في وَجنَتَيهِ

أَو نارُ قَلبي في وَجنَتَيهِ

Has my sickness crept into his glance,

Did sickness creep into his gaze?

Or my heart's fire into his cheeks?

Or the fire of my heart into its eyelids?

في خَدِّهِ رَونَقُ الحُسامِ

في خَدِّهِ رَونَقُ الحُسامِ

وَحَدُّهُ بَينَ مُقلَتَيهِ

وَحَدُّهُ بَينَ مُقلَتَيهِ

In his cheek is the gleam of a sword,

In his cheek the grace of swords,

And its edge lies between his eyes.

And its sharpness between his eyelashes.

أَباحَ نَفسي كَما يُريدُ

أَباحَ نَفسي كَما يُريدُ

هَنَّأَهُ اللَهُ ما اِستَباح

هَنَّأَهُ اللَهُ ما اِستَباح

He has made my life forfeit, as he pleases;

He allowed my soul as he wished,

May God give him joy in what he has claimed.

God has gladdened him for attaining it.

قَد كُدتُ أَن أَعشَقَ التَجَنّي

قَد كُدتُ أَن أَعشَقَ التَجَنّي

لِأَنَّهُ عِندَهُ صَلاح

لِأَنَّهُ عِندَهُ صَلاح

I nearly fell in love with unjust reproach,

I almost fell for abstaining

Because, in his eyes, it is virtue.

Because he has righteousness through it.

ضاقَت لِهِجرانِهِ الصُدورُ

ضاقَت لِهِجرانِهِ الصُدورُ

وَعَن حَلاهُ قالٌ وَقيل

وَعَن حَلاهُ قالٌ وَقيل

Chests tightened at his estrangement,

The breasts were straitened by his estrangement,

And of his charms there was talk and gossip.

And of his state much was said and told.

عَيني بِهِ لِلبُكا غَديرُ

عَيني بِهِ لِلبُكا غَديرُ

رَوضَتُهُ وَجهُهُ الجَميل

رَوضَتُهُ وَجهُهُ الجَميل

My eye is a pool of tears because of him;

My eyes for him are a copious spring of tears,

Its garden is his beautiful face.

His face is the garden I walk through.

باعُ سُلُوّي بِهِ قَصيرُ

باعُ سُلُوّي بِهِ قَصيرُ

لَكِنَّ لَيلي بِهِ طَويلُ

لَكِنَّ لَيلي بِهِ طَويلُ

My reach toward forgetting him is short,

I sold my evenings short because of him

But my night, because of him, is long.

But my nights because of him are long.

لِلبَحرِ عَن جُنحِهِ جُمودُ

لِلبَحرِ عَن جُنحِهِ جُمودُ

سالت لَهُ أَدمُعي السِفاح

سالت لَهُ أَدمُعي السِفاح

The sea lies still, away from his side;

Stillness from its wings is for the sea,

My streaming tears flowed for him.

My tears of lament flowed to him.

كَأَنَّما مَدَّ ما جُفوني

كَأَنَّما مَدَّ ما جُفوني

ما غاضَ مِن جَدوَلِ الصِفاح

ما غاضَ مِن جَدوَلِ الصِفاح

As though the water of my eyelids replenished

As if my eyelids extended

What had ebbed from the stream among the flat rocks.

What overflowed from the brook of purity.

وَدَدتُ أَنَّ اِعتِدالَ قَدِّه

وَدَدتُ أَنَّ اِعتِدالَ قَدِّه

يَشفي بِهِ مَن عَلى رَمَق

يَشفي بِهِ مَن عَلى رَمَق

I wished that his figure's symmetry

I wished the straightness of his stature

Would thereby heal one barely clinging to life,

Would heal those who are drawing their last breaths.

أَو رِقَّةَ في أَديمِ خَدِّه

أَو رِقَّةَ في أَديمِ خَدِّه

سَرَت إِلى قَلبِهِ فَرَقّ

سَرَت إِلى قَلبِهِ فَرَقّ

Or that the softness in the skin of his cheek

Or the softness in the skin of his cheek

Would spread into his heart, and it would soften.

Would seep into his heart so it would quiver.

تَجري دُموعي حُمراً لِبُعدِهِ

تَجري دُموعي حُمراً لِبُعدِهِ

كَالشَمسِ إِذ تَعقُبُ الشَفَق

كَالشَمسِ إِذ تَعقُبُ الشَفَق

My tears flow red because he is far away,

My tears flow red from his distance

Like the sun when it follows the twilight glow.

As the sun pursues the sunset.

ريمُ صَريمٍ تَخشى الكَتائِب

ريمُ صَريمٍ تَخشى الكَتائِب

مِن لَحظَتَيهِ صَوارِما

مِن لَحظَتَيهِ صَوارِما

A thicket's gazelle—the battalions fear

A gazelle fearing the adversities,

Swords from his two glances.

From his glances, swords.

بَدرُ تَمامٍ تَهوى التَرائِب

بَدرُ تَمامٍ تَهوى التَرائِب

لَو قَلَّدَتهُ تَمائِما

لَو قَلَّدَتهُ تَمائِما

A full moon: bosoms yearn—

A full moon seeking amulets,

If only they could wear him as amulets!

If he were to wear talismans.

ياطَلَبِيُّ اِرضَ أَو فَعاتِب

ياطَلَبِيُّ اِرضَ أَو فَعاتِب

أَرضاكَ خَصماً وَحاكِما

أَرضاكَ خَصماً وَحاكِما

O my desire, be pleased, or else reproach me;

My desirous one, be pleased or reproach,

I accept you as both adversary and judge.

I am pleased with you as adversary and judge.

خَلِّ حَبيبي عَلى صُدودُ

خَلِّ حَبيبي عَلى صُدودُ

مَليحَهُ ما يَعمَلُ المِلاح

مَليحَهُ ما يَعمَلُ المِلاح

Leave my beloved to his aloofness;

Leave my love be, O you who blame,

Lovely is whatever the lovely ones do.

His beauty does the work of sailors.

وَصَلَني بو بَكرٍ أَو هَجَرَني

وَصَلَني بو بَكرٍ أَو هَجَرَني

لِس لي عَلَيهِ في الهَوى اِقتِراح

لِس لي عَلَيهِ في الهَوى اِقتِراح

Whether Abu Bakr joins me or forsakes me,

And unite me with Abu Bakr or estrange me,

I have no demand to make of him in love.

I have no suggestions to him in passion.