فُؤَادِي بسهم المقلتينِ رماهُ

فُؤَادِي بسهم المقلتينِ رماهُ

وقَلْبي بِنار الوَجْنتيْنِ كَوَاهُ

وقَلْبي بِنار الوَجْنتيْنِ كَوَاهُ

He shot my heart with the arrow of his two eyes,

My heart he struck with arrows from his eyelids

and scorched my heart with the fire of his two cheeks.

And my soul with the fire of his cheeks he seared

فقال الحشا أَهلاً به حين زارَه

فقال الحشا أَهلاً به حين زارَه

وقال الْهَوى لَبَّيْك حِين دَعَاهُ

وقال الْهَوى لَبَّيْك حِين دَعَاهُ

So my inmost heart said, 'Welcome!' when he visited it,

So my passion hailed him when he came to visit

and Love said, 'At your service!' when he called it.

And my love cried “Here I am!” when he called it near

فَبَلَّغْتُ نفسِي من غَرامِي مَرامَها

فَبَلَّغْتُ نفسِي من غَرامِي مَرامَها

وآتيتُ قَلبي في هُوَاهُ هُدَاهُ

وآتيتُ قَلبي في هُوَاهُ هُدَاهُ

So through my passion I brought my soul to its desire,

I brought my soul to attain the goal it sought

and gave my heart its guidance in loving him.

And gave my heart in his love right guidance here

وعزَّ على قلبِ العذولِ لَجَاجَتي

وعزَّ على قلبِ العذولِ لَجَاجَتي

وعزَّ على قلبي اللَّجوجِ عَمَاهُ

وعزَّ على قلبي اللَّجوجِ عَمَاهُ

And my obstinacy weighed heavily on my reproacher's heart,

Yet his aloof heart scorns my fervent constancy

and his blindness weighed heavily on my obstinate heart.

And my ardent heart scorns his disdain severe

يقولُ عَذَولِي في هَوَاهُ لِعلَّةٍ

يقولُ عَذَولِي في هَوَاهُ لِعلَّةٍ

فقُلْتُ وهَلْ في العَالمِين سِوَاهُ

فقُلْتُ وهَلْ في العَالمِين سِوَاهُ

My reproacher speaks of my love for him with some motive,

With mocking voice his aloofness says “For some cause

so I said, 'And is there anyone in all the worlds besides him?'

Is your passion” I said “Is there any but him here?”

بنفسِي حبيبٌ أَخجَل المِسْك مِسْكُهُ

بنفسِي حبيبٌ أَخجَل المِسْك مِسْكُهُ

وإِن سأَلونِي عنه فَهْو لَمَاهُ

وإِن سأَلونِي عنه فَهْو لَمَاهُ

My life be ransom for a beloved whose musk puts musk to shame,

The apple of my eye, his perfume humbles musk

and if they ask me about it, it is his lips' dusky hue.

If they ask of him, he is my pride, my dear

حبيبٌ تولَّى حسنُه كبْت عُذَّلي

حبيبٌ تولَّى حسنُه كبْت عُذَّلي

عليهِ وعُذَّالُ المحبِّ عِدَاهُ

عليهِ وعُذَّالُ المحبِّ عِدَاهُ

A beloved whose beauty undertook to humble my reproachers

His beauty eclipsed those who envied me for loving him

for loving him—and a lover's reproachers are his enemies.

And the lover’s reproacher is ever insincere

إِذا غاب أَلهانِي الحُلِيُّ لأَنَّني

إِذا غاب أَلهانِي الحُلِيُّ لأَنَّني

أَرى في حُلِيّ الغانياتِ حُلاَهُ

أَرى في حُلِيّ الغانياتِ حُلاَهُ

When he is absent, jewelry distracts me, because I

When he’s absent, his ornaments make me joyful

see his charms in the jewels of beautiful women.

For in the singer’s ornaments, his traits appear

يهيمُ بِه بدرُ التَّمَام محبَّةً

يهيمُ بِه بدرُ التَّمَام محبَّةً

وغيرُ عجيبٍ أَن يُحبَّ أَخاهُ

وغيرُ عجيبٍ أَن يُحبَّ أَخاهُ

The full moon is enraptured with love for him,

The full moon orbits him with love

and it is no wonder that it should love its brother.

And how not? Each loves their peer!

تزيدُ بتقبِيلي لَهُ نارُ لَوْعَتي

تزيدُ بتقبِيلي لَهُ نارُ لَوْعَتي

فما سرَّني أَن لا أُقبِّل فاهُ

فما سرَّني أَن لا أُقبِّل فاهُ

The fire of my yearning grows when I kiss him,

My fervent agony but grows when I kiss him

yet it does not please me to leave his mouth unkissed.

It gladdens me that I should kiss his mouth so near

وأُرضيه جُهْدِي والتجني يصدُّه

وأُرضيه جُهْدِي والتجني يصدُّه

وكم مُستجنٍّ لا يُطاقُ رضَاهُ

وكم مُستجنٍّ لا يُطاقُ رضَاهُ

And I do my utmost to please him, but groundless faultfinding keeps him aloof,

I strive to please him, yet he rejects my shunning

and how many a madman is impossible to please!

How many who shun are difficult to please here!

أَما تستحي يا جاحِدَ الصبّ سُقْمَهُ

أَما تستحي يا جاحِدَ الصبّ سُقْمَهُ

تقول له هَذا وأَنْت تَرَاهُ

تقول له هَذا وأَنْت تَرَاهُ

Have you no shame, you who deny the lover's sickness,

Shame on you, denier of passion’s sickness!

telling him this while you can see him?

Saying this to him while you see him here

فحاضِرُ سقمِ الجسم منه كما ترى

فحاضِرُ سقمِ الجسم منه كما ترى

وغائبُ وَجْدِ القلْبِ مِنْه كمَا هُو

وغائبُ وَجْدِ القلْبِ مِنْه كمَا هُو

For the visible sickness of his body is as you see,

So the sickness of his body is present, as you see

and the hidden anguish of his heart is as it is.

While the fervor of his heart is absent, as is clear

رَعى خُضرةً في عارضيه بطرفهِ

رَعى خُضرةً في عارضيه بطرفهِ

وباللَّثم حَيَّا وردَه وَسَقاهُ

وباللَّثم حَيَّا وردَه وَسَقاهُ

He grazed with his gaze on the greenery along his beloved's cheeks,

With his glance he tended to the green of my cheek

and with kisses greeted his roses and watered them.

With his lips he greeted the rose and watered it dear

كفرْتُ الهوى إِن كنتُ خنتُك ساعةً

كفرْتُ الهوى إِن كنتُ خنتُك ساعةً

فإِن لهَوي للعاشِقين إِلهُ

فإِن لهَوي للعاشِقين إِلهُ

May I be faithless to Love if I have betrayed you for even an hour,

Love, if I betrayed you some hour

for my delight is a god to lovers.

For lovers sometimes stray, have no fear