عَشِقْتُ ومن هذا الذي ليس يَعْشَقُ

عَشِقْتُ ومن هذا الذي ليس يَعْشَقُ

ولِمْ لا وقد هام الحَمَامُ المُطَوَّقُ

ولِمْ لا وقد هام الحَمَامُ المُطَوَّقُ

I have loved—and who is there who does not love?

I fell in love, and who is there that does not fall in love?

And why not, when the ring-necked dove is mad with love?

Why not, when the ring-doves are smitten with passion?

وإِن كنتُ عُلِّقْتُ الحبيبَ فإِنَّه

وإِن كنتُ عُلِّقْتُ الحبيبَ فإِنَّه

بقَلْبيَ من كل البريَّة أَعْلقُ

بقَلْبيَ من كل البريَّة أَعْلقُ

And if I have become enamored of the beloved, he is

And if I am hooked on my beloved, surely he

More firmly attached to my heart than anyone in creation.

In my heart has hooked all of nature about him.

أَموتُ غراماً حين أَحْرَمُ وصل مَنْ

أَموتُ غراماً حين أَحْرَمُ وصل مَنْ

هوِيتُ وأَحيا فرْحَةً حين أُرْزقُ

هوِيتُ وأَحيا فرْحَةً حين أُرْزقُ

I die of longing when denied union with the one

I die of love when the tryst of union is denied me,

I have loved, and live in joy when it is granted me.

And live exultant when that union is allowed.

وإِنَّ الفتى يَحْيَا بما قد يُمِيتُهُ

وإِنَّ الفتى يَحْيَا بما قد يُمِيتُهُ

فبالماءِ يَحْيَا وهُوَ بالماءِ يَغْرَقُ

فبالماءِ يَحْيَا وهُوَ بالماءِ يَغْرَقُ

And indeed, a young man lives by what may kill him:

The youth is kept alive by the very thing that kills himSo with water he lives, and with water he drowns.

For by water he lives, and in water he drowns.

And I beg you, do not deny the throbbing of his heart,

وإِياكُمُ لا تُنْكِروا خفق قلْبِهِ

وإِياكُمُ لا تُنْكِروا خفق قلْبِهِ

فقلبُ الذي يَسْعَى ويُخْفِقُ يَخْفِقُ

فقلبُ الذي يَسْعَى ويُخْفِقُ يَخْفِقُ

And beware: do not deny the fluttering of his heart;

For the heart that strives and throbs is a throbbing heart.

For the heart of one who strives and fails still flutters.

The meaning is not that the lover is really fettered,

وليسَ المُعنَّى بالحبيب بواثقٍ

وليسَ المُعنَّى بالحبيب بواثقٍ

وإنَّ المُعنَّى بالحبيب لمُوثقُ

وإنَّ المُعنَّى بالحبيب لمُوثقُ

And the one tormented by the beloved is not assured,

But that the lover of the meaning is fettered fast.

And the one tormented by the beloved is surely bound.

He gave guidance with his cheeks and went astray with his hair,

هدى بثنايَاهُ وضَلَّ بِشَعْرِهِ

هدى بثنايَاهُ وضَلَّ بِشَعْرِهِ

فكادَ بِقَوْلِ المانَوِيَّةِ يَصْدُقُ

فكادَ بِقَوْلِ المانَوِيَّةِ يَصْدُقُ

With his front teeth came guidance; with his hair, error,

So that he almost made good the saying of al-Manawi.

So he nearly bore out the Manichaeans’ doctrine.

The full moon is mine, O Dayyachi, and yours but waning,

أَبَدْرَ الدَّياجي إِنَّ بَدْرِيَ زَائِدٌ

أَبَدْرَ الدَّياجي إِنَّ بَدْرِيَ زَائِدٌ

وأَنتَ على الأَيَّام تُمْحَى وتُمْحَقُ

وأَنتَ على الأَيَّام تُمْحَى وتُمْحَقُ

O full moon of dark nights, my full moon keeps growing,

While you over the days will fade and disappear.

While you, as the days pass, are erased and made to wane.

The hair curled over his temple, so my heart hovered there, curling,

تحلَّقَ شَعْرُ الصُّدْغِ من فوقِ خدِّه

تحلَّقَ شَعْرُ الصُّدْغِ من فوقِ خدِّه

فأًقْبَلَ قَلْبي نحوه يَتَحلَّقُ

فأًقْبَلَ قَلْبي نحوه يَتَحلَّقُ

His temple hair curled into rings above his cheek,

And had it not been for his cheek, its ember would have burned his temple,

So my heart turned toward it, circling.

And dew and hoverer on the fire spent the night;

فلولا نداهُ أَحْرَقَ الصدغَ جَمْرُهُ

فلولا نداهُ أَحْرَقَ الصدغَ جَمْرُهُ

فباتَ على النَّار النَّدَى والمحلَّقُ

فباتَ على النَّار النَّدَى والمحلَّقُ

But for its dew, its embers would have burned the temple lock;

And there was a scratch along the line of his cheek as if

So dew and the ringed one, al-Muhallaq, spent the night upon the fire.

Writing attached to a line of script.

وخَدْشٌ على خَطِّ العِذَارِ كأَنَّهُ

وخَدْشٌ على خَطِّ العِذَارِ كأَنَّهُ

كلامٌ على سَطْرٍ من الخط مُلْحَقُ

كلامٌ على سَطْرٍ من الخط مُلْحَقُ

And a scratch upon his sideburn’s line, as though it were

For your sake, carry to his temple a kiss from me,

Words appended to a line of script.

Since his cheek is water wherein his temple is a boat.

بِحَقِّكَ احْمِلْ لي على الصُّدْغ قُبْلةً

بِحَقِّكَ احْمِلْ لي على الصُّدْغ قُبْلةً

فخدُّكَ ماءٌ فيه صُدْغُكَ زَرْوَقُ

فخدُّكَ ماءٌ فيه صُدْغُكَ زَرْوَقُ

I implore you: carry a kiss for me upon your temple lock,

And if the breeze stirs the water rumple that boat there

For your cheek is water, in which your temple lock is a skiff.

That in that water it may sink.

وإِن شوَّشَ الصدغَ النسيمُ فخلَّها

وإِن شوَّشَ الصدغَ النسيمُ فخلَّها

عَسَى أَنَّها في ذلك الماءِ تَغْرَقُ

عَسَى أَنَّها في ذلك الماءِ تَغْرَقُ

And if the breeze ruffles the temple lock, let the kiss go;

Or else on the slender waist––so he said to me:

Perhaps it will drown in that water.

"To you; for at the waist it is more slender still."

وإِلاَّ على الخَصْرِ الدَّقيق فقال لي

وإِلاَّ على الخَصْرِ الدَّقيق فقال لي

إِلَيْكَ فإِنَّ الخَصْرَ مِنْ ذَاكَ أَضْيَقُ

إِلَيْكَ فإِنَّ الخَصْرَ مِنْ ذَاكَ أَضْيَقُ

Or else upon the slender waist; then he said to me:

Away with you, for the waist is too narrow for that!