سَيِّدِي أَنْتَ إِنَّني بِكَ صَبُّ

سَيِّدِي أَنْتَ إِنَّني بِكَ صَبُّ

بَيْنَ أَيدِي الْهُمُوم والشَّوْق نَهْبُ

بَيْنَ أَيدِي الْهُمُوم والشَّوْق نَهْبُ

You are my lord; I am lovesick for you.

My master, I pine for you

A prey in the hands of cares and longing.

Between the hands of worries and longing I am plundered

وشَفِيعِي إِلَيْكَ أَنِّي مُحبٌّ

وشَفِيعِي إِلَيْكَ أَنِّي مُحبٌّ

وقَدِيماً أُحِبَّ مَنْ لاَ يُحِبُّ

وقَدِيماً أُحِبَّ مَنْ لاَ يُحِبُّ

And my intercessor with you is that I am in love.

And my intercessor to you is that I am a lover

And one who does not love has long been loved.

And I have long loved one who does not love

بَعَثَ الحُبُّ لي سَقاماً فَأَعْدَى

بَعَثَ الحُبُّ لي سَقاماً فَأَعْدَى

بِيَ حُزْناً مداوماً ما يَغِبُّ

بِيَ حُزْناً مداوماً ما يَغِبُّ

Love sent me sickness, and thus infected

Love has sent me an illness so I am in pain

me with constant sorrow that never abates.

With lasting sadness that does not go away

لَيْس لي نِيَّةٌ أُسَلِّي بها النَّفْ

لَيْس لي نِيَّةٌ أُسَلِّي بها النَّفْ

سَ لِمَا قَدْ رَأَى وَلاَ لِيَ قَلْبُ

سَ لِمَا قَدْ رَأَى وَلاَ لِيَ قَلْبُ

I have no resolve with which to console my soul

I have no intention to console myself

for what it has seen, nor do I have a heart.

Neither for what my heart has seen nor do I have a heart

ضَاعَ صَبْرِي وَأَخْلَفَتْنِي ظُنُونٌ

ضَاعَ صَبْرِي وَأَخْلَفَتْنِي ظُنُونٌ

كاذِباتٌ يَلَذُّها مَنْ يَصَبُّ

كاذِباتٌ يَلَذُّها مَنْ يَصَبُّ

My patience is lost, and hopes have failed me—

My patience is lost and hopes have betrayed me

false hopes that the lovesick delight in.

Lies that delight those who pine

غَيْرَ أنِّي أُرِحْتُ مِنْ قَوْلِ لاَحٍ

غَيْرَ أنِّي أُرِحْتُ مِنْ قَوْلِ لاَحٍ

هُوَ هَمٌّ عَلَى الفُؤادِ وكَرْبُ

هُوَ هَمٌّ عَلَى الفُؤادِ وكَرْبُ

Yet I have been spared a reproacher's words—

Except that I felt relief from the words of a jester

a burden and anguish upon the heart.

It is sorrow upon my heart and anguish

عَذَلَ العَاذِلُونَ فِيكَ وقالُوا

عَذَلَ العَاذِلُونَ فِيكَ وقالُوا

ما عَلَى مَنْ أَحَبَّ مثلَكَ عَتْبُ

ما عَلَى مَنْ أَحَبَّ مثلَكَ عَتْبُ

The reproachers censured me over you and said:

The blamers have chided you and said

No blame falls on one who loves someone like you.

What blame is there for one who loves the likes of you

لكَ خَدٌّ مُوَرَّدُ اللَّوْن سَهْلٌ

لكَ خَدٌّ مُوَرَّدُ اللَّوْن سَهْلٌ

وَفَمٌ طَيِّبُ الْمُجَاجَةِ عَذْبُ

وَفَمٌ طَيِّبُ الْمُجَاجَةِ عَذْبُ

You have a smooth, rose-colored cheek,

You have a rosy cheek smooth in color

and a sweet mouth with pleasant saliva.

And a mouth pleasant in speech, sweet

وجَبينٌ تَلأَلأَ الحُسْنُ فيه

وجَبينٌ تَلأَلأَ الحُسْنُ فيه

كهِلالٍ تكَشَّفَتْ عَنْهُ حُجْبِ

كهِلالٍ تكَشَّفَتْ عَنْهُ حُجْبِ

And a brow where beauty sparkles,

And a brow where beauty glistens

like a crescent from which veils have lifted.

Like the new moon revealed from behind its veils

وجَفونٌ مُفَتَّراتٌ مِرَاضٌ

وجَفونٌ مُفَتَّراتٌ مِرَاضٌ

وحديثُ الْمُؤَنَّثِ اللَّفْظِ رَطْبُ

وحديثُ الْمُؤَنَّثِ اللَّفْظِ رَطْبُ

And drooping, languishing eyelids,

And sleepy eyelids, content,

and tender speech, feminine in its phrasing.

And the talk of the feminine in speech, tender

وقَوامٌ للرِّيح فيهِ احْتِكَارٌ

وقَوامٌ للرِّيح فيهِ احْتِكَارٌ

يَتَثَنَّى تثنِّيَ الغُصْنِ شَطْبُ

يَتَثَنَّى تثنِّيَ الغُصْنِ شَطْبُ

And a figure over which the wind has sole dominion,

And a figure around which the breeze lingers

slender, swaying as a branch sways.

Bending as the branch of a willow bends

أَخْصَبَ الحُسْنُ في جميعكَ إلا

أَخْصَبَ الحُسْنُ في جميعكَ إلا

أَنَّ حظِّي منْ كُلِّ ذَلكَ جَدْبُ

أَنَّ حظِّي منْ كُلِّ ذَلكَ جَدْبُ

Beauty has flourished throughout you, except

Beauty has flourished in all of you except

that my share of all that is barren.

That my share of all that is barren

لَهْفَ نفسي عَلَيْكَ لو أَنْصَفَ الْحب

لَهْفَ نفسي عَلَيْكَ لو أَنْصَفَ الْحب

بُ لَذَلَّ الغَداةَ لي منْكَ صَعْبُ

بُ لَذَلَّ الغَداةَ لي منْكَ صَعْبُ

Ah, my soul's longing for you! If love were fair,

The craving of my soul for you, if love were fair

what is stubborn in you would yield to me this morning.

Would have been difficult for me from you in the morning

لا أُسَمِّيك خيفَةً بلْ أُعدِّي

لا أُسَمِّيك خيفَةً بلْ أُعدِّي

عنك طَرْفاً دُمُوعُهُ فيكَ سَكْبُ

عنك طَرْفاً دُمُوعُهُ فيكَ سَكْبُ

I do not name you, out of fear; rather, I avert

I do not call you fickle, but I avert

my eye from you, its tears pouring for you.

An eye from you, its tears pouring onto you

وعَدَدْتَ الْهَوَى عَلَيَّ ذُنوباً

وعَدَدْتَ الْهَوَى عَلَيَّ ذُنوباً

إِنْ يَكُنْ ذَا فَحُسْنُ وجهك ذَنْبُ

إِنْ يَكُنْ ذَا فَحُسْنُ وجهك ذَنْبُ

And you counted love as sins against me;

And you counted passion for me as sins

if that is so, the beauty of your face is a sin.

If it is so, then the beauty of your face is a sin

أيمرُّ الزمان صَفْحاً عَلَيْنا

أيمرُّ الزمان صَفْحاً عَلَيْنا

لَمْ يُنَلْ طائلٌ ولم يُقْضَ نَحْبُ

لَمْ يُنَلْ طائلٌ ولم يُقْضَ نَحْبُ

Will time pass us by, unheeding,

Does time pass in forgiveness over us

with no gain attained and no vow fulfilled?

No use has been gotten and no beloved attained

ظَلَمَتْنِي كظُلْمِكَ السِّنُّ حَتَّى

ظَلَمَتْنِي كظُلْمِكَ السِّنُّ حَتَّى

شَابَ رَأْسِي ودَعْوَةُ الشَّيْبِ سَبُّ

شَابَ رَأْسِي ودَعْوَةُ الشَّيْبِ سَبُّ

Age has wronged me as you have, until

You have wronged me like your teeth wronged

my head grew gray—and being called gray-haired is an insult.

Until my head grayed and the call of white hair captivated

سَلَبَتْني ثَوْبَ الشَّباب الثَّلاَثُو

سَلَبَتْني ثَوْبَ الشَّباب الثَّلاَثُو

نَ وللشَّيْب بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ سَلْبُ

نَ وللشَّيْب بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ سَلْبُ

Thirty years have stripped me of youth's robe,

The thirty years took from me the garb of youth

and gray hair, after that, has its own plunder.

And after that the white hair had its plunder

وأحالَتْ دُهْمَاً عَلَى الرَّأْسِ شُهْباً

وأحالَتْ دُهْمَاً عَلَى الرَّأْسِ شُهْباً

لَيْسَ يَجِزي بِخَيْلِهِ اللَّهْوِ شُهْبُ

لَيْسَ يَجِزي بِخَيْلِهِ اللَّهْوِ شُهْبُ

And it turned the black steeds on my head to gray ones;

And it directed onto my head gray hair

gray steeds will not serve among pleasure's horses.

White hair is not worthy for its sport

إِنْ يَكُنْ سَارَ عَامداً لِدِمَشْقٍ

إِنْ يَكُنْ سَارَ عَامداً لِدِمَشْقٍ

وطَوانِي كَمَا طَوَى الشَّمْسَ غَرْبُ

وطَوانِي كَمَا طَوَى الشَّمْسَ غَرْبُ

If he has set out, bound for Damascus,

If he traveled heading to Damascus

and folded me away as the west folds away the sun,

And twisted away like the setting sun twists away

فهوَ للْقَلْب حيثُ ما مال ذِكْرٌ

فهوَ للْقَلْب حيثُ ما مال ذِكْرٌ

وهُوَ للطَّرْف حيثُ ما دار نُصْبُ

وهُوَ للطَّرْف حيثُ ما دار نُصْبُ

then he is the heart's remembrance wherever it turns,

Then he is to the heart wherever a memory turns

and stands before the eye wherever it roams.

And he is to the eye wherever a gaze wanders

حُسْنُ رَأْيِ الْوَزِيرِ عَوَّض فيه

حُسْنُ رَأْيِ الْوَزِيرِ عَوَّض فيه

فَهو للْجُودِ والْمَكارمِ رَبُّ

فَهو للْجُودِ والْمَكارمِ رَبُّ

The minister's kind regard has compensated for his absence;

The good opinion of the minister compensated him

for he is lord of generosity and noble deeds.

So he is for generosity and noble deeds a lord