نَفسي الفداءُ لِمَن حلّ الحشا فَرأى

نَفسي الفداءُ لِمَن حلّ الحشا فَرأى

ما كنتُ من حبّهِ ألقى وأخفيهِ

ما كنتُ من حبّهِ ألقى وأخفيهِ

My soul be ransom for him who dwelt within my breast and saw

My soul is ransom for one who pried into my love

what I endured through love of him and kept concealed.

That I tried to hide yet could not help but betray

ثمّ اِسترابَ لدمعٍ كانَ كفكفهُ

ثمّ اِسترابَ لدمعٍ كانَ كفكفهُ

جَفني فصاب عَنِ الأحشاءِ هاميهِ

جَفني فصاب عَنِ الأحشاءِ هاميهِ

Then he grew suspicious of tears that had been checked by

Then grew suspicious of tears I held back

my eyelid; then their torrent poured from my inner depths.

As my eyelids concealed the flames within

فَقُلتُ مُعتذراً خوفَ الوشاةِ رَقا

فَقُلتُ مُعتذراً خوفَ الوشاةِ رَقا

دَمعي فصابُ فُؤادي لا يروّيهِ

دَمعي فصابُ فُؤادي لا يروّيهِ

So I said, making excuses for fear of tale-bearers, 'Stilled are

So I offered excuses, fearing gossip would spread

my tears, for my heart's bitter sap cannot quench it.'

My tears then cooled the heart they would not douse

فَقالَ كلّا فبردُ الجفنِ نكّسهُ

فَقالَ كلّا فبردُ الجفنِ نكّسهُ

وَهَل محبٌّ وَلَم تَسخن مآقيهِ

وَهَل محبٌّ وَلَم تَسخن مآقيهِ

He said, 'No; the eyelid's coldness turned it back.

"No," he said, "it is the coldness of your eyelids reversed"

And is anyone a lover whose eye-corners have not grown hot?'

Does a lover's dwelling not grow hot with yearning evermore?

فَحجّني فأحلتُ الأمرَ فيه على

فَحجّني فأحلتُ الأمرَ فيه على

جَفني فَهل لَه من عذر فيبديهِ

جَفني فَهل لَه من عذر فيبديهِ

He bested me in argument, so I referred the matter to

He refuted me, so I blamed it on my eyes

my eyelid: did it have any excuse to offer?

Could they offer any excuse to plead?

فَقالَ جَفنيَ مِرآتي الّتي عَكَست

فَقالَ جَفنيَ مِرآتي الّتي عَكَست

شمسَ الجمالِ لتُذكي قلب رائيهِ

شمسَ الجمالِ لتُذكي قلب رائيهِ

Then spoke my eyelid, my mirror that reflected

"My eyes," he said, "are my mirror reflecting

the sun of beauty to kindle its beholder's heart:

The sun of beauty, stoking the heart of its beholder"

وَحيثُ كنتُ أَنا الساعي لِحُرقته

وَحيثُ كنتُ أَنا الساعي لِحُرقته

فَلا ملامة في أَن صرتُ أطفيهِ

فَلا ملامة في أَن صرتُ أطفيهِ

'Since it was I who sought to burn it,

"And as I stirred its coals, how could I

there is no blame in my now quenching it.'

Be blamed for rising to quench what I ignited?"

فَعِندما قالَ قَلبي قَد صدقتَ وما

فَعِندما قالَ قَلبي قَد صدقتَ وما

أَطفأتَ بل لم تَزل للآن تذكيهِ

أَطفأتَ بل لم تَزل للآن تذكيهِ

Thereupon my heart said, 'You have spoken truly, but you have not

When he spoke true, and said "You never

quenched it; rather, to this very moment you keep kindling it.

Put it out, but kept on stoking it until this day"

دَمعُ المحبّ كماءِ البحرِ تحسبهُ

دَمعُ المحبّ كماءِ البحرِ تحسبهُ

ماءً وَتلكَ لَظىً قد سجّرت فيهِ

ماءً وَتلكَ لَظىً قد سجّرت فيهِ

A lover's tears are like seawater: you think them

A lover's tears are like sea water - you'd think

water, yet they are a blaze kindled within it.

It mere water, but it is blazing embers he breathed life into

إِلقاءُ نار على نارٍ يؤجّجها

إِلقاءُ نار على نارٍ يؤجّجها

وكلُّ شيءٍ مُضاهيه يقوّيهِ

وكلُّ شيءٍ مُضاهيه يقوّيهِ

Casting fire upon fire makes it flare up,

Throwing fire upon fire, fanning the flames

and everything is strengthened by its like.

Everything kindred fortifies its zeal

يا أيّها الجفنُ مهلاً عَن فُؤادِ شجٍ

يا أيّها الجفنُ مهلاً عَن فُؤادِ شجٍ

وَلا تَزِده فنارُ الحبِّ تكفيهِ

وَلا تَزِده فنارُ الحبِّ تكفيهِ

O eyelid, spare a sorrow-stricken heart,

O eyes! Have mercy on a tortured heart

and add no more to it; love's fire is enough for it.

The fire of love is enough, do not add to it

إِن كنتَ شارَكتني في حبّه أرقاً

إِن كنتَ شارَكتني في حبّه أرقاً

فَأنتَ دوني فلحظُ الحسنِ تجليهِ

فَأنتَ دوني فلحظُ الحسنِ تجليهِ

If you have shared my sleeplessness in loving him,

If you have shared my sleepless longing,

you are beneath me, for you reveal the sight of beauty.

You fall short - the glance of beauty is self-revealing

وَإِن زَعَمت بأنّي قد ظَفرتُ به

وَإِن زَعَمت بأنّي قد ظَفرتُ به

وَصرتُ دونكَ مغناهُ وناديهِ

وَصرتُ دونكَ مغناهُ وناديهِ

And if you claim that I have won him

And if you claim that I alone won him over

and, rather than you, become his dwelling and his gathering place,

And without you could not sing his praises

وَإنّني بكَ قد مثّلتُ صورته

وَإنّني بكَ قد مثّلتُ صورته

وَقَد أعنتَ خيالي في تجلّيهِ

وَقَد أعنتَ خيالي في تجلّيهِ

and that through you I have formed his image,

It is through you I embodied his image

and that you have aided my imagination in his manifestation,

And you aided my imagination in its vision

فَذا كلامٌ وَإِن قَد صحّ ظاهرهُ

فَذا كلامٌ وَإِن قَد صحّ ظاهرهُ

فَما يصحّ لَدى التحقيقِ خافيهِ

فَما يصحّ لَدى التحقيقِ خافيهِ

that is speech which, even if sound on the surface,

So your reasoning may hold true outwardly

is unsound in its hidden sense under scrutiny.

But it does not withstand deeper investigation

هل أَنتَ إلّا لمِثلي آلةٌ وإذا

هل أَنتَ إلّا لمِثلي آلةٌ وإذا

أَصابَ سهمٌ فذو التسديدِ راميهِ

أَصابَ سهمٌ فذو التسديدِ راميهِ

Are you anything but an instrument for one like me? And when

Are you anything but an instrument to the likes of me?

an arrow hits, its archer is the one who aimed it.

When an arrow strikes true, who but the archer aimed?

لَكن نَسبتُ إِليكَ الأمرَ تعميةً

لَكن نَسبتُ إِليكَ الأمرَ تعميةً

عَنِ العذولِ وَعمّن ليس يدريهِ

عَنِ العذولِ وَعمّن ليس يدريهِ

But I ascribed the matter to you to conceal it

But I wrongly blamed you to throw off

from the reproacher and from anyone who does not know it.

The spies, and those who cannot perceive

إِنّي وَأَنتَ لفي عذرٍ وفي سعةٍ

إِنّي وَأَنتَ لفي عذرٍ وفي سعةٍ

ما كلُّ ما كنتَ تجنيهِ لأحويهِ

ما كلُّ ما كنتَ تجنيهِ لأحويهِ

You and I are indeed excused and have ample latitude;

You and I are blameless and free

not all that you used to gather was mine to contain.

Not all that you reap can I harvest

تَكيّفَت منهُ ذاتي فهيَ مظهرهُ

تَكيّفَت منهُ ذاتي فهيَ مظهرهُ

وكلُّ ما كانَ منها فهو مبديهِ

وكلُّ ما كانَ منها فهو مبديهِ

My being took its form from him, and so it is his manifestation,

My being adapted to mirror him - it is the lens

and whatever comes from it, he is the one who brings it forth.

Projecting all that stems from within

فَإِن أطعتُ فَما أَمري إِليّ وإن

فَإِن أطعتُ فَما أَمري إِليّ وإن

عَصيتهُ فَبهِ قد كنتُ أعصيهِ

عَصيتهُ فَبهِ قد كنتُ أعصيهِ

So if I obey, my affair is not in my hands; and if

If I obeyed then I brought it upon myself

I disobey him, it is through him that I have disobeyed him.

And if I rebelled, then through him I rebelled

وَإِن تعمّد ذمّي لا أمانعهُ

وَإِن تعمّد ذمّي لا أمانعهُ

وَإِن أرادَ ثَنائي لست أثنيهِ

وَإِن أرادَ ثَنائي لست أثنيهِ

And if he deliberately censures me, I do not oppose him;

And if he slanders me, I do not oppose him

and if he wishes to praise me, I do not dissuade him.'

Just as, if he praises me, I do not echo his praise

وَهَذه بعضُ حالي في محبّتهِ

وَهَذه بعضُ حالي في محبّتهِ

أَعلَنتُها غيرَ أنّي لا أسمّيهِ

أَعلَنتُها غيرَ أنّي لا أسمّيهِ

This is something of my state in loving him,

Such is my state in loving him

which I have made known, though I do not name him.

I divulge it plainly, but do not name names