ليناً قسيُّ بِحالِ عَبدِكْ

ليناً قسيُّ بِحالِ عَبدِكْ

وَتَحنُّناً في رَفعِ بُعدِك

وَتَحنُّناً في رَفعِ بُعدِك

Be gentle, cruel one, toward your slave's plight,

Gentle to your servant in my state,

And show tenderness in ending your distance;

And merciful in removing your distance,

وَتَلافِياً فَوِصالُهُ

وَتَلافِياً فَوِصالُهُ

في قَطعِ هَجرِك ثمّ صَدّك

في قَطعِ هَجرِك ثمّ صَدّك

And make amends, for his reunion

And quick to connect, though its attainment

Lies in ending your abandonment, then your rejection.

Is in cutting off your estrangement and your rejection.

كَم أَحرَقتهُ مُهجَةٌ

كَم أَحرَقتهُ مُهجَةٌ

نارُ البعادِ وَنارُ خَدّك

نارُ البعادِ وَنارُ خَدّك

How often his heart has been scorched

How your frowns have burned me,

By separation's fire and the fire of your cheek,

The fire of separation and the fire of your cheeks.

وَلَظى الغَرامِ بِقَلبِهِ

وَلَظى الغَرامِ بِقَلبِهِ

إِذ شَبَّها إِفراطُ طَردِك

إِذ شَبَّها إِفراطُ طَردِك

And the blaze of passion within his heart,

And the flame of passion burns his heart

When your excessive spurning kindled it.

When your excessive rejection resembles it.

في مُقلَتَيكَ قَتَلتَني

في مُقلَتَيكَ قَتَلتَني

وَطَعَنتَني في رُمحِ قَدّك

وَطَعَنتَني في رُمحِ قَدّك

With your two eyes you killed me,

In your eyes you killed me,

And pierced me with the spear of your stature.

And stabbed me with the spear of your stature.

وَحَرَمتَني مِن وَجنَتَيكَ

وَحَرَمتَني مِن وَجنَتَيكَ

لِرُؤيَتي مُحمرَّ وَردِك

لِرُؤيَتي مُحمرَّ وَردِك

And barred me from your cheeks,

And you denied me the pleasure of your cheeks

From seeing the red of your roses,

When I saw the redness of your rose.

وَتَرشَّفي خَمرَ اللّمى

وَتَرشَّفي خَمرَ اللّمى

مِن فيكِ حاوي عَذبَ شَهدِك

مِن فيكِ حاوي عَذبَ شَهدِك

And sipping the wine of dusky lips

And to wet my throat with the wine of union

From your mouth, which holds your sweet honey;

From your mouth, which contains sweet nectar.

وَتَسمُّعي مِنك الحَديثَ

وَتَسمُّعي مِنك الحَديثَ

وَنَظرَتي ما تَحت عقدِك

وَنَظرَتي ما تَحت عقدِك

And hearing speech from you,

And to hear your speech from you

And gazing at what lies beneath your necklace.

And to look beneath your plaits.

يا عاذِلي ما ذا المَلامُ

يا عاذِلي ما ذا المَلامُ

بَذلت فيهِ كلَّ جَهدِك

بَذلت فيهِ كلَّ جَهدِك

O my reproacher, what is this reproach?

Oh my reproacher! What is the blame

You devoted all your effort to it,

In which you have exerted all your effort,

وَسعَيت فيهِ جاهِداً

وَسعَيت فيهِ جاهِداً

وَجَددتَ فيهِ كلّ جَهدِك

وَجَددتَ فيهِ كلّ جَهدِك

And strove hard at it,

And striven with all your might,

And renewed all your effort in it.

And renewed in it all your exertion?

وَظَنَنتَهُ وَهوَ الضّلال

وَظَنَنتَهُ وَهوَ الضّلال

بِأَنّ فيهِ حسنَ رُشدِك

بِأَنّ فيهِ حسنَ رُشدِك

And you thought—though it is error—

You thought it misguidance,

That in it lay the excellence of your sound judgment.

While in it was the merit of your righteousness.

وَاللَّه يُطعِمُكَ الهَوى

وَاللَّه يُطعِمُكَ الهَوى

لِتَذوقَ فيهِ حرقَ كبدِك

لِتَذوقَ فيهِ حرقَ كبدِك

And may God feed you love,

God feeds you vain desire,

So you may taste in it the burning of your liver;

So you may taste in it the bitterness of your liver.

أَو أَنّهُ حالاً يَمنُّ

أَو أَنّهُ حالاً يَمنُّ

عَلَيَّ إِحساناً بِفَقدِك

عَلَيَّ إِحساناً بِفَقدِك

Or may He at once bestow

Or so you may think,

Upon me the kindness of losing you.

Doing me a favor in your absence.

بِالصّبرِ قلبِ وَعَدتَني

بِالصّبرِ قلبِ وَعَدتَني

كُن وافِياً قَلبي بِوَعدِك

كُن وافِياً قَلبي بِوَعدِك

My heart, you promised me patience;

With patience you promised my heart,

Be true, my heart, to your promise.

My heart, be faithful to your promise.

وَالصّبرُ خَيرٌ في الهَوى

وَالصّبرُ خَيرٌ في الهَوى

وَلَدَيهِ يَبدو حُسن وَجدِك

وَلَدَيهِ يَبدو حُسن وَجدِك

And patience is best in love,

Patience is best in love,

And with it, the beauty of your passion appears.

And in it appears the beauty of your presence.

وَلَرُبَّما جادَ الحَبي

وَلَرُبَّما جادَ الحَبي

بُ بِقُربِهِ مِن بَعدِ بُعدِك

بُ بِقُربِهِ مِن بَعدِ بُعدِك

And perhaps the beloved will be generous

And perhaps the beloved may give

With his nearness after your distance.

From his nearness after the remoteness of your distance.

يا مُنحِلي حتّى فَنيتُ

يا مُنحِلي حتّى فَنيتُ

وَضَعتَني في نصفِ مُدّك

وَضَعتَني في نصفِ مُدّك

O you who wasted me away until I perished,

Oh my dissolver, until I perish,

You placed me in half your mudd-measure.

You have placed me halfway into my grave.

فَبِيَ اِقضِ ما قَد شِئتَهُ

فَبِيَ اِقضِ ما قَد شِئتَهُ

حِبِّي فَما أَنا غَيرُ عَبدِك

حِبِّي فَما أَنا غَيرُ عَبدِك

So do with me whatever you have willed,

So decide what you desire,

My beloved, for I am nothing but your slave.

My love, for I am nothing but your servant.