يامُعير الغصن قداً اهيفا

يامُعير الغصن قداً اهيفا

ومعير الريم مرضى الحدق

ومعير الريم مرضى الحدق

O you who lend the bough a slender figure,

O reproacher of the bending branch, reproacher of the sand dune's illness,

and lend the gazelle its languishing eyes,

Has any connection reached you after estrangement, with a language that revives my remaining vigor?

هل الى وصلك من بعد الجفا

هل الى وصلك من بعد الجفا

بلغلة ٌ تنعشُ باقي رمقي

بلغلة ٌ تنعشُ باقي رمقي

is there a way to union with you after estrangement—

I was infatuated with your love, and love is delirium,

some small sustenance to revive my last breath?

So the blame is mine, and there is no blame upon you,

همتُ في حبك والحبّ هيام

همتُ في حبك والحبّ هيام

فلي اللومُ ولا لوم ٍ عليكْ

فلي اللومُ ولا لوم ٍ عليكْ

I am love-mad for you, and love is madness;

And I disobeyed the caller of passion,

so mine is the blame, and no blame falls on you.

So today I fell willingly into your hands,

وتعاصيتُ على داعي الغرام

وتعاصيتُ على داعي الغرام

فوقعتُ اليوم طوعاً في يديك

فوقعتُ اليوم طوعاً في يديك

I resisted the call of passion,

Whenever I let go of your rebelliousness,

yet today I fell willingly into your hands.

The love spell pulled me back to you,

كلّما رمتُ أعاصيكَ الزمام

كلّما رمتُ أعاصيكَ الزمام

جذبتني سورة الحبّ اليك

جذبتني سورة الحبّ اليك

Whenever I sought to wrest the reins from you,

And when my heart roamed and stood still,

love's fierce surge drew me toward you.

Around your song, it did not move on,

وإذا جال فؤادي وقفا

وإذا جال فؤادي وقفا

حول مغناك فلم ينطلق

حول مغناك فلم ينطلق

And whenever my heart roamed, it stopped

And dwelled devotedly upon calling out your love,

around your dwelling and would not depart.

So its shelter became exposed.

وعلى نادي هواك اعتكفا

وعلى نادي هواك اعتكفا

فغدى مأمنه في فرق

فغدى مأمنه في فرق

In the gathering-place of love for you it secluded itself,

You, O you of charm and wonderful beauty,

and its haven became a place of fear.

Cause me to live when you hear me.

أنت ياذا الدلّ والحسن البديع

أنت ياذا الدلّ والحسن البديع

لي بثّ لْك لو تسمعه

لي بثّ لْك لو تسمعه

You, O possessor of coy charm and wondrous beauty,

You turned away from me when I was your lover,

I have sorrow to tell you, if only you would hear it.

So the place I lay in lamented after you left.

بنتَ عن جنبي وقد كنت الضجيع

بنتَ عن جنبي وقد كنت الضجيع

فنبا بعدك بي مضجعه

فنبا بعدك بي مضجعه

You left my side, though you had been my bedfellow;

You have reached the end of grace interceding,

in your absence, my resting-place grew harsh to me.

And without wrong, it appears to sever it.

قد وصلت الحبل في الفي شفيع

قد وصلت الحبل في الفي شفيع

وبلا ذنب بدا تقطعه

وبلا ذنب بدا تقطعه

I had joined the bond through two thousand intercessors,

Verily, he who tended my heart with estrangement,

yet, without any fault, its breaking became apparent.

Burdened the heart with what it could not endure

انّ من راع فؤادي بالجفا

انّ من راع فؤادي بالجفا

كلّف القلب بما لم يطق

كلّف القلب بما لم يطق

Indeed, whoever frightened my heart with estrangement

Oh! From one with strength I was weakened,

burdened the heart with what it could not bear.

By passion, if only passion was not created!

آه من ذي قوة قد ضعُفا

آه من ذي قوة قد ضعُفا

بالهوى ليت الهوى لم يُخلق

بالهوى ليت الهوى لم يُخلق

Alas for one once strong who has grown weak

I have become, due to love of you, one with an afflicted eyelid,

through passion—would that passion had never been created!

My burning chest, my tears flooding,

بتُ من حبّك ذا طرف قريح

بتُ من حبّك ذا طرف قريح

محرقي وجدي ودمعي غامري

محرقي وجدي ودمعي غامري

Through love of you I spent the night with aching eyes;

The pencil of one with a wounded heart,

my longing scorched me, and my tears engulfed me.

Does it avoid every flashing lightning?

خضل الأردان ذا قلب جريح

خضل الأردان ذا قلب جريح

أتحرَّى كل برق حاجري

أتحرَّى كل برق حاجري

My sleeves drenched, my heart wounded,

I do not meet, like Qais ibn Dharih,

I watch for every lightning flash from Hajir.

What I meet, and Qais Al-Aamiri.

مالقى القيسان قيس بن ذريح

مالقى القيسان قيس بن ذريح

ما ألاقيه وقيس العامري

ما ألاقيه وقيس العامري

Of the two Qayses, Qays ibn Dhurayh never endured

No, not even like Orwah in what has passed,

what I endure, nor did Qays al-Amiri.

Some of what I faced in love, I faced.

لا ولا عروة فيما سلفا

لا ولا عروة فيما سلفا

بعض ما لاقيتُ في الحب لقي

بعض ما لاقيتُ في الحب لقي

No, nor did Urwa in bygone days

If only the religion of love was not created when it was created,

endure a fraction of what I have endured in love.

Its pledge would not have been tied around my neck.

ليت دين الحبّ لمّا خُلقا

ليت دين الحبّ لمّا خُلقا

لم تقم بيعته في عنقي

لم تقم بيعته في عنقي

Would that, when the religion of love was created,

My soul in the morning became like scattered pearls,

its pledge of allegiance had never bound my neck.

Since the body withered away in its weakness.

اصبحتْ روحي في مثل الخلال

اصبحتْ روحي في مثل الخلال

مذ تلاشى الجسم في علّته

مذ تلاشى الجسم في علّته

My soul now dwells in something slender as a toothpick,

And I became in my person an example,

since my body wasted away in its illness.

Manifest to people in its form.

وانا اصبحت عن شخصي مثال

وانا اصبحت عن شخصي مثال

بارزاً للناس في صورته

بارزاً للناس في صورته

And I have become a likeness of my bodily self,

Whoever saw me, my phantom imagined,

appearing before people in its form.

And doubt in his vigilance overcame him.

مَن رآني خالتي طيف الخيال

مَن رآني خالتي طيف الخيال

وآعتراه الشكُ في يقظته

وآعتراه الشكُ في يقظته

Whoever saw me took me for a phantom of fancy,

The ants left a trace, despite the smoothness of propriety,

and doubted whether he was awake.

It left its eyelid from my vigor.

اثرَ النمل على صُمّ الصفا

اثرَ النمل على صُمّ الصفا

تركتْ مقلته من رمقي

تركتْ مقلته من رمقي

An ant's trace upon solid rock

I am not regretful of what was ruined,

is all his eye has left of my remaining life.

But rather I thank it for what remained.

لستُ الحاه على ما اتلفا

لستُ الحاه على ما اتلفا

انّما اشكره في ما بقي

انّما اشكره في ما بقي

I do not reproach him for what he destroyed;

The Merciful created my body and emaciation,

I only thank him for what remains.

My sight and tears, my heart and distress,

خلق الرحمن جسمي والضنا

خلق الرحمن جسمي والضنا

ناظري والدمع قلبي والوجيب

ناظري والدمع قلبي والوجيب

The All-Merciful created my body and wasting sickness,

My eyelid and sleeplessness, my soul and moaning,

my seeing eye and tears, my heart and its pounding,

My ribs and yearning, the ardour of my heart and its flames.

مقلتي والسهد روحي والعنا

مقلتي والسهد روحي والعنا

اضلعي والوجد لبّي واللهيب

اضلعي والوجد لبّي واللهيب

my eye and sleeplessness, my soul and suffering,

Seven in seven were paired,

my ribs and longing, my mind and flame.

Verily this is the wondrous creation!

سبعة في سبعة قد قرُنا

سبعة في سبعة قد قرُنا

ان هذا لهو الخلق العجيب

ان هذا لهو الخلق العجيب

Seven have been paired with seven:

And in harmony occurred what was different,

truly, this is wondrous creation.

Its nature consistent in this arrangement.

وعلى الوفُق جرى ما آختلفا

وعلى الوفُق جرى ما آختلفا

دأبُها جار ٍ بهذا النّسق

دأبُها جار ٍ بهذا النّسق

And things that differ run in harmony,

God suffice me and enough!

their constant course proceeding in this order.

Of the agitation that stirred my burning.

حسبي الله جسيباً وكفى

حسبي الله جسيباً وكفى

من تباريح أهاجتْ حُرقي

من تباريح أهاجتْ حُرقي

God is enough for me as reckoner, and He suffices,

So serve me a cup and take a cup for yourself,

against torments that have stirred my burning grief.

For the sweetness of life is for us to share.

فآسقني كاساً وخذ كاساً اليك

فآسقني كاساً وخذ كاساً اليك

فلذيذ العيش ان نشتركا

فلذيذ العيش ان نشتركا

So give me a cup to drink, and take a cup yourself;

And if you are stingy with it from your lip,

for life is sweet if we share.

Then serve it to me and take the first for yourself.

وإذا جدتَ بها من شفيتك

وإذا جدتَ بها من شفيتك

فآسقنيها وخذ الأولى لكا

فآسقنيها وخذ الأولى لكا

And if you generously offer it from your lips,

Or just reckon it a wine from your gaze,

give me that to drink, and take the first cup yourself.

Which removed my devotion and made it a revelry.

او فحسبي خمرة من ناظريك

او فحسبي خمرة من ناظريك

أذهبتْ نسكي وأضحتْ منسكا

أذهبتْ نسكي وأضحتْ منسكا

Or wine from your two eyes is enough for me:

And I take advantage of your prime before old age,

it swept away my piety and became a rite of worship.

If the prime of life was not already prime.

وآغتنم صفوك قبل الرنق

وآغتنم صفوك قبل الرنق

ان صفا العيش فما كان الصفا

ان صفا العيش فما كان الصفا

And seize your serenity before it turns murky.

Or we meet, for we may not meet again.

If life grows serene, serenity was not there before;

او تلاقينا فقد لا نلتقي

او تلاقينا فقد لا نلتقي

or if we meet, we may not meet again.