أُحِبُّ الريحَ إِن هَبَّت شَمالا

أُحِبُّ الريحَ إِن هَبَّت شَمالا

وَأَحسُدُها إِذا هَبَّت جَنوبا

وَأَحسُدُها إِذا هَبَّت جَنوبا

I love the wind when it blows from the north,

I love the wind if it blows from the north,

and envy it when it blows from the south.

And I envy it if it blows from the south.

أَهابُكِ أَن أَبوحَ بِذاتِ نَفسي

أَهابُكِ أَن أَبوحَ بِذاتِ نَفسي

وَأَفرَقُ إِن سَأَلتُكِ أَن أَخيبا

وَأَفرَقُ إِن سَأَلتُكِ أَن أَخيبا

I am too in awe of you to reveal my soul's secrets,

I hesitate to reveal my inner self to you,

and fear that, if I ask you, I will be disappointed.

And I shy away if I ask you and you disappoint me.

وَأَهجُرُ صاحِبي حُبَّ التَجَنّي

وَأَهجُرُ صاحِبي حُبَّ التَجَنّي

عَلَيهِ إِذا تَجَنَّيتُ الذُنوبا

عَلَيهِ إِذا تَجَنَّيتُ الذُنوبا

And I forsake my companion for love of finding fault

And I shun my companion's love of faultfinding;

with him, whenever I invent offenses.

Reproaching him when he finds faults in others.

أَيَصبِرُ عاشِقٌ هَجَرَ الحَبيبا

أَيَصبِرُ عاشِقٌ هَجَرَ الحَبيبا

أُجِنَّ فُؤادُهُ شَوقاً عَجيبا

أُجِنَّ فُؤادُهُ شَوقاً عَجيبا

Can a lover who has forsaken his beloved be patient,

Can a lover endure estrangement from his beloved?

his heart driven mad by extraordinary longing?

His heart is strangely distressed with yearning.

وَلَو حَمَّلتُ نَفسي الصَبرَ عَنهُ

وَلَو حَمَّلتُ نَفسي الصَبرَ عَنهُ

لَكانَ الصَبرُ في قَلبي غَريبا

لَكانَ الصَبرُ في قَلبي غَريبا

And were I to force myself to be patient without him,

Even if I forced myself to be patient without him,

patience would be a stranger in my heart.

Patience would still feel foreign in my heart.

كَأَنّي حينَ أُغضي عَن سِواكُم

كَأَنّي حينَ أُغضي عَن سِواكُم

أَخافُ لَكُم عَلى عَيني رَقيبا

أَخافُ لَكُم عَلى عَيني رَقيبا

It is as though, when I avert my gaze from all but you,

It's as if, when I avert my eyes from you,

I fear a watcher of yours keeping watch over my eye.

I fear a watcher over my eyes because of you.