ليس التذلل في الهوى يستنكر

فالحب فيه يخضع المستكبر

It is not shameful to be humble in love,

Humbling oneself in love is not to be condemned,

For love makes the arrogant submit.

For in love, even the most arrogant are subdued.

لا تعجبوا من ذلتي في ترحالةٍ

قد ذل فيها قلبي المستنصر

Do not be surprised at my humiliation in his travels,

Do not wonder at my humiliation upon a departure,

For in it my victorious heart has submitted.

In which my heart, once seeking victory, was brought low.

ليس الحبيب مماثلاً وكافياً

فيكون صبرك ذلةً إذ تصبر

The beloved is not equal or sufficient,

The beloved is neither an equal nor sufficient,

So your patience is humiliation if you are patient.

So that your patience turns to humiliation whenever you endure.

تفاحة وقعت فآلم وقعها

هل قطعها منك انتصاراً يذكر

An apple fell and its falling pained me,

An apple fell, and painful was its fall;

Did severing it from you bring any memorable triumph?

Is cutting it to pieces by your hand a victory worth remembering?