نالَ مِنّي الهَوى مَنالاً عَجيبا

وَتَشَكَّيتُ عاذِلي وَالرَقيبا

Love has strangely conquered me,

Passion has exacted a wondrous toll upon me,

And I complained to my critic and watcher.

And I complained of my censurer and the watcher,

شِبتُ طِفلاً وَلَم يَحِن لي مَشيبٌ

غَيرَ أَنَّ الهَوى رَأى أَن أَشيبا

I grew up a child, with no grey hair,

I turned grey as a child, though my time for greying had not come,

Except that love saw I should grey.

Except that Passion saw fit that I should turn grey,

أَسعِديني عَلى الزَمانِ عَريبٌ

إِنَّما يُسعِدُ الغَريبُ الغَريبا

A stranger brings me joy in time,

Aid me against the trials of Time, O Areeb,

For a stranger makes a stranger happy.

For truly, only a stranger brings aid to a stranger,

وَإِذا جِئتُها سَمِعتُ غِناءً

مُرجِعاً لِلفُؤادِ مِنّي نَصيبا

And when I come to her, I hear singing

And when I came to her, I heard singing,

Returning to my heart a share.

Restoring to my heart a portion of itself.