وَقائِلَةٍ لي كَيفَ كُنتَ تُريدُ

فَقُلتُ لَها أَن لا يَكونَ حَسودُ

And one who said to me, how could you want

And she who asked me, 'What was your desire?'

So I said to her that he not be jealous

I replied to her, 'That no envier should exist.'

لَقَد عاجَلَت قَلبي جِنانُ بِهَجرِها

وَقَد كانَ يَكفيني بِذاكَ وَعيدُ

My heart was hastened by her abandonment

Jinan has hastened to strike my heart with abandonment,

And it would have sufficed me, that threat

Though a mere threat of it would have sufficed me.

لَعَلَّ جِناناً سائَها أَن أُحِبُّها

فَقُل لِجِنانٍ ثابِتٌ وَيَزيدُ

Perhaps a love I shaded, that I love her

Perhaps it displeased Jinan that I should love her,

So say to a constant love, and it increases

So say to Jinan: 'It is steadfast and increasing.'

فَسُخطَكَ في هَذا عَلى النَفسِ هَيِنٌ

وَلَكِنَّهُ فيما سِواهُ شَديدُ

So your anger in this upon the self is slight

Your anger regarding this is light upon my soul,

But indeed in other than it, intense

But in matters other than this, it is severe.

رَأَيتُ دُنوَّ الدارِ لَيسَ بِنافِعٍ

إِذا كانَ ما بَينَ القُلوبِ بَعيدُ

I saw the nearness of the house is not beneficial

I have seen that nearness of abode is of no avail,

If what is between the hearts is far

If the distance between hearts remains vast.