يا لاعِباً بِحَياتي

وَهاجِراً ما يُؤاتي

O you who play with my life

Oh you who toys with my life,

And migrate with no gain

And forsakes what is rightful,

وَزاهِداً في وِصالي

وَمُشمِتاً بي عُداتي

And abstain from my union

And renounces union with me,

And gloat at my enemies

And gives my enemies cause to rejoice over me,

وَحامِلَ القَلبِ مِنّي

عَلى سِنانِ قَناةِ

And carry my heart from me

And you who bears my heart

On the peaks of a canal

Upon the spearhead of a lance,

وَمُسكِنَ الروحِ ظُلماً

حَبسَ الهَوى مِن لَهاتي

And dwell the soul in darkness

And who unjustly imprisons my spirit,

Imprisoning passion from my sighs

Stifling the breath of passion in my throat,

هَذا كِتابي إِلَيكُم

مِدادُهُ عَبَراتي

This is my message to you

This is my letter to you,

Its ink my tears

Its ink formed of my tears,

لَو أَنَّ لي مِنكَ نَصفاً

أَو قابِلاً لِبَراتي

If I had from you but half

If only I could find justice from you,

Or a receptive ear for my troubles

Or one who accepts my plea,

ما باتَ قَلبي رَهيناً

لِأَنجُمٍ طالِعاتِ

My heart would not be held captive

My heart would not have remained a hostage

By rising stars

To the rising stars,

يا بِدعَةً في مِثالٍ

لا مُدرِكاً بِالصِفاتِ

O singular in example

Oh unique wonder of form,

With no peer in virtues

Unreachable by descriptions,

فَالوَجهُ بَدرُ تَمامٍ

بِعَينِ ظَبيٍ فَلاةِ

A full moon is your face

For the face is a full moon,

With the eye of a gazelle of the wilderness

With the eyes of a desert gazelle,

مُفَرَّدٌ بِنَعيمٍ

مِنَ الظِباءِ اللَواتي

Alone in bliss

Singular in his grace,

Among the gazelles, companions mine

Among the gazelles that

تَرودُ بَينَ ظِباءٍ

مَصائِفٍ وَمَشاتي

Wandering among fellow gazelles

Roam among the herds

In summer and winter pastures

In summer and winter pastures,

وَالجيدُ جيدُ غَزالٍ

وَالغِنجُ غِنجُ فَتاةِ

Your neck a gazelle’s neck

The neck is the neck of a fawn,

Your side lock a girl’s side lock

And the coquetry is the coquetry of a maiden,

مُذَكَّرٌ حينَ يَبدو

مُؤَنَّثُ الخَلَواتِ

Masculine when in view

Masculine when he appears in public,

Feminine in seclusion

Feminine in moments of seclusion,

مِن فَوقِ خَدٍّ أَسيلٍ

يُضيءُ في الظُلُماتِ

Above a smooth cheek it shines

Upon a smooth cheek

Lighting the darknesses

That illuminates the darkness.