في الحُبِّ رَوعاتٌ وَتَعذيبُ

وَفيهِ يا قَومُ الأَعاجيبُ

In love there is rapture and torment,

In love lie terrors and a torment profound,

And in it, O people, wonders abound.

And within it, O people, are wonders unbound.

مَن لَم يَذُق حُبّاً فَإِنّي امرُؤ

عِندي مِنَ الحُبِّ تَجاريبُ

He who has not tasted love, I say

He who has not tasted love knows naught, for I am a man

I have of love experiences profound.

Who holds, regarding love, trials that span.

عَلامَةُ العاشِقِ في وَجهِهِ

هَذا أَسيرُ الحُبِّ مَكتوبُ

The lover's mark is on his face,

The sign of the lover is etched on his face,

"This is love's captive" it spells out.

Where 'This is Love’s captive' is writ in its place.

وَلِلهَوى فِيَّ صَيودٌ عَلى

مَدرَجَةِ العُشّاقِ مَنصوبُ

And desire has snares upon the staircase

And Passion has snares laid in wait for me,

Of lovers spread about.

Set upon the path where the lovers flee.

حَتّى إِذا مَرَّ مُحِبٌّ بِهِ

وَالحَينُ لِلإِنسانِ مَجلوبُ

Until when a lover passes by him

Until, when a lover passes by that snare,

And now to man is desire allowed,

And doom is the fate that man must bear,

قالَ لَهُ وَالعَينُ طَمّاحَةٌ

يَلهو بِهِ وَالصَبرُ مَغلوبُ

He says to him, with a yearning eye:

He spoke to him with a roving, longing eye,

It toys with him, and patience is subdued.

Toying with him, while patience runs dry.

لَيسَ لَهُ عَيبٌ سِوى طيبِهِ

وَبِأَبي مَن عَيبُهُ الطيبُ

He has no flaw but his kindness,

He has no fault but his nature’s sweet grace,

By my father, his flaw is kindness itself!

May my father ransom him, whose only fault is grace.

يَسُبُّ عِرضي وَأَقي عِرضَهُ

كَذالِكَ المَحبوبُ مَسبوبُ

He berates my honor, but I guard his,

He reviles my honor, while I guard his name;

Thus is the beloved berated himself.

Thus is the beloved the target of blame.