أَهلاً بِطَيفٍ زائِرٍ مَرقَدي

أَهلاً بِطَيفٍ زائِرٍ مَرقَدي

أَنّى اِهتَدى أَفديهِ من مُهتَدي

أَنّى اِهتَدى أَفديهِ من مُهتَدي

Welcome to a phantom visiting my bed.

Welcome the visitor to my tomb

How did he find his way? I would ransom him—what a well-guided one!

However did he find his way, my ransom, to one seeking guidance?

أَنّى اِهتَدى لَيلاً إِلى عاشِقٍ

أَنّى اِهتَدى لَيلاً إِلى عاشِقٍ

يخفَى مِنَ السُقمِ عَلى العُوَّدِ

يخفَى مِنَ السُقمِ عَلى العُوَّدِ

How did he find his way by night to a lover

However did he find by night, a lover

hidden by illness from those who visit him?

Who hides his sickness on the lute?

فَخِلتُ أَنَّ الخالَ في خَدِّهِ

فَخِلتُ أَنَّ الخالَ في خَدِّهِ

نُقطَةُ نَدٍّ فَوقَ وردٍ نَدي

نُقطَةُ نَدٍّ فَوقَ وردٍ نَدي

So I fancied that the mole upon his cheek

So I imagined the mole on his cheek

was a speck of perfume upon a dewy rose.

A dewdrop above a tender rose

وَاِفتَرَّ لي عَن بَرَدٍ جامِدٍ

وَاِفتَرَّ لي عَن بَرَدٍ جامِدٍ

غُلَّةُ قَلبي مِنهُ لَم تَبرُدُ

غُلَّةُ قَلبي مِنهُ لَم تَبرُدُ

And he smiled at me, revealing frozen hail,

And he made excuses to me about penetrating cold

but my heart's burning thirst was not cooled by it.

Yet the affliction of my heart from him has not cooled

قُلتُ لَهُ كَم تَعتَدي في الهَوى

قُلتُ لَهُ كَم تَعتَدي في الهَوى

ظُلماً عَلى عَبدِكَ يا سَيِّدي

ظُلماً عَلى عَبدِكَ يا سَيِّدي

I said to him, "How often in love you transgress

I said to him - how much wrong you do in love,

unjustly against your slave, O my lord!"

Oppressed against your servant, O my Master

فَقالَ إِذ ذاكَ من المُعتَدي

فَقالَ إِذ ذاكَ من المُعتَدي

قُلتُ الَّذي قالَ من المُعتَدي

قُلتُ الَّذي قالَ من المُعتَدي

Then he said, "Who is the transgressor?"

So he said then - who is the oppressor?

I said, "The one who said, ‘Who is the transgressor?’"

I said - the one who said: who is the oppressor?