حدّثيني عن الهوى حدّثيني

و أثيري كوامن الأشجان

Tell me about passion, tell me

Speak to me of love, speak to me,

And stir up the depths of sorrows

And stir the hidden depths of sorrow.

عن ليالي نعمان جادت دموعي

ما جفاه الرباب من نعمان

About the nights of Na'aman, my tears flowed

Of the nights of Nu'man, my tears flowed generously,

What the lute left of Na'aman

For what the white clouds withheld from Nu'man.

عن كؤوس الصبا تدار علينا

و الندامى نواعس الأجفان

About the cups of youth passed around us

Of cups of youth passed around to us,

While the insomniacs, eyelids, keep vigil

While the drinking companions had drowsy eyes.

يا سليمى : و في الأحاديث سلوى

حدّثيني عمّا مضى حدّثيني

O my Salima! In conversations there is solace

O Sulayma: in conversation there is solace,

Tell me about what has passed, tell me

Speak to me of the past, speak to me.

ذبلت هذه الخميلة حزنا

و سقاها من الردى ساقيها

This sapling has withered in sorrow

This garden has withered from grief,

And its waterer has watered it from contempt

And its cupbearer has watered it with ruin.

كيف تذوي غصونها ظامئات

و أنا من مدامعي أرويها

How its branches melt, thirsty

How do its branches fade from thirst,

While I water it from my tears

When I irrigate them with my flowing tears?

هي في حاجة لعطف فتاة

فاذرفي دمعة الأسى تحييها

It needs the compassion of a girl

It is in need of a maiden's kindness,

So shed a tear of sorrow to revive it

So shed a tear of sorrow to revive it.

لا تضنّي بالدمع يوما عليها

من شروط الوفاء أن تبكيها

Never begrudge it a tear

Do not withhold tears from it one day;

Loyalty requires that you weep for it

For it is a condition of loyalty that you weep for it.

واذرفيه شعرا و طيبا و خمرا

إنّ فيه الدمع راحة للحزين

And shed on it poetry, perfume and wine

Shed them as poetry, perfume, and wine,

Indeed in tears there is respite for the sorrowful

For in tears there is relief for the sorrowful.

قد جفاها النسيم منذ ليال

آه ممّا جنى عليها النسيم

The breeze has withheld from it for nights

The breeze has shunned it for nights past,

Oh! What the breeze has inflicted on it

Oh, what the breeze has committed against it!

ضنّ في لحنه الرقيق عليها

بعد جود و قد يضنّ الكريم

It was stingy in its gentle tune with it

It became stingy with its soft melody towards it,

After generosity, even the generous may be stingy

After generosity; and the generous may indeed be stingy.

فاحملي الناي و اتبعيني إليها

فمن البرّ أن يواسي الكليم

So take up the flute and follow me to it

So take up the flute and follow me to it,

For kindness requires consoling the afflicted

For it is piety to comfort the wounded.

أسمعيها صوت الملائك يرجع

زهوها صوتك النديّ الرخيم

Let it hear the voice of angels returning

Let it hear the voice of angels bringing back

Its glory is your gentle, sublime voice

Its pride with your dewy, melodious voice.

و اعيدي لحن الربيع ففيه

ماتمنّته من هوى و حنين

And repeat the melody of spring, for in it

And repeat the melody of spring, for in it

Is what it longed for of passion and yearning

Is what it wished for of love and nostalgia.

ذرفت دمعها سليمى فأحيت

ذابلات الغصون و الأوراق

Salima shed its tears so she revived

Sulayma shed her tears and revived

The withered branches and leaves

The withered branches and the leaves.

و تغنّت ألحانها فأثارت

كامنات الشجون و الأشواق

And it sang its melodies so it stirred

And her melodies sang out, stirring

The dormant sorrows and longings

The hidden sorrows and longings.

زيّنت عاطل الخميلة جودا

بلال تجري من الآماق

It adorned the sapling’s barrenness with generosity

She adorned the barren garden generously

The clouds pouring from the water skins

With pearls flowing from her eyes.

و أعادت عهد الرّبيع إليها

مذ سقتها بالمدمع الرقراق

And it restored the springtime to it

And she restored the era of spring to it,

Since it watered it with the dripping cloud

Since she watered it with glistening tears.

و حبتها من عطرها نفحات

تسكر الطير و عي فوق الغصون

And it loved it with the breaths of its perfume

And she bestowed upon it breaths of her fragrance,

That intoxicate the birds above the branches

That intoxicate the birds while upon the boughs.

عاطفات الحنان في صدر سلمى

كرّم الله هذه العاطفات

The feelings of affection in Salma's heart

The emotions of tenderness in Salma's heart,

May God honor these feelings

God has honored these emotions.

أيّ شعر لم يستكن للقوافي

مرقص في ألحانها المسكرات

What poetry has not settled into her intoxicating melodies

What verse that has not submitted to rhyme

Embroidered into its melodies

Is made to dance in her intoxicating melodies?

ما أشدّ الظلام لولا شعاع

يرسل النور في عيون الفتاة

How intense is the darkness were it not for a ray

How intense the darkness would be were it not for a beam

That sends light into the girl's eyes

Sending light into the eyes of the girl.

يا شعاع العيون وطفاء نجلا

أنت في ظلمة الأسى تهديني

O ray of the eyes extinguishing the stars

O beam of the eyes, wide and lovely,

You guide me in the darkness of sorrow

You guide me in the darkness of sorrow.

يا شعاع العيون فيك قرأنا

سرّ هذي الحياة وهو دقيق

O ray of the eyes, through you we read

O beam of the eyes, in you we read

The secret of this subtle life

The secret of this life, and it is subtle.

نعمة الله أنت في الكون لولاك

لعمّ الوجود حزن و ضيق

God's blessing you are in the universe, without you

You are God's blessing in the universe; were it not for you,

Sadness and constriction would pervade existence

Sadness and distress would pervade existence.

في ليالي الهموم ترسل نورا

بدعة العطر و الهوى فنفيق

On nights of worries you send light

In nights of worry, you send a light,

An innovation of fragrance and passion so we awaken

An innovation of scent and love, so we awaken.

خالق الكون قد براك عزاء

ليداوي آلامه المخلوق

Creator of the universe, He has blessed you as solace

The Creator of the Universe fashioned you as a solace,

To heal the wounds of His creation

To heal the pain of created beings.

ما عشقنا الحياة وهي شقاء

الناس لولاك يا شعاع العيون

We would not love life if it were misery

We would not love life, which is misery,

People without you, O ray of the eyes

Without you, O people, O beam of the eyes.

دمعة من عيون هيفاء خود

تخلق العطف في قلوب القساة

A tear from Haifa Khud’s eyes

A tear from the eyes of a slender beauty

Creates compassion in the hearts of the cruel

Creates sympathy in the hearts of the cruel.

بسمة في الحياة من شفتيها

تبعث النور في ظلام الحياة

A smile in life from her lips

A smile in life from her lips

Sends light into the darkness of life

Sends light into the darkness of life.

لمسة من بنانها وهو رخص

برد تلك الجوانح الظامئات

A touch of her fingers, and it is cheap

A touch from her fingertips, soft and tender,

Quenching those thirsty souls

Cools those thirsty ribs.

نفحة من نهودها سرّ ما

ننشق بين الربى من النفحات

A waft from her breasts is the secret of what

A breath from her bosom is the secret of

We enjoy of wafts between pastures

The fragrances we inhale among the hills.

هي سرّ الحياة ، انشودة الله

شفاء الداء العصيّ الكمين

She is the secret of life, God’s hymn

She is the secret of life, the anthem of God,

Healing the stubborn latent disease

The cure for the stubborn, hidden disease.

أنا أهوى بلا رجاء وما

حال محبّ يهوى بغير رجاء

I love without hope, and what

I love without hope, and what is

Is the state of a lover who loves without hope

The state of a lover who loves without hope?

بائس يا ابنة الصباح شقيّ

كفكفي من مدامع البؤساء

Wretched, O daughter of dawn, miserable

A miserable one, O daughter of the morning, wretched;

Restrain the tears of the miserable

Dry the tears of the miserable.

و ارحميني ففي غد يهب الله

ضياء لأوجه الرحماء

And have mercy on me, for tomorrow God will grant

And have mercy on me, for tomorrow God grants

Radiance to the faces of the merciful

Light to the faces of the merciful.

وهبيني خميلة جدت ما

جدت عليها بالنور و الأنداء

Grant me a sapling that has endured what

And grant me a garden like the one you bestowed upon

Endured upon it of light and brilliance

With light and dews.

أنا أشقى منها و أظمأ روحا

أسعديني فالعدل أن تسعديني

I am more miserable than it and my soul is more thirsty

I am more miserable than it, and thirstier in spirit;

Make me happy for it is just that you make me happy

Make me happy, for justice is that you make me happy.

ذا اعترافي أمام كاهنة الحبّ

فهل يغفر الخطايا اعترافي

This is my confession before the priestess of love

This is my confession before the priestess of love,

Can my confession forgive my sins

So will my confession forgive the sins?

لإله الهوى صلاتي و نسكي

و حوالي بيت الغرام طوافي

To the God of passion my prayers and devotion

To the God of Passion are my prayers and rituals,

And around the house of love is my circumambulation

And around the house of love is my circumambulation.

هيكل الحبّ طاف فيه جدودي

و جثت حول ركنه أسلافي

My ancestors circled its temple

The temple of love, my ancestors circled within it,

And my forefathers prostrated around its corner

And my forebears knelt around its corner.

أنا راض بنظرة أو بوعد

منك للعلة الكمينة شافي

I am satisfied with a glance or a promise

I am content with a glance or a promise

From you to the latent ailment, a healing

From you, as a cure for the hidden ailment.

فعديني و لا تبرّي فحسبي

من نعيم الحياة أن تعديني

So promise me and do not exonerate, just account

So promise me, even if you do not fulfill it; for it suffices me

The bliss of life that you promise me

Of life's bliss that you promise me.