لُمني إِذا حُلتُ عَن عُهودي

وَلا تَلُمني عَلى هَيامي

Blame me if I ever turn from my vows,

But do not blame me for my wild infatuation.

ما كُنتُ أَخشى مِنَ المَنايا

فَكَيفَ أَخشى مِنَ المَلامِ

I was never one to fear the fates of death,

So how could I possibly fear mere blame?

قَد نَزَلَ الحُبُّ في فُؤادِيَ

ضَيفاً وَلَكِن عَلى الدَوامِ

Love has descended to dwell within my heart,

A guest, yet one who stays eternally.

فَباتَ قَلبي لَهُ طَعاماً

وَبِتُّ أَنأى عَنِ الطَعامِ

So my heart became its food and sustenance,

While I myself have turned away from food.

أَعدى غَرامي النُجومَ حَتّى

أَسهَرَها في الدُجى غَرامي

My passion passed its contagion to the stars,

Until my love kept them sleepless in the dark.

لَو تَعرِفُ الشَمسُ ما لِلهَوى لَم

تَبِن لِطَرفٍ مِنَ السَقامِ

If the sun knew the reality of desire,

It would not appear to the eye, wasted by sickness.

أَصابَ سَهمُ الفِراقِ قَلبي

وَأَخطَأَت قَلبَهُ سِهامي

The arrow of separation struck my heart,

While my arrows missed his heart entirely.

وَكانَ خَوفي مِنَ التَنائي

خَوفَ كَفيفٍ مِنَ التُرامِ

My fear of our distancing was like

A blind man's fear of a sudden fall.

إِنَّ فِراقَ الحَبيبِ عِندي

أَشَدُّ وَقعاً مِنَ الحِمامِ

For the parting from the beloved is, to me,

More severe in its impact than death itself.

لَو يَبعُدُ البُعدُ عَن حَبيبي

ما عَنَّ يَوماً لِمُستَهامِ

If Distance would only keep its distance from my love,

No trouble would ever confront a longing soul.

أَنا إِمامُ الَّذينَ هاموا

وَأَيُّ قَومٍ بِلا إِمامِ

I am the Imam of those who wander in love,

And what people exist without an Imam?

فَلَيسَ قَبلي وَلَيسَ بَعدي

وَلا وَرائي وَلا أَمامي

There is no one before me and no one after me,

Neither behind me, nor anyone ahead.