أَما وَالهَوى لَو ذُقتَ طَعمَ الهَوى العُذري

أَما وَالهَوى لَو ذُقتَ طَعمَ الهَوى العُذري

أَقَمتَ بِمَن أَهواهُ يا عُذري

أَقَمتَ بِمَن أَهواهُ يا عُذري

Ah, by love, had you tasted the savor of chaste love,

Had you tasted the sweetness of innocent love,

you would have upheld my excuse through the one I love—ah!

You would have stayed with whom I love, O innocent one.

وَلَو شاهَدَت عَيناكَ وَجهُ مُعَذِّبي

وَلَو شاهَدَت عَيناكَ وَجهُ مُعَذِّبي

وَقَد زارَني بَعدَ القَطيعَةِ وَالهَجرِ

وَقَد زارَني بَعدَ القَطيعَةِ وَالهَجرِ

And had your eyes beheld my tormentor’s face,

If your eyes saw the face of my tormentor

when he visited me after estrangement and abandonment,

Who visited me after estrangement and separation,

رَأَيتَ بِقَلبي مَن تَلَقّيهِ مَرحَباً

رَأَيتَ بِقَلبي مَن تَلَقّيهِ مَرحَباً

وَسَيفُ عَليٍّ في لِحاظِ أَبي بَكرِ

وَسَيفُ عَليٍّ في لِحاظِ أَبي بَكرِ

you would have seen Marhab in my heart as it met him,

You would have seen how my heart welcomes him,

and Ali’s sword in Abu Bakr’s glances.

While Ali's sword is in Abu Bakr's sheath.

مَليحٌ يُرينا فَرعُهُ وَجَبينُهُ

مَليحٌ يُرينا فَرعُهُ وَجَبينُهُ

سُدولَ ظَلامٍ تَحتَها هالَةُ البَدرِ

سُدولَ ظَلامٍ تَحتَها هالَةُ البَدرِ

A handsome one, whose hair and brow show us

Graceful he is, his branch and forehead are shown to us

curtains of darkness, with the full moon’s halo beneath them.

Like darkness's tent with the moon's halo beneath.

وَأَسمَرُ كَالخَطِّيِّ زُرقاً عُيونُهُ

وَأَسمَرُ كَالخَطِّيِّ زُرقاً عُيونُهُ

كَذاكَ رِماحُ الخَطِّ زُرقاً عَلى سُمرُ

كَذاكَ رِماحُ الخَطِّ زُرقاً عَلى سُمرُ

And a dusky one, like a Khatt spear, with blue eyes—

Tan as calligraphy, blue are his eyes,

so are the spears of Khatt: blue upon brown.

Like the blueness of lances over tan.

مَزَجتُ بِشَكوى الحُبِّ رِقَّةَ عَتبِهِ

مَزَجتُ بِشَكوى الحُبِّ رِقَّةَ عَتبِهِ

فَكُنتُ كَأَنّي أَمزُجُ الماءَ بِالخَمرِ

فَكُنتُ كَأَنّي أَمزُجُ الماءَ بِالخَمرِ

I mingled the tenderness of his reproach with love’s lament,

I mixed the softness of love's complaint with his reproach,

so it was as though I were mixing water with wine.

So it was as if I mixed water with wine.

وَلُذتُ بِظِلِّ الأَعتِرافِ وَإِن جَنى

وَلُذتُ بِظِلِّ الأَعتِرافِ وَإِن جَنى

مَحافَةَ إِعراضٍ إِذا جِئتُ بِالعُذرِ

مَحافَةَ إِعراضٍ إِذا جِئتُ بِالعُذرِ

And I sought refuge in the shade of confession, though he had done wrong,

I enjoyed the shade of confession, even if

for fear he would turn away if I offered an excuse.

It brought the danger of aloofness when I offered my excuse.