عَينُ حِبّي أُعيذُها بِاللَهِ

عَينُ حِبّي أُعيذُها بِاللَهِ

ما أَوقَعَني في عِشقِه إِلّا هي

ما أَوقَعَني في عِشقِه إِلّا هي

My beloved’s eye—I place it under God’s protection.

My love's eyes, I seek refuge for them in Allah

It alone made me fall in love with him.

It was nothing but them that made me fall in love

مُذ قاطَعَني وَصَدَّ عَنّي لاهي

مُذ قاطَعَني وَصَدَّ عَنّي لاهي

أَجرى عَبرَتي وَأَذكى زَفرَتي

أَجرى عَبرَتي وَأَذكى زَفرَتي

Ever since he broke with me and turned away, heedless,

Since he turned away from me and distracted me in play

he has made my tears flow and kindled my sighs.

My tears have streamed and my sighs kindled

أَمسَيتُ وَطيبُ النَومِ

أَمسَيتُ وَطيبُ النَومِ

عَن أَجفاني فاني

عَن أَجفاني فاني

I have reached evening, and sleep’s sweetness

I become sleepless at night

has vanished from my eyelids;

While sleep flees my eyes

لَمّا تَجافاني

لَمّا تَجافاني

أَرعى النُجوم

أَرعى النُجوم

since he shunned me,

Since he turned away from me

I watch the stars.

I stay up counting stars

أَهوى قَمَراً هَوَيتُ عَينَيهُ وَفاه

أَهوى قَمَراً هَوَيتُ عَينَيهُ وَفاه

ما أَكثَرَ حُسنَهُ وَإِن قَلَّ وَفاه

ما أَكثَرَ حُسنَهُ وَإِن قَلَّ وَفاه

I love a moon; I have fallen for his eyes and mouth.

I yearn for a moon, craving his eyes and mouth

How great his beauty, though his faithfulness is scant!

However plentiful his beauty, though his loyalty was scarce

وَالعاذِلُ يُغري فيهِ إِن لامَ وَفاهُ

وَالعاذِلُ يُغري فيهِ إِن لامَ وَفاهُ

أَمسى في ضِرامٍ مِن نارِ الغَرام

أَمسى في ضِرامٍ مِن نارِ الغَرام

And the reproacher spurs my love for him; if he blames, he gives him his due.

The critic is tempted to blame him, if he finds fault in his loyalty

He has come to burn in the blaze of passion’s fire.

I have ended up intensely burning in the fire of passion

إِن كانَ عَذولي الَّذي

إِن كانَ عَذولي الَّذي

أَغراني رَآني

أَغراني رَآني

If my reproacher, the one who

If my reproacher, who seduced me

spurred me on, has seen me

When he saw me

في حَرِّ نيرانِ

في حَرِّ نيرانِ

لِمَ ذا يَلوم

لِمَ ذا يَلوم

in the heat of fires,

In the heat of fire, why does he blame me

why does this man reproach me?

When love brandished its glances like swords

لَمّا شَهَرَ الحُبُّ مِنَ اللَحظِ نِصالِ

لَمّا شَهَرَ الحُبُّ مِنَ اللَحظِ نِصالِ

أَكثَرتُ عِتابَه وَقَد صَدَّ وِصالِ

أَكثَرتُ عِتابَه وَقَد صَدَّ وِصالِ

When love brandished blades from the glance,

I reproached him more, though he had turned away

I reproached him often, though he had barred union,

How gently he spoke without even meeting me

كَي أَنعَمَ بِالكَلامِ مِن غَيرِ وِصالِ

كَي أَنعَمَ بِالكَلامِ مِن غَيرِ وِصالِ

ناجى بِالكَلامِ مِن بَعدِ السَلامِ

ناجى بِالكَلامِ مِن بَعدِ السَلامِ

so I might enjoy speech, without union.

He conversed so sweetly after greeting me

He whispered words after the greeting.

If my beloved, when confiding in me,

لَو لَم يَكُن الحَبيبُ

لَو لَم يَكُن الحَبيبُ

إِذ ناجاني جاني

إِذ ناجاني جاني

Had the beloved not been

Had not saved me with union

a wrongdoer when he whispered to me,

From one with worries

بِالوَصلِ نَجّاني

بِالوَصلِ نَجّاني

مِن ذي الهُموم

مِن ذي الهُموم

he would have saved me through union

Oh you by whose love I became a prisoner of love

from these sorrows.

Lost, bound for the paths of humiliation

يا مَن بِهَواهُ صِرتُ في الحُبِّ أَسير

يا مَن بِهَواهُ صِرتُ في الحُبِّ أَسير

حَيرانَ إِلى مَسالِكِ الذُلِّ أَسير

حَيرانَ إِلى مَسالِكِ الذُلِّ أَسير

O you, for love of whom I became love’s captive,

By God, I see freeing myself from you is hard

bewildered, I go toward the paths of humiliation.

If I attempted to turn away from this beauty

وَاللَهِ أَرى تَخَلُّصي مِنكَ عَسير

وَاللَهِ أَرى تَخَلُّصي مِنكَ عَسير

لَو رُمتُ اِنتِقالي عَن هَذا الجَمال

لَو رُمتُ اِنتِقالي عَن هَذا الجَمال

And by God, I find escape from you hard.

I would not be, if I were

If I sought to leave this beauty,

Distant from companions, loving them

ما كانَ إِذا كُنتُ

ما كانَ إِذا كُنتُ

عَنِ الإِخوانِ واني

عَنِ الإِخوانِ واني

it would not be—if I were

And sought to console myself

remiss toward my companions

Have an excuse

وَرُمتُ سُلواني

وَرُمتُ سُلواني

عُذري يَقوم

عُذري يَقوم

and sought to forget my love—

If I became sick from loving none but you

that my excuse would stand.

Not desiring anyone else in creation but you

لَو صِرتُ مِنَ السَقامِ في زِيِّ سِواك

لَو صِرتُ مِنَ السَقامِ في زِيِّ سِواك

لا أَعشَقُ دونَ سائِرِالخَلقِ سِواك

لا أَعشَقُ دونَ سائِرِالخَلقِ سِواك

Even if sickness made me like a tooth-cleaning twig,

By God, I see ridding myself of your love is hard

among all creation, I love none but you.

I would be called among the people one of poor faith

لا كُنتُ إِن اِنثَنَيتُ عَن دينِ هَواك

لا كُنتُ إِن اِنثَنَيتُ عَن دينِ هَواك

أُدعى في الأَنامِ مِن أَهلِ الذِمامِ

أُدعى في الأَنامِ مِن أَهلِ الذِمامِ

May I never, if I turn from the creed of loving you,

Rather, by it, if I was

be called among humankind one who keeps his pledges.

A worshipper of God the Greatest

بَل كُنتُ بِها لِعابِدِ الأَو

بَل كُنتُ بِها لِعابِدِ الأَو

ثانِ ثاني

ثانِ ثاني

Rather, in that I would be, to a worshipper of

If the Second turned me away

idols, a counterpart,

From what I hope for

إِن صَدَّني ثانِ

إِن صَدَّني ثانِ

عَمّا أَروم

عَمّا أَروم

if a dissuader turned me away

from what I seek.