اِنَّ وَجدي كل يَوم في اِزدِياد

اِنَّ وَجدي كل يَوم في اِزدِياد

وَالهَوى يَأتي عَلى غَيرِ المُراد

وَالهَوى يَأتي عَلى غَيرِ المُراد

Indeed, my longing grows with every day.

My passion grows each day incessantly

And love comes contrary to my desire.

And my love comes unbidden constantly

يا خَليلي لا تَلُمني في الهَوى

يا خَليلي لا تَلُمني في الهَوى

لَيسَ لي مِمّا قَضاهُ اللَهُ راد

لَيسَ لي مِمّا قَضاهُ اللَهُ راد

O my friend, do not blame me for love.

O my friend, do not blame my love for him

I have no one to avert what God has decreed.

What God decrees, none can countermand

أَنا اِن لَم أَهو غزلان البَقا

أَنا اِن لَم أَهو غزلان البَقا

أَيّ فَرق بَينَ قَلبي وَالجَماد

أَيّ فَرق بَينَ قَلبي وَالجَماد

If I do not love the gazelles of al-Baqā,

If I love not the tender gazelles

What difference is there between my heart and lifeless matter?

What sets my heart apart from stone?

مُنتَهى الآمال عِندي أَهيَف

مُنتَهى الآمال عِندي أَهيَف

وَجُفون زانِها ذاكَ السواد

وَجُفون زانِها ذاكَ السواد

The utmost of my hopes is a slender-waisted beloved,

My only hope is to catch a glimpse

And eyelids adorned by that blackness,

Of those dark lashes and eyes that gleam

وَخد ود تَتَلَظّى حمرة

وَخد ود تَتَلَظّى حمرة

وَدَلال قَد نَفى عَنّي الرقاد

وَدَلال قَد نَفى عَنّي الرقاد

And a cheek of affection, aflame with redness,

Cheeks that blush a rosy red hue

And coyness that has banished sleep from me.

And a flirt whose glance gives me no rest

اِن ذَنبي عِند من يعذلني

اِن ذَنبي عِند من يعذلني

أَن قَلبي في الهَوى لورَدّ عاد

أَن قَلبي في الهَوى لورَدّ عاد

My sin, in the eyes of whoever reproaches me,

Those who rebuke me, my only crime

Is that my heart, in love, would return if rebuffed.

Is a heart in love that keeps returning

يا أَهيل العِشق هَل من منجد

يا أَهيل العِشق هَل من منجد

هَل سَلا الاِحباب ذَوو جد وَساد

هَل سَلا الاِحباب ذَوو جد وَساد

O dear people of love, is there anyone to help?

O lovers, is there no cherished refuge

Have those of ardor and sleeplessness forgotten their loved ones? [Reading uncertain.]

Where steadfast lovers may calmly repose?

ما اِحتِيالي في الهَوى ما عملي

ما اِحتِيالي في الهَوى ما عملي

لَيسَ لي الا عَلى اللَه اِعتِماد

لَيسَ لي الا عَلى اللَه اِعتِماد

What recourse have I in love? What can I do?

I have no tricks or schemes in loving

I have nothing but reliance on God.

On God alone I must rely

بَينَ جِفني وَالكَرى معترك

بَينَ جِفني وَالكَرى معترك

وَاِختِلاف وَشَقاق وَعناد

وَاِختِلاف وَشَقاق وَعناد

Between my eyelid and sleep lies a battlefield,

Between my eyes and fickle fortune

And discord, strife, and defiance.

Strife, discord and conflict multiply

فِتنَتي ظبي ظَريف أَهيَف

فِتنَتي ظبي ظَريف أَهيَف

كُلَّما قُلت جَفاه زال زاد

كُلَّما قُلت جَفاه زال زاد

My enchantment is a graceful, slender-waisted gazelle.

My darling's a graceful wild gazelle

Whenever I say his coldness has ceased, it increases.

No sooner it moves away than returns

اِن يَكُن عِشقي لَهُ أَفسَدَني

اِن يَكُن عِشقي لَهُ أَفسَدَني

فَاِعلَموا اِنّي راض بِالفَساد

فَاِعلَموا اِنّي راض بِالفَساد

If my love for him has corrupted me,

If loving him has led me astray

Then know that I am content with corruption.

Know that I accept corruption gladly

وَرشادي اِن يَكُن في سَلوَتي

وَرشادي اِن يَكُن في سَلوَتي

فَدَعوني لَستُ أَرضى بِالرَشاد

فَدَعوني لَستُ أَرضى بِالرَشاد

And if my right guidance lies in forgetting him,

And if my reason counsels me

Then leave me: I will not accept right guidance.

I refuse; I want none of its advice

أَنا أَهواهُ وَلا أَذكُرُه

أَنا أَهواهُ وَلا أَذكُرُه

اِن كَشَف السر في الحُب اِرتِداد

اِن كَشَف السر في الحُب اِرتِداد

I love him, but do not mention him.

I love him yet I do not name him

Indeed, revealing the secret in love is apostasy.

Exposing the secret would be going back

وَمَتى رامَ لِساني لَهجَة

وَمَتى رامَ لِساني لَهجَة

بِاِسمِهِ قُلت سَليمي وَسعاد

بِاِسمِهِ قُلت سَليمي وَسعاد

And whenever my tongue seeks an utterance

If my tongue starts to praise him

Of his name, I say 'Sulaymā' and 'Suʿād'.

I only say my Salim, my Saad

هُوَ قَصدي لَستُ أَسلوه وَاِن

هُوَ قَصدي لَستُ أَسلوه وَاِن

صِرت فيهِ مِثله تَبين العِباد

صِرت فيهِ مِثله تَبين العِباد

He is my aim; I will not forget him, even if

He's my goal - I seek him not

I become, for his sake, a cautionary example among people. [Reading uncertain.]

Yet I'm like all who seek and pine

وَكَذا وَجدي بِهِ وَجدي بِهِ

وَكَذا وَجدي بِهِ وَجدي بِهِ

مُستَمِر بِالوجدى مِن نَفاد

مُستَمِر بِالوجدى مِن نَفاد

And so my longing for him—my longing for him—

Such is my constant passion for him

Endures in longing, 'from exhaustion.' [Text unclear.]

Never waning or drawing to an end

كَم صَرفت القَلب عَن عِشقته

كَم صَرفت القَلب عَن عِشقته

وَتَجلدت وَلكِن ما أَفاد

وَتَجلدت وَلكِن ما أَفاد

How often I have turned my heart away from loving him,

How often I've wrested my heart from his love

And steeled myself, but it did no good.

Forcefully curbing myself but to no avail

يا حَبيبي ته دَلالا وَاِحتَكَم

يا حَبيبي ته دَلالا وَاِحتَكَم

أَنا مِن تعرفه في كُلّ ناد

أَنا مِن تعرفه في كُلّ ناد

O my beloved, strut coyly and command as you please.

O beloved, you are so coquettish and flirtatious

I am the one you know in every gathering.

I know you wherever folks gather

لَستُ أَصفى لَعذول في الهَوى

لَستُ أَصفى لَعذول في الهَوى

لا وَلا أَنسى سويعات الوُداد

لا وَلا أَنسى سويعات الوُداد

I do not heed a reproacher in love. [Reading uncertain.]

I do not pretend coy in loving

No, nor shall I forget the brief hours of affection.

Nor forget the days of camaraderie

لا أَرى في الحُبّ عادا أَبَدا

لا أَرى في الحُبّ عادا أَبَدا

يَفعَل الحُبّ بِقَلبي ما أَراد

يَفعَل الحُبّ بِقَلبي ما أَراد

I never see any shame in love. [Reading uncertain.]

In love I see no lifelong habits

Love does with my heart whatever it wills.

Love does whatever it wants with my heart