شَرِبتُ كُؤوسَ الحُبِّ صِرفاً وَليسَ لي

شَرِبتُ كُؤوسَ الحُبِّ صِرفاً وَليسَ لي

مِزَاجُ رَذاذٍ للوِصَالِ ولا طَشِّ

مِزَاجُ رَذاذٍ للوِصَالِ ولا طَشِّ

I drank love’s cups neat, with no

I drank the cups of love undiluted, and I have no

dash of union’s spray, nor even a splash.

admixture of union's drizzle, nor even a sprinkle.

شُواهِدُ حُبِّي بَينَ جَفنَيَّ والحَشَا

شُواهِدُ حُبِّي بَينَ جَفنَيَّ والحَشَا

فَمِن عَبرَةٍ تُملِي ومن زَفرَةٍ تُنشِي

فَمِن عَبرَةٍ تُملِي ومن زَفرَةٍ تُنشِي

The witnesses to my love lie between my eyelids and my heart:

The witnesses to my love are between my eyelids and my breast:

a tear dictates, and a sigh composes.

A tear that dictates, and a sigh that composes.

شُغِفتُ بِمَحبُوبٍ أضَنُّ بِذِكرِهِ

شُغِفتُ بِمَحبُوبٍ أضَنُّ بِذِكرِهِ

عَلى غَايَةِ البَلوَى فَأشفِي ولا أفشٍِي

عَلى غَايَةِ البَلوَى فَأشفِي ولا أفشٍِي

I became enamored of a beloved whose very name I guard jealously;

I am smitten with a beloved whose mention I jealously guard,

at the utmost brink of affliction I may stand, but never divulge it.

Even at affliction's utmost limit, I heal myself but do not reveal him.

شَفائيَ فِي مَرآهُ والمَوتُ دُونَهُ

شَفائيَ فِي مَرآهُ والمَوتُ دُونَهُ

ولا بُدَّ في الدِّرياقِ مِن خَطَرِ الرُّقشِ

ولا بُدَّ في الدِّرياقِ مِن خَطَرِ الرُّقشِ

My cure lies in seeing him, though death bars the way;

My cure is in beholding him, and death bars the way to him;

yet no antidote is won without braving the speckled snake.

And in the antidote, the peril of speckled serpents is unavoidable.

شَقققتُ عليهِ القَلبَ والخِلبَ والحَشا

شَقققتُ عليهِ القَلبَ والخِلبَ والحَشا

غَراماً ومَن لِي بَعد ذَلِكَ بالأرشِ

غَراماً ومَن لِي بَعد ذَلِكَ بالأرشِ

For him, in passion, I laid open heart, heart’s membrane, and innermost core—

For him I tore open my heart, my liver's membrane, and my entrails,

and who, after that, will pay me blood-money?

In passion—and who, after that, will secure me compensation?

شَكَوتُ إِلَيهِ الوَجدَ فاعتضتُ صَبوَةً

شَكَوتُ إِلَيهِ الوَجدَ فاعتضتُ صَبوَةً

فَذَكّرني هذا أجَلُّ مِنَ الحَرشِ

فَذَكّرني هذا أجَلُّ مِنَ الحَرشِ

I complained to him of longing, only to receive infatuation in exchange;

I complained to him of love's anguish, and received yearning in return;

this reminded me of something graver still than rousing snakes.

So it reminded me: 'This is graver than baiting.'

شِعارِي هَوَاهُ والدِّثارُ كمِثلِهِ

شِعارِي هَوَاهُ والدِّثارُ كمِثلِهِ

فها أنا مٍِن لَدغٍ أفِرُّ إلى نَهشِ

فها أنا مٍِن لَدغٍ أفِرُّ إلى نَهشِ

His love is my innermost garment, and my outer cloak is just the same;

Love for him is my inner garment, and my outer garment is the same;

so here I am, fleeing a sting only to meet a mauling.

So here I am, fleeing from a sting to a bite.

شَديدٌ عَلى قلبي خُلُوٌّ مِن الهَوى

شَديدٌ عَلى قلبي خُلُوٌّ مِن الهَوى

ولا حِيلةٌ للَّوحِ في المَحوِ للنَّقشٍ

ولا حِيلةٌ للَّوحِ في المَحوِ للنَّقشٍ

How hard upon my heart it is to be empty of passion;

To be empty of love is hard upon my heart,

a tablet has no means, through erasure, to escape its inscription.

Nor has the tablet any means to erase the engraving.

شَغَلتُ جَنَانِي واللِّسَانَ بذِكرِهِ

شَغَلتُ جَنَانِي واللِّسَانَ بذِكرِهِ

فَلَستُ بنَاسِيهِ ولَو كُنتُ في النَّعشِ

فَلَستُ بنَاسِيهِ ولَو كُنتُ في النَّعشِ

I have filled my heart and tongue with remembrance of him;

I occupied my heart and tongue with remembrance of him;

I shall not forget him, even when I lie upon the bier.

So I will not forget him, even were I upon the bier.

شَنئتُ حَياتي والحياةُ لَذيذةٌ

شَنئتُ حَياتي والحياةُ لَذيذةٌ

إذا غابَ مَن نهوى فلا خَيرَ في العَيشِ

إذا غابَ مَن نهوى فلا خَيرَ في العَيشِ

I have come to loathe my life, though life is sweet:

I loathed my life, though life is sweet:

when the one we love is absent, there is no good in living.

When the one we love is absent, there is no good in living.