لقد نَطق العودُ عن سِّره

لقد نَطق العودُ عن سِّره

فغادر كلَّ صحيح كئيبُ

فغادر كلَّ صحيح كئيبُ

Indeed, the oud spoke of its secret,

The lute has spoken of its secret

and left every healthy person sorrowful.

So every upbeat has left depressed

فشبَّهتُ مَيْلَ معاصِيرِه

فشبَّهتُ مَيْلَ معاصِيرِه

إذا مِلْن بعد استواءٍ وطِيبْ

إذا مِلْن بعد استواءٍ وطِيبْ

So I likened the tilt of its tuning pegs,

I compared the flow of its strings

when they tilted after straightness and sweetness,

When they are plucked after evenness and calm

بوجه حبيبٍ بدا ضاحكاً

بوجه حبيبٍ بدا ضاحكاً

فعنّ له الحظُ عين الرّقيب

فعنّ له الحظُ عين الرّقيب

to the face of a beloved who appeared smiling,

To the face of a beloved that appeared laughing

then fate appeared to him as the watcher's eye.

So luck distracted for him the watcher’s eye

فلما استوى نُطْقُ أوتاره

فلما استوى نُطْقُ أوتاره

حكى نقْرُها حسن لفظ الحبيب

حكى نقْرُها حسن لفظ الحبيب

Then, when the speech of its strings grew even,

When the speaking of its strings was even

their plucking echoed the beauty of the beloved's speech.

Its plucking told the good speaking of the beloved

تجسُّ الأناملُ دَسْتانه

تجسُّ الأناملُ دَسْتانه

كما جَسّ عِرقَ العليلِ الطبيب

كما جَسّ عِرقَ العليلِ الطبيب

The fingertips feel its fret,

The fingers feel its strings

just as the physician felt the sick person's pulse;

As the doctor felt the sweat of the sick

فيُسْمِعنا حركاتِ السرور

فيُسْمِعنا حركاتِ السرور

ويَكْشِف عنّا بنات الكروب

ويَكْشِف عنّا بنات الكروب

so it lets us hear the stirrings of joy,

So it makes us hear the motions of bliss

and lifts from us the daughters of distress.

And unveils for us the daughters of anxiety