بُثَيْنَةُ ما أعرَضتُ عنكِ ملاَلةً

بُثَيْنَةُ ما أعرَضتُ عنكِ ملاَلةً

ولا أنَا عمّا تعلمينَ مُفِيقُ

ولا أنَا عمّا تعلمينَ مُفِيقُ

Buthayna, I did not turn away from you out of weariness,

Buthaina, I did not turn away from you out of boredom,

Nor have I recovered from what you know.

Nor am I unaware of what you know.

ولكن خشِيتُ الكاشِحين فإنَّني

ولكن خشِيتُ الكاشِحين فإنَّني

على سِرِّنا مِن أَن يَذيعَ شفيقُ

على سِرِّنا مِن أَن يَذيعَ شفيقُ

But I feared the ill-wishers, for I

But I feared the faultfinders, for I

Am anxious lest our secret spread.

Feared our secret would be spread by a well-wisher.

فأصبحتُ كالهَيمانِ عَايَنَ مَورِداً

فأصبحتُ كالهَيمانِ عَايَنَ مَورِداً

بَروداً ولكن ما إليهِ طَريقُ

بَروداً ولكن ما إليهِ طَريقُ

So I became like a thirst-crazed man who saw a watering place—

So I became like a thirsty man who spied

Cool, yet with no path to it.

A cold spring but had no path to reach it.