إن لم أبُحْ بهوَاك قُلنَ لَوائِمي

إن لم أبُحْ بهوَاك قُلنَ لَوائِمي

ذَا مُبْطلٌ ما الكَتْمُ شِيمةُ هَائِمِ

ذَا مُبْطلٌ ما الكَتْمُ شِيمةُ هَائِمِ

If I do not confess my passion for you, my reproachers say:

If I do not reveal my love for you, my reproachers say:

“This man is a fraud—concealment is no trait of a maddened lover.”

This man is a pretender; concealment is no passionate lover's way.

وإنِ ادَّعى خوفَ الوُشاةِ فَما الهَوَى

وإنِ ادَّعى خوفَ الوُشاةِ فَما الهَوَى

للخَوفِ مُذْ خُلِقَ الهَوى بمُلاَئمِ

للخَوفِ مُذْ خُلِقَ الهَوى بمُلاَئمِ

And if he pleads fear of tale-bearers, then passion

And if he pleads fear of talebearers, love has never,

has never, since love was created, been compatible with fear.

since love was created, been suited to fear.

لا تَكْذِبنّ فَما لأبناءِ الهَوى

لا تَكْذِبنّ فَما لأبناءِ الهَوى

رأيٌ يحذِّرُهُم عواقبَ نَادِمِ

رأيٌ يحذِّرُهُم عواقبَ نَادِمِ

Do not lie: the children of passion possess no

Do not lie, for the children of love have no

judgment to warn them of the fate of one who comes to regret.

judgment to warn them of an end in regret.

شُغلَت قُلُوبُهُمُ بروْعات النّوَى

شُغلَت قُلُوبُهُمُ بروْعات النّوَى

والهَجرِ عن خَوفِ الزّمانِ العَارِمِ

والهَجرِ عن خَوفِ الزّمانِ العَارِمِ

Their hearts are consumed by the terrors of separation

Their hearts are preoccupied with the terrors of separation

and estrangement, diverted from fear of raging Time.

and abandonment, rather than fear of ruthless Time.

فتراهُمُ صوَراً كظلٍّ ماثِلٍ

فتراهُمُ صوَراً كظلٍّ ماثِلٍ

لا يَرعَوُون لزاجِرٍ أو لاَئِمِ

لا يَرعَوُون لزاجِرٍ أو لاَئِمِ

Thus you see them, necks inclined, standing like a shadow,

So you see them as mere forms, like a shadow standing there,

heeding neither one who restrains nor one who blames.

heeding neither a rebuker nor a reproacher.

واهاً لأيّامِ الحِمَى لو أنّها

واهاً لأيّامِ الحِمَى لو أنّها

دامَتْ وهل عَيشٌ يَسرُّ بِدَائِمِ

دامَتْ وهل عَيشٌ يَسرُّ بِدَائِمِ

Ah, for the days of the Ḥimā—if only they

Ah, for the days in the sanctuary—if only they

had lasted! Yet is any life that brings joy everlasting?

had lasted! But does any joyful life endure?

إذ أجْتَلِي القَمَرَ المُرَدّى بالدُّجَى

إذ أجْتَلِي القَمَرَ المُرَدّى بالدُّجَى

يجلُو الشُموسَ على القَضِيبِ النّاعِمِ

يجلُو الشُموسَ على القَضِيبِ النّاعِمِ

When I beheld the moon, shrouded in darkness,

When I beheld the moon, cloaked in darkness,

unveiling suns upon the tender, supple bough.

revealing suns upon the supple branch.

سُكْري بنَاظرِه ورَاحِ رُضَابِه

سُكْري بنَاظرِه ورَاحِ رُضَابِه

وكؤوسِه طولَ الزّمان مُلازِمي

وكؤوسِه طولَ الزّمان مُلازِمي

My intoxication was from his gaze, his mouth’s nectar my wine,

My intoxication from his gaze, from the wine of his saliva,

and its cups kept me company throughout all time.

and from his cups is my companion for all time.

ماغَال عَقْلِيَ قطُّ سِحرُ جُفونِه

ماغَال عَقْلِيَ قطُّ سِحرُ جُفونِه

إلاّ جَعلتُ ذُؤابَتيْه تَمائِمي

إلاّ جَعلتُ ذُؤابَتيْه تَمائِمي

Never did the spell of his eyelids steal my reason

His eyelids' magic never stole away my reason

without my making his two sidelocks my amulets.

without my making his two tresses my amulets.

ثم افْتَرقْنا بغتةً فَإذا الّذي

ثم افْتَرقْنا بغتةً فَإذا الّذي

كُنّا نُسرُّ به فُكاهَةُ حَالِمِ

كُنّا نُسرُّ به فُكاهَةُ حَالِمِ

Then suddenly we parted, and behold, all that

Then we parted suddenly, and behold, what

had delighted us was a dreamer’s fancy.

had delighted us was a dreamer's amusement.