إن لم أمُتْ أسَفاً عليهِ فإنّني

إن لم أمُتْ أسَفاً عليهِ فإنّني

مَذِقُ الوِدادِ على النَّوى غَدّارُهُ

مَذِقُ الوِدادِ على النَّوى غَدّارُهُ

If I do not die of grief for him, then I am

If I do not die grieving for him, then I

insincere in affection, a betrayer of it in separation.

Will taste affection with determination tomorrow.

يا زهرةَ الدّنيا ولستُ بواجدٍ

يا زهرةَ الدّنيا ولستُ بواجدٍ

رَوضاً سواكِ يَشوقُني نُوّارُهُ

رَوضاً سواكِ يَشوقُني نُوّارُهُ

O flower of the world, I can find no

O flower of the world, I cannot find

garden but you whose blossoms stir my longing.

A meadow besides you that allures me with its radiance.

مَالي إذا عاتَبْتُ قَلبيَ فيكُمُ

مَالي إذا عاتَبْتُ قَلبيَ فيكُمُ

أَبدَى اللَّجاجَ وساءَني إصْرارُهُ

أَبدَى اللَّجاجَ وساءَني إصْرارُهُ

What ails me that, when I reproach my heart over you,

Why, when I chide my heart about you

it shows obstinacy, and its persistence grieves me?

Does it show stubbornness and vex me with its insistence?

وإذا عرضتُ عليه وصلَكِ صدّه

وإذا عرضتُ عليه وصلَكِ صدّه

عنه العفافُ فما عَسى إيثَارُهُ

عنه العفافُ فما عَسى إيثَارُهُ

And when I offer it union with you, it is barred

And when I suggest to it your love, its virtue

from it by chastity—what, then, might its choice be?

Restrains it, so what can its preference be?

فإلى متَى يُمسي ويُصبحُ في لظىً

فإلى متَى يُمسي ويُصبحُ في لظىً

من وجدِه يَسِمُ المطيَّ أُوارُهُ

من وجدِه يَسِمُ المطيَّ أُوارُهُ

How long, then, will it spend evening and morning in a blaze

For how long will it wake and sleep in agony

of longing, whose heat brands the riding camels,

From missing him, the rider feels his horse’s saddle sore?

مُتضَادِدَ الأحوالِ بين غَرامِه

مُتضَادِدَ الأحوالِ بين غَرامِه

وإبائِه ما يستقرّ قَرارُهُ

وإبائِه ما يستقرّ قَرارُهُ

its states in conflict, between its passion

With conflicting states between his passion

and its refusal, never settling into repose?

And refusal, his mind knows no peace.

أمّلتُ من دَاءِ الهوَى إفْرَاقَه

أمّلتُ من دَاءِ الهوَى إفْرَاقَه

فَرَمتْهُ منك بِنُكْسِهِ سِنجارُهُ

فَرَمتْهُ منك بِنُكْسِهِ سِنجارُهُ

I hoped it would recover from the sickness of love,

I hoped his love's illness would separate us,

but his Sinjar struck it with a relapse because of you.

So I cast him away from me with its difficulty.

وفراقُ مجدِ الدّينِ مُعظمُ دَائِه

وفراقُ مجدِ الدّينِ مُعظمُ دَائِه

وشفاؤه رؤياهُ أو أخبارُهُ

وشفاؤه رؤياهُ أو أخبارُهُ

And parting from Majd al-Din is the greater part of its sickness,

Parting from the glory of religion is the worst of illnesses,

and its cure is the sight of him or news of him.

And its cure is seeing him or hearing news of him.

فارقتُه وظَننتُ أنَّ لِبَينِنا

فارقتُه وظَننتُ أنَّ لِبَينِنا

أمداً فطالَ مداهُ واستمرارُهُ

أمداً فطالَ مداهُ واستمرارُهُ

I parted from him and thought our separation would have

I left him and thought there would be

an end; yet its span and continuance have grown long.

A period between us, but it dragged on.

وأخافُ أنَّ البينَ يُقذِي ناظِري

وأخافُ أنَّ البينَ يُقذِي ناظِري

بِفِراقِه ما أوْمَضَتْ أشْفَارُهُ

بِفِراقِه ما أوْمَضَتْ أشْفَارُهُ

And I fear that separation will cast grit into my eye

And I fear that separation will hurt my eyes

through parting from him, as long as its lashes flicker:

With his absence before their lashes blink again.

ظَنًّا سَرَى الإشفاقُ في ترجِيمه

ظَنًّا سَرَى الإشفاقُ في ترجِيمه

ولربّما أرْدَى الشفيقَ حِذَارُهُ

ولربّما أرْدَى الشفيقَ حِذَارُهُ

a conjecture whose guesswork is pervaded by apprehension;

Pity crept in, suspecting his avoidance,

and often the anxious man is undone by his own fear.

Though perhaps the kind one’s caution misled him.

وإذا القُنُوط دَجا عليَّ ظلامُه

وإذا القُنُوط دَجا عليَّ ظلامُه

وضَحَ الرّجاءُ ولاحَ لي إسفَارُهُ

وضَحَ الرّجاءُ ولاحَ لي إسفَارُهُ

And when despair's darkness deepens over me,

When the gloom of despair enveloped me,

hope shines clear, and its dawn appears to me.

Hope shone and its pages became illuminated.

ووثقتُ باللّطفِ الخفيِّ من الذي

ووثقتُ باللّطفِ الخفيِّ من الذي

تَجري بما يَلقى الفَتَى أقدَارُهُ

تَجري بما يَلقى الفَتَى أقدَارُهُ

And I put my trust in the hidden kindness of the One

And I trusted in the unseen subtle kindness

whose decrees unfold in whatever a young man encounters.

That determines what the young man encounters.