حَبيسُكَ مِمَّن أَتلَفَ الحُبُّ قَلبَه

حَبيسُكَ مِمَّن أَتلَفَ الحُبُّ قَلبَه

وَيلذعُ قَلبي حرقَةٌ دُونها الجمرُ

وَيلذعُ قَلبي حرقَةٌ دُونها الجمرُ

Your captive is one whose heart love has laid waste,

Your captive is one of those whose hearts love has destroyed.

and a burning fiercer than live coals sears my heart.

And a burning anguish sears my heart, fiercer than embers.

هِلالٌ وَفي غَير السماءِ طُلوعُهُ

هِلالٌ وَفي غَير السماءِ طُلوعُهُ

وَرئمٌ وَلَكن لَيسَ مَسكَنَهُ القَفرُ

وَرئمٌ وَلَكن لَيسَ مَسكَنَهُ القَفرُ

A crescent moon, though his rising is somewhere other than the sky;

A crescent moon, yet his rising is not in the sky;

and a white gazelle, though the wilderness is not his home.

And a white gazelle, but the wilderness is not his dwelling.

تَأَمَّلتُ عَينيه فَخامرني السُّكرُ

تَأَمَّلتُ عَينيه فَخامرني السُّكرُ

وَلا شَكَّ في أَنَّ العُيونَ هِيَ الخَمرُ

وَلا شَكَّ في أَنَّ العُيونَ هِيَ الخَمرُ

I gazed into his eyes, and drunkenness stole over me;

I gazed upon his eyes, and intoxication overtook me;

and there is no doubt: eyes themselves are wine.

And there is no doubt that eyes are wine.

أُناطِقُهُ كيما أَقولُ وَإِنَّما

أُناطِقُهُ كيما أَقولُ وَإِنَّما

أُناطِقُهُ عَمداً لِينتثرَ الدُّرُّ

أُناطِقُهُ عَمداً لِينتثرَ الدُّرُّ

I speak to him so that I may have my say—but truly,

I converse with him so that I may speak; yet in truth

I speak to him deliberately, so that pearls may scatter.

I converse with him deliberately so that pearls may scatter.

أَنا عَبدُه وَهوَ المَليك كَما اسمُه

أَنا عَبدُه وَهوَ المَليك كَما اسمُه

فلي مِنهُ شَطرٌ كامِلٌ وَلَهُ الشَّطرُ

فلي مِنهُ شَطرٌ كامِلٌ وَلَهُ الشَّطرُ

I am his ʿabd—his servant—and he is al-Malik, the king, as his name declares;

I am his slave, and he is the king, as his name declares;

thus one whole half of his name is mine, and the other half is his.

So one whole half of his name is mine, and the other half is his.