إذا كانَ خصمي حاكمي كيفَ أصْنَعُ

إذا كانَ خصمي حاكمي كيفَ أصْنَعُ

لمن أشتكي حالي لمن أتَوَجَّعُ

لمن أشتكي حالي لمن أتَوَجَّعُ

If my adversary is my judge, what am I to do?

If my enemy is my judge, what shall I do?

To whom can I complain of my plight? To whom can I voice my pain?

To whom shall I complain of my state, to whom shall I groan?

غرامي غريمي وهو لا شك قاتلي

غرامي غريمي وهو لا شك قاتلي

وكم ذَلَّ من يهوى غراماً ويخضع

وكم ذَلَّ من يهوى غراماً ويخضع

My passion is my adversary, and it is, without doubt, my killer.

My love is my executioner, no doubt of that,

And how many a lover has been humbled by passion and bows!

And how many a lover of passion bows down and yields!

أباحَ دمي بين الورى من أحِبُّه

أباحَ دمي بين الورى من أحِبُّه

فَقُلْتُ وقلبي بالهوى يتقطع

فَقُلْتُ وقلبي بالهوى يتقطع

He whom I love has made my blood lawful to shed among humankind.

He who I love has made my blood free among mankind,

So I said, while my heart was being torn apart by love:

So I said, while my heart was torn with passion:

دموعي شهودٌ أنَّ قلبي يحبّه

دموعي شهودٌ أنَّ قلبي يحبّه

وحقّ الهوى عن حبّه لست أرجع

وحقّ الهوى عن حبّه لست أرجع

My tears bear witness that my heart loves him;

My tears bear witness that my heart loves him,

And by the sanctity of love, I will not turn away from loving him.

And I will not turn back from loving him, by right of passion!

وراموا سُلُوّي في هواه عواذلي

وراموا سُلُوّي في هواه عواذلي

وحقّ هواه لست أصغي وأسمع

وحقّ هواه لست أصغي وأسمع

And my reproachers sought to make me forget my love for him;

The slanderers sought to turn him from his love of me,

Yet by the sanctity of love for him, I will neither heed nor listen.

But by right of his love I do not listen or hear!

أنا المغرم المُضنى المقيم على الهوى

أنا المغرم المُضنى المقيم على الهوى

وفي حُبِّه نمُّوا الوشاة وشنَّعوا

وفي حُبِّه نمُّوا الوشاة وشنَّعوا

I am the infatuated, worn-out lover, steadfast in love.

I am the passionate, the sick with love, the one consumed with passion,

And over my love for him, the tale-bearers gossiped and vilified me.

And because of his love the tale-bearers grew and defamed me,

وقالوا الفتى في الحبِّ لا شك هالك

وقالوا الفتى في الحبِّ لا شك هالك

فَقُلتُ دعوه كيفما شاءَ يصنع

فَقُلتُ دعوه كيفما شاءَ يصنع

And they said, 'The youth is surely doomed by love.'

And they said: 'The youth is no doubt destroyed by love,'

So I said, 'Leave him to act however he wishes.'

But I said: 'Let him do what he will!'

ولو عَلموا ما بي من الوجد والأسى

ولو عَلموا ما بي من الوجد والأسى

لرقُّوا لحالي في الهوى وتوجَّعوا

لرقُّوا لحالي في الهوى وتوجَّعوا

And had they known the longing and sorrow within me,

And if they knew what agony and sorrow is in me,

They would have pitied my plight in love and shared my pain.

They would pity my state in love and share my agony.

سقاني سُحَيراً من حميَّا شرابه

سقاني سُحَيراً من حميَّا شرابه

فَطِبْتُ وكأسي بالمدامة مترع

فَطِبْتُ وكأسي بالمدامة مترع

He gave me a draught of his potent wine just before dawn,

He made me drunk with a draft of his wine,

So I grew merry, my cup brimming with wine.

So I rejoiced, and my cup is overflowing with wine!

ومن نَشْوَتي باحت من الوجد عبرتي

ومن نَشْوَتي باحت من الوجد عبرتي

بما في فؤادي والحشا متولع

بما في فؤادي والحشا متولع

And in my intoxication, my tear of longing revealed

From my intoxication tears of passion flowed from me,

What lay in my heart, while my inmost being was consumed by love.

With what was in my heart, and my ardour flared up,

وأصْبَحْتُ كالمجنون في حيّ عامرٍ

وأصْبَحْتُ كالمجنون في حيّ عامرٍ

بلَيْلى ومن وجدي أهيم وأولع

بلَيْلى ومن وجدي أهيم وأولع

And I became like Majnun among the clan of Amir,

And I became like a madman in a crowded street,

Mad for Layla; in my longing I wander and am enthralled.

Crazed with love for Layla, wandering lost in passion!

فلو زارني بالنَّوْم طيف خياله

فلو زارني بالنَّوْم طيف خياله

لكنتُ بطيفٍ منه أرضى وأقنع

لكنتُ بطيفٍ منه أرضى وأقنع

So if the phantom of his image visited me in sleep,

If in sleep the phantom of him should visit me,

I would be content and satisfied with a phantom of him.

I would be content with a phantom of him, and ask no more.