بَكا آمِناً أَن صارَ سِتراً عَلى الحُبِّ

بَكا آمِناً أَن صارَ سِتراً عَلى الحُبِّ

خَطا الناسُ في اِسترقاقهم دمعة الصَبِّ

خَطا الناسُ في اِسترقاقهم دمعة الصَبِّ

He wept, secure that it had become a veil over love.

He wept, believing it had become a veil over love,

People err in deeming the lovelorn lover's tear weak,

While people erred in enslaving the tear of youth.

ضَلالاً كَذم المَوتِ عِشقاً فانَّهُم

ضَلالاً كَذم المَوتِ عِشقاً فانَّهُم

عَلى الدَهر ماذاقوه مِن أَسهَمِ النَصبِ

عَلى الدَهر ماذاقوه مِن أَسهَمِ النَصبِ

misguidedly, like censuring death from love; for they

As misguided as the illusion of death is passion,

have never, in all their days, tasted it—one of suffering's arrows.

For through time they have not tasted of its bitter arrows.

يَظنونَ دَمعي مِن قَذى العين دامياً

يَظنونَ دَمعي مِن قَذى العين دامياً

وَجَدِّكَ ما يُدميه إِلّا جَوى القَلبِ

وَجَدِّكَ ما يُدميه إِلّا جَوى القَلبِ

They think my tears are bloody from grit in the eye;

They think my tears are from the speck in my eye, continually,

and by your fortune, nothing bloodies them but the heart's burning grief.

While in truth, nothing makes me shed them but the burning of my heart.

فَلا يَعدُ داراً بانَ بالعيش أَهلُها

فَلا يَعدُ داراً بانَ بالعيش أَهلُها

سوى واكف الأَجفان مِن وابِل السُحبِ

سوى واكف الأَجفان مِن وابِل السُحبِ

So let no rain reach a house whose people left, taking life's joys,

So they do not consider it a home if its inhabitants live there,

save what streams from eyelids, of all the clouds' downpours.

Except for the eyelids' clouds pouring down rain.

وَما ذاكَ مِن بُخل بِها غير أَنَّني

وَما ذاكَ مِن بُخل بِها غير أَنَّني

أَرى أَنَّ مَجرى سَيله دائم الجَدبِ

أَرى أَنَّ مَجرى سَيله دائم الجَدبِ

Nor is that from stinginess toward it; it is only that I

It is not out of stinginess towards it, but rather

see the course of its torrent as forever barren.

I see that the course of its floods is ever dry.

فَيا شُغلي عَن كُلِّ شيء بِفارغ

فَيا شُغلي عَن كُلِّ شيء بِفارغ

حَبيب عَلى بُخل مُعادٍ عَلى الحُبِّ

حَبيب عَلى بُخل مُعادٍ عَلى الحُبِّ

Oh, how one free of care distracts me from everything:

So occupy me from all things with one who is free,

a beloved despite his stinginess, hostile despite love.

A lover, though he be stingy of requited love.

إِذا بلَّغتُهُ سَلوَتي ظلَّ ساخِطاً

إِذا بلَّغتُهُ سَلوَتي ظلَّ ساخِطاً

وان بَلَّغتُهُ صَبوَتي عَدَّها ذَنبي

وان بَلَّغتُهُ صَبوَتي عَدَّها ذَنبي

If I tell him of my release from love, he remains angry;

If I convey my night to him, he remains angry,

and if I tell him of my yearning, he counts it as my sin.

And if I convey my morning to him, he counts it a sin against me.

مَتى آنفِ الظُلمَ الَّذي سامَ حَمله

مَتى آنفِ الظُلمَ الَّذي سامَ حَمله

وَلا القَلبُ مِن صَحبي وَلا الصَبرُ مِن حِزبي

وَلا القَلبُ مِن صَحبي وَلا الصَبرُ مِن حِزبي

When shall I disdain the injustice he has made me bear,

When will I be rid of the injustice which I have borne,

when neither my heart is among my companions nor patience among my allies?

While neither my heart nor my patience are with my companions?

وَيا ظَمأي بينَ التَحجُّبِ وَالنَوى

وَيا ظَمأي بينَ التَحجُّبِ وَالنَوى

إِلى زَمَني بَينَ التَجَنّب وَالعتبِ

إِلى زَمَني بَينَ التَجَنّب وَالعتبِ

And oh, my thirst amid veiling and separation

And oh my thirst between avoidance and intention

for my days amid avoidance and reproach!

To my days between avoidance and reproach!

وَشَوقي إِلى وعد وان لَم يُجد بِهِ

وَشَوقي إِلى وعد وان لَم يُجد بِهِ

وان كانَ لا يَشتاق شيءٌ مِن الكذبِ

وان كانَ لا يَشتاق شيءٌ مِن الكذبِ

And my yearning for a promise, even if it is not bestowed,

And my longing for a tryst, even if there is no truth in it,

though nothing false is ever longed for!

For nothing longs for falsehood.

دَعو الغاديَ الشَرقيض يَحمِلُ عَرفكم

دَعو الغاديَ الشَرقيض يَحمِلُ عَرفكم

لِيُطفىء ما يَلقونَ في الجانِبِ الغَربي

لِيُطفىء ما يَلقونَ في الجانِبِ الغَربي

Let the eastern morning traveler [uncertain reading] carry your fragrance,

Let the absent one traveling east carry your fragrance

to quench what they endure on the western side.

To extinguish what they kindle on the west side.

أَزيروا الكَرى وَالطَيفَ عَنّيَ ساعَةً

أَزيروا الكَرى وَالطَيفَ عَنّيَ ساعَةً

وَذَلِكَ شيءٌ لا يَضُرُّ مِن القُربِ

وَذَلِكَ شيءٌ لا يَضُرُّ مِن القُربِ

Have sleep and the dream-phantom visit on my behalf for an hour;

Draw the beloved and the phantom away from me for a while,

and that degree of nearness does no harm.

For that is something which does no harm from being near.

وَباكٍ بأَرض الشام امّا صَبابَةً

وَباكٍ بأَرض الشام امّا صَبابَةً

إِلى الاَهلِ أَو غَيظاً لِمعجز عَن الكُتب

إِلى الاَهلِ أَو غَيظاً لِمعجز عَن الكُتب

And a weeper in the land of al-Sham, either from longing

And weeping in Damascus, either from a youthful whim

for his family, or anger at what keeps him from books,

To family, or from rage at one incapable of books.

أَقامَ فَلا الأَقدارُ تقضي بِعَوده

أَقامَ فَلا الأَقدارُ تقضي بِعَوده

اليهم وَلا تُدنيهِ مِن مَنزِل الخِصب

اليهم وَلا تُدنيهِ مِن مَنزِل الخِصب

stays on: the fates neither decree his return

He stayed so neither destinies decree his return to them

to them nor bring him near a home of plenty.

Nor bring him near the home of fertility.

إِذا البينُ لَم يُوصِل إِلى ذي بَصيرة

إِذا البينُ لَم يُوصِل إِلى ذي بَصيرة

وَهَيهاتَ تُجدي غُربة المندلِ الرطب

وَهَيهاتَ تُجدي غُربة المندلِ الرطب

If separation does not lead to someone discerning,

If distance does not convey the discerning one,

how futile is the exile of fresh aloeswood!

Then far from bringing near is a moist cloud.

وَما نافِعي عِندَ الوجوه كَأَنَّها

وَما نافِعي عِندَ الوجوه كَأَنَّها

فَسا الصَخرِ صَخراً أَنَّني صارِمُ العضبِ

فَسا الصَخرِ صَخراً أَنَّني صارِمُ العضبِ

And it does not avail me, before faces as though they were

And of no use to me are faces that are as if

[unclear] of rock—stone-hard—that I am a keen, cutting sword.

They were flint, though I have a severe frown.