زادت شجوني فيه عن حدِّ السرف

زادت شجوني فيه عن حدِّ السرف

وجرى عليه مدمعي حتى وقف

وجرى عليه مدمعي حتى وقف

My sorrows over him have exceeded the bounds of excess.

My passions for him exceeded all bounds,

And my tears flowed for him until they stopped.

And my tears flowed until they stopped.

متمنّع تلقاه في حال الرِّضا

متمنّع تلقاه في حال الرِّضا

وكأنه غضبان من فرطِ الصلف

وكأنه غضبان من فرطِ الصلف

You find him aloof even when he is pleased,

He was aloof, though compliant,

And he seems angry, so great is his haughtiness.

As if vexed by excessive composure.

ألف الصدود تجنُّباً وتحجُّباً

ألف الصدود تجنُّباً وتحجُّباً

فلو أنه رام التواصل ما عرف

فلو أنه رام التواصل ما عرف

He has grown used to shunning, keeping away and veiling himself,

He grew accustomed to avoidance and shyness,

So if he sought union, he would not know how.

Else he'd have sought accord, which he never knew.

ومن الشقا أنَّ الجفا وتشوُّقي

ومن الشقا أنَّ الجفا وتشوُّقي

لا ينتهي هذا وذاك إلى طرف

لا ينتهي هذا وذاك إلى طرف

And it is my misery that his coldness and my longing

My misery is that his disdain and my yearning

Never reach an end, neither the one nor the other.

Will end neither this nor that way.

ما مال غصن قوامهِ عن فكرتي

ما مال غصن قوامهِ عن فكرتي

يوماً ولا دينار وجنتهِ انْصرف

يوماً ولا دينار وجنتهِ انْصرف

The bough of his stature has never swayed from my thoughts,

The branch of his figure never strayed

Even for a day, nor has the dinar of his cheek departed.

From my thoughts, not for a day. Nor did his dinar or paradise depart.