حبيبٌ أراني الله يومَ فِرَاقِهِ

حبيبٌ أراني الله يومَ فِرَاقِهِ

غَويت وما أبصْرتُ في حبه رُشْدِي

غَويت وما أبصْرتُ في حبه رُشْدِي

A beloved—may God let me see the day I part from him!

A beloved whom God showed me the day we parted

I went astray, and saw no good sense in my love for him.

I went astray, not seeing in his love my rightmindedness

رقَقْتُ له من قبحه المحْضِ رِقَّةً

رقَقْتُ له من قبحه المحْضِ رِقَّةً

ألاَنْت لهُ قَلْبِي فَقَادَتْ له وُدِّي

ألاَنْت لهُ قَلْبِي فَقَادَتْ له وُدِّي

I felt for him a pity born of his sheer ugliness

I softened towards his utter ugliness, softness

That softened my heart toward him and drew my affection to him.

Did you not, my heart, lead me to love him?

فَتَاه بِوجْهٍ يَطْرفُ العينَ قِبْحُهُ

فَتَاه بِوجْهٍ يَطْرفُ العينَ قِبْحُهُ

له صورة كالشَّمسِ في الأعين الرُّمد

له صورة كالشَّمسِ في الأعين الرُّمد

So he grew haughty, with a face whose ugliness hurts the eye;

I saw him with a face so ugly the eyes blink

He has a face like the sun to inflamed eyes.

He has the form of the sun in bleary eyes

ولا عَجَبٌ أن كانَ من كانَ مِثْلَهُ

ولا عَجَبٌ أن كانَ من كانَ مِثْلَهُ

تشَبَّهَ بالمعْشوُقِ في التيِّه والصدِّ

تشَبَّهَ بالمعْشوُقِ في التيِّه والصدِّ

And no wonder that one such as he

No wonder that he who was like him

Imitated a beloved in haughtiness and rejection.

Resembled the beloved in confusion and rejection

إذا لم يكن قِرْداً تَمَاماً حِكَاية

إذا لم يكن قِرْداً تَمَاماً حِكَاية

وقبحاً فلم تكملْ لهُ صورة القردِ

وقبحاً فلم تكملْ لهُ صورة القردِ

If he were not wholly an ape in mimicry

Unless he were totally an ape, his story would not be complete

And ugliness, then the ape's form would not be complete in him.

And in ugliness, the image of the ape would not be perfect for him