لا تلحَ من تفتنه قينهْ

لا تلحَ من تفتنه قينهْ

فإن تصحيفَ اسمها فتْنَهْ

فإن تصحيفَ اسمها فتْنَهْ

Do not blame one whom a singing-girl enthralls;

Do not blame one whom a singing girl enchants;

for alter the lettering of her name, qīna, and it becomes fitna—temptation.

for her name, with its dots altered, spells 'temptation.'

أكَّدتِ الحسنَ بإحسانها

أكَّدتِ الحسنَ بإحسانها

في مهنةٍ ما مثلُها مهنَهْ

في مهنةٍ ما مثلُها مهنَهْ

She has strengthened beauty with her excellence,

She reinforced her beauty with her artistry

in a craft unmatched by any craft.

in a craft no other craft can match.

فليجتهدْ من شاء في عيبها

فليجتهدْ من شاء في عيبها

فما يساوي قوله تِبنَهْ

فما يساوي قوله تِبنَهْ

Let whoever wishes strive to find fault with her:

So let whoever wishes strive to fault her;

what he says is not worth a straw.

for his words are not worth a straw.

يا ناقماً سوءَ مُجازاتها

يا ناقماً سوءَ مُجازاتها

أصبحتَ عندي نائم الفِطنهْ

أصبحتَ عندي نائم الفِطنهْ

O you who fault her poor requital,

O you who resent her poor requital,

you have become, to my mind, one whose discernment sleeps.

to my mind, your wits have fallen asleep.

لو قصدَ العاشقُ في عشقه

لو قصدَ العاشقُ في عشقه

قصدَ جزاء ما بكى دِمنهْ

قصدَ جزاء ما بكى دِمنهْ

If the lover, in his loving, had aimed

If a lover, in his love, had aimed

at recompense, he would not have wept over a deserted campsite's remains.

to seek requital, he would not have wept over a campsite's remains;

أو كان لا يعشق إلا التي

أو كان لا يعشق إلا التي

تهواه ما كان الهوى محنهْ

تهواه ما كان الهوى محنهْ

Or if he loved none but the woman who

or if he loved only the woman who

loved him, passion would not be an ordeal.

loved him, love would not be an ordeal.