لَئِن قَصَّرَ اليَأسُ مِنكِ الأَمَل

لَئِن قَصَّرَ اليَأسُ مِنكِ الأَمَل

وَحالَ تَجَنّيكِ دونَ الحِيَل

وَحالَ تَجَنّيكِ دونَ الحِيَل

Though despair of you has cut hope short,

If despair has shortened hope of you

and your baseless reproaches have blocked every stratagem,

And your estrangement has blocked stratagems

وَناجاكِ بِالإِفكِ فِيِّ الحَسودُ

وَناجاكِ بِالإِفكِ فِيِّ الحَسودُ

فَأَعطَيتِهِ جَهرَةً ما سَأَل

فَأَعطَيتِهِ جَهرَةً ما سَأَل

and the envious one has whispered lies about me to you,

And the envious slandered you with lies

so you openly granted him what he asked,

So you gave him openly what he asked

وَراقَكِ سِحرُ العِدا المُفتَرى

وَراقَكِ سِحرُ العِدا المُفتَرى

وَغَرَّكِ زورُهُمُ المُفتَعَل

وَغَرَّكِ زورُهُمُ المُفتَعَل

and the foes' fabricated enchantment pleased you,

And the magic of fabricated enmity charmed you

and their contrived falsehood deceived you,

And their false pretense deceived you

وَأَقبَلتِهِم فِيَّ وَجهَ القَبولِ

وَأَقبَلتِهِم فِيَّ وَجهَ القَبولِ

وَقابَلَهُم بِشرُكِ المُقتَبَل

وَقابَلَهُم بِشرُكِ المُقتَبَل

and, concerning me, you turned to them a face of assent,

And you welcomed them against me

and your fresh smile greeted them,

While loyalty met them with embrace

فَإِنَّ ذِمامَ الهَوى لَم أَزَل

فَإِنَّ ذِمامَ الهَوى لَم أَزَل

أُبَقّيهِ حِفظاً كَما لَم أَزَل

أُبَقّيهِ حِفظاً كَما لَم أَزَل

yet love's covenant I have never ceased

Yet I have never ceased to restrain

to preserve faithfully, as I always have.

The reins of passion to protect it as I've never ceased

فَدَيتُكِ إِن تَعجَلي بِالجَفا

فَدَيتُكِ إِن تَعجَلي بِالجَفا

فَقَد يَهَبُ الريثَ بَعضُ العَجَل

فَقَد يَهَبُ الريثَ بَعضُ العَجَل

May I be your ransom! If you hasten to estrangement,

My darling, if you hasten with estrangement

some haste may yet bestow delay.

Patience may yet bring some hastiness

عَلامَ اِطّبَتكِ دَواعي القِلى

عَلامَ اِطّبَتكِ دَواعي القِلى

وَفيمَ ثَنَتكِ نَواهي العَذَل

وَفيمَ ثَنَتكِ نَواهي العَذَل

Why have the promptings of hatred enticed you,

Why have the promptings of perfidy seduced you

and why have reproach's warnings turned you away?

And the prohibitions of harm bent you

أَلَم أَلزَمِ الصَبرَ كَيما أَخِفَّ

أَلَم أَلزَمِ الصَبرَ كَيما أَخِفَّ

أَلَم أُكثِرِ الهَجرَ كَي لا أُمَلّ

أَلَم أُكثِرِ الهَجرَ كَي لا أُمَلّ

Have I not kept to patience, to be less burdensome?

Did I not cling to patience so I may lighten

Have I not stayed away more, lest you tire of me?

Did I not increase estrangement that I not care

أَلَم أَرضَ مِنكِ بِغَيرِ الرِضى

أَلَم أَرضَ مِنكِ بِغَيرِ الرِضى

وَأُبدي السُرورَ بِما لَم أَنَل

وَأُبدي السُرورَ بِما لَم أَنَل

Have I not been content with your disfavor,

Did I not accept from you less than pleasure

and shown joy in what I did not attain?

And show joy in what I never attained

أَلَم أَغتَفِر موبِقاتِ الذُنوبِ

أَلَم أَغتَفِر موبِقاتِ الذُنوبِ

عَمداً أَتَيتِ بِها أَم زَلَل

عَمداً أَتَيتِ بِها أَم زَلَل

Have I not forgiven the sins that bring ruin,

Did I not forgive the sins of misdeeds

whether you committed them deliberately or in error?

Whether you did them intentionally or erred

وَما ساءَ ظَنِّيَ في أَن يُسيءَ

وَما ساءَ ظَنِّيَ في أَن يُسيءَ

بِيَ الفِعلَ حُسنُكِ حَتّى فَعَل

بِيَ الفِعلَ حُسنُكِ حَتّى فَعَل

Nor did I suspect that harm would be done

Never did I expect your goodness

to me by your beauty—until it was.

To do me wrong until it did

عَلى حينَ أَصبَحتِ حَسبَ الضَميرِ

عَلى حينَ أَصبَحتِ حَسبَ الضَميرِ

وَلَم تَبغِ مِنكِ الأَماني بَدَل

وَلَم تَبغِ مِنكِ الأَماني بَدَل

At a time when you had become all my heart desired,

While you became content inwardly

and my wishes sought no substitute for you,

And desired from me no alternate

وَصانَكِ مِنّي وَفِيٌّ أَبِيٌّ

وَصانَكِ مِنّي وَفِيٌّ أَبِيٌّ

لِعِلقِ العَلاقَةِ أَن يُبتَذَل

لِعِلقِ العَلاقَةِ أَن يُبتَذَل

and the faithful, unyielding part of me guarded you,

A faithful, loving ally protected you

lest love's precious bond be cheapened.

Lest the bond be degraded

سَعَيتِ لِتَكديرِ عَهدٍ صَفا

سَعَيتِ لِتَكديرِ عَهدٍ صَفا

وَحاوَلتِ نَقصَ وِدادٍ كَمَل

وَحاوَلتِ نَقصَ وِدادٍ كَمَل

You strove to cloud a covenant that was clear,

You tried to trouble a serene pact

and tried to diminish a love that was complete.

And attempted to detract from a perfect affection

فَما عوفِيَت مِقَتي مِن أَذىً

فَما عوفِيَت مِقَتي مِن أَذىً

وَلا أُعفِيَت ثِقَتي مِن خَجَل

وَلا أُعفِيَت ثِقَتي مِن خَجَل

So my love was not spared harm,

You were not spared my displeasure from harm

nor was my trust spared shame.

Nor was my confidence spared from shame

وَمَهما هَزَزتُ إِلَيكِ العِتابَ

وَمَهما هَزَزتُ إِلَيكِ العِتابَ

ظاهَرتِ بَينَ ضُروبِ العِلَل

ظاهَرتِ بَينَ ضُروبِ العِلَل

And whenever I brandished reproach at you,

And however much I chastised you with reproach

you backed one kind of excuse with another,

You came up with all sorts of pretexts

كَأَنَّكِ ناظَرتِ أَهلَ الكَلامِ

كَأَنَّكِ ناظَرتِ أَهلَ الكَلامِ

وَأوتيتِ فَهماً بِعلمِ الجَدَل

وَأوتيتِ فَهماً بِعلمِ الجَدَل

as though you had debated the theologians,

As if you had consulted theologians

and been granted insight into the art of disputation.

And were given understanding in the knowledge of debate

وَلَو شِئتِ راجَعتِ حُرَّ الفَعالِ

وَلَو شِئتِ راجَعتِ حُرَّ الفَعالِ

وَعُدتِ لِتِلكَ السَجايا الأُوَل

وَعُدتِ لِتِلكَ السَجايا الأُوَل

And had you wished, you would have resumed noble conduct

Had you wished, you would have turned back to your original nature

and returned to those former virtues;

And returned to those first qualities

فَلَم يَكُ حَظِّيَ مِنكِ الأَخَسَّ

فَلَم يَكُ حَظِّيَ مِنكِ الأَخَسَّ

وَلا عُدَّ سَهمِيَ فيكِ الأَقَلّ

وَلا عُدَّ سَهمِيَ فيكِ الأَقَلّ

then my lot from you would not have been the meanest,

Yet my share of you was not the lowest

nor would my share in you have been reckoned the least.

Nor was my lot in you the least

عَلَيكِ السَلامُ سَلامُ الوَداعِ

عَلَيكِ السَلامُ سَلامُ الوَداعِ

وَداعِ هَوىً ماتَ قَبلَ الأَجَل

وَداعِ هَوىً ماتَ قَبلَ الأَجَل

Peace be upon you—the peace of farewell,

Peace be upon you, the farewell of parting

the farewell to a love that died before its time.

Parting with a passion that died before its time

وَما بِاِختِيارٍ تَسَلَّيتُ عَنكِ

وَما بِاِختِيارٍ تَسَلَّيتُ عَنكِ

وَلَكِنَّني مُكرَهٌ لا بَطَل

وَلَكِنَّني مُكرَهٌ لا بَطَل

It was not by choice that I found solace without you,

It was not by my choice that I turned away from you

but I am compelled, not a hero.

But I was compelled, powerless

وَلَم يَدرِ قَلبِيَ كَيفَ النُزوعُ

وَلَم يَدرِ قَلبِيَ كَيفَ النُزوعُ

إِلى أَن رَأى سيرَةً فَامتَثَل

إِلى أَن رَأى سيرَةً فَامتَثَل

And my heart did not know how to pull away,

My heart knew not how to turn away

until it saw a course of conduct and followed it.

Until it saw a way, so it obeyed

وَلَيتَ الَّذي قادَ عَفواً إِلَيكِ

وَلَيتَ الَّذي قادَ عَفواً إِلَيكِ

أَبِيَّ الهَوى في عَنانِ الغَزَل

أَبِيَّ الهَوى في عَنانِ الغَزَل

And would that the one who effortlessly led to you

Would that the passionate love that led to pardoning you

a proud lover, by the reins of courtship,

And letting the reins of flirtation go loose

يُحيلُ عُذوبَةَ ذاكَ اللَمى

يُحيلُ عُذوبَةَ ذاكَ اللَمى

وَيَشفي مِنَ السُقمِ تِلكَ المُقَل

وَيَشفي مِنَ السُقمِ تِلكَ المُقَل

would alter the sweetness of those dusky lips,

Would transform that blissful union

and cure those eyes of their sickness.

And heal the sickness of those afflictions