حَسبتُ النَوى تُسلي فَزِدتُ بِها هَوىً

حَسبتُ النَوى تُسلي فَزِدتُ بِها هَوىً

وَأَغلَقتُ بابَ الوَصلِ مِن حَيثُ يُفتَحُ

وَأَغلَقتُ بابَ الوَصلِ مِن حَيثُ يُفتَحُ

I thought separation would console me; instead, it deepened my love.

I thought separation would console me, but it only deepened my love.

I thought solitude would console me, but it only increased my passion,

I thought distance would bring solace, but through it I only increased in passion, / And I locked the door of union from the very side it opens.

And I shut the door of union at the very place where it opens.

And I shut the door of union just where it opens.

And I closed the door of union when it was open.

I was denied love's union while in pursuit of wealth, / Yet what wealth in his face was I already gaining?

حُرِمتُ وِصالَ الحبِّ في طَلَبِ الغِنى

حُرِمتُ وِصالَ الحبِّ في طَلَبِ الغِنى

وَأَيُّ غِنىً في وَجهِهِ كُنتُ أَربَحُ

وَأَيُّ غِنىً في وَجهِهِ كُنتُ أَربَحُ

I was denied union with my beloved in seeking wealth—

I was denied union with my beloved in pursuit of wealth,

I was deprived of the union of love in seeking riches,

He endowed me with the red ruby of a cheek, / And pearls of a mouth wherein the lightning's flash is glimpsed.

Yet what wealth could I have gained that matched his face?

Yet what riches I used to gain in his face!

And what riches were there in his face that I gained?

A beloved whom I greet as a speaking full moon, / And from whose deep-hued lips I drink wine at dusk and dawn.

حَباني بِياقوتٍ مِنَ الخَدِّ أَحمَرٍ

حَباني بِياقوتٍ مِنَ الخَدِّ أَحمَرٍ

وَدُرِّ فَمٍ مِنهُ سَنا البَرقِ يُلمَحُ

وَدُرِّ فَمٍ مِنهُ سَنا البَرقِ يُلمَحُ

He bestowed on me a ruby, red from his cheek,

He gave me a red ruby from his cheek,

He captivated me with rubies of rosy cheeks,

The fairest idols yearn for the beauty of his face, / And solid rock exudes moisture at the touch of his palms.

And the pearl of a mouth where lightning’s radiance flashes.

And pearls of a mouth from which lightning's radiance is glimpsed.

And the gleam of pearl teeth flashes through his lips.

I was envied for him—may God fight my envier— / So Time became stingy with him, having once been generous.

حَبيبٌ أحيّي مِنهُ بِالبَدرِ ناطِقاً

حَبيبٌ أحيّي مِنهُ بِالبَدرِ ناطِقاً

وَأَغبقُ خَمراً مَن لَماهُ وَأصبحُ

وَأَغبقُ خَمراً مَن لَماهُ وَأصبحُ

A beloved in whom I hail a full moon endowed with speech,

A beloved in whom I greet a full moon that speaks,

A beloved who revives me with the speaking full moon,

I praised my days regarding him, then I condemned them, / And ceaselessly is this Time reviled and praised.

And drink the wine of his dark lips, evening and morning.

And I drink wine from his dark lips at evening and at dawn.

And I become intoxicated with wine whose brightness intoxicates me at dawn.

There is a story of him within my soul that I will not reveal, / For its memory both consoles the heart and wounds it.

حسانُ الدمى تَصبو إِلى حُسنِ وَجهِهِ

حسانُ الدمى تَصبو إِلى حُسنِ وَجهِهِ

وَصَلدُ الصَفا مِن لَمسِ كَفَّيهِ يَرشحُ

وَصَلدُ الصَفا مِن لَمسِ كَفَّيهِ يَرشحُ

Even the beauties among sculpted idols yearn for his fair face,

Fair, statue-like maidens yearn for the beauty of his face,

The tears of the lover flow towards the beauty of his face,

We are present in spirit, even if absent in body, / For we are near, though the dwellings are far apart.

And hard, smooth stone sweats at the touch of his palms.

And solid rock sweats at the touch of his two palms.

And the dripping of the rock from the touch of his hands.

The rain of my tears revives the hills after their death, / And the heavy, spreading downpour is scant compared to it.

حُسِدتُ عَلَيهِ قاتَلَ اللَهُ حاسِدي

حُسِدتُ عَلَيهِ قاتَلَ اللَهُ حاسِدي

فَضَنَّ بِهِ الدَهرُ الَّذي كانَ يَسمَحُ

فَضَنَّ بِهِ الدَهرُ الَّذي كانَ يَسمَحُ

I was envied for him—may God confound my envier!

I was envied for him—may God smite my envier!

I envied him - may God destroy my envier!

So Time withheld the one it once had freely granted.

So Time, which once gave freely, grew stingy with him.

Time was generous with him but became mean.

حمدتُ زَماني فيهِ ثُمَّ ذَمَمتُهُ

حمدتُ زَماني فيهِ ثُمَّ ذَمَمتُهُ

وَما زالَ هذا الدَهرُ يُهجى وَيُمدَحُ

وَما زالَ هذا الدَهرُ يُهجى وَيُمدَحُ

I praised my age while he was in it, then reviled it;

I praised my time for him, then condemned it,

I praised my time through him then blamed it,

For Time has always been both censured and praised.

And this Time has never ceased to be reviled and praised.

And this life continues to be satirized and praised.

حَديثٌ لَهُ في النَفسِ لَستُ أُذيعُهُ

حَديثٌ لَهُ في النَفسِ لَستُ أُذيعُهُ

فَتِذكارُهُ يوسي الفُؤادَ وَيَجرَحُ

فَتِذكارُهُ يوسي الفُؤادَ وَيَجرَحُ

There is a tale of him within my soul that I will not divulge,

Within my soul is a tale of him I do not divulge,

He has a discourse in the soul I do not divulge

For remembering him both heals the heart and wounds it.

For remembering him both heals the heart and wounds it.

So remembering him delights my heart and wounds it.

حَضَرنا وَإِن غِبنا جسوماً خَواطِراً

حَضَرنا وَإِن غِبنا جسوماً خَواطِراً

فَنَحنُ قَريبٌ وَالمَنازِلُ نُزَّحُ

فَنَحنُ قَريبٌ وَالمَنازِلُ نُزَّحُ

Though absent in body, we are present in thought;

We were present in thought, though absent in body,

He was present even when absent in penetrating thoughts,

Thus we are near, though our dwellings lie far apart.

So we are close, though our dwellings are far apart.

For we are near though the dwellings are remote.

حَيا عبرَتي يُحيي الرُبى بَعدَ مَوتِها

حَيا عبرَتي يُحيي الرُبى بَعدَ مَوتِها

وَأَنزَرُ مِنهُ الوابِلُ المُتَبَطِّحُ

وَأَنزَرُ مِنهُ الوابِلُ المُتَبَطِّحُ

The rain of my tears revives the hills after their death,

The rain of my tears revives the hills after their death,

My flowing tears give life to the meadows after their death,

And even the sprawling cloudburst is scantier than it.

And the downpour that spreads across the ground is scantier than it.

And the pouring rain flows from it on the ground.