أتاني هواها قبل أن عرف الهوى

أتاني هواها قبل أن عرف الهوى

فصادف قلباً خالياً فتمكنا

فصادف قلباً خالياً فتمكنا

Her love came to me before I knew love,

Her love came to me before I knew of love,

And found an empty heart, then took firm hold.

So it found an empty heart and settled there.

وأورثني الأشجان لكنها غدت

وأورثني الأشجان لكنها غدت

كنومي إن فارقته مسنى الضنى

كنومي إن فارقته مسنى الضنى

And it bequeathed me sorrows, but they became

And it left me with sorrows, but they became

Like my sleep: if I parted from it, wasting illness would afflict me.

Like my sleep - if we part, yearning keeps me awake.