يا مَن تَمَرَّهَ عَمداً

يا مَن تَمَرَّهَ عَمداً

فَكانَ لِلعَينِ أَملا

فَكانَ لِلعَينِ أَملا

O you who deliberately went without kohl,

O you who deliberately passed me by

O you who deliberately made yourself unkempt,

and filled the eye still more;

So my eyes would yearn for you

Only to become more pleasing to the eye,

وَفي الشُعوثَةِ أَيضاً

وَفي الشُعوثَةِ أَيضاً

فَكانَ أَحلى وَأَحلى

فَكانَ أَحلى وَأَحلى

and in dishevelment, too,

And in dishevelment you were

And amidst that dishevelment, too,

became sweeter and sweeter.

Even sweeter and sweeter

You became sweeter and sweeter still.

أَرَدتَ أَن تَزدَريكَ ال

أَرَدتَ أَن تَزدَريكَ ال

عُيونُ هَيهاتَ كَلّا

عُيونُ هَيهاتَ كَلّا

You wished to be scorned by the

You wanted eyes to despise you? Never!

You wished for eyes to look upon you with disdain—

eyes—far from it! No!

Like one who wanted to feign pride but was radiant

Far from it! Absolutely not!

كَمَن أَرادَ بِشَيءٍ

كَمَن أَرادَ بِشَيءٍ

سَماجَةً فَتَجَلّى

سَماجَةً فَتَجَلّى

Like one who sought, by some means,

O you who have shut your heart to me

Like one who intended, through some act,

ugliness, only to shine forth.

Why not remember a solution?

To cause ugliness, yet beauty shone forth.

يا عاقِدَ القَلبِ مِنّي

يا عاقِدَ القَلبِ مِنّي

هَلّا تَذَكَّرتَ حَلّا

هَلّا تَذَكَّرتَ حَلّا

O you who have bound my heart,

You left my body frail

O you who have tied the knot of my heart,

why did you not think of untying it?

With less and less

Will you not remember to untie it?

تَرَكتَ جِسمي عَليلاً

تَرَكتَ جِسمي عَليلاً

مِنَ القَليلِ أَقَلّا

مِنَ القَليلِ أَقَلّا

You left my body ailing,

It can barely be articulated

You have left my body ailing,

less than even a little;

Less in words than 'no'

Diminished to less than 'a little,'

يَكادُ لا يَتَجَزّا

يَكادُ لا يَتَجَزّا

أَقَلَّ في اللَفظِ مِن لا

أَقَلَّ في اللَفظِ مِن لا

it is almost indivisible,

And you filled my eyes for me

It has become almost too small to be divided,

smaller in utterance than 'no'.

With stinginess and miserliness

Sighter in utterance than the word 'no.'

وَقَد مُلِئتَ لِعَيني

وَقَد مُلِئتَ لِعَيني

شُحّاً عَلَيَّ وَبُخلا

شُحّاً عَلَيَّ وَبُخلا

And, to my eye, you have been filled

So you don't see me longing

Yet you are filled, in my view,

with stinginess toward me and miserliness;

Even if I desire you, worthy

With stinginess and miserliness toward me;

فَما تَراني لِوَصلٍ

فَما تَراني لِوَصلٍ

وَإِن هَوَيتُكَ أَهلا

وَإِن هَوَيتُكَ أَهلا

so, for union, you do not deem me—

So you do not regard me fit for union,

though I love you—worthy.

Nor, though I love you, as one worthy.