أَفنانِيَ الدَهرُ نَهسا

أَفنانِيَ الدَهرُ نَهسا

وَزادَني الحُبُّ نُكسا

وَزادَني الحُبُّ نُكسا

Time has consumed me with its gnawing,

Time has worn me out with sighs,

Fate has ravaged me with its gnawing bite,

and love has deepened my decline.

And love has increased my sorrows.

And love has plunged me deeper into ruin.

وَصارَ حُبُّ حَبيبي

وَصارَ حُبُّ حَبيبي

لِلقَلبِ إِلفاً وَحِلسا

لِلقَلبِ إِلفاً وَحِلسا

And love for my beloved has become

My beloved's love

The love of my beloved has become

a companion to my heart, clinging like a saddlecloth.

Has become intimate company for my heart.

To my heart, an inseparable mate and second skin.

وَخالَطَ النَفسَ حِبّي

وَخالَطَ النَفسَ حِبّي

قَد صارَ لِلنَفسِ نَفسا

قَد صارَ لِلنَفسِ نَفسا

My beloved has mingled with my soul;

My passion has immersed my soul,

My passion has mingled with my very soul,

indeed, he has become the soul of my soul.

It has become the very soul of my soul.

Becoming the very breath of my spirit.

أَضَلَّني بَعدَما كُن

أَضَلَّني بَعدَما كُن

تُ في العِبادَةِ قَسّا

تُ في العِبادَةِ قَسّا

He led me astray after I had been

After having led me astray

He led me astray, though I had once been

a priest in my devotion.

From a life of devotion and spiritual rigor,

Like a devout priest in my worship,

لا أَستَفيقُ صَلاةً

لا أَستَفيقُ صَلاةً

وَلا أَفتَرُّ دَرسا

وَلا أَفتَرُّ دَرسا

I do not rouse myself for prayer,

I can no longer wake up for prayers

Never waking from my prayers,

nor part my lips for recitation.

Nor can I study consistently.

Nor slackening in my sacred study.

فَطارَ عَقلي فَما إِن

فَطارَ عَقلي فَما إِن

أُحِسُّ لِلعَقلِ خَلسا

أُحِسُّ لِلعَقلِ خَلسا

So my reason flew away, and I do not

My reason has flown away,

But then my reason fled, and now,

sense even a fleeting trace of reason.

I cannot sense even a trace of it.

I sense not a trace of its presence left.

وَكُلُّ ذا ذَنبُ طَرفي

وَكُلُّ ذا ذَنبُ طَرفي

طُمِستَ يا طَرفُ طَمسا

طُمِستَ يا طَرفُ طَمسا

And all this is the fault of my eye—

The glance of my eye is to blame—

All this is the crime of my own gaze—

may you be blotted out, O eye, utterly!

Oh glance! You have been blinded.

May you be utterly blinded, O traitorous eye!

هَلّا طَرَقتَ وَلَم تَل

هَلّا طَرَقتَ وَلَم تَل

قَ في القُراطِقِ شَمسا

قَ في القُراطِقِ شَمسا

Why did you not lower your gaze, instead of meeting

If only you had knocked before gazing

Would that you had looked elsewhere, and not met

a sun clothed in tunics?

At the shining sun.

A sun wrapped in silken robes.

فَقُلتُ يا نورَ عَيني

فَقُلتُ يا نورَ عَيني

خَلَستَ عَقلِيَ خَلسا

خَلَستَ عَقلِيَ خَلسا

Then I said: O light of my eye,

I said: O light of my eyes!

I cried out, "O light of my eyes,

you have stolen my reason by stealth.

You have stolen my reason stealthily.

You have snatched my reason away entirely.

فَاِردُد عَلَيَّ حَياتي

فَاِردُد عَلَيَّ حَياتي

عَضّاً بِفيكَ وَلَحسا

عَضّاً بِفيكَ وَلَحسا

So restore my life to me

So give me back my life,

Restore my life to me now,

by biting with your mouth and licking.

Biting with your teeth and licking.

With a bite from your mouth and a lingering kiss."

فَما تَمالَكَ حَتّى اِف

فَما تَمالَكَ حَتّى اِف

تَرى عَلَيَّ وَخَسّا

تَرى عَلَيَّ وَخَسّا

But he could not hold himself back from

He could not resist

But he could not restrain himself

slandering me and behaving basely.

Until he was intimate with me and then turned away.

Before he slandered me and turned vile.

فَاِسوَدَّ وَجهِيَ مِنهُ

فَاِسوَدَّ وَجهِيَ مِنهُ

حَتّى تَحَوَّلَ نِقسا

حَتّى تَحَوَّلَ نِقسا

So my face blackened because of him,

My face turned black because of him

My face turned dark with humiliation because of him,

until it turned to ink.

Until it was transformed with misery.

Until it became as black as ink.

وَلَيسَ في ذاكَ يَعدو

وَلَيسَ في ذاكَ يَعدو

سَبّي صَباحاً وَمُمسى

سَبّي صَباحاً وَمُمسى

And in this he does nothing beyond

But in this he does nothing more

And in this, he does nothing but continue

insulting me, morning and evening.

Than insult me morning and evening.

To curse me, morning and evening.

فَقُلتُ وَيلي مِمَّن

فَقُلتُ وَيلي مِمَّن

لِمِثلِ ذا لَيسَ يَنسى

لِمِثلِ ذا لَيسَ يَنسى

Then I said: Woe to me from one

I said: woe is me! Who can forget

So I said: Woe is me, suffering from one

who never forgets such things!

One who does the likes of this?

Who never forgets to inflict such pain.

لا يُحسِنُ الدَهرُ إِلّا

لا يُحسِنُ الدَهرُ إِلّا

شَتيمَةً لي وَبَخسا

شَتيمَةً لي وَبَخسا

Time is good at nothing but

Time knows only how

Fate knows no skill but one:

insulting me and cheating me of my due.

To insult and belittle me.

To heap abuse and scorn upon me.

فَما رَأَيتُ كَحِبّي

فَما رَأَيتُ كَحِبّي

أَفَظَّ قَلباً وَأَقسى

أَفَظَّ قَلباً وَأَقسى

For I have never seen anyone like my beloved—

I have not seen a love

For I have never seen anyone like my beloved,

so harsh of heart, so cruel.

With a harder heart and crueler.

With a heart more savage and stone-cold.