يا عَمرُو قُل لِلقَمَرِ الطالِعِ

يا عَمرُو قُل لِلقَمَرِ الطالِعِ

إِتَّسَعَ الخَرقُ عَلى الراقِعِ

إِتَّسَعَ الخَرقُ عَلى الراقِعِ

O ʿAmr, tell the rising moon:

O Amro, tell the rising moon,

The tear has grown too wide for the mender.

The tear has widened on the patch.

يا فِتنَةَ الناظِرِ قَد صِرتَ في

يا فِتنَةَ الناظِرِ قَد صِرتَ في

فِعلِكَ هَذا فِتنَةَ السامِعِ

فِعلِكَ هَذا فِتنَةَ السامِعِ

O temptation to the beholder, you have now become, through

O temptation of the onlooker, you have become with this deed,

this deed of yours, a temptation to the listener.

Temptation of the listener.

هَل أَنتَ إِلّا رَشَأٌ خاذِلٌ

هَل أَنتَ إِلّا رَشَأٌ خاذِلٌ

حَلَّ بِمَغنى أَسَدٍ جائِعِ

حَلَّ بِمَغنى أَسَدٍ جائِعِ

Are you anything but a young gazelle straying from its herd,

Are you anything but a deficient coward,

that has settled in a hungry lion’s lair?

Who took refuge in the den of a hungry lion?

ما كانَ في المَخدَعِ مِن أَمرِكُم

ما كانَ في المَخدَعِ مِن أَمرِكُم

فَإِنَّهُ في المَسجِدِ الجامِعِ

فَإِنَّهُ في المَسجِدِ الجامِعِ

What happened in the bedchamber concerning you

What was hidden in your affairs,

is now in the congregational mosque.

Is now in the great mosque.

يا طولَ فِكري فيكَ مِن حامِلٍ

يا طولَ فِكري فيكَ مِن حامِلٍ

صَحيفَةً مَكسورَةَ الطابِعِ

صَحيفَةً مَكسورَةَ الطابِعِ

Ah, how long I ponder you as one bearing

O long my thoughts of you, carrier,

a letter with its seal broken!

Of a scroll with broken seal.