لعينَيْ من رهنتُ له فؤادي

لعينَيْ من رهنتُ له فؤادي

وعاندنِي وصَدّي  .. بالتّمادي

وعاندنِي وصَدّي .. بالتّمادي

For the eyes of him to whom I pledged my heart,

For the eyes that I have pledged my heart to

And who defied both me and my rebuff by persisting,

And they opposed me and turned me away persistently

أراودُ كلّ أبكارِ المعاني

أراودُ كلّ أبكارِ المعاني

وأرجوها الخلاصَ إلى مُرادِي

وأرجوها الخلاصَ إلى مُرادِي

I woo all the virgins of meaning,

I solicit all the chaste meanings

And ask them for a way through to what I seek.

And implore them for deliverance to my will

وأَنْكُزُ غيمةَ الشعرِ المُقَفّى

وأَنْكُزُ غيمةَ الشعرِ المُقَفّى

وأسألُ أن تَهِيمَ بكلّ وادِي

وأسألُ أن تَهِيمَ بكلّ وادِي

And I prod the cloud of rhymed poetry,

And I scatter the cloud of structured poetry

And ask that it wander through every valley.

And ask that it roams in every valley

وأُلبِسُ عُريَ أفكاري بديعًا

وأُلبِسُ عُريَ أفكاري بديعًا

دمقسيَّ التشوّقِ والودادِ

دمقسيَّ التشوّقِ والودادِ

And I clothe my thoughts’ nakedness in wondrous finery,

And I clothe my bare ideas beautifully

Silken with yearning and affection.

With the garment of yearning and affection

وأُقرئهُ السلامَ بلا سلامٍ

وأُقرئهُ السلامَ بلا سلامٍ

وأُقريهِ العناقَ بلا وِفادِ

وأُقريهِ العناقَ بلا وِفادِ

And send him greetings of peace, without peace,

And I send him greetings without greeting

And offer him an embrace as hospitality, without his coming.

And offer him an embrace without union

أَمَا وهواهُ قد أضحى غُلوًّا

أَمَا وهواهُ قد أضحى غُلوًّا

 يُؤجَّجُ في الدُنُوّ وفي البِعادِ

يُؤجَّجُ في الدُنُوّ وفي البِعادِ

Ah, by love for him, now grown to excess,

But his love has truly become excessive

Fanned to flame in nearness and in distance,

Blazing both nearby and from afar

فإني قد نذرتُ له بيانًا

فإني قد نذرتُ له بيانًا

عَليًّا .. في الغَوَايةِ والرّشادِ

عَليًّا .. في الغَوَايةِ والرّشادِ

I have indeed vowed him eloquence,

So I have devoted to him an elegy

Lofty in waywardness and right guidance.

Sublime, in misguidance and righteousness

وإني كلّما قالوا تمادتْ

وإني كلّما قالوا تمادتْ

قَدَحتُ لقدرهِ العالي زِنادي

قَدَحتُ لقدرهِ العالي زِنادي

And whenever they said, “She has gone too far,”

And whenever they say I have persisted

I struck my flint for his exalted worth.

I light for his lofty fate my flint