1. هَل تَيَّمَ البانُ فُؤادَ الحَمام

    فَناحَ فَاِستَبكى جُفونَ الغَمام

    Has the bān tree enslaved the dove's heart,

    So it lamented and drew tears from the clouds' eyelids?

  2. أَم شَفَّهُ ما شَفَّني فَاِنثَنى

    مُبَلبَلَ البالِ شَريدَ المَنام

    Or has what wasted me wasted it, so it turned away,

    Distraught of mind, bereft of sleep?

  3. يَهُزُّهُ الأَيكُ إِلى إِلفِهِ

    هَزَّ الفِراشِ المُدنَفَ المُسَتهام

    The grove stirs it toward its mate,

    As a bed stirs a wasted, love-crazed invalid.

  4. وَتوقِدُ الذِكرى بِأَحشائِهِ

    جَمراً مِنَ الشَوقِ حَثيثَ الضِرام

    And memory kindles within its entrails

    Embers of longing, quick to blaze.

  5. كَذَلِكَ العاشِقُ عِندَ الدُجى

    يا لِلهَوى مِمّا يُثيرُ الظلام

    Such is the lover in the dark of night—

    Oh, the passion that darkness stirs!

  6. لَهُ إِذا هَبَّ الجَوى صَرعَةٌ

    مِن دونِها السِحرُ وَفِعلُ المُدام

    When love's anguish rises, a swoon overtakes him,

    Beside which sorcery and wine's power fall short.

  7. يا عادِيَ البَينِ كَفى قَسوَةً

    رَوَّعتَ حَتّى مُهَجاتِ الحَمام

    O ravaging separation, enough cruelty!

    You have terrified even the souls of doves.

  8. تِلكَ قُلوبُ الطَيرِ حَمَّلتَها

    ما ضَعُفَت عَنهُ قُلوبُ الأَنام

    Those are birds' hearts; you have burdened them

    With what human hearts could not bear.

  9. لا ضَرَبَ المَقدورُ أَحبابَنا

    وَلا أَعادينا بِهَذا الحُسام

    May fate not strike our loved ones,

    Nor our enemies, with this sword.

  10. يا زَمَنَ الوَصلِ لَأَنتَ المُنى

    وَلِلمُنى عِقدٌ وَأَنتَ النِظام

    O time of union, you are indeed all I wish for;

    And wishes have a necklace, and you are its string.

  11. لِلَّهِ عَيشٌ لي وَعَيشٌ لَها

    كُنتَ بِهِ سَمحاً رَخِيَّ الزِمام

    God, what a life was mine, and what a life was hers!

    In it you were generous, with a loosened rein.

  12. وَأُنسُ أَوقاتٍ ظَفِرنا بِها

    في غَفلَةِ الأَيّامِ لَو دُمتَ دام

    And the joy of hours we won

    While the days were heedless—had you lasted, that joy would have lasted.

  13. لَكِنَّهُ الدَهرُ قَليلُ الجَدى

    مُضَيَّعُ العَهدِ لَئيمُ الذِمام

    But it is Time, scant in bounty,

    Faithless in its pledges, ignoble in its obligations.

  14. لَو سامَحَتنا في السَلامِ النَوى

    لَطالَ حَتّى الحَشرِ ذاكَ السَلام

    Had parting indulged us in our farewell,

    That farewell would have lasted till Judgment Day.

  15. وَلَاِنقَضى العُمرانُ في وَقفَةٍ

    نَسلو بِها الغُمضَ وَنَسلو الطَعام

    And both our lives would have ended in a single pause,

    Where we would forget sleep and forget food.

  16. قالَت وَقَد كادَ يَميدُ الثَرى

    مِن هَدَّةِ الصَبرِ وَهَولِ المَقام

    She said, as the earth almost reeled,

    From patience's collapse and the terror of the scene,

  17. وَغابَتِ الأَعيُنُ في دَمعِها

    وَنالَتِ الأَلسُنُ إِلّا الكَلام

    And eyes vanished in their tears,

    And tongues attained everything but speech:

  18. يا بَينُ وَلّى جَلَدي فَاِتَّئِد

    وَيا زَماني بَعضُ هَذا حَرام

    O parting, my fortitude is gone, so go gently!

    And O my time, some of this is forbidden!

  19. فَقُلتُ وَالصَبرُ يُجاري الأَسى

    وَاللُبُّ مَأخوذٌ وَدَمعي اِنسِجام

    Then I said, as patience vied with sorrow,

    And my mind was captive, and my tears a stream:

  20. إِن كانَ لي عِندَكَ هَذا الهَوى

    بِأَيِّما قُلتُ كَتَمتُ الغَرام

    If you bear me this love,

    In whatever I said, I concealed my passion.