أَريدُ سُلُوَّكُم وَالقَلبُ يَأبى

أَريدُ سُلُوَّكُم وَالقَلبُ يَأبى

وَأَعتِبُكُم وَمِلءُ النَفسِ عُتبى

وَأَعتِبُكُم وَمِلءُ النَفسِ عُتبى

I wish to forget you, but my heart refuses.

I want your company though my heart refuses,

And I reproach you, though my soul is full of contentment.

I reproach you though my soul is full of blame,

وَأَهجُرُكُم فَيَهجُرُني رُقادي

وَأَهجُرُكُم فَيَهجُرُني رُقادي

وَيُضويني الظَلامُ أَسىً وَكَربا

وَيُضويني الظَلامُ أَسىً وَكَربا

And I forsake you, so my sleep forsakes me,

I abandon you so sleep abandons me,

And darkness wastes me away with sorrow and anguish.

And darkness burns me with sorrow and grief.

وَأَذكُرُكُم بِرُؤيَةِ كُلِّ حُسنٍ

وَأَذكُرُكُم بِرُؤيَةِ كُلِّ حُسنٍ

فَيَصبو ناظِري وَالقَلبُ أَصبى

فَيَصبو ناظِري وَالقَلبُ أَصبى

And I remember you at the sight of every beauty,

I remember you when I see every beauty,

So my eye yearns, and my heart yearns still more.

My eyes overflow and my heart melts,

وَأَشكو مِن عَذابي في هَواكُم

وَأَشكو مِن عَذابي في هَواكُم

وَأَجزيكُم عَنِ التَعذيبِ حُبّا

وَأَجزيكُم عَنِ التَعذيبِ حُبّا

And I complain of my torment in loving you,

I complain of my torment in loving you,

Yet I repay you for the torment with love.

Yet I reward you with love for torturing me.

وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ دَأبَكُمُ جَفائي

وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ دَأبَكُمُ جَفائي

فَما بالي جَعَلتُ الحُبَّ دَأبا

فَما بالي جَعَلتُ الحُبَّ دَأبا

And I know that your habit is to shun me,

I know your habit is my neglect,

So why have I made love my habit?

Why then have I made love my habit?

وَرُبَّ مُعاتَبٍ كَالعَيشِ يُشكى

وَرُبَّ مُعاتَبٍ كَالعَيشِ يُشكى

وَمِلءُ النَفسِ مِنهُ هَوىً وَعُتبى

وَمِلءُ النَفسِ مِنهُ هَوىً وَعُتبى

And many a thing reproached, like life, is complained of,

How often is life, like a reproached beloved, complained of,

Yet the soul is filled with love for it and contentment.

Yet the soul is filled with love and blame for it.

أَتَجزيني عَنِ الزُلفى نِفاراً

أَتَجزيني عَنِ الزُلفى نِفاراً

عَتَبتكَ بِالهَوى وَكَفاكَ عَتبا

عَتَبتكَ بِالهَوى وَكَفاكَ عَتبا

Do you repay me for drawing near with aversion?

Do you repay my intimacy with avoidance?

I reproached you with love, and that is reproach enough for you.

I blamed you for love, and that was enough blame.

فَكُلُّ مَلاحَةٍ في الناسِ ذَنبٌ

فَكُلُّ مَلاحَةٍ في الناسِ ذَنبٌ

إِذا عُدَّ النِفارُ عَلَيكَ ذَنبا

إِذا عُدَّ النِفارُ عَلَيكَ ذَنبا

Then every charm in people is a sin,

So all coquetry among people is a sin,

If aversion is counted as a sin against you.

If you consider avoidance of me a sin.

أَخَذتُ هَواكَ عَن عَيني وَقَلبي

أَخَذتُ هَواكَ عَن عَيني وَقَلبي

فَعَيني قَد دَعَت وَالقَلبُ لَبّى

فَعَيني قَد دَعَت وَالقَلبُ لَبّى

I drew my love for you from my eye and my heart,

I took your love from my eyes and heart,

For my eye called, and my heart answered.

So my eyes called but my heart obeyed.

وَأَنتَ مِنَ المَحاسِنِ في مِثالٍ

وَأَنتَ مِنَ المَحاسِنِ في مِثالٍ

فَدَيتُكَ قالَباً فيهِ وَقَلبا

فَدَيتُكَ قالَباً فيهِ وَقَلبا

And you are the very image of beauty;

You are the epitome of beauty,

I would give my life for you—your form and the heart within it.

My life for a mould containing you and a heart!

أُحِبُّكَ حينَ تَثني الجيدَ تيهاً

أُحِبُّكَ حينَ تَثني الجيدَ تيهاً

وَأَخشى أَن يَصيرَ التيهُ دَأبا

وَأَخشى أَن يَصيرَ التيهُ دَأبا

I love you when you bend your neck in pride,

I love you when you incline your neck languorously,

And I fear that pride will become a habit.

And fear that languor may become a habit.

وَقالوا في البَديلِ رِضاً وَرَوحٌ

وَقالوا في البَديلِ رِضاً وَرَوحٌ

لَقَد رُمتُ البَديلَ فَرُمتُ صَعبا

لَقَد رُمتُ البَديلَ فَرُمتُ صَعبا

And they said, 'In a substitute lie contentment and relief.'

They said consolation and tranquility are in a substitute,

Indeed I sought a substitute—and sought what was hard to attain.

But I spurned the substitute - it was difficult.

وَراجَعتُ الرَشادَ عَسايَ أَسلو

وَراجَعتُ الرَشادَ عَسايَ أَسلو

فَما بالي مَعَ السُلوانِ أَصبى

فَما بالي مَعَ السُلوانِ أَصبى

And I returned to reason, hoping I might forget,

I returned to guidance, hoping I would be appeased,

So why, amid forgetfulness, do I yearn still more?

But why am I still troubled without you?

إِذا ما الكَأسُ لَم تُذهِب هُمومي

إِذا ما الكَأسُ لَم تُذهِب هُمومي

فَقَد تَبَّت يَدُ الساقي وَتَبّا

فَقَد تَبَّت يَدُ الساقي وَتَبّا

If the cup does not dispel my cares,

When a cup does not dispel my cares,

Then may the cupbearer's hand perish, and he too!

The hand of the cupbearer has clearly failed.

عَلى أَنّي أَعَفُّ مَنِ اِحتَساها

عَلى أَنّي أَعَفُّ مَنِ اِحتَساها

وَأَكرَمُ مِن عَذارى الدَيرِ شربا

وَأَكرَمُ مِن عَذارى الدَيرِ شربا

Yet I am the most chaste of those who have sipped it,

Yet I am more forgiving than one who sought it,

And nobler in drinking than the convent's maidens.

And more generous than cloistered virgins when drinking.

وَلي نَفسٌ أُرَوّيها فَتَزكو

وَلي نَفسٌ أُرَوّيها فَتَزكو

كَزَهرِ الوَردِ نَدَّوهُ فَهَبّا

كَزَهرِ الوَردِ نَدَّوهُ فَهَبّا

And I have a soul I water, so it flourishes,

I have a soul I wish to pacify that it may be pure

Like a rose blossom they moistened, which sprang to life.

As a rose whose fragrance has been released by the breeze.