يا مَن تَمادى قَلبُهُ في الهَوى

يا مَن تَمادى قَلبُهُ في الهَوى

سالَ بِكَ السَيلُ وَلا تَدري

سالَ بِكَ السَيلُ وَلا تَدري

O you whose heart has gone too far in love,

O you whose heart is lost in passion's maze,

the torrent has swept you away, and you do not know.

The flood with you has flowed, unknowing;

أَبَعدَ ما قَد صِرتَ أُحدوثَةً

أَبَعدَ ما قَد صِرتَ أُحدوثَةً

بِالنُسكِ مِثلَ الحَسَنِ البَصري

بِالنُسكِ مِثلَ الحَسَنِ البَصري

After you had already become a byword

To what ascetic heights have you now turned

for piety, like al-Hasan al-Basri,

In piety, like virtuous Hasan!

أَسقَمتَ جِسماً كانَ ذا صِحَّةٍ

أَسقَمتَ جِسماً كانَ ذا صِحَّةٍ

مُقَلَّبَ القَلبِ عَلى الجَمرِ

مُقَلَّبَ القَلبِ عَلى الجَمرِ

have you sickened a body once in health,

A body once so hale you've weakened now,

with your heart turned over upon the embers?

Your heart on living coals now tossing;

لا جَزَعي يَنفَعُني عِندَكُم

لا جَزَعي يَنفَعُني عِندَكُم

شَيئاً وَلا أَصبِرُ لِلصَبرِ

شَيئاً وَلا أَصبِرُ لِلصَبرِ

My anguish does not avail me with you

No anguished cry will aid me with you all,

at all, nor can I bear to be patient.

Nor can I now find patience in my soul.

إِنَّ الَّذي أُظهِرُ عِندَ الَّذي

إِنَّ الَّذي أُظهِرُ عِندَ الَّذي

أُضمِرُ كَالنُقطَةِ في البَحرِ

أُضمِرُ كَالنُقطَةِ في البَحرِ

Indeed, what I reveal, compared with what

What I inside conceal is as a mote

I conceal, is like a drop in the sea.

Upon the sea's immensity;

اليَومُ مِثلُ العامِ حَتّى أَرى

اليَومُ مِثلُ العامِ حَتّى أَرى

وَجهَكِ وَالساعَةُ كَالشَهرِ

وَجهَكِ وَالساعَةُ كَالشَهرِ

The day is like a year until I see

A day to me's a year until I see

your face, and an hour is like a month.

Your face; an hour's a month now hollowly.

وَاللَهِ لَولا نَظَري كُلَّما

وَاللَهِ لَولا نَظَري كُلَّما

غابَت إِلى الشَمسِ أَوِ البَدرِ

غابَت إِلى الشَمسِ أَوِ البَدرِ

By God, were it not for my gazing, whenever

And by my God, but for my constant gaze

she is absent, toward the sun or the full moon,

To sun or moon when you are far away,

أُعَلِّلُ النَفسَ بِأَشباهِها

أُعَلِّلُ النَفسَ بِأَشباهِها

لَما اِستَقَرَّ القَلبُ في الصَدرِ

لَما اِستَقَرَّ القَلبُ في الصَدرِ

soothing my soul with her likenesses,

I could not curb my soul and its caprice,

my heart would not remain in my breast.

Nor settle down my heart beat steadfastly,

كَأَنَّ كَأساً سَلسَبيلِيَّةً

كَأَنَّ كَأساً سَلسَبيلِيَّةً

مَملوءَةً بِالمِسكِ وَالخَمرِ

مَملوءَةً بِالمِسكِ وَالخَمرِ

It is as though a cup of Salsabil,

As though it were a crystal cup brimful

filled with musk and wine,

Of musk and wine in mingled rarity,

طَعمُ ثَناياها بُعَيدَ الكَرى

طَعمُ ثَناياها بُعَيدَ الكَرى

أَخبُرُهُ مِنها بِلا خُبرِ

أَخبُرُهُ مِنها بِلا خُبرِ

were the taste of her front teeth just after sleep—

Whose inmost essence, far beyond all ken,

I know it from her, yet without experience.

Is only known to me in phantasy.

تِلكَ الَّتي لَو ذُقتُ مِن رِيقِها

تِلكَ الَّتي لَو ذُقتُ مِن رِيقِها

ما ذُقتُ سُقماً آخِرَ الدَهرِ

ما ذُقتُ سُقماً آخِرَ الدَهرِ

She is the one—if I tasted some of her saliva,

That cup whose draft, if I could drink thereof,

I would taste no sickness to the end of time.

No other sickness would I know till death.

ماذا عَلى أَهلِكِ أَن لا يَروا

ماذا عَلى أَهلِكِ أَن لا يَروا

عِطراً وَأَنتِ العِطرُ لِلعِطرِ

عِطراً وَأَنتِ العِطرُ لِلعِطرِ

What harm would it do your family to see no

Why should your people, who no perfume see,

perfume, when you are perfume's own fragrance?

Find fault with you who are perfume itself?

أَمّا الَّتي عاتَبتِ في أَمرِها

أَمّا الَّتي عاتَبتِ في أَمرِها

بِما تَظُنّينَ مِنَ الأَمرِ

بِما تَظُنّينَ مِنَ الأَمرِ

As for the woman you reproached me about,

She who reproached me for what fancied thing,

because of what you suspect about the affair,

Knows not what stuff man's true life's made of.

فَهوَ كَما قُلتِ وَلَكِنَّني

فَهوَ كَما قُلتِ وَلَكِنَّني

لَم أَرتَكِب شَيئاً سِوى الذِكرِ

لَم أَرتَكِب شَيئاً سِوى الذِكرِ

it is as you said, but I

I've done no evil, only thought of her;

have done nothing beyond mentioning her.

Then punish me, for God rules equity,

فعاقِبيني إِنَّني حالِفٌ بِاللَهِ

فعاقِبيني إِنَّني حالِفٌ بِاللَهِ

رَبِّ الشَفعِ وَالوَترِ

رَبِّ الشَفعِ وَالوَترِ

So punish me; indeed, I swear by God,

Just arbiter of odd and even numbers.

Lord of the even and the odd:

One glance has marred my heart, that wanton boy,

أَفسَدَ قَلبي شادِنٌ أَحوَرٌ

أَفسَدَ قَلبي شادِنٌ أَحوَرٌ

يَسحَرُ بالعَينَينِ وَالثَغرِ

يَسحَرُ بالعَينَينِ وَالثَغرِ

a dark-eyed young gazelle has ruined my heart,

Who by his eyes and lips can sorcery.

bewitching with his two eyes and mouth.

Had I but known he was a sorcerer,

لَو كُنتُ أَدري أَنَّهُ ساحِرٌ

لَو كُنتُ أَدري أَنَّهُ ساحِرٌ

عَلَّقتُ تَعويذاً مِنَ السِحرِ

عَلَّقتُ تَعويذاً مِنَ السِحرِ

Had I known that he was a sorcerer,

Against his spells I would have taken pre-

I would have hung an amulet against sorcery.

cautions.

كُنتُ أُهادِيهِ سَلامي فَلا

كُنتُ أُهادِيهِ سَلامي فَلا

يَدخُلُهُ شَيءٌ مِنَ الكِبرِ

يَدخُلُهُ شَيءٌ مِنَ الكِبرِ

I used to offer him my greeting, and no

I used to greet him mildly, taking pains

trace of pride would enter him,

Lest any pride in him my greeting spurn.

حَتّى إِذا خاطَبتُهُ بِالهَوى

حَتّى إِذا خاطَبتُهُ بِالهَوى

خاطَبَني بِالسَبِّ وَالزَجرِ

خاطَبَني بِالسَبِّ وَالزَجرِ

until, when I spoke to him of love,

But when I spoke to him of love, he cried

he answered me with insults and rebukes.

Abuse and bitter, angry words in turn.

فَلَيتَهُ عادَ وَعُدنا لَهُ

فَلَيتَهُ عادَ وَعُدنا لَهُ

بِمِثلِ ما كُنّا إِلى الحَشرِ

بِمِثلِ ما كُنّا إِلى الحَشرِ

If only he would return, and we return to him,

Would he but come again, and we'd return

as we once were, until the Resurrection.

To what we were, until the judgment day.

لَو لَم يَكُن هَجرٌ لَطابَ الهَوى

لَو لَم يَكُن هَجرٌ لَطابَ الهَوى

أَعاذَنا اللَهُ مِنَ الهَجرِ

أَعاذَنا اللَهُ مِنَ الهَجرِ

Were there no estrangement, love would be sweet;

Without this estrangement, love were sweet;

may God protect us from estrangement.

God guard us against all rejecting way!