سلْ سيفَ ناظرِه لماذا سلَّهُ

سلْ سيفَ ناظرِه لماذا سلَّهُ

وعلى دمي لمَ دَلَّهُ قدٌ لهُ

وعلى دمي لمَ دَلَّهُ قدٌ لهُ

Ask the sword of his gaze why he unsheathed it,

Ask the sword of its wielder why it was drawn,

and why his figure directed it toward my blood.

And why it was directed at my blood though faultless.

واستفتِ كيف أَباحَ في شرعِ الهوى

واستفتِ كيف أَباحَ في شرعِ الهوى

دمَ مَنْ يَهيمُ به وفيمَ أَحلّهُ

دمَ مَنْ يَهيمُ به وفيمَ أَحلّهُ

And seek a ruling: how, under love’s law, did he permit

Inquire how it sanctioned shedding the blood,

the shedding of the blood of one who adores him, and on what grounds did he make it lawful?

Of one infatuated with its love unlawfully.

سلْ عَطفَه فعسى لطافةُ عطْفهِ

سلْ عَطفَه فعسى لطافةُ عطْفهِ

تُعدي قساوةَ قلبه ولعلَّهُ

تُعدي قساوةَ قلبه ولعلَّهُ

Ask for his kindness; perhaps the delicacy of his flank

Ask its blade, mayhap the tenderness of its edge,

may spread to his heart’s hardness—and perhaps it will.

Would temper the hardness of its heart, hopefully.

كَثُرَتْ لقسوةِ قلبه جَفَواتهُ

كَثُرَتْ لقسوةِ قلبه جَفَواتهُ

يا ما أَرقَّ وفاءَه وأَقلَّهُ

يا ما أَرقَّ وفاءَه وأَقلَّهُ

His rebuffs have multiplied because his heart is hard.

Numerous were its cruel rebuffs due to the hardness of its heart.

Ah, how frail his faithfulness, and how scant!

Oh how it distressed its devotion and diminished it!

يا منجداً ناديتهُ مُستنجداً

يا منجداً ناديتهُ مُستنجداً

في خَلّتي والمرءُ يُنجدُ خِلَّهُ

في خَلّتي والمرءُ يُنجدُ خِلَّهُ

O helper whom I called upon, seeking aid

A supporter did I cry out to in my solitude,

in my need—and a man comes to his friend’s aid—

And a man should support his bosom friend.

سِرْ حاملاً سِرّي فأَنت لحملهِ

سِرْ حاملاً سِرّي فأَنت لحملهِ

أَهلٌ وخفَّف عن فؤادي ثِقلَهُ

أَهلٌ وخفَّف عن فؤادي ثِقلَهُ

go, carrying my secret, for to bear it you are

Travel discreetly bearing my secret, for you are worthy of its burden,

well suited; and lift its weight from my heart.

And relieve my heart of its heaviness.

وإذا وصلتَ فَغضَّ عن وادي الغضا

وإذا وصلتَ فَغضَّ عن وادي الغضا

طَرْفَ المريبِ وحَيِّ عنّي أَهلَهُ

طَرْفَ المريبِ وحَيِّ عنّي أَهلَهُ

And when you arrive, avert from Wadi al-Ghada

And when you arrive, turn away from the valley of estrangement,

your furtive gaze, and greet its people on my behalf.

The glance of suspicion, and greet my people on my behalf.

أَهْدِ السَّلام هديتَ للرَّشأ الذي

أَهْدِ السَّلام هديتَ للرَّشأ الذي

أَعطاه قلبي رُشدَه فأَضَلّهُ

أَعطاه قلبي رُشدَه فأَضَلّهُ

Offer greetings—may you be guided aright—to the fawn to whom

Convey my greetings as a gift to the one,

my heart gave its good sense, only for him to lead it astray.

Whose heart I endowed with sensibleness but led him astray.