أشفقت من إخفاء ما لم تخفِهِ

أشفقت من إخفاء ما لم تخفِهِ

فكشفت ما تُخشى غوائلُ كشفِهِ

فكشفت ما تُخشى غوائلُ كشفِهِ

I feared concealing what you had not hidden,

I feared to conceal what you did not conceal,

so I revealed what one fears the perils of revealing.

So I revealed what the disclosures of revelation fear.

فمن تحيَّر فيه ماء شبابه

فمن تحيَّر فيه ماء شبابه

فتحيَّرت فِطَنُ الورى في وصفِهِ

فتحيَّرت فِطَنُ الورى في وصفِهِ

As for him in whom youth's dew has pooled,

For whoever's prime of youth is confused by it,

humankind's wits are bewildered in describing him:

The minds of all people are confused in describing it.

من لا يُحاطُ بكنهه لجلالهِ

من لا يُحاطُ بكنهه لجلالهِ

ويكاد يخطفه الهواءُ للطفِهِ

ويكاد يخطفه الهواءُ للطفِهِ

one whose essence cannot be fathomed, so majestic is he,

One whose essence is beyond encompassing due to its majesty,

and whom the air almost snatches away, so delicate is he.

And whom the air almost snatches away due to its gentleness.

غصنٌ من الريحان بالَغ ربُّهُ

غصنٌ من الريحان بالَغ ربُّهُ

في غرسه فسموتَ أنتَ لقطفِهِ

في غرسه فسموتَ أنتَ لقطفِهِ

A sprig of sweet basil whose Lord went to great lengths

A branch of basil whose Lord exceeded

in planting him; so you yourself reached up to pluck him.

In planting it, so you transcended in plucking it.

هيهات تقصر عنه كفُّك أو ترى

هيهات تقصر عنه كفُّك أو ترى

أسبابُ روحك طاعةً في كفِّهِ

أسبابُ روحك طاعةً في كفِّهِ

Far beyond reach! Your hand falls short of him—or else you see

Alas! Your palm falls short of reaching it or you see

your soul's cords lying submissive in his palm.

The means to your spirit obeying in its palm.

فتُعير قلبك بعضَ رقة خدِّه

فتُعير قلبك بعضَ رقة خدِّه

وتعير جسمَك بعض علَّةِ طرفِهِ

وتعير جسمَك بعض علَّةِ طرفِهِ

So you lend your heart some of his cheek's tenderness,

So you lend your heart some softness of its cheek

and lend your body some of the languor of his gaze,

And lend your body some illness of its eyelash.

حتى تصير من النحول كخصره

حتى تصير من النحول كخصره

ويصير حملُك في هواه كردفِهِ

ويصير حملُك في هواه كردفِهِ

until you waste away to the slenderness of his waist,

Until you become, from emaciation, like its waist

and your burden of loving him grows as heavy as his rump.

And your burden for its love becomes like its hips.

فهناك إن أطفا غليلَكَ زادَه

فهناك إن أطفا غليلَكَ زادَه

حتى تودَّ بأنه لم يُطفِهِ

حتى تودَّ بأنه لم يُطفِهِ

Then, if he quenches your burning thirst, he increases it,

For there, if it quenches your anguish, it increases it

until you wish that he had not quenched it.

Until you wish it had not quenched it.