صبٌّ له في كلِّ عُضْوٍ مَدْمَعُ

صبٌّ له في كلِّ عُضْوٍ مَدْمَعُ

هَجَعَ الخليُّ وليلُهُ ما يَهْجَعُ

هَجَعَ الخليُّ وليلُهُ ما يَهْجَعُ

A lovesick man has a tear duct in every limb.

Tears flow from every limb for you

The carefree man sleeps, but the lover's night does not sleep.

The eye has lost sleep at night

لعبَ الفراقُ بصبرهِ وعزائِهِ

لعبَ الفراقُ بصبرهِ وعزائِهِ

لَعِباً يَرِيْثُ الجِدُّ فيه وَيُسْرعُ

لَعِباً يَرِيْثُ الجِدُّ فيه وَيُسْرعُ

Separation toyed with his patience and his fortitude,

Parting played with my patience and consolation

A game in which earnestness both tarries and hastens.

A game where perseverance is slow and haste triumphs

يا وَصْلَ ذاتِ الخالِ هلْ مِنْ مُرْجِعٍ

يا وَصْلَ ذاتِ الخالِ هلْ مِنْ مُرْجِعٍ

هيهاتِ ليس لما تَوَلَّى مُرْجع

هيهاتِ ليس لما تَوَلَّى مُرْجع

O union with the woman of the beauty mark, is there anyone to restore you?

O you with the mole, will we reunite?

Alas, there is no restoring what has gone.

Alas, there is no return for one who has left

يا لذ ما أدْرِي وقد وَدَّعْتِني

يا لذ ما أدْرِي وقد وَدَّعْتِني

منْ أيِّ شيءٍ أتَّقِي أوْ أجْزَع

منْ أيِّ شيءٍ أتَّقِي أوْ أجْزَع

O sweet one, I do not know, now that you have bid me farewell,

O joy, though we bid farewell

What I should guard against, or what I should dread.

What should I fear or worry about?

بحياةِ عِصْياني عَلَيْكِ عَوَاذِلي

بحياةِ عِصْياني عَلَيْكِ عَوَاذِلي

هل كانتِ القُرباتُ عندك تَشْفَعُ

هل كانتِ القُرباتُ عندك تَشْفَعُ

By the life of my defiance of my reproachers for your sake,

My disobedient life pardoned me through you

Did acts of devotion intercede with you?

Did my gifts make you pleased?

هل تذكرينَ ليالياً بِتْنَا بها

هل تذكرينَ ليالياً بِتْنَا بها

لا أنتِ باخلةٌ ولا أنا أمْنَع

لا أنتِ باخلةٌ ولا أنا أمْنَع

Do you remember nights we spent together,

Do you remember the nights we spent together?

When you did not withhold, nor did I hold back?

You did not refrain, nor did I forbid

أُثْنِي عليكِ وكل أصفرَ مُرْهَفٍ

أُثْنِي عليكِ وكل أصفرَ مُرْهَفٍ

لهواكِ يَعْنُو أو لحمدك يَضْرَع

لهواكِ يَعْنُو أو لحمدك يَضْرَع

I praise you, and every finely sharpened yellow reed-pen

I praise you while every withered yellow flower

Bows in love of you, or humbles itself in your praise.

Yearns for your love or pleads for your praise

من كلِّ مَمْشُوقِ القضوَامِ تخالُهُ

من كلِّ مَمْشُوقِ القضوَامِ تخالُهُ

وكأنه بين الصَابِعِ إصْبَع

وكأنه بين الصَابِعِ إصْبَع

Each slender-statured one—you would imagine it,

You imagined him from every slender waist

As though it were a finger among the fingers.

As though he were a finger among fingers

عِيٌّ إذا فَرَعَ البَنَانةَ منبراً

عِيٌّ إذا فَرَعَ البَنَانةَ منبراً

شاهدتَهُ وهو الخطيبُ المِسْقَع

شاهدتَهُ وهو الخطيبُ المِسْقَع

Inarticulate—yet when it mounts the fingertip as a pulpit,

Weakened if the sprout became a pulpit

You behold it as the eloquent orator.

You saw him as the broken preacher

ولقىً إذا وصلَ الخُطَى في مُهْرَقٍ

ولقىً إذا وصلَ الخُطَى في مُهْرَقٍ

جاءَتْهُ أعناقُ الخطوبِ تَقَطَّع

جاءَتْهُ أعناقُ الخطوبِ تَقَطَّع

And a castoff—yet when it links its steps across a writing sheet,

And found if the footsteps led to destruction

The necks of calamities come to it and fall severed.

The necks of calamities came chopped