أَوائِلُ حُبٍّ ما لَهُنّ أَواخِرُ

أَوائِلُ حُبٍّ ما لَهُنّ أَواخِرُ

خَواطِرُ لا تَنْفكُّ عَنْهَا الخَواطِرُ

خَواطِرُ لا تَنْفكُّ عَنْهَا الخَواطِرُ

Love's beginnings have no endings;

Beginnings of love have no endings

Thoughts from which thoughts never break free.

Thoughts that do not cease to recur

فَفِي الحُبّ مَعْنىً يَنْثَني عَنْكَ فِكْرهُ

فَفِي الحُبّ مَعْنىً يَنْثَني عَنْكَ فِكْرهُ

وفِي القلبِ مَأْوىً يَلْتَوِي عَنْكَ نَاظِرُ

وفِي القلبِ مَأْوىً يَلْتَوِي عَنْكَ نَاظِرُ

For in love lies a meaning, the thought of which eludes you;

In love there is meaning that evades your thinking

And in the heart a refuge; an eye turns aside from you.

In the heart there is refuge that turns from your gaze

فَقلْبيَ في بَحْرِ الصَّبابةِ وَاقعٌ

فَقلْبيَ في بَحْرِ الصَّبابةِ وَاقعٌ

غَرِيقٌ ولُبِّي في فَضَا الوَجْدِ طائِرُ

غَرِيقٌ ولُبِّي في فَضَا الوَجْدِ طائِرُ

So my heart has fallen into the sea of longing,

So my heart lies sunk in the sea of passion

Drowned, while my mind flies through the expanse of passion.

Drowning while my essence flies free in the sky of desire

وَلي نَفَسٌ مِنْ لَوْعَتي مُتَصاعِدٌ

وَلي نَفَسٌ مِنْ لَوْعَتي مُتَصاعِدٌ

وَدَمْعي على شَطّ النَّوَى مُتَحادِرُ

وَدَمْعي على شَطّ النَّوَى مُتَحادِرُ

And I have a sigh rising from my anguish,

My breath rises from my burning pain

And my tears stream down upon the shore of separation.

My tears flow down the banks of my longing

وَمُعْتَدِلٍ قَدْ أَنْصَفَ الحُسْنُ خَلْقَهُ

وَمُعْتَدِلٍ قَدْ أَنْصَفَ الحُسْنُ خَلْقَهُ

ولكنَّهُ في مَذْهَبِ الحُبِّ جائِرُ

ولكنَّهُ في مَذْهَبِ الحُبِّ جائِرُ

And a well-proportioned one—beauty has done justice to his form,

Balanced, perfection itself made beauty

Yet he is unjust in the ways of love.

But when it comes to love, it is biased

يُبرّدُ قلبي خَدُّه وهُوَ جَمْرَةٌ

يُبرّدُ قلبي خَدُّه وهُوَ جَمْرَةٌ

ويَحْرِقُ قَلْبي طَرْفُهُ وهُوَ فَاتِرُ

ويَحْرِقُ قَلْبي طَرْفُهُ وهُوَ فَاتِرُ

His cheek cools my heart, though it is an ember;

His cheek cools my heart though it's fiery embers

And his gaze burns my heart, though it is languid.

His glance burns my heart though it's chilled

أَبُوحُ وأُخْفِي هكذا سُنَّةُ الهَوَى

أَبُوحُ وأُخْفِي هكذا سُنَّةُ الهَوَى

ولِلصَّبِّ في الشَّكْوَى عَذُولٌ وعَاذِرُ

ولِلصَّبِّ في الشَّكْوَى عَذُولٌ وعَاذِرُ

I reveal and conceal: such is the way of love;

I confess and conceal, such is the way of passion

And the lovesick lover, in complaint, has one who blames and one who excuses.

For yearning has one who chides and one who refuses

وَلِلْوَجْدِ ما أَنْشَا لِسَاني ومَدْمَعِي

وَلِلْوَجْدِ ما أَنْشَا لِسَاني ومَدْمَعِي

وَلِلْودِّ ما ضمَّت عليه السَّرائِرُ

وَلِلْودِّ ما ضمَّت عليه السَّرائِرُ

And to passion belongs what my tongue and tearful eye have brought forth;

My tongue and tears vent all that fervor brings

And to affection belongs what the innermost secrets have enfolded.

My innermost self conceals all that affection contains