أيا وجدُ أبقيتَ حتّى على صبري

أيا وجدُ أبقيتَ حتّى على صبري

ويا دمعُ أطلعتَ الوشاة على سرّي

ويا دمعُ أطلعتَ الوشاة على سرّي

O longing, have you spared even my patience?

O longing, have you spared even my patience?

O tears, you have let the informers discover my secret.

And O tears, you have revealed my secret to the tale-bearers.

ويا قلبُ إن ساعدتَ من لامَ في الهوى

ويا قلبُ إن ساعدتَ من لامَ في الهوى

فلا زلتَ في نارِ الصَّبابة والهجرِ

فلا زلتَ في نارِ الصَّبابة والهجرِ

O heart, if you side with whoever blames me for love,

And O heart, if you side with whoever reproaches me for love,

then may you never leave the fire of passion and estrangement.

then may you ever remain in the fire of longing and estrangement.

ويا عاذلي إن كنت تطلب سلوتي

ويا عاذلي إن كنت تطلب سلوتي

فأطلق فؤادي فهو في ربقةِ الأسرِ

فأطلق فؤادي فهو في ربقةِ الأسرِ

O you who reproach me, if you seek my release from love,

And O my reproacher, if you wish me to forget my love,

then free my heart, for it is bound in captivity’s noose.

then free my heart, for it is in captivity's noose.

وإلاّ فدَعْني والغرام فما سوى

وإلاّ فدَعْني والغرام فما سوى

فؤادي يَفْنَى أو سوى عبرتي تجري

فؤادي يَفْنَى أو سوى عبرتي تجري

Otherwise, leave me alone with passion, for there is no other course:

Otherwise, leave me with passion, for only

my heart shall perish, or my tears shall flow.

my heart will perish, or only my tears will flow.

وعذرك في ترك الملامةِ واضحٌ

وعذرك في ترك الملامةِ واضحٌ

وما ليَ في تركِ الصبَّابة مِن عُذرِ

وما ليَ في تركِ الصبَّابة مِن عُذرِ

Your excuse for ceasing to reproach me is plain,

Your excuse for ceasing your reproach is clear,

but I have no excuse for abandoning passion.

but I have no excuse for abandoning ardent longing.

ولم يتلقّ العذل قلبي وإنّما

ولم يتلقّ العذل قلبي وإنّما

تلقّاه منّي ما بأذنيَ من وقْرِ

تلقّاه منّي ما بأذنيَ من وقْرِ

Reproach has never seized my heart; it only

Reproach did not reach my heart; rather,

meets from me the deafness lodged within my ears.

what received it in me was the deafness in my ear.

وبي فاتر الألحاظ تُزْري لحاظُه

وبي فاتر الألحاظ تُزْري لحاظُه

ومعطفُه الميّاد بالبيض والسُّمرِ

ومعطفُه الميّاد بالبيض والسُّمرِ

I am enthralled by a languid-eyed one whose glances—

I am smitten with a languid-eyed one; his glances cast shame—

and whose swaying, supple form—put white swords and brown lances to shame.

as does his swaying form—upon bright swords and tawny spears.

إذا ما غَزت ألحاظُه قلْبَ عاشقٍ

إذا ما غَزت ألحاظُه قلْبَ عاشقٍ

تعودُ سريعاً بالْغَنيمةِ والنَّصر

تعودُ سريعاً بالْغَنيمةِ والنَّصر

Whenever his glances raid a lover’s heart,

Whenever his glances raid a lover's heart,

they swiftly return with booty and victory.

they return swiftly with booty and victory.

غزالٌ إلى سُوق القلوبِ جفونُه

غزالٌ إلى سُوق القلوبِ جفونُه

وجَلَبْنَ الهوى من حيث أدري ولا أدري

وجَلَبْنَ الهوى من حيث أدري ولا أدري

A gazelle—into the marketplace of hearts his eyelids

A gazelle—his eyelids are bound for the market of hearts,

have brought love from where I know and where I do not.

and have brought love from sources I know and know not.

يعلّم علمَ السّحرِ هاروتَ إن رنا

يعلّم علمَ السّحرِ هاروتَ إن رنا

بناظره النَّفاث في عُقَدِ الصبَّرِ

بناظره النَّفاث في عُقَدِ الصبَّرِ

Whenever he gazes, he teaches Hārūt the lore of sorcery

He teaches Harut the art of sorcery when he gazes

with his spell-breathing eye, upon the knots of patience.

with his eye, which breathes spells into the knots of patience.

ويحكيه قدّ الغصْن عند اعتدالِه

ويحكيه قدّ الغصْن عند اعتدالِه

إذا ما تَثنّى في غلائلهِ الخُضْرِ

إذا ما تَثنّى في غلائلهِ الخُضْرِ

The bough’s figure imitates him when it stands upright,

And a branch's form, in its poise, resembles him

and whenever it sways in its green robes.

when it sways in its green robes.

وهيهات أَينَ الغُصن منهُ وما لَه

وهيهات أَينَ الغُصن منهُ وما لَه

رضابٌ سلافيِّ ولا شنبُ دُرّيَ

رضابٌ سلافيِّ ولا شنبُ دُرّيَ

But far from it! Where is the bough beside him? It has

But far from it! How can a branch compare with him? It has no

no mouth-nectar like pure wine, nor pearly freshness of teeth.

wine-like saliva, nor pearly freshness of teeth.

عجبت لِخمرٍ لم أذقها بثغرِه

عجبت لِخمرٍ لم أذقها بثغرِه

على أنّني منها مدى الدَّهر في سكرِ

على أنّني منها مدى الدَّهر في سكرِ

I marvel at a wine I have never tasted from his mouth,

I marvel at a wine I have never tasted from his lips,

although from it I remain drunk for all time.

though I am forever drunk on it.

ونون عذارٍ في صحيفةِ خدِّه

ونون عذارٍ في صحيفةِ خدِّه

ولم تقِ ماضي مقلتيه من الكَسْر

ولم تقِ ماضي مقلتيه من الكَسْر

The letter nūn traced by a side-lock upon the page of his cheek

And the nūn-shaped down on the page of his cheek

could not guard the keen blade of his eyes from kasr—breaking.

did not shield the keen edge of his eyes from breaking.

أبثّ له شجوي فيزداد قسوةً

أبثّ له شجوي فيزداد قسوةً

إذا قلتُ يوماً راقبِ الله في أمري

إذا قلتُ يوماً راقبِ الله في أمري

I confide my complaint to him, and he grows still more cruel

I pour out my sorrow to him, and he grows more cruel

whenever I say, “For once, be mindful of God in my plight.”

if ever I say, 'Be mindful of God in how you treat me.'

إلى الله أشكو إن في القلب لوعةً

إلى الله أشكو إن في القلب لوعةً

يضيقُ بها إن أضرمتْ نارَها صَبْري

يضيقُ بها إن أضرمتْ نارَها صَبْري

To God I complain: within my heart is a burning anguish

To God I complain: my heart holds a burning anguish

by which my patience is constricted whenever its fire is kindled;

that my patience cannot bear when it kindles its fire,

وحاجات نَفسٍ عزَّ عندي بلوغُها

وحاجات نَفسٍ عزَّ عندي بلوغُها

وهُنّ اقتراحي واشتراطي على الدَّهرِ

وهُنّ اقتراحي واشتراطي على الدَّهرِ

and desires of my soul whose attainment is beyond me—

and desires of the soul whose fulfillment is hard for me—

they are what I demand and stipulate of Fate.

and these are my demands and conditions laid upon Time.