وَلا تَحسَبوني بائِحاً بِحَديثِكُم

وَلا تَحسَبوني بائِحاً بِحَديثِكُم

فَذاكَ قَطينٌ لا يَريمُ ضُلوعي

فَذاكَ قَطينٌ لا يَريمُ ضُلوعي

And do not think me one to divulge your story;

Do not think me shameless if I speak of you,

For it is a lodger that never leaves my ribs.

That is a flea that cannot pierce my ribs.

إلى مَن وَقَد حَدَّثتُ عَيني بِسِرِّكُم

إلى مَن وَقَد حَدَّثتُ عَيني بِسِرِّكُم

فَنَمَّت مَعانيهِ بِلَفظِ دُموعي

فَنَمَّت مَعانيهِ بِلَفظِ دُموعي

To whom would I tell it? Yet I have already told my eye your secret,

To whom have I confided the secret of my eyes,

So it betrayed its meanings in the language of my tears.

That their meanings took shape in the words of my tears.

تَحولُ دُموعُ العَينِ بَيني وَبَينَكُم

تَحولُ دُموعُ العَينِ بَيني وَبَينَكُم

وَلا سِيَّما إِن شُبتُها بِنَجيعِ

وَلا سِيَّما إِن شُبتُها بِنَجيعِ

The eye's tears stand between me and you,

My tears stand between me and you,

And especially if I mingle them with blood.

Especially when their flow is copious.

فَلا إِن حَضَرتُمُ مُلِّئَت بِوُجوهِكُم

فَلا إِن حَضَرتُمُ مُلِّئَت بِوُجوهِكُم

وَلا حينَ غِبتُم عُلِّلَت بِرُجوعِ

وَلا حينَ غِبتُم عُلِّلَت بِرُجوعِ

So neither, when you are present, is it filled with your faces,

So neither when you are present am I filled with your faces,

Nor, when you are absent, is it consoled with hopes of return.

Nor when you are absent am I troubled by your return.

لَها اللَهُ مِن عَينٍ تَغَطَّت بِأَدمُعٍ

لَها اللَهُ مِن عَينٍ تَغَطَّت بِأَدمُعٍ

فَلَم تَرَ عِندَ العَتبِ ذُلَّ خُضوعي

فَلَم تَرَ عِندَ العَتبِ ذُلَّ خُضوعي

God be with that eye, which veiled itself in tears,

Praise be to Allah for an eye that is veiled in tears

So it did not see, amid reproach, the abasement of my submission.

That did not see humiliation in reproach.

وَلَمّا رَمَيتُم مِن عُيونٍ بِأَسهُمٍ

وَلَمّا رَمَيتُم مِن عُيونٍ بِأَسهُمٍ

تَلَقَّيتُها مِن أَدمُعٍ بِدُروعي

تَلَقَّيتُها مِن أَدمُعٍ بِدُروعي

And when you shot arrows from your eyes,

And when you shot from eyes vindictive arrows

I met them with my armor of tears.

I received them from tears with my armor.