أُحِبُّهُI love him وَالسَماءِby heaven وَالطارِقْand by the night visitor
أُحِبُّهُ وَالسَماءِ وَالطارِقْ
حَبّاًa love عَفيفاًchaste ماnot اِسميmy name بِهِfor it عاشِقْa passionate lover
حَبّاً عَفيفاً ما اِسمي بِهِ عاشِقْ
I love him, by heaven and the night visitor,
I love him, the sky and the night comer
With a chaste love, for which I am not called a passionate lover.
A chaste love I have no name for, though a lover I became
ماnot ثَمَّthere إِلّاexcept عَينٌan eye أُنَعِّمُهاI gratify it
ما ثَمَّ إِلّا عَينٌ أُنَعِّمُها
وَقَولُand the saying سُبحانَglory be to رَبّيَmy Lord الخالِقْthe Creator
وَقَولُ سُبحانَ رَبّيَ الخالِقْ
There is only an eye I gratify,
Nothing else remains but a gaze I indulge
And the saying: “Glory be to my Lord, the Creator.”
And words of glory to my Creator
فَلاso let not يُعَقbe hindered عَنهُfrom him خاطِريmy thoughts عَذَلٌreproach
فَلا يُعَق عَنهُ خاطِري عَذَلٌ
وَلاand let not يَكُنit be عَنfrom عِبادَتيmy worship عائِقْa hindrance
وَلا يَكُن عَن عِبادَتي عائِقْ
So let my thoughts not be diverted from him by reproach,
So no regret distracts me from Him
And let it not be a hindrance to my worship.
Nor any obstacle impedes my worship
وَياand O حَبيباًbeloved فيin مِسمَعيmy ear مَلَقٌflattery
وَيا حَبيباً في مِسمَعي مَلَقٌ
مِنهُfrom him وَفيand in العَينِthe eye خُلَّبُdeceptive البارِقْthe lightning flash
مِنهُ وَفي العَينِ خُلَّبُ البارِقْ
And O beloved, in my ear is flattery
And O beloved, in my hearing there remains
From him, and in the eye, the deceptive flash of lightning.
An echo of him, while in my eye there flashes a bolt
طَرفُكَyour gaze مَردودَةٌrejected شَهادَتُهُits testimony
طَرفُكَ مَردودَةٌ شَهادَتُهُ
وَماand not أَجازواthey accepted شَهادَةَtestimony الفاسِقْthe sinner
وَما أَجازوا شَهادَةَ الفاسِقْ
Your gaze—its testimony is rejected,
Your glance, its testimony is rejected
And they have not accepted the sinner’s testimony.
For they allow not the testimony of the immoral
سَرَقتَyou stole قَلبيmy heart وَعَينُكَand your eye اِعتَرَفَتit confessed
سَرَقتَ قَلبي وَعَينُكَ اِعتَرَفَت
ماnot تَكتُمُconceals العَينُthe eye ريبَةَguilt السارِقْthe thief
ما تَكتُمُ العَينُ ريبَةَ السارِقْ
You stole my heart, and your eye confessed;
You stole my heart, while your eye confessed
The eye does not conceal the thief’s guilt.
The eye cannot conceal the guilt of a thief