لَها نَظرَةً لا يَدَّعي فِعلَها الخَمرُ

لَها نَظرَةً لا يَدَّعي فِعلَها الخَمرُ

وَلي سَكرَةٌ لا يَقتَضي مِثلَها السُكرُ

وَلي سَكرَةٌ لا يَقتَضي مِثلَها السُكرُ

She has a glance whose effect wine cannot claim.

She has a gaze, not even wine can claim to have done it

And mine is an intoxication whose like drunkenness cannot produce.

And I have an intoxication, unmatched even by drunkenness

هِيَ الدارُ في حالَي نَواها وَقُربِها

هِيَ الدارُ في حالَي نَواها وَقُربِها

فَإِن تَدنُ فَالمَغنى وَإِن تَنأَ فَالقَفرُ

فَإِن تَدنُ فَالمَغنى وَإِن تَنأَ فَالقَفرُ

She is the abode, whether distant or near:

It is the abode in my state, its nearness and distance

If she draws near, a dwelling; if she draws away, a desert.

If it comes near, that is life, and if it distances, that is desolation

وَيَبكي دَماً إِن بِتَّ ضَيفاً لِذِكرِهِ

وَيَبكي دَماً إِن بِتَّ ضَيفاً لِذِكرِهِ

وَما اِسمُكَ إِلّا الضَيفُ بَيَّتَهُ الفِكرُ

وَما اِسمُكَ إِلّا الضَيفُ بَيَّتَهُ الفِكرُ

And he weeps blood if you spend the night a guest of his remembrance;

It makes me weep blood when I stay remembering it

And your name is only 'the guest whom thought has lodged for the night.'

And is not your name but a guest, hosted by thought?

وَأَمّا الدَمُ الجاري فَمِن عَقرِ قَلبِهِ

وَأَمّا الدَمُ الجاري فَمِن عَقرِ قَلبِهِ

وَأَعلى كَراماتِ الضُيوفِ هَوَ العَقرُ

وَأَعلى كَراماتِ الضُيوفِ هَوَ العَقرُ

And as for the flowing blood, it comes from slaughtering his heart;

As for the flowing blood, it is from the slaying of his heart

And the highest honor shown to guests is slaughtering a beast.

And the utmost hospitality for guests is slaying

أَيا دَهرُ لا مَن قَد هَويتُ وَلا الصِبا

أَيا دَهرُ لا مَن قَد هَويتُ وَلا الصِبا

وَلَم يَبقَ لا كاسي الشَبابِ وَلا الوَفرُ

وَلَم يَبقَ لا كاسي الشَبابِ وَلا الوَفرُ

O Time, neither the one I loved nor youth is left;

O fate, not the one I fell for, nor my youth

And neither youth's covering nor abundance remains.

Neither my cloak of youth remains, nor its abundance

فَيا لَيتَ دَهري بَعضُ مَن قَد عَدِمتُهُ

فَيا لَيتَ دَهري بَعضُ مَن قَد عَدِمتُهُ

وَيا وَيلَتي أَفنى وَما فَنِيَ الدَهرُ

وَيا وَيلَتي أَفنى وَما فَنِيَ الدَهرُ

If only my Time were among those I have lost!

Oh, if only my fate were like some of those who are gone

And alas for me! I perish, but Time does not perish.

And woe to me, it is ended while fate has not ended

سَأُبقي عَلى الأَحرارِ مِنهُ بَقِيَّةً

سَأُبقي عَلى الأَحرارِ مِنهُ بَقِيَّةً

يَسوءُهُمُ أَلّا يُنادي لَها حُرُّ

يَسوءُهُمُ أَلّا يُنادي لَها حُرُّ

I shall leave the noble a remnant of it;

I will remain for the free ones a remnant from it

It grieves them that no noble man cries out for it.

It is ugly for them, that no free man calls to it

وَإِنَّ العَذابَ الأَكبَرَ البَينُ فَاِبكِهِ

وَإِنَّ العَذابَ الأَكبَرَ البَينُ فَاِبكِهِ

وَإِنَّ عَذاباً دونَ ذَلِكُمُ الهَجرُ

وَإِنَّ عَذاباً دونَ ذَلِكُمُ الهَجرُ

And separation is the greatest torment, so weep for it;

Verily the greatest torment is separation, so weep for it

And estrangement is a lesser torment than that.

And verily, less than that is estrangement

وَلِهتُ فَوَصفي لَم يُحَصِّلهُ واصِفٌ

وَلِهتُ فَوَصفي لَم يُحَصِّلهُ واصِفٌ

فَلا جَزَعٌ لي يَومَ بانوا وَلا صَبرُ

فَلا جَزَعٌ لي يَومَ بانوا وَلا صَبرُ

I was distraught; no describer could capture my state;

I became distracted, so my description did not avail

So on the day they departed, I had neither anguish nor patience.

So I have neither despair the day they are distant, nor patience

وَلَو بَدَّلوني مِن مَلامٍ شَفاعَةً

وَلَو بَدَّلوني مِن مَلامٍ شَفاعَةً

إِلى مَن عَلَيهِ اللَومُ لَاِعتَدَلَ الأَمرُ

إِلى مَن عَلَيهِ اللَومُ لَاِعتَدَلَ الأَمرُ

And had they offered me intercession instead of reproach,

If they would change blame about me into intercession

With the one on whom the blame lies, the matter would have been set right.

To the one blamed, the matter would be made right

أَرى نُذُراً لِلبَينِ صَرَّحَ وَعدُها

أَرى نُذُراً لِلبَينِ صَرَّحَ وَعدُها

عَلَيَّ إِذا ما الدَهرُ أَخلَفَها نَذرُ

عَلَيَّ إِذا ما الدَهرُ أَخلَفَها نَذرُ

I see portents of parting whose promise is plain;

I see vows of separation, its promise pronounced

I am bound by a vow if Time proves them false.

Upon me, when fate does not fulfill its vow

وَلَو أَنَّني سايَرتُ رَوضَةَ حُسنِهِ

وَلَو أَنَّني سايَرتُ رَوضَةَ حُسنِهِ

لَسايَرَها مِن بَينِ أَجفانِهِ نَهرُ

لَسايَرَها مِن بَينِ أَجفانِهِ نَهرُ

And were I to walk beside the garden of his beauty,

If only I had walked along the meadow of his beauty

A river would run beside it from between his eyelids.

A stream would have walked along from between his eyelids

يَقولونَ إِنَّ الدَمعَ باحَ بِسِرِّهِ

يَقولونَ إِنَّ الدَمعَ باحَ بِسِرِّهِ

وَهَل كانَ ما بَيني وَبَينَكُمُ سِرُّ

وَهَل كانَ ما بَيني وَبَينَكُمُ سِرُّ

They say that tears have divulged his secret;

They say tears have divulged their secret

And was what lay between me and you ever a secret?

But was there really a secret between you and I?

وَماذا عَلى عَينٍ تَرى الحُسنَ رَوضَةً

وَماذا عَلى عَينٍ تَرى الحُسنَ رَوضَةً

إِذا ما جَرى مِن فَيضِ أَدمُعِها قَطرُ

إِذا ما جَرى مِن فَيضِ أَدمُعِها قَطرُ

And what blame lies on an eye that sees beauty as a garden,

What fault for an eye that sees beauty as a meadow

If rain streams from the overflow of its tears?

When from the abundance of its tears, a drop flows?