قد كان طوعَ الهوى فكيف عصا

قد كان طوعَ الهوى فكيف عصا

ومستقيماً فما له نَكَصَا

ومستقيماً فما له نَكَصَا

He once obeyed love; how, then, did he rebel?

He was obedient to passion, so how did he disobey?

And he kept a straight course; why did he turn back?

And once upright, what made him regress?

أَعْجِبْ به خاتلاً ألانَ لك ال

أَعْجِبْ به خاتلاً ألانَ لك ال

مِقْوَدَ حتّى إذا اشتهى قمَصَا

مِقْوَدَ حتّى إذا اشتهى قمَصَا

Marvel at him, a deceiver who made pliant for you the

Marvel at him misleading you after he seemed gentle,

rein, until, when he wished, he bucked.

Holding the reins until, when he wished, he stripped off his shirt.

فكيف منْ قَيْدِ حِفْظك الموثَقِ انف

فكيف منْ قَيْدِ حِفْظك الموثَقِ انف

كَّ ومن ضيقِ سجنه خَلَصا

كَّ ومن ضيقِ سجنه خَلَصا

How, then, from the secure fetter of your keeping did he break

So how did he, from your secure, bound protection,

free, and escape the confines of his prison?

Escape the fetter and from his narrow prison slip out?

أَفارقَ الفخَّ والحبائلَ وال

أَفارقَ الفخَّ والحبائلَ وال

أشراكَ قَسْراً أم كسر القفصا

أشراكَ قَسْراً أم كسر القفصا

Did he leave the trap, the nooses, and the

Did he leave the snare and bonds and entanglements

snares by force, or did he break the cage?

And grids by force, or did he break open the cage?

لا شَبَكُ الودِّ ردَّ منه ولا

لا شَبَكُ الودِّ ردَّ منه ولا

دِبْقُ التصافي إِذ مرَّ مُمَّلِصَا

دِبْقُ التصافي إِذ مرَّ مُمَّلِصَا

Neither affection's netting held him back, nor

Neither the net of love turned him back, nor

the birdlime of mutual affection, as he slipped away.

The clinging of fidelity when he passed by, set free.

يا مَنْ إِذا ما حصى العلا حُسِبَتْ

يا مَنْ إِذا ما حصى العلا حُسِبَتْ

أَلفيتَه أكثرَ الأنامِ حصى

أَلفيتَه أكثرَ الأنامِ حصى

O you whom, when the pebbles of glory are counted,

O you, when the sublime are counted, your intimacy is reckoned

one finds to have the most pebbles of all mankind:

As more than most people's counting.

ما زلتَ منْ أقنصِ البرية لل

ما زلتَ منْ أقنصِ البرية لل

وحشِ فأنْسِيتَ بعديَ القَنَصا

وحشِ فأنْسِيتَ بعديَ القَنَصا

You have always been among mankind's most skillful hunters of

You never ceased, of the wild beasts in the wilderness,

wild beasts; yet in my absence you were made to forget the hunt.

To be the most cunning, till after me you forgot cunning.

لغرَّك الظبيُ فاغتررتَ به

لغرَّك الظبيُ فاغتررتَ به

حتى إذا فرصةً رأى افترصا

حتى إذا فرصةً رأى افترصا

The gazelle surely deceived you, so you were taken in by him,

The gazelle deceived you, so you were deluded by him,

until, when he saw a chance, he seized it.

Until when he spied an opportunity, he took advantage of it.

كان إِذا ما صَحَحْتَ في حبّه اعت

كان إِذا ما صَحَحْتَ في حبّه اعت

لَّ وإن زدتَ صبوةً نَقَصا

لَّ وإن زدتَ صبوةً نَقَصا

Whenever you were sound in your love for him, he fell

When you were sincere in your love of him, he was insolent,

ill; and if your passion grew, his diminished.

And if you showed more passion, he was disdainful.

وإِن تسربلتَ فيه قُمْصَ أَسىً

وإِن تسربلتَ فيه قُمْصَ أَسىً

تَسَرْبَلَ الصبرَ قَلْبُهُ قُمُصَا

تَسَرْبَلَ الصبرَ قَلْبُهُ قُمُصَا

And if on his account you donned shirts of sorrow,

And if you put on a shirt of sorrow for him,

his heart clothed itself in shirts of patience.

His heart put on a shirt of patience.

فالبسْ عزاءً واصدقْ فؤادَك في

فالبسْ عزاءً واصدقْ فؤادَك في

سلوةِ مَنْ إِنْ صَدَقْتَهُ اخْتَرصا

سلوةِ مَنْ إِنْ صَدَقْتَهُ اخْتَرصا

So wear consolation, and be honest with your heart in

So dress in consolation, and make your heart true in

forgetting one who, if you tell him the truth, invents lies.

The solace of one whom, if you are loyal to him, you will find loyal.

واغلُ إذا ما غلا عليك ولا

واغلُ إذا ما غلا عليك ولا

تَرْخُصْ له في الهوى وإن رَخُصا

تَرْخُصْ له في الهوى وإن رَخُصا

And be costly when he is costly to you, and do not

Be harsh if he is harsh with you, and do not

be cheap to him in love, even if he grows cheap.

Make things easy for him in passion, even if he makes it easy.

فقصّةُ الحبِّ إن عَدلْتَ بها

فقصّةُ الحبِّ إن عَدلْتَ بها

عن سَنَنِ الحزم أَصْبَحَتْ قِصصا

عن سَنَنِ الحزم أَصْبَحَتْ قِصصا

For love's tale, if you turn it aside

For the tale of love, if you deviate with it from

from the path of prudence, becomes many tales.

The ways of wisdom, will become just tales.

غيرُك منْ إِن تَخَفْ عليه أبا

غيرُك منْ إِن تَخَفْ عليه أبا

إِسحقَ مكروهَ حِرْصِهِ حَرَصا

إِسحقَ مكروهَ حِرْصِهِ حَرَصا

Another, not you, is the man who—if you fear for him, Abu

Unlike you, if you fear for Ishaq

Ishaq, the harm of his craving—still craves,

The hated greed of his craving.

وَمَنْ إِذا ما الهوى أطافَ به

وَمَنْ إِذا ما الهوى أطافَ به

تَقَسَّمَتْهُ أَيدي الهوى حِصَصَا

تَقَسَّمَتْهُ أَيدي الهوى حِصَصَا

And the man whom, whenever passion surrounds him,

And he who, when passion encircles him,

the hands of passion divide into shares.

Is parceled out by the hands of passion into portions.