يا رَفيقي إِن كُنتَ نِعمَ الرَّفيقُ

يا رَفيقي إِن كُنتَ نِعمَ الرَّفيقُ

دَع مَلامي فَالقَلبُ صَبٌّ مَشوقُ

دَع مَلامي فَالقَلبُ صَبٌّ مَشوقُ

O my companion, if you are a good companion,

O my companion, if you're a good companion

Stop blaming me, for the heart is lovesick and yearning.

Ignore my blame, for my heart is a passionate lover

سَدَّ عَنّي الغَرامُ بابَ سُلُوّي

سَدَّ عَنّي الغَرامُ بابَ سُلُوّي

وَفُؤادي بِالوَجدِ فيهِ حَريقُ

وَفُؤادي بِالوَجدِ فيهِ حَريقُ

Passion has shut the door of solace against me,

The passion has closed for me the door of my solace

And a fire of longing burns within my heart.

And my heart within it is burning

قَمَرٌ لي مِن أَدمُعي وَسَناهُ

قَمَرٌ لي مِن أَدمُعي وَسَناهُ

شَرقٌ كُلَّما بَدا وَشُروقُ

شَرقٌ كُلَّما بَدا وَشُروقُ

A moon—my tears and his radiance bring me

I have a moon made of my tears, and its brilliance

choking and sunrise whenever he appears.

Rises whenever it shows its face

غُصنُ بانٍ غَضٌّ وَريقُ مُنى النف

غُصنُ بانٍ غَضٌّ وَريقُ مُنى النف

سِ بِفيهِ وَالخَدُّ عَضٌّ وَريقُ

سِ بِفيهِ وَالخَدُّ عَضٌّ وَريقُ

A tender, leafy bān bough; the soul's desires

A tender branch, bent, and the soft cheek of my soul's delight

are his mouth's saliva and a bite of his cheek.

Is bent, and the cheek is soft and bent

فيهِ عَفَّت سَريرَتي وَمَتى يَب

فيهِ عَفَّت سَريرَتي وَمَتى يَب

دُ فَطَرفي زانٍ بِهِ زِنديقُ

دُ فَطَرفي زانٍ بِهِ زِنديقُ

My inward self is chaste toward him; yet whenever he

In it my honor is chaste, and when does it appear

appears, my eye is an adulterer, a heretic because of him.

My eyelashes are adulterous with it, heretic

غادِرٌ بِالعُقوقِ غادَرَ دَمعي

غادِرٌ بِالعُقوقِ غادَرَ دَمعي

ثَغرُهُ اللؤلُؤيُّ وَهوَ عَقيقُ

ثَغرُهُ اللؤلُؤيُّ وَهوَ عَقيقُ

Faithless in his cruel neglect: my tears were left

Abandoning faithlessness, he abandoned my tears

as red agate by his pearly mouth.

His lucent lips, they are carnelian

طَرقتني طَوارِقُ الهَمِّ لَمّا

طَرقتني طَوارِقُ الهَمِّ لَمّا

لَم يَزُرني مِنهُ خَيالٌ طَروقُ

لَم يَزُرني مِنهُ خَيالٌ طَروقُ

Sorrow's night-visitors came upon me when

The specters of anxiety besieged me when

no night-visiting phantom of him came to me.

No image of him came to visit me at night

كَيفَ يَغشى الخَيالُ لَيلاً طُروقاً

كَيفَ يَغشى الخَيالُ لَيلاً طُروقاً

عاشِقاً عَنهُ أَعرَضَ المَعشوقِ

عاشِقاً عَنهُ أَعرَضَ المَعشوقِ

How can the phantom come by night to visit

How can a specter overwhelm lovers at night

a lover from whom the beloved has turned away?

When the beloved has turned away from them

لَحظُهُ سَيفُهُ يُريقُ دِماءً

لَحظُهُ سَيفُهُ يُريقُ دِماءً

وَعَلى أَنَّهُ يُريقُ يَروقُ

وَعَلى أَنَّهُ يُريقُ يَروقُ

His glance is his sword, shedding blood;

His glance is his sword that spills blood

and though it sheds blood, it delights.

And though it spills, it is pleasing

فُقتُ حُزناً إِذ فاقَ حُسناً وَمِن سك

فُقتُ حُزناً إِذ فاقَ حُسناً وَمِن سك

رِ هَواهُ أَمسَيتُ لَيسَ أَفيقُ

رِ هَواهُ أَمسَيتُ لَيسَ أَفيقُ

I excelled in sorrow as he excelled in beauty; and from the intoxication

I despaired in sorrow when his beauty surpassed

of loving him, I have become unable to sober.

And from the drunkenness of his love I became insensible

شَقَّ قَلبي بِالوَجدِ إِذ لاحَ في خَد

شَقَّ قَلبي بِالوَجدِ إِذ لاحَ في خَد

ديهِ وَردٌ مُضاعَفٌ وَشَقيقُ

ديهِ وَردٌ مُضاعَفٌ وَشَقيقُ

My heart was cleft with longing when on his cheeks

It tore my heart with passion when a doubled, layered rose

double-petaled roses and anemones appeared.

Appeared on his cheek

في هَواهُ أَشكو الَّذي يَشتَكي مِن

في هَواهُ أَشكو الَّذي يَشتَكي مِن

ثِقَلِ الرِّدفِ الخَصرُ وَهوَ دَقيقُ

ثِقَلِ الرِّدفِ الخَصرُ وَهوَ دَقيقُ

In loving him, I lament the same burden

Of his love I complain of what complains

the slender waist bears beneath the weight of the haunches.

Of the heaviness of the hips, and it is delicate

وَرَدَ الوَردُ فَاِسقِني بِنتَ كَرَمٍ

وَرَدَ الوَردُ فَاِسقِني بِنتَ كَرَمٍ

باتَ يَجلو عَروسَها الرَّاووقُ

باتَ يَجلو عَروسَها الرَّاووقُ

The roses have arrived; pour me the daughter of the vine,

The roses have come, so serve me, daughter of nobility

the bride the wine-strainer spent the night unveiling.

Stayed awake by her groom, the watchman

ما بَدَت لِلقُسوسِ في الكَأسِ إِلّا

ما بَدَت لِلقُسوسِ في الكَأسِ إِلّا

قَدَّسوها وَصَلَّبَ الجاثَليقُ

قَدَّسوها وَصَلَّبَ الجاثَليقُ

She never appeared to the priests in the cup without

In the goblet, nothing appeared to the priests

their consecrating her and the Catholicos crossing himself.

Except they sanctified it, and the patriarch was crucified

ما تَرى الطَيرَ في الغُصونِ تُغَنّي

ما تَرى الطَيرَ في الغُصونِ تُغَنّي

وَلنا بِالرَبيعِ رَوضٌ أَنيقُ

وَلنا بِالرَبيعِ رَوضٌ أَنيقُ

Do you not see the birds singing in the branches?

You don't see the birds singing in the branches

And in spring we have a lovely garden,

And for us in spring there is an elegant garden

وَأَكُفُّ المَنثورِ تَلطِمُ خَدَّ ال

وَأَكُفُّ المَنثورِ تَلطِمُ خَدَّ ال

وَردِ كَيما يَفوحُ مِسكٌ سَحيقُ

وَردِ كَيما يَفوحُ مِسكٌ سَحيقُ

and the palms of the stock-flowers slap the cheek of the

I cease the scattered rain from striking the cheek

rose, so that finely ground musk may waft.

Of the rose, so that heavy musk will emanate