وَطِّدْ فُؤادَكَ كُلُّنا عُشَّاقُ

وَطِّدْ فُؤادَكَ كُلُّنا عُشَّاقُ

طارَ الهَوَى فينا لمنْ نَشْتاقُ

طارَ الهَوَى فينا لمنْ نَشْتاقُ

Steady your heart; we are all lovers.

Strengthen your heart, we are all lovers

Love has taken wing within us toward those we long for.

Passion has soared in us for the one we yearn for

أخَذَتْ فُنونُ العِشقِ كلَّ قُلوبِنا

أخَذَتْ فُنونُ العِشقِ كلَّ قُلوبِنا

وتَمَكَّنَتْ بِجَميعِها الأحْراقُ

وتَمَكَّنَتْ بِجَميعِها الأحْراقُ

The many arts of love have seized all our hearts,

The arts of love have seized all our hearts

and burning pains have taken hold of them all.

And burned them all with passion

نارٌ تَشُبُّ وزَفْرَةٌ لا تَنْطَفي

نارٌ تَشُبُّ وزَفْرَةٌ لا تَنْطَفي

الله هذا الشَّأنُ كيفَ يُطاقُ

الله هذا الشَّأنُ كيفَ يُطاقُ

A fire flares, and a sigh will not be quenched.

A fire kindles and a blaze that does not extinguish

O God, how can this state be borne?

My God, how can this state be endured?

سَكَنَ الغرامُ القلبَ غيرَ مُزَحْزَحٍ

سَكَنَ الغرامُ القلبَ غيرَ مُزَحْزَحٍ

ومنَ العجائبِ بَيْتُهُ خَفَّاقُ

ومنَ العجائبِ بَيْتُهُ خَفَّاقُ

Passion has settled in the heart, never to be dislodged,

Love has settled in the heart, unshaken

and among the wonders is that its dwelling flutters.

And the wondrous thing, its home flutters

قَيْدٌ وإطْلاقٌ ببيتٍ واحدٍ

قَيْدٌ وإطْلاقٌ ببيتٍ واحدٍ

في القلبِ منِّي القَيدُ والإطْلاقُ

في القلبِ منِّي القَيدُ والإطْلاقُ

Bondage and release in a single house:

Bondage and freedom in one house

in my heart are bondage and release.

In my heart, the bondage and freedom from me

لو شِمْتَنا يومَ الفِراقِ ذَواهلاً

لو شِمْتَنا يومَ الفِراقِ ذَواهلاً

لَرأيتَ كيفَ إلى القٌبورِ نُساقُ

لَرأيتَ كيفَ إلى القٌبورِ نُساقُ

Had you seen us dazed on the day of parting,

If you had smelled us on the day of parting, bewildered

you would have seen how we are driven to the graves.

You would have seen how we are led to the graves

وحَياتِكُمْ يا من لأجلِ عُيونِكُمْ

وحَياتِكُمْ يا من لأجلِ عُيونِكُمْ

ها دَمعُ عَيني فائِضٌ رَقْراقُ

ها دَمعُ عَيني فائِضٌ رَقْراقُ

And by your life, O you for whose eyes

And your lives, O you for whose eyes

my eye's tears—behold!—overflow, shimmering;

My tears overflow, streaming down

وجَميلِكُمْ وجَمالِكُمْ ودَلالِكُمْ

وجَميلِكُمْ وجَمالِكُمْ ودَلالِكُمْ

وخَيالِكُمْ إذْ للخَيالِ يُساقُ

وخَيالِكُمْ إذْ للخَيالِ يُساقُ

and by your kindness, your beauty, and your coy allure,

And your beauty, your grace, your charm

and by your image, when it is brought before the imagination,

And your image, for which one is led

ولَطيفِ أشرفِ نَظْرَةٍ لوُجوهِكُمْ

ولَطيفِ أشرفِ نَظْرَةٍ لوُجوهِكُمْ

هي للفُؤادِ وسَمِّهِ تِرْياقُ

هي للفُؤادِ وسَمِّهِ تِرْياقُ

and by the delicate grace of the noblest glance at your faces—

And the gentle, noble glance of your faces

it is an antidote for the heart and its poison—

Is for the heart a healing remedy

ما لي بغيرِ جَنابكمْ أملٌ ولو

ما لي بغيرِ جَنابكمْ أملٌ ولو

منهُ تَسَلَّقَ للطِّباقِ نِطاقُ

منهُ تَسَلَّقَ للطِّباقِ نِطاقُ

I have no hope in any presence but yours, even if

I have no hope apart from you, even if

its reach should climb to the heavens' tiers.

It would allow the poor to climb to luxury

وإليَّ يا ظَبيَ النَّقا حَيَّرْتَني

وإليَّ يا ظَبيَ النَّقا حَيَّرْتَني

فَلَكُمْ لِقاءٌ مُقْلِقٌ وفِراقُ

فَلَكُمْ لِقاءٌ مُقْلِقٌ وفِراقُ

And come to me, O gazelle of the sand dune—you have bewildered me!

And to me, O delicate gazelle, you have confused me

For meeting you is disquieting, and so is parting.

So for you is a disturbing meeting and parting

تلكَ الحَواجبُ والحَواجبُ دونَها

تلكَ الحَواجبُ والحَواجبُ دونَها

شُغْلي وهذا المَبْسَمُ البَرَّاقُ

شُغْلي وهذا المَبْسَمُ البَرَّاقُ

Those brows—other brows fall short of them—

Those eyebrows, and the eyebrows below them

occupy me, as does this gleaming smiling mouth.

Are my preoccupation, and that dazzling smile

عبدٌ ذَليلٌ تَحتَ سِدْرَةِ عِزِّكُمْ

عبدٌ ذَليلٌ تَحتَ سِدْرَةِ عِزِّكُمْ

من دَأبِهِ الأحزانُ والإطْراقُ

من دَأبِهِ الأحزانُ والإطْراقُ

A lowly slave beneath the lote tree of your glory,

A humble slave beneath the tree of your glory

whose wont is sorrow and a bowed head,

Whose habit is sorrow and weeping

أمْضى الزَّمانَ بكم غَريقَ غَرامهِ

أمْضى الزَّمانَ بكم غَريقَ غَرامهِ

فَزَمانُهُ يا سادَتي اسْتِغْراقُ

فَزَمانُهُ يا سادَتي اسْتِغْراقُ

has spent his days drowned in his passion for you;

He spends his time drowned in passion for you

so his time, O my masters, is total immersion.

So his time, my masters, is utter absorption

يَبْكي ويَنْدبُ لَهفةً وتَوَلُّهاً

يَبْكي ويَنْدبُ لَهفةً وتَوَلُّهاً

وَيلاهُ كم فَعَلَتْ بهِ الأشواقُ

وَيلاهُ كم فَعَلَتْ بهِ الأشواقُ

He weeps and laments in yearning and lovesick bewilderment.

He weeps and laments, burning with yearning

Alas for him—what longing has done to him!

Woe to him, how the passions have afflicted him

يَرْجوكُمو عَطْفاً عليهِ بِنَظرَةٍ

يَرْجوكُمو عَطْفاً عليهِ بِنَظرَةٍ

كَرَماً ولو هو ما لهُ اسْتِحقاقُ

كَرَماً ولو هو ما لهُ اسْتِحقاقُ

He implores you for tenderness toward him with a glance,

He hopes for kindness from you with a glance

out of generosity, even if he has no claim to it.

Out of generosity, though he deserves no merit

أخَذ الغرامُ لِسانَهُ فَكَلامُهُ

أخَذ الغرامُ لِسانَهُ فَكَلامُهُ

فيهِ إذا شَرَحَ الهَوَى إغراقُ

فيهِ إذا شَرَحَ الهَوَى إغراقُ

Love has seized his tongue, so his speech

Love has seized his tongue, so his words

about it, when he expounds passion, is full of hyperbole.

Are flooded when passion inspires speech

طَلَبَ الطِّرادَ معَ الأحِبَّةِ كُلِّهمْ

طَلَبَ الطِّرادَ معَ الأحِبَّةِ كُلِّهمْ

ولهُ إذا صارَ الطِّرادُ سِباقُ

ولهُ إذا صارَ الطِّرادُ سِباقُ

He sought to joust with all the beloved ones,

He sought seclusion with all his loved ones

and when the jousting begins, he races ahead.

And when it comes to seclusion, he races to it

آياتُهُ بكُمُ لَعَمري جَمَّةٌ

آياتُهُ بكُمُ لَعَمري جَمَّةٌ

ضاقَتْ بِنَقْشِ فُنونِها الأوراقُ

ضاقَتْ بِنَقْشِ فُنونِها الأوراقُ

His signs of love for you, by my life, are many;

His verses about you, by my life, are abundant

the pages are too cramped for the inscription of their varied forms.

The pages are too narrow for the intricacy of its arts

خُلُقُ الغرامِ جَديدُهُ أخَذَتْ به

خُلُقُ الغرامِ جَديدُهُ أخَذَتْ به

للصَّبرِ في دينِ الهَوَى الأخلاقُ

للصَّبرِ في دينِ الهَوَى الأخلاقُ

Love's character, in its fresh form, has been embraced

The nature of passion's newness has seized him

by the virtues, for patience in the faith of passion.

In the religion of love, morals have changed

قد قُلْتُمو صَبراً فأُحْكِمَ أمْرُهُ

قد قُلْتُمو صَبراً فأُحْكِمَ أمْرُهُ

فيه وهذا الصَّبرُ كيفَ يُذاقُ

فيه وهذا الصَّبرُ كيفَ يُذاقُ

You have said, 'Patience!' and so its command was made firm

You told him to be patient, so he mastered it

within him—but how can this patience be tasted?

Yet how can this patience be tasted?

تَرَكَ الوُجودَ لأجْلِكُمْ فَلَهُ على

تَرَكَ الوُجودَ لأجْلِكُمْ فَلَهُ على

هذي الحَوادثِ في الوُجودِ طِلاقُ

هذي الحَوادثِ في الوُجودِ طِلاقُ

He forsook existence for your sake; thus he has, from

He abandoned existence for your sake, so he is

these happenings within existence, a divorce.

Free in existence from its calamities

فَتَدارَكوهُ بِرَأفَةٍ وتَحَنَّنوا

فَتَدارَكوهُ بِرَأفَةٍ وتَحَنَّنوا

وتَلَطَّفوا بدَمٍ لديهِ يُراقُ

وتَلَطَّفوا بدَمٍ لديهِ يُراقُ

So come to his aid with compassion, and show tenderness,

So save him with mercy, show him compassion

and be gentle with the blood being shed before him.

And gentleness, for his blood is spilled

وتَخَلَّقوا لُطْفاً بأخلاقِ الَّذي

وتَخَلَّقوا لُطْفاً بأخلاقِ الَّذي

أثْنى على أخْلاقِهِ الخَلاَّقُ

أثْنى على أخْلاقِهِ الخَلاَّقُ

And graciously adopt the character of the one

And treat him with the morals of Him

whose character the Creator praised.

Who praised the morals of the Creator