حَفِظْنا له عهداً قَديماً مُطَرَّزاً

حَفِظْنا له عهداً قَديماً مُطَرَّزاً

على القلبِ يَفْنى القلبُ والعهدُ لا يَفْنى

على القلبِ يَفْنى القلبُ والعهدُ لا يَفْنى

We kept for him an ancient pledge, embroidered

We kept an ancient covenant embroidered

upon the heart; the heart perishes, but the pledge does not.

upon the heart, the heart passes away but the covenant does not

وغِبْنا بكُمْ عن كلِّ عالٍ وخامِلٍ

وغِبْنا بكُمْ عن كلِّ عالٍ وخامِلٍ

وصُنَّا هواكُمْ في الضَّميرِ وما بُحْنا

وصُنَّا هواكُمْ في الضَّميرِ وما بُحْنا

And through you we grew oblivious to all, eminent and obscure.

We were absent from all high and low lands because of you

And we guarded our love for you deep within, and never divulged it.

And we protected your love in our conscience and did not confess

لنا منكُمُ الإِسْعافُ بالقُرْبِ مِثلَما

لنا منكُمُ الإِسْعافُ بالقُرْبِ مِثلَما

لَكُمْ مُهْجَةٌ مشْغوفَةٌ بكُمُ مِنَّا

لَكُمْ مُهْجَةٌ مشْغوفَةٌ بكُمُ مِنَّا

Ours from you is the boon of nearness, just as

We have from you help with proximity just as

yours from us is a heart enthralled by you.

you have a soul enamored with you from us

طَوَيْتُمْ بلُبِّ القلبِ آياتِ حُبِّكُمْ

طَوَيْتُمْ بلُبِّ القلبِ آياتِ حُبِّكُمْ

وعلَّمْتُموهُ في الهَوَى الحَنَّ والأَنَّا

وعلَّمْتُموهُ في الهَوَى الحَنَّ والأَنَّا

You folded the signs of your love into the heart's core,

You folded in the kernel of the heart the signs of your love

and taught it, in love, yearning and moaning.

And taught it in passion, yearning and moaning

فإنْ أَنَّ آناً أَنَّ وجداً لقُرْبِكُمْ

فإنْ أَنَّ آناً أَنَّ وجداً لقُرْبِكُمْ

وإنْ حَنَّ حِيناً للوُصولِ لَكُمْ حَنَّا

وإنْ حَنَّ حِيناً للوُصولِ لَكُمْ حَنَّا

So if it moans a moment, it moans in longing for your nearness;

If it moaned for a while out of yearning for your nearness

and if it yearns a while for union, it yearns for you.

And if it longed for a while for reunion with you, we longed

عَتَبْنا على الدَّهْرِ المُشِتِّ بفعلِهِ

عَتَبْنا على الدَّهْرِ المُشِتِّ بفعلِهِ

وكيفَ زوَى أَقْمارَ طَلْعَتِكُمْ عَنَّا

وكيفَ زوَى أَقْمارَ طَلْعَتِكُمْ عَنَّا

We reproached Time for the separation it wrought,

We blamed fate for what it has done

and for how it hid the moons of your countenance from us.

And how it has veiled the moons of your rising from us

فيا لَيْتَهُ يوماً يَرِقُّ لحالِنا

فيا لَيْتَهُ يوماً يَرِقُّ لحالِنا

ويجْمَعُنا حتَّى نَعودُ كَما كُنَّا

ويجْمَعُنا حتَّى نَعودُ كَما كُنَّا

Ah, if only one day it would take pity on our plight,

If only it would one day soften for our condition

and reunite us, so we return to what we once were.

And reunite us so we can go back to how we were