لو ذُقْتَ حين عَتَبتَ أَيْسرَ حُبِّه

لو ذُقْتَ حين عَتَبتَ أَيْسرَ حُبِّه

لَعلِمتَ حُلْوَ غرامِه من صابِه

لَعلِمتَ حُلْوَ غرامِه من صابِه

If, when you reproached me, you had tasted the least measure of love for him,

Had you tasted when you blamed the easiest of his love,

you would have distinguished its sweetness from its bitter sap.

You would have known the sweetness of his passion from the one who quenched it.

ومن البليةِ أنْ يلومَ أخا الهوى

ومن البليةِ أنْ يلومَ أخا الهوى

مَن ليس يعلمُ سهلَه من صَعْبِه

مَن ليس يعلمُ سهلَه من صَعْبِه

And it is a calamity for a lover to be blamed

And it is a disaster that the lover should blame his brother in love,

by one who cannot tell love's ease from its hardship.

One who does not know its plains from its rough terrain.

ما أنت منه إذا تَطاولَ ليلُه

ما أنت منه إذا تَطاولَ ليلُه

قَلَقا ولَجَّتْ مُقْلَتاه بِشُهْبِه

قَلَقا ولَجَّتْ مُقْلَتاه بِشُهْبِه

What are you to him when his night drags on

You are not like him when his night grew long,

in anguish, his eyes stubbornly fixed on its shooting stars,

Restless, and his eyelids were laden with their hoarfrost.

وثمِلت من كأس الهوى ويدُ الهوى

وثمِلت من كأس الهوى ويدُ الهوى

تسقى جوارحَه بميَسم كَرْبِه

تسقى جوارحَه بميَسم كَرْبِه

and drunk on the cup of love, while love's hand

And I became drunk from the cup of love while the hand of love

waters his limbs with the branding iron of his anguish?

Quenched its limbs with the pure wine of his anguish.

أنا بعضُ من سَبَتِ اللِّحاظُ فؤادَه

أنا بعضُ من سَبَتِ اللِّحاظُ فؤادَه

فسَرَى ولم يَحْفِل بلأمِة حَرْبه

فسَرَى ولم يَحْفِل بلأمِة حَرْبه

I am one of those whose hearts glances have taken captive,

I am some of those whose innermost beings were captivated by the cheek's radiance,

who then went forth by night, heedless of their battle armor.

So it walked away heedless of the blame of its war.

يا ساكني مصرٍ أمَا من رحمةٍ

يا ساكني مصرٍ أمَا من رحمةٍ

لمتيَّمٍ ذهبَ الغرامُ بلُبِّه

لمتيَّمٍ ذهبَ الغرامُ بلُبِّه

O dwellers of Egypt, is there no mercy

O dwellers of Egypt, is there no mercy

for a love-stricken man whose reason passion has carried away?

For an afflicted one whose love has claimed his heart?

أمِن المروءةِ أن يزورَ بلادكم

أمِن المروءةِ أن يزورَ بلادكم

مثلى ويرجعَ مُعْدِما من قلبه

مثلى ويرجعَ مُعْدِما من قلبه

Is it chivalrous that your land should be visited

Is it manly to visit your lands,

by one like me, and that he should return bereft of his heart?

Like me, and return with his heart ruined?

بي منكمُ خَنِثُ الجفون يَشوبُها

بي منكمُ خَنِثُ الجفون يَشوبُها

خَفَرٌ أَقام قيامَة المُتَنبِّه

خَفَرٌ أَقام قيامَة المُتَنبِّه

I am smitten with one of you, whose languid eyelids are tinged

My eyelids, delicate like a young girl's, are clouded

with a bashfulness that has brought Judgment Day upon the wakeful.

By sorrow that roused the one taking a nap.

ماء يموجُ به النعيم لطافةً

ماء يموجُ به النعيم لطافةً

لولا غِلالتُه لفُزْتُ بشُرْبه

لولا غِلالتُه لفُزْتُ بشُرْبه

He is water, so delicate, in which bliss ripples;

Water whose waves pleasure makes delicate—

but for his thin tunic, I would have won a draught of him.

Had it not been for its turbidity, I would have won drinking it—

يبدو فتستحلى العيونُ مَذاقَه

يبدو فتستحلى العيونُ مَذاقَه

نَظَرا وتحترق القلوب بحبه

نَظَرا وتحترق القلوب بحبه

He appears, and the eyes find his taste sweet

Appears, so eyes find savor in looking at it,

by gazing, while hearts burn with love for him.

And hearts are seared with love of it.

صَلِف تَوقَّفت المطامعُ دونَه

صَلِف تَوقَّفت المطامعُ دونَه

فالشمسُ أيسرُ مَطْلَبا من قُربْه

فالشمسُ أيسرُ مَطْلَبا من قُربْه

He is haughty; hopes stop short of him,

Austere, hopes stopped short of reaching it,

for the sun is easier to attain than nearness to him.

For the sun is easier to obtain than nearness to it.

مَنْ راحِمٌ من عاصِمٌ من حاكِم

مَنْ راحِمٌ من عاصِمٌ من حاكِم

فيه فيُنصِفَ ذِلَّتي من عُجْبه

فيه فيُنصِفَ ذِلَّتي من عُجْبه

Who will show mercy? Who will protect? Who will judge

Who will show mercy, or protect me, or rule

his case and secure justice for my abasement against his conceit?

Over it and do justice for my marvel at its pride?

ولقد عزمتُ على السلوِّ مصمِّما

ولقد عزمتُ على السلوِّ مصمِّما

فإذا الجوانحُ كلها من حِزْبِه

فإذا الجوانحُ كلها من حِزْبِه

And indeed, I resolved with firm intent to forget him,

I had resolved to be compliant, determined,

but behold, all my ribs belonged to his faction.

But then my wings were all of its party.

وإذا هَواهُ أحاط بي فكأنني

وإذا هَواهُ أحاط بي فكأنني

فيه على التحريرِ نُقْطةُ قُطبِه

فيه على التحريرِ نُقْطةُ قُطبِه

And behold, love for him encircled me, so it was as though I

And when it loved me, it was as if I was,

were within it, to be exact, the point at its pivot.

In it, the point of its axis' stillness.