لُمني إِذا حُلتُ عَن عُهودي

لُمني إِذا حُلتُ عَن عُهودي

وَلا تَلُمني عَلى هَيامي

وَلا تَلُمني عَلى هَيامي

Blame me if I forsake my vows,

Blame me if I ever turn from my vows,

and do not blame me for my passion.

But do not blame me for my wild infatuation.

ما كُنتُ أَخشى مِنَ المَنايا

ما كُنتُ أَخشى مِنَ المَنايا

فَكَيفَ أَخشى مِنَ المَلامِ

فَكَيفَ أَخشى مِنَ المَلامِ

I was not afraid of death,

I was never one to fear the fates of death,

so how could I fear reproach?

So how could I possibly fear mere blame?

قَد نَزَلَ الحُبُّ في فُؤادِيَ

قَد نَزَلَ الحُبُّ في فُؤادِيَ

ضَيفاً وَلَكِن عَلى الدَوامِ

ضَيفاً وَلَكِن عَلى الدَوامِ

Love has lodged in my heart

Love has descended to dwell within my heart,

as a guest, yet for all time.

A guest, yet one who stays eternally.

فَباتَ قَلبي لَهُ طَعاماً

فَباتَ قَلبي لَهُ طَعاماً

وَبِتُّ أَنأى عَنِ الطَعامِ

وَبِتُّ أَنأى عَنِ الطَعامِ

So my heart became food for it,

So my heart became its food and sustenance,

and I began to keep away from food.

While I myself have turned away from food.

أَعدى غَرامي النُجومَ حَتّى

أَعدى غَرامي النُجومَ حَتّى

أَسهَرَها في الدُجى غَرامي

أَسهَرَها في الدُجى غَرامي

My passion infected the stars, so that

My passion passed its contagion to the stars,

my passion kept them awake in the darkness.

Until my love kept them sleepless in the dark.

لَو تَعرِفُ الشَمسُ ما لِلهَوى لَم

لَو تَعرِفُ الشَمسُ ما لِلهَوى لَم

تَبِن لِطَرفٍ مِنَ السَقامِ

تَبِن لِطَرفٍ مِنَ السَقامِ

If the sun knew what love can do, it would not

If the sun knew the reality of desire,

be visible to an eye, because of sickness.

It would not appear to the eye, wasted by sickness.

أَصابَ سَهمُ الفِراقِ قَلبي

أَصابَ سَهمُ الفِراقِ قَلبي

وَأَخطَأَت قَلبَهُ سِهامي

وَأَخطَأَت قَلبَهُ سِهامي

The arrow of separation struck my heart,

The arrow of separation struck my heart,

and my arrows missed his heart.

While my arrows missed his heart entirely.

وَكانَ خَوفي مِنَ التَنائي

وَكانَ خَوفي مِنَ التَنائي

خَوفَ كَفيفٍ مِنَ التُرامِ

خَوفَ كَفيفٍ مِنَ التُرامِ

And my fear of being far apart was

My fear of our distancing was like

a blind man's fear of the tram.

A blind man's fear of a sudden fall.

إِنَّ فِراقَ الحَبيبِ عِندي

إِنَّ فِراقَ الحَبيبِ عِندي

أَشَدُّ وَقعاً مِنَ الحِمامِ

أَشَدُّ وَقعاً مِنَ الحِمامِ

Indeed, to me, parting from the beloved

For the parting from the beloved is, to me,

is a harsher blow than death.

More severe in its impact than death itself.

لَو يَبعُدُ البُعدُ عَن حَبيبي

لَو يَبعُدُ البُعدُ عَن حَبيبي

ما عَنَّ يَوماً لِمُستَهامِ

ما عَنَّ يَوماً لِمُستَهامِ

If separation itself were far from my beloved,

If Distance would only keep its distance from my love,

it would never present itself to a lovesick soul.

No trouble would ever confront a longing soul.

أَنا إِمامُ الَّذينَ هاموا

أَنا إِمامُ الَّذينَ هاموا

وَأَيُّ قَومٍ بِلا إِمامِ

وَأَيُّ قَومٍ بِلا إِمامِ

I am the leader of those lost in love,

I am the Imam of those who wander in love,

and what people are without a leader?

And what people exist without an Imam?

فَلَيسَ قَبلي وَلَيسَ بَعدي

فَلَيسَ قَبلي وَلَيسَ بَعدي

وَلا وَرائي وَلا أَمامي

وَلا وَرائي وَلا أَمامي

So there is none before me, and none after me,

There is no one before me and no one after me,

nor behind me, nor ahead of me.

Neither behind me, nor anyone ahead.