نَسِيَت عَهدي فَلَمّا جِئتُها

نَسِيَت عَهدي فَلَمّا جِئتُها

زَعَمَت أَنّي تَناسَيتُ العُهود

زَعَمَت أَنّي تَناسَيتُ العُهود

She forgot my pledge, and when I came to her,

I forgot our pact, so when I came to her

She forgot my covenant, and when I came to her,

She claimed I had pretended to forget the vows.

She claimed I had forgotten our vows

She claimed that I was the one who had feigned forgetting our vows.

وَاِدَّعَت أَنّي خَلِيٌّ زاهِدٌ

وَاِدَّعَت أَنّي خَلِيٌّ زاهِدٌ

أَنا لَو كُنتُ كَذا كُنتُ سَعيد

أَنا لَو كُنتُ كَذا كُنتُ سَعيد

And alleged that I was carefree and indifferent.

And pretended I was aloof and ascetic

And she alleged that I am heart-free and indifferent;

If I were so, I would be happy.

If I were so, I would have been happy

Ah, were I truly so, I would be happy indeed.

رَغِبَت في الصَدِّ عَنّي بَعدَما

رَغِبَت في الصَدِّ عَنّي بَعدَما

بِتُّ لا يُحزِنُني مِثلُ الصُدو

بِتُّ لا يُحزِنُني مِثلُ الصُدو

She wished to turn away from me, after

She was eager to repel me, after

She desired to turn away from me, only after

I had come to find nothing so saddening as rejection.

I had spent nights sleepless from her rejection

I had reached a state where nothing grieves me quite like rejection.

مِثلَما أَنكَرَ ثَغري خَدُّها

مِثلَما أَنكَرَ ثَغري خَدُّها

أَنكَرَت فاتِنَتي تِلكَ الوُعود

أَنكَرَت فاتِنَتي تِلكَ الوُعود

Just as her cheek disowned my lips,

Just as her cheek denied knowing my kiss

Just as her cheek denied the touch of my mouth,

My enchantress denied those promises.

Her beauty denied knowing those vows

So too did my enchantress deny those promises.

يا شُهودي عِندَما كُنّا مَعاً

يا شُهودي عِندَما كُنّا مَعاً

ذَكِّروها أَينَ أَنتُم يا شُهود

ذَكِّروها أَينَ أَنتُم يا شُهود

O my witnesses to our time together,

Oh, my witnesses when we were together

O my witnesses to the time when we were together,

Remind her! Where are you, O witnesses?

Remind her, where are you my witnesses?

Remind her! But where have you gone, O witnesses?

سَكَتَ البَدرُ الَّذي راقَبَنا

سَكَتَ البَدرُ الَّذي راقَبَنا

وَذَوَت في الرَوضِ هاتيكَ الوُرود

وَذَوَت في الرَوضِ هاتيكَ الوُرود

The full moon that watched us fell silent,

The moon that watched us has fallen silent

The full moon that once watched over us fell silent,

And those roses in the garden withered.

And the roses in the garden have withered

And those roses in the garden withered away.

وَمَشَت ريحُ الصَبا حائِرَةً

وَمَشَت ريحُ الصَبا حائِرَةً

في المَغاني حَيرَةَ الصَبِّ العَميد

في المَغاني حَيرَةَ الصَبِّ العَميد

And the east wind wandered, bewildered,

The morning breeze wanders lost

And the gentle East Wind wandered in bewilderment

Among the dwellings, with a love-stricken lover's bewilderment.

In songs, the confusion of the lovesick youth

Through the dwellings, lost like a lovesick heart.

يا هَواها قُل مَتى تَترُكُني

يا هَواها قُل مَتى تَترُكُني

قالَ أَو تَصفَرَّ هاتيكَ الخُدود

قالَ أَو تَصفَرَّ هاتيكَ الخُدود

O love for her, tell me: when will you leave me?

Oh, her passion, tell me when will you leave me?

O passion for her, tell me: when will you leave me?

It said: 'Not until those cheeks turn sallow.'

It said: when those cheeks turn sallow

It replied: 'Not until those cheeks turn pale.'

أَنا لا أَدعو عَلَيها بِالضَنى

أَنا لا أَدعو عَلَيها بِالضَنى

أَتَّقي أَن يَشمَتَ الحَسود

أَتَّقي أَن يَشمَتَ الحَسود

I do not pray for wasting sickness to befall her;

I will not curse her with malice

I do not pray for her to suffer wasting illness,

I take care lest the envious one gloat.

Fearing the gloating of enviers

I only fear the gloating of the envious eye.