أَتَعْلَمُ أنَّ لِي نَفْساً عَلِيْلَهْ

أَتَعْلَمُ أنَّ لِي نَفْساً عَلِيْلَهْ

وَأَشْوَاقاً مُبَرَّحَةً دَخِيْلَهْ

وَأَشْوَاقاً مُبَرَّحَةً دَخِيْلَهْ

Do you know that I have an ailing soul,

Do you know that I have a weary soul,

and agonizing longings deep within?

And unbridled longings, my bosom's guests?

وفي طَيِّ الخميلةِ رِيْمُ إنْسٍ

وفي طَيِّ الخميلةِ رِيْمُ إنْسٍ

رَمَزْتُ بها فللَّهِ الخميلهْ

رَمَزْتُ بها فللَّهِ الخميلهْ

And within the grove’s folds is a gazelle in human form;

In the folds of my veil, a sign of humanity,

I used it as a symbol—how wondrous the grove!

I have symbolized it, so praise be to God for the veil.

فَذَرِ العقيقَ مُجَانِبَاً لِعُقُوقِهِ

فَذَرِ العقيقَ مُجَانِبَاً لِعُقُوقِهِ

وَذَرِ العُذَيْبَ عُذَيْبَ ذاتِ الضَّالِ

وَذَرِ العُذَيْبَ عُذَيْبَ ذاتِ الضَّالِ

So leave al-ʿAqīq, shunning it for its disloyalty,

Leave carnelian unresponsive to devotion,

and leave al-ʿUdhayb, the ʿUdhayb of Dhāt al-Ḍāl.

And leave wild roses, roses of separation.

اُفُقٌ مُحَلَّى بالقَوَاضِبِ والقَنَا

اُفُقٌ مُحَلَّى بالقَوَاضِبِ والقَنَا

لِلأغْيَدِ المِعْطَارِ لا المِعْطَالِ

لِلأغْيَدِ المِعْطَارِ لا المِعْطَالِ

A horizon adorned with keen swords and spears,

An awakening scented with freesias and jasmine,

for the graceful, richly perfumed one, not the unadorned.

For the perfumed wrists, not those gone listless.

حَجَبُوْكَ إلاَّ مِنْ تَوَهُّمِ خاطري

حَجَبُوْكَ إلاَّ مِنْ تَوَهُّمِ خاطري

وحَمَوْكَ إلاَّ مِنْ تَبَوُّءِ بالي

وحَمَوْكَ إلاَّ مِنْ تَبَوُّءِ بالي

They hid you from all but my mind’s imagining,

They have veiled you from me but for my mind’s imagining,

and guarded you, save for your dwelling in my mind.

And forbidden you to me but for my tribulations.

والقارِظانِ جميلُ صَبْرِي والكَرَى

والقارِظانِ جميلُ صَبْرِي والكَرَى

فمتى أُرَجِّي منكَ طَيْفَ خيالٍ

فمتى أُرَجِّي منكَ طَيْفَ خيالٍ

And my gracious patience and sleep are the two vanished acacia-gatherers;

Patience and destiny are my two friends,

so when may I hope for a phantom vision of you?

So when can I hope to glimpse your phantom?