إلا يا أيها المحبوب لم لا

إلا يا أيها المحبوب لم لا

وصلت من الرجا لك منه دأب

وصلت من الرجا لك منه دأب

O beloved, tell me—why have you not

Ah, beloved, why have you not

granted union to one whose constant habit is hope in you?

joined the one whose constant habit is to hope for you?

أطعت الدهر فيَّ فلا أبالي

أطعت الدهر فيَّ فلا أبالي

إذا ما أنت لي والدهر حزب

إذا ما أنت لي والدهر حزب

You yielded to Fate against me, yet I do not care,

You obeyed Time concerning me, yet I do not care,

so long as you are mine, though Fate itself takes sides against me.

if you are mine and Time is an ally.

فديتك أنت أرفق بي فإني

فديتك أنت أرفق بي فإني

وإن دهري أبان جفا محب

وإن دهري أبان جفا محب

I would ransom you—be gentler with me, for I,

May I be your ransom! Be gentler with me, for I,

though my fate parts us and deals harshly, am a lover.

though my fate has shown cruelty, am a lover.

فيا والي عذابي كنت أولى

فيا والي عذابي كنت أولى

بعفوك إذ قدرت وليس ذنب

بعفوك إذ قدرت وليس ذنب

O master of my torment, you would have been worthier

O ruler of my torment, I was more deserving

to pardon me when you held the power. It is no sin:

of your pardon, since you had power and there was no offense.

يلوم على انتوالي الحب من لا

يلوم على انتوالي الحب من لا

يعد مع الرجال لديه قلب

يعد مع الرجال لديه قلب

when love persists, it is blamed only by one who

For my pursuit of love I am reproached by one who is not

is not counted among men as having a heart.

reckoned among men as possessing a heart.

إلا يا عاذلي أنا لا أبالي

إلا يا عاذلي أنا لا أبالي

وإن طعت امرءاً فسواى صب

وإن طعت امرءاً فسواى صب

O you who reproach me, I pay no heed;

Ah, my reproacher, I do not care,

if I ever obeyed a man, someone else—not I—would be lovesick.

and if I obeyed anyone, someone other than me would be lovesick.

عذول إِلى ملامك أو فدعه

عذول إِلى ملامك أو فدعه

فقلبي حين تبرز لي يشب

فقلبي حين تبرز لي يشب

Censor, direct your reproach at me—or leave it;

Reproacher, go on with your reproach—or leave it;

for when she appears before me, my heart bursts into flame.

for my heart flares up when you appear before me.

فكم لي للذي تخشاه أرجو

فكم لي للذي تخشاه أرجو

وغير تعففي للحب حرب

وغير تعففي للحب حرب

How often I hope for the very thing you fear for me;

How greatly I hope for what you fear!

my self-restraint is my only war against love.

And anything but my chastity is war against love.

وحالي ليس طعم الحب عذب

وحالي ليس طعم الحب عذب

بما جربته وسواه عذب

بما جربته وسواه عذب

As I am, love’s taste is not sweet,

And in my state, love's taste is not sweet,

judging by what I have known of it—though everything else is sweet.

as I have experienced it, while other things are sweet.

وما حاليطيق إذا انتحالي

وما حاليطيق إذا انتحالي

فكيف يلذ لي طعم وشرب

فكيف يلذ لي طعم وشرب

No state can bear it once I take this love upon myself;

And what state, then, can endure my avowal of love?

how, then, could food or drink taste sweet to me?

How, then, can food and drink be pleasant to me?

وما حال الطعام من انتحالي

وما حال الطعام من انتحالي

وإن مرام هذا الحب صعب

وإن مرام هذا الحب صعب

What place has food in my avowal of love,

And what of food, given my avowal of love?

when the object of this love is so hard to attain?

And indeed the goal of this love is hard to reach.