خُذ حديثَ الشوق عن نَفَسي

خُذ حديثَ الشوق عن نَفَسي

وعن الدمعِ الذي همعا

وعن الدمعِ الذي همعا

Take the tale of longing from my breath,

Take the words of longing from my soul

And from the tears that streamed.

And of the tears that streamed

ما ترى شوقي قد اتَّقدا

ما ترى شوقي قد اتَّقدا

وهمى بالدمعِ واطَّردا

وهمى بالدمعِ واطَّردا

Do you not see how my longing has caught fire,

See how my longing has ignited

And poured down in tears, flowing without cease,

And my worries have intensified with tears

واغتدى قلبي عليكَ سدى

واغتدى قلبي عليكَ سدى

آه من ماءٍ ومن قبسِ

آه من ماءٍ ومن قبسِ

And my heart has gone to waste over you?

And my heart has vainly transgressed against you

Ah, for water and a firebrand,

Oh, the water and the burning ember

بين طَرْفي والحشا جمعا

بين طَرْفي والحشا جمعا

بأبي ريمٌ إذا سفرا

بأبي ريمٌ إذا سفرا

Brought together between my eye and my heart!

Between my eyelids and the wilderness brought together

My father be ransom for a gazelle: when he unveils,

By my father, traveling camels when they depart

أَطلعتْ أزرارُهُ قمرا

أَطلعتْ أزرارُهُ قمرا

فاحذروه كلَّما نظرا

فاحذروه كلَّما نظرا

His buttons bring forth a moon.

Their buttons shine like the moon

So beware of him whenever he looks:

So beware whenever they look

فبألحاظِ الجفونِ قِسِيْ

فبألحاظِ الجفونِ قِسِيْ

أنا منها بعضُ مَنْ صرعا

أنا منها بعضُ مَنْ صرعا

For in the glances of his eyelids are bows;

For with the glances of the eyelids I was brought down

I am one of those he felled with them.

I am one of those who were felled

أرتضيه جارَ أو عدلا

أرتضيه جارَ أو عدلا

قد خلعتُ العُذْرَ والعَذَلا

قد خلعتُ العُذْرَ والعَذَلا

I am content with him, whether he is unjust or fair.

I would accept him as a neighbor or justly

I have cast off excuses and reproach.

I have removed excuses and refusals

إنما شوقي إليه فلا

إنما شوقي إليه فلا

كم وكم أشكو إلى اللَّعْسِ

كم وكم أشكو إلى اللَّعْسِ

My longing for him is nothing but a wilderness.

Indeed my longing for him so no

How often, how often I complain to dusky lips

How much and how much do I complain to misery

ظمأي لو أنه نفعا

ظمأي لو أنه نفعا

ضلَّ عبد الله بالحور

ضلَّ عبد الله بالحور

Of my thirst—if only it did some good!

My thirst wishing it would help

Abd Allah was led astray by dark-eyed beauty,

Abdullah was lost with the nymphs

وبطرفٍ فاترِ النظر

وبطرفٍ فاترِ النظر

حُكمه في أَنفسِ البشر

حُكمه في أَنفسِ البشر

And by an eye with a languid gaze.

And with a languid glance

His sway over human souls

His rule over human selves

مثلُ حكمِ الصبحِ في الغَلَس

مثلُ حكمِ الصبحِ في الغَلَس

إن تجلى نورُهُ صدعا

إن تجلى نورُهُ صدعا

Is like dawn's sway over the predawn gloom:

Is like the rule of dawn over darkness

When its light appears, it breaks through.

If his light shines it splits

شبَّهَتْهُ بالرّشا الأمَمُ

شبَّهَتْهُ بالرّشا الأمَمُ

فلعمري إنهم ظاعوا

فلعمري إنهم ظاعوا

The peoples have likened him to a fawn;

The nations compared him to fine rain

So, by my life, they have gone astray!

By my life they went astray

فتغنَّى مَنْ به السقم

فتغنَّى مَنْ به السقم

أين ظبيُ القفرِ والكُنُسِ

أين ظبيُ القفرِ والكُنُسِ

So the one beset by sickness sang:

So he who was ill with him sang his praises

What is the gazelle of the wastes and thicket lairs

Where is the gazelle of the wilderness and seclusion

منْ غزالٍ في الحشا رتعا

منْ غزالٍ في الحشا رتعا

Beside a gazelle that has grazed within the heart?

From a gazelle grazing in the wilderness