دَعا شَجوى دُموعَ العَينِ مِنِّي

دَعا شَجوى دُموعَ العَينِ مِنِّي

فَبادَرتِ الدُّموعُ عَلى ثِيابي

فَبادَرتِ الدُّموعُ عَلى ثِيابي

My grief called forth tears from my eye,

My tearful lament summoned tears from my eyes,

And the tears rushed onto my garments.

The tears rushed upon my garb,

وَقالَ القَلبُ سَمعُكَ ساقَ حَتفي

وَقالَ القَلبُ سَمعُكَ ساقَ حَتفي

عَلى عَمدٍ وَأَغرَقَ في عَذابي

عَلى عَمدٍ وَأَغرَقَ في عَذابي

And the heart said: Your hearing brought about my death,

And my heart said: your call led me to my doom,

Deliberately, and went to extremes in tormenting me.

With purpose, and drowned me in torment.

فَقالَت سَمعُكَ الجاني هَلاكي

فَقالَت سَمعُكَ الجاني هَلاكي

بِأَغلَظَ ما يَكونُ مِنَ العِقابِ

بِأَغلَظَ ما يَكونُ مِنَ العِقابِ

Then she said: Your hearing, the culprit, is my ruin,

My hearing said: your call caused my demise

Through the harshest punishment there can be.

With the harshest punishment that can be.

وَلا تَغفَل فَتفقِدني فَأَبقى

وَلا تَغفَل فَتفقِدني فَأَبقى

بِلا قَلبٍ إِلى يَومِ الحِسابِ

بِلا قَلبٍ إِلى يَومِ الحِسابِ

And do not be heedless, lest you lose me and I remain

Be not neglectful and lose me, lest I remain

Without a heart until the Day of Reckoning.

Without a heart until the Day of Reckoning.

فَإِنِّي بَينَ أَطيافِ المَنايا

فَإِنِّي بَينَ أَطيافِ المَنايا

مُقيمٌ بَينَ أَظفارٍ وَنابِ

مُقيمٌ بَينَ أَظفارٍ وَنابِ

For I am among the specters of death,

For I reside among the specters of death,

Dwelling between claws and a fang.

Abiding between claws and fangs.

فَقالَ السَّمعُ حينَ عَتَبتُ لمهُ

فَقالَ السَّمعُ حينَ عَتَبتُ لمهُ

على حُبِّ الخدَلَّجَةِ الكعابِ

على حُبِّ الخدَلَّجَةِ الكعابِ

Then hearing said, when I reproached it: Blame him

Hearing said, when I admonished it

For loving the plump, full-breasted maiden.

For loving an impudent and spiteful flirt:

وَعَيتُ كَلامَ مُكتَحِلٍ غَريرٍ

وَعَيتُ كَلامَ مُكتَحِلٍ غَريرٍ

فَأَعياني لَهُ رَجعُ الجَوابِ

فَأَعياني لَهُ رَجعُ الجَوابِ

I took in the words of a guileless, kohl-eyed one,

And I disliked the words of a cheating charmer,

But replying to him proved beyond me.

So paying attention to him was hard for me.

فَأَدَّيتُ الكَلامَ وَلَم أجِبهُ

فَأَدَّيتُ الكَلامَ وَلَم أجِبهُ

إِلى القَلبِ المولَّع بِالتَّصابي

إِلى القَلبِ المولَّع بِالتَّصابي

So I conveyed the words, without answering him,

I relayed the words but did not respond to him,

To the heart, enamored of youthful dalliance.

To the heart enamored with self-indulgence.

فَعاقِب قَلبَكَ المِلجاجَ فيهِ

فَعاقِب قَلبَكَ المِلجاجَ فيهِ

وَدَعني لا تَنطَّع في عِقابي

وَدَعني لا تَنطَّع في عِقابي

So punish your heart, stubbornly bent on it,

So punish your obstinate heart,

And leave me be; do not go to excess in punishing me.

And spare me, cease imposing penalty on me.

فَقُلتُ صَدَّقَتني وَعَذَلَت قَلبي

فَقُلتُ صَدَّقَتني وَعَذَلَت قَلبي

وَلَم أحمِل عَلى عَيني عِتابي

وَلَم أحمِل عَلى عَيني عِتابي

Then I said: She believed me and reproached my heart,

I said: you spoke true and chastened my heart,

And I did not lay my blame upon my eye.

And did not impose blame upon my eyes.

فَقالَ القَلبُ ثُمَّ أَقَرَّ ها قَد

فَقالَ القَلبُ ثُمَّ أَقَرَّ ها قَد

عَشِقتَ أَميرَةً تَهوى اِجتِنابي

عَشِقتَ أَميرَةً تَهوى اِجتِنابي

Then the heart spoke, and then confessed: Look, you have

The heart replied: for you have fallen

Fallen in love with a princess who delights in shunning me.

In love with a princess who shuns my approach.

تَصَبَّر قَد سَقَينَكَ كَأسَ عِشقٍ

تَصَبَّر قَد سَقَينَكَ كَأسَ عِشقٍ

حُمَيَّاها تَجول على الحِجابِ

حُمَيَّاها تَجول على الحِجابِ

Be patient: they have already made you drink a cup of love,

Be patient - she has made you drink a cup of love

Its intoxicating heat swirls over the diaphragm.

Whose boiling causes her veil to flutter.

تُنَغِّصُكَ الطَّعامَ وَكُلَّ عَيشٍ

تُنَغِّصُكَ الطَّعامَ وَكُلَّ عَيشٍ

وَتَمزُج ما يَسوؤك بِالشَّرابِ

وَتَمزُج ما يَسوؤك بِالشَّرابِ

It robs you of pleasure in food and all of life,

She spoils your food and all your living

And mixes what pains you into the drink.

And mixes your drink with what distresses you.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ قَطَعتَ الصُّلبَ مِنّي

فَقُلتُ لَهُ قَطَعتَ الصُّلبَ مِنّي

وَقَد أَلصَقتَ خَدِّي بِالتُّرابِ

وَقَد أَلصَقتَ خَدِّي بِالتُّرابِ

Then I said to him: You have broken my spine,

I said: you have sundered the firm bond between us

And have pressed my cheek into the dust.

And stuck my cheek to the dust.

لَعَلَّكَ قَد كَلِفتَ بِحُبِّ قَصف

لَعَلَّكَ قَد كَلِفتَ بِحُبِّ قَصف

فَقالَ القَلبُ قَد قَرطَست ما بي

فَقالَ القَلبُ قَد قَرطَست ما بي

Perhaps you have become enamored of Qasf?

Maybe you have been tasked with loving chaff?

Then the heart said: You have hit the mark of what ails me.

The heart said: I have filled what was between us.

فَقُلتُ قَتَلتَني وَأَذَبتَ جِسمي

فَقُلتُ قَتَلتَني وَأَذَبتَ جِسمي

وَقَد آذَنتَ روحي بِالذّهابِ

وَقَد آذَنتَ روحي بِالذّهابِ

Then I said: You have killed me and melted my body,

I said: you have killed me and wasted my body

And have given my soul notice to depart.

And foretold my soul of departure.

كَأَنّي عَن قَليلٍ غَير شك

كَأَنّي عَن قَليلٍ غَير شك

مُسَجَّى بَينَ أَصحابي لِما بي

مُسَجَّى بَينَ أَصحابي لِما بي

It is as though, soon and without a doubt, I shall be

Soon, without doubt,

Shrouded among my companions because of what ails me.

I will be laid out among my companions because of what is between us.

وَما لي لا أَموتُ وَهَمُّ نَفسي

وَما لي لا أَموتُ وَهَمُّ نَفسي

يُباعِدُني وَيَزهَدُ في اِقتِرابي

يُباعِدُني وَيَزهَدُ في اِقتِرابي

And why should I not die, when my soul's desire

Why do I not die, when my soul's fancy

Keeps me distant and has no wish for my nearness?

Estranges me and spurns drawing near?

إِذا عاهَدتُهُ عَهدَ التَّصابي

إِذا عاهَدتُهُ عَهدَ التَّصابي

يُصَيِّرُ عَهدَهُ لَمعَ السَّرابِ

يُصَيِّرُ عَهدَهُ لَمعَ السَّرابِ

Whenever I pledge him the pact of youthful dalliance,

When I pledge to it the pact of passion,

He makes his pledge the shimmer of a mirage.

It makes its pledge as a mirage.

يُريدُ بِذاكَ تَعذيبي وَغَيظي

يُريدُ بِذاكَ تَعذيبي وَغَيظي

وَتَصييرَ الوِصالِ إِلى تَبابِ

وَتَصييرَ الوِصالِ إِلى تَبابِ

He intends by this to torment and enrage me,

It wants by this to torment and provoke me,

And to turn union into ruin.

And make union seem a delusion.

وَلَم يَرحَم مُطالَبَتي وَجَهدي

وَلَم يَرحَم مُطالَبَتي وَجَهدي

وَما لاقيتُ من طول اكتِئابِ

وَما لاقيتُ من طول اكتِئابِ

And he had no pity for my entreaties and my efforts,

It did not pity my pleading and exertion

Or for what I suffered from prolonged despondency.

And what I suffered from prolonged melancholy.

أَصابَ جَفاؤُهُ قَلبي بِضُرٍّ

أَصابَ جَفاؤُهُ قَلبي بِضُرٍّ

وَأَخلَقَ ما لَبِستُ مِنَ الثِّيابِ

وَأَخلَقَ ما لَبِستُ مِنَ الثِّيابِ

His coldness afflicted my heart with harm,

Its estrangement afflicted my heart with harm

And wore out the garments I wore.

And spoiled the clothes that I wore.

وَناوَلَني وَراءَ الظَّهرِ مِنِّي

وَناوَلَني وَراءَ الظَّهرِ مِنِّي

بِيُسرى الكَفِّ في غِلَظ كِتابي

بِيُسرى الكَفِّ في غِلَظ كِتابي

And he handed me, behind my back,

And it handed me from behind, against me,

My book, with his left hand, harshly.

In its left palm, a stern scripture.

فَكَيفَ تَلَطُّفي لِأَغَرَّ أَحوَى

فَكَيفَ تَلَطُّفي لِأَغَرَّ أَحوَى

إِذا ما زُرتُ أَسرَفَ في سبابي

إِذا ما زُرتُ أَسرَفَ في سبابي

How, then, can I coax a bright-faced, dark-lipped one,

How can you show me tenderness, that I may desire,

When he heaps abuse on me whenever I visit?

When I visit, it goes too far in insulting me?

لَقَد كُنتُ الغَني فَلَم يُجِرني

لَقَد كُنتُ الغَني فَلَم يُجِرني

شَقاءُ الجَدِّ مِن حُبِّ الخِلابِ

شَقاءُ الجَدِّ مِن حُبِّ الخِلابِ

I had indeed been wealthy, yet I was not shielded

I had been wealthy, but poverty of spirit

By ill fortune from love of the beguiler.

Did not drive me to love trinkets.