هَلا غَدا وصْلُهُ مُباحا

هَلا غَدا وصْلُهُ مُباحا

كَما غَدا هجْرُهُ مُتاحا

كَما غَدا هجْرُهُ مُتاحا

Why has union with him not become permitted,

If only union with him would become permitted

as his estrangement has become readily available?

As separation from him has become inevitable

أُبْدي دُجى هجْرِهِ فَهلا

أُبْدي دُجى هجْرِهِ فَهلا

يُطْلِعُ من وصْلِهِ صَباحا

يُطْلِعُ من وصْلِهِ صَباحا

I reveal the darkness of his estrangement—why, then, does he not

I showed the darkness of his separation, so why not

make a dawn rise from union with him?

The dawn of his union shine through

هامَ فُؤادي بظَبْي إنْسٍ

هامَ فُؤادي بظَبْي إنْسٍ

ألْحاظُهُ تُشْبِهُ الصِّفاحا

ألْحاظُهُ تُشْبِهُ الصِّفاحا

My heart fell madly in love with a human gazelle,

My heart pined for the beautiful gazelle

whose glances resemble sword blades.

Whose glances resemble the first light of day

ظبْيٌ لهُ أعْيُنٌ مراضٌ

ظبْيٌ لهُ أعْيُنٌ مراضٌ

لكنّها تُمْرِضُ الصِّحاحا

لكنّها تُمْرِضُ الصِّحاحا

A gazelle with languid eyes,

A gazelle with sick eyes

yet they make the healthy sick.

But they make the healthy hearts sick

قد سلَّ من لحظِه سُيوفاً

قد سلَّ من لحظِه سُيوفاً

وهزّ منْ قدِّه رِماحا

وهزّ منْ قدِّه رِماحا

He has drawn swords from his glance

His glance unleashed swords

and brandished spears from his stature.

And his stature launched spears

كمْ رصَدَتْهُ العُيونُ منّا

كمْ رصَدَتْهُ العُيونُ منّا

وكمْ أطالَتْ لهُ التِماحا

وكمْ أطالَتْ لهُ التِماحا

How often our eyes have watched him,

How many eyes lay in wait for him

and how often they have prolonged their gaze at him!

And bargained at length for him

يمْنَحُنا ظُلْمَهُ ويغْدو

يمْنَحُنا ظُلْمَهُ ويغْدو

يمنَعُنا ظَلْمَهُ القَراحا

يمنَعُنا ظَلْمَهُ القَراحا

He grants us his cruelty, and goes on

His darkness allures us, and at dawn

withholding his pure saliva from us.

His darkness forbids our rest

مَن لي بهِ كلّما تبدّى

مَن لي بهِ كلّما تبدّى

طارَ فؤادي لهُ ارْتِياحا

طارَ فؤادي لهُ ارْتِياحا

Who will bring him to me? Whenever he appears,

If only whenever he appeared

my heart soars toward him in delight.

My heart would fly to him in comfort

لقدْ ألِفْتُ الهَوى فعنّي

لقدْ ألِفْتُ الهَوى فعنّي

تُرْوَى أحاديثُهُ صِحاحا

تُرْوَى أحاديثُهُ صِحاحا

I have indeed grown familiar with love; thus, from me

I'm accustomed to passion, so from me

its tales are recounted as authentic.

Flow authentic tales of it

وخُضتُ بحْرَ الهوى ولكِنْ

وخُضتُ بحْرَ الهوى ولكِنْ

مَن رامَ خوْضَ البحارِ طاحا

مَن رامَ خوْضَ البحارِ طاحا

And I have waded into the sea of love, yet

I plunged into the sea of passion, but

whoever seeks to brave the seas comes to ruin.

He who dares to cross the seas will crash

وهِمْتُ في حُسْنِهِ فلِمْ لا

وهِمْتُ في حُسْنِهِ فلِمْ لا

أخْفِضُ في حُبِّهِ الجَناحا

أخْفِضُ في حُبِّهِ الجَناحا

And I have wandered, love-mad, in his beauty—why, then, should I not

I lost myself in his beauty, so why not

lower my wing in love for him?

Lower my wings in love for him

وإن تذكّرتُ مِلْتُ وجْداً

وإن تذكّرتُ مِلْتُ وجْداً

كأنّني قد شرِبْتُ راحا

كأنّني قد شرِبْتُ راحا

And if I remember him, I sway with longing,

And if I remember my melting passion

as though I had drunk wine.

It's as if I'd drunk clear wine

وكُلُّ واشٍ يَرومُ صَبْري

وكُلُّ واشٍ يَرومُ صَبْري

جنّبتُ أقوالَهُ اطّراحا

جنّبتُ أقوالَهُ اطّراحا

And every talebearer who would have me be patient—

I shun the words of every critic

I have shunned his words, casting them aside.

Who tries my patience

مَن لي بصَبْرٍ وفي هَواهُ

مَن لي بصَبْرٍ وفي هَواهُ

غَدا حِمَى الصّبْرِ مُسْتَباحا

غَدا حِمَى الصّبْرِ مُسْتَباحا

Who can grant me patience, when, in love for him,

Who can be patient, when in his love

the sanctuary of patience has been laid open to plunder?

Patience itself is violated

كَتمتُ حُبّي ودمْعُ عَيني

كَتمتُ حُبّي ودمْعُ عَيني

لمْ يسْتَطِعْ كتْمَهُ فَباحا

لمْ يسْتَطِعْ كتْمَهُ فَباحا

I concealed my love, but the tears of my eye

I concealed my love, but my tears

could not conceal it, and so revealed it.

Couldn't conceal it, and betrayed me

فلَيْتَ قَلْبي ينالُ يوماً

فلَيْتَ قَلْبي ينالُ يوماً

بوصْلِهِ في الهَوى مُستراحَا

بوصْلِهِ في الهَوى مُستراحَا

If only my heart could one day find

If only my heart would one day attain

a resting place in love through union with him.

Rest from passion for him