أَلا كلُّ شيءٍ للأنامِ مُحَبَّبٌ

أَلا كلُّ شيءٍ للأنامِ مُحَبَّبٌ

إِليَّ بغيضٌ والحبيبُ حَبيبُ

إِليَّ بغيضٌ والحبيبُ حَبيبُ

Lo, everything humankind holds dear

Alas, everything desired by people

Is hateful to me, yet the beloved is dear.

Is hateful to me, and my beloved is the beloved one.

أما عجباً أن هام فيه رقيبُهُ

أما عجباً أن هام فيه رقيبُهُ

وأَني على ذاك الرقيبِ رقيب

وأَني على ذاك الرقيبِ رقيب

Is it not a wonder that his watcher has fallen madly in love with him,

How strange that his watcher is infatuated with him,

And that I keep watch over that watcher?

Yet I watch over that watcher.

ومما برى جسمِي وأَرَّق ناظري

ومما برى جسمِي وأَرَّق ناظري

وعلَّمَ قلبي فيه كيف يذوب

وعلَّمَ قلبي فيه كيف يذوب

And among what wasted my body and robbed my eye of sleep

What has distracted my body and delighted my eyes,

And taught my heart how to melt for him,

And taught my heart how it could melt for him,

حبيبٌ اراه سائغاً كلَّ ساعةٍ

حبيبٌ اراه سائغاً كلَّ ساعةٍ

ينال سوايَ وصلَهُ وأَخيب

ينال سوايَ وصلَهُ وأَخيب

Is a beloved I see within easy reach at every hour:

Is a beloved whom I see as sweet every hour,

Another gains union with him, while I am disappointed.

He attains intimacy with me and then eludes me.

فوا أسفا لي إِنني ليثُ غابةٍ

فوا أسفا لي إِنني ليثُ غابةٍ

ويظفَرُ دوني بالفريسةِ ذيبُ

ويظفَرُ دوني بالفريسةِ ذيبُ

So, alas for me! I am indeed a lion of the forest,

Oh what a pity for me that I am a lion of the jungle,

Yet a wolf, not I, wins the prey.

Yet a wolf takes my prey from right under me!