عاتَبْتُهُ فاسْتَطالا

عاتَبْتُهُ فاسْتَطالا

وصَدَّ عنّي دلالا

وصَدَّ عنّي دلالا

I reproached him, and he grew haughty,

I reproached him, so he was aloof,

and coyly turned away from me.

And turned away from me disdainfully.

وهكذا مَن تعالَى

وهكذا مَن تعالَى

في حُسْنِه يتغالَى

في حُسْنِه يتغالَى

And so, whoever rises high

Thus is he who is exalted in beauty -

in beauty grows excessively proud.

He becomes arrogant in his perfection.

مولايَ قد ذُبْتُ صبراً

مولايَ قد ذُبْتُ صبراً

وكم تُذيب مطالا

وكم تُذيب مطالا

My lord, I have melted away through patience;

My Master, my patience is melting away;

and how you melt me with delay!

How much can reproaches melt?

ما كان عهدُك إِلّا

ما كان عهدُك إِلّا

مثل السُّلُوِّ مُحَالا

مثل السُّلُوِّ مُحَالا

Your pledge was nothing but

Your habit was never

an impossibility, like forgetting love.

Like a firm pillar.

بَلْ كان زُورَ خضابٍ

بَلْ كان زُورَ خضابٍ

نَما وفي الحالِ حَالا

نَما وفي الحالِ حَالا

Rather, it was the deceit of dye,

Rather, it was false colour,

which grew and faded at once.

Sleeping, though seeming awake.

سَلَبْت حبَّة قلبي

سَلَبْت حبَّة قلبي

وصُغْتُهَا لك خالا

وصُغْتُهَا لك خالا

I took the kernel of my heart

You have stolen the core of my heart

and fashioned it into a beauty spot for you.

And moulded it into fantasy.

فقد كَسَتْني نحولاً

فقد كَسَتْني نحولاً

كما كَسَتْكَ جمالا

كما كَسَتْكَ جمالا

Thus it has clothed me in gauntness,

So leanness has clothed me

just as it has clothed you in beauty.

As beauty once clothed you.

يا كاملاً وَجهُهُ عل

يا كاملاً وَجهُهُ عل

لَمَ البدور الكمالا

لَمَ البدور الكمالا

O perfect one, whose face has taught

O perfect of face but blemished by injustice,

the full moons perfection!

Why have you rejected perfection?

يا أَحسنَ النّاس وجهاً

يا أَحسنَ النّاس وجهاً

صِلْ أَسْوأ النّاسِ حالا

صِلْ أَسْوأ النّاسِ حالا

O fairest-faced of people,

O fairest of men in face,

grant union to the most wretched of people.

Show kindness to the worst in state!

حاشا جَمالكَ مِن أَن

حاشا جَمالكَ مِن أَن

يَستَقبِحَ الإِجمالا

يَستَقبِحَ الإِجمالا

Far be it from your beauty

Your beauty is far above

to deem kindness ugly.

Rejecting the plea of the beseecher.

لَم أَحظَ مِنكَ بِسُؤلٍ

لَم أَحظَ مِنكَ بِسُؤلٍ

وَقَد فَنيت سُؤالا

وَقَد فَنيت سُؤالا

I have won no favor from you,

I have gained nothing from you by asking,

though I have wasted away in pleading.

Though asking has wearied me.

أَما تعلَّمْتَ شَيئاً

أَما تعلَّمْتَ شَيئاً

مِنَ الكلام سِوَى لا

مِنَ الكلام سِوَى لا

Have you learned nothing

Have you learned nothing

of speech except ‘No’?

But the word "no" from speech?