فُؤَادِي بسهم المقلتينِ رماهُ

فُؤَادِي بسهم المقلتينِ رماهُ

وقَلْبي بِنار الوَجْنتيْنِ كَوَاهُ

وقَلْبي بِنار الوَجْنتيْنِ كَوَاهُ

He shot my heart with the arrow of his eyes.

My heart he struck with the arrows of his glancing eyes,

And seared my heart with the fire of his cheeks.

And my heart with the fire of his rose-cheeked beauty he inflamed.

فقال الحشا أَهلاً به حين زارَه

فقال الحشا أَهلاً به حين زارَه

وقال الْهَوى لَبَّيْك حِين دَعَاهُ

وقال الْهَوى لَبَّيْك حِين دَعَاهُ

So my inmost heart said, "Welcome to him," when he visited it.

So my passion welcomed him when he came visiting,

And love said, "At your service," when he called it.

And my love answered "Here I am!" when he called out.

فَبَلَّغْتُ نفسِي من غَرامِي مَرامَها

فَبَلَّغْتُ نفسِي من غَرامِي مَرامَها

وآتيتُ قَلبي في هُوَاهُ هُدَاهُ

وآتيتُ قَلبي في هُوَاهُ هُدَاهُ

So through my passion I brought my soul to its desired goal,

I made my soul attain the object of its desire,

And gave my heart its guidance in loving him.

And I guided my heart in its love to find its way.

وعزَّ على قلبِ العذولِ لَجَاجَتي

وعزَّ على قلبِ العذولِ لَجَاجَتي

وعزَّ على قلبي اللَّجوجِ عَمَاهُ

وعزَّ على قلبي اللَّجوجِ عَمَاهُ

And my obstinacy weighed heavily on the reproacher's heart,

Yet to the censuring heart my constancy was burdensome,

And his blindness weighed heavily on my obstinate heart.

And to my own heart the censor's blindness was grievous.

يقولُ عَذَولِي في هَوَاهُ لِعلَّةٍ

يقولُ عَذَولِي في هَوَاهُ لِعلَّةٍ

فقُلْتُ وهَلْ في العَالمِين سِوَاهُ

فقُلْتُ وهَلْ في العَالمِين سِوَاهُ

My reproacher says, "You love him for a reason";

My censurer says of my love "It is caused by some defect,"

So I said, "Is there anyone in all the worlds besides him?"

But I say "In all the world is there aught but Him?"

بنفسِي حبيبٌ أَخجَل المِسْك مِسْكُهُ

بنفسِي حبيبٌ أَخجَل المِسْك مِسْكُهُ

وإِن سأَلونِي عنه فَهْو لَمَاهُ

وإِن سأَلونِي عنه فَهْو لَمَاهُ

My life for a beloved whose musk puts musk to shame!

By my life, a beloved who shames the sweetest musk in fragrance,

And if they ask me about it, it is the dusky hue of his lips.

And if they ask of him, he is the full moon's perfection.

حبيبٌ تولَّى حسنُه كبْت عُذَّلي

حبيبٌ تولَّى حسنُه كبْت عُذَّلي

عليهِ وعُذَّالُ المحبِّ عِدَاهُ

عليهِ وعُذَّالُ المحبِّ عِدَاهُ

A beloved whose beauty undertook to humble those who reproach me

The beauty of my beloved subdues my chiding,

For loving him—and a lover's reproachers are his enemies.

And the chiding of a lover - how painful for the chided!

إِذا غاب أَلهانِي الحُلِيُّ لأَنَّني

إِذا غاب أَلهانِي الحُلِيُّ لأَنَّني

أَرى في حُلِيّ الغانياتِ حُلاَهُ

أَرى في حُلِيّ الغانياتِ حُلاَهُ

When he is absent, jewelry distracts me, for I

When he is absent, my ear-rings make me wistful,

See his adornments in the jewelry of beautiful women.

For in my ear-rings I see the tokens of his beauty.

يهيمُ بِه بدرُ التَّمَام محبَّةً

يهيمُ بِه بدرُ التَّمَام محبَّةً

وغيرُ عجيبٍ أَن يُحبَّ أَخاهُ

وغيرُ عجيبٍ أَن يُحبَّ أَخاهُ

The full moon is enraptured with love for him,

The full moon is distraught with love for him,

And no wonder that it should love its brother.

And why should it be strange if a brother loves his brother?

تزيدُ بتقبِيلي لَهُ نارُ لَوْعَتي

تزيدُ بتقبِيلي لَهُ نارُ لَوْعَتي

فما سرَّني أَن لا أُقبِّل فاهُ

فما سرَّني أَن لا أُقبِّل فاهُ

The fire of my longing grows when I kiss him,

My kisses only increase the burning anguish of my passion,

Yet I would find no joy in not kissing his mouth.

Yet I have no joy in not kissing that mouth.

وأُرضيه جُهْدِي والتجني يصدُّه

وأُرضيه جُهْدِي والتجني يصدُّه

وكم مُستجنٍّ لا يُطاقُ رضَاهُ

وكم مُستجنٍّ لا يُطاقُ رضَاهُ

And I do my utmost to please him, but feigned grievance keeps him aloof;

I strive to please him, yet disdain keeps him aloof,

And many a madman is impossible to please.

And how many who strive to please are intolerable!

أَما تستحي يا جاحِدَ الصبّ سُقْمَهُ

أَما تستحي يا جاحِدَ الصبّ سُقْمَهُ

تقول له هَذا وأَنْت تَرَاهُ

تقول له هَذا وأَنْت تَرَاهُ

Are you not ashamed, you who deny the lover's illness,

Why, denier of my passion, do you impugn my sickness?

Saying this to him while you see him?

Can you say this, when you see him there?

فحاضِرُ سقمِ الجسم منه كما ترى

فحاضِرُ سقمِ الجسم منه كما ترى

وغائبُ وَجْدِ القلْبِ مِنْه كمَا هُو

وغائبُ وَجْدِ القلْبِ مِنْه كمَا هُو

For his body's visible sickness is as you see,

So the sickness of my body in his presence is evident,

And his heart's hidden anguish is as it is.

While the love-madness of my heart in his absence is concealed.

رَعى خُضرةً في عارضيه بطرفهِ

رَعى خُضرةً في عارضيه بطرفهِ

وباللَّثم حَيَّا وردَه وَسَقاهُ

وباللَّثم حَيَّا وردَه وَسَقاهُ

He grazed with his gaze on the greenery along the beloved's cheeks,

With a glance from his eye he gave verdure to the cheek,

And with kisses greeted his rose and watered it.

And with his kiss he revived the rose and watered it.

كفرْتُ الهوى إِن كنتُ خنتُك ساعةً

كفرْتُ الهوى إِن كنتُ خنتُك ساعةً

فإِن لهَوي للعاشِقين إِلهُ

فإِن لهَوي للعاشِقين إِلهُ

I would have denied love had I betrayed you for even an hour,

I renounce my passion if for an hour I was unfaithful,

For my love is a god to lovers.

For the passion of lovers has a god for them.