تجنى لواحظُه وتسْتعْدِي

تجنى لواحظُه وتسْتعْدِي

أَو ما علمتَ تمرُّد المُرْدِ

أَو ما علمتَ تمرُّد المُرْدِ

His sidelong glances wrong me, yet seek redress.

You reap the fruits of his affection, yet still crave more,

Or have you not learned how unruly beardless youths are?

Or have you not known the rebellion of one pampered?

ظَلْمٌ لريقِ فمٍ شهدت له

ظَلْمٌ لريقِ فمٍ شهدت له

أَن المُجَاجَةَ منه كالشَّهْدِ

أَن المُجَاجَةَ منه كالشَّهْدِ

I wronged a mouth's saliva by testifying

It is injustice to the mouth that praised him

that its spittle is like honey.

That you should treat him harshly after tasting his sweetness.

بأَبي مليحٌ مُذْ كلِفتُ بِهِ

بأَبي مليحٌ مُذْ كلِفتُ بِهِ

بعْتُ الهوى وزَهِدت في الزُّهدِ

بعْتُ الهوى وزَهِدت في الزُّهدِ

My father be ransom for a lovely youth! Since I fell for him,

By my father, since I was burdened with passion for him,

I bought passion and renounced renunciation.

I have sold my desires and renounced even renunciation.

شاكِي سلاحِ الحُسْنِ منفردٌ

شاكِي سلاحِ الحُسْنِ منفردٌ

وكأَنَّه يلقاك في جُندِ

وكأَنَّه يلقاك في جُندِ

Fully armed with beauty's weapons, he is alone,

I complain of the torment of his beauty while alone,

yet seems to face you amid an army.

As if I would meet him with an army.

الوردُ وجنتُه وقد شَرُفَتْ

الوردُ وجنتُه وقد شَرُفَتْ

عن أَنْ تخوُن خيانَة الوَرْدِ

عن أَنْ تخوُن خيانَة الوَرْدِ

His cheek is a rose, yet too noble

The rose and its garden though they seemed ready

to commit the rose's treachery.

To betray the secrets of roses.

والعِقد مَبْسِمُه ولستَ تَرَى

والعِقد مَبْسِمُه ولستَ تَرَى

في السِّلْكِ منه زُمُرُّدَ العِقْد

في السِّلْكِ منه زُمُرُّدَ العِقْد

His smiling mouth is a necklace, yet you cannot see

The necklace and its smile though you cannot see

the necklace's emerald along its thread.

Among its beads the precious gems of necklaces.

أَصفُ الحبيبَ ولستُ أُبْصره

أَصفُ الحبيبَ ولستُ أُبْصره

وكذاك تُوصف جنَّةُ الخُلْدِ

وكذاك تُوصف جنَّةُ الخُلْدِ

I describe the beloved though I do not see him,

I describe the beloved though I do not see him,

as the Garden of Eternity is described.

Just so is described the eternal Garden.

ضايقْتني يا دهرُ في قَمَرِي

ضايقْتني يا دهرُ في قَمَرِي

فأَخذتَهُ وتركْتَني وَحْدِي

فأَخذتَهُ وتركْتَني وَحْدِي

You pressed me hard, O Time, over my moon,

O fate, you have straitened me through my moon,

so you took him and left me alone.

Taking him and leaving me alone.

عَهْدي وعانقني وقلتُ له

عَهْدي وعانقني وقلتُ له

لا كان هذا آخرَ العهْد

لا كان هذا آخرَ العهْد

My last memory: he embraced me, and I said to him,

I bade him farewell and embraced him, saying,

May this not be our last meeting!

“May this be the last farewell!”

ومدامِعِي تَجْرِي على يدِهِ

ومدامِعِي تَجْرِي على يدِهِ

ودموعُه تجري على خدِّي

ودموعُه تجري على خدِّي

And my tears ran over his hand,

My tears flow down his hand,

and his tears ran down my cheek.

And his tears flow down my cheek.

بَيْنٌ خرجتُ عليه من جَلَدِي

بَيْنٌ خرجتُ عليه من جَلَدِي

ولئن رجعْتُ خرجْتُ عن خَلدِي

ولئن رجعْتُ خرجْتُ عن خَلدِي

A parting that drove me beyond endurance;

Evident is my transgression of proper bounds,

and should I return, I would lose my mind.

And if I return, I have abandoned eternity.

ولقد وقْفتُ على منازِلِه

ولقد وقْفتُ على منازِلِه

أَرأَيتَ عارِضَهُ على الخدِّ

أَرأَيتَ عارِضَهُ على الخدِّ

Indeed, I stood at his dwellings;

I stood at his dwellings,

have you seen the down upon his cheek?

Did you see his likeness imprinted on my cheek?

ولقد أَتيتُ لها على ثِقةٍ

ولقد أَتيتُ لها على ثِقةٍ

ولقد رجعتُ بخجْلَةِ الرَّد

ولقد رجعتُ بخجْلَةِ الرَّد

Indeed, I came to them with confidence,

I approached it confidently,

and indeed returned ashamed of rejection.

Yet returned in shame at being spurned.

أَخفى التفرُّقَ أَهْلها فغَدَتْ

أَخفى التفرُّقَ أَهْلها فغَدَتْ

تُبْدِي الغرامَ بهم كما أُبْدِي

تُبْدِي الغرامَ بهم كما أُبْدِي

Parting hid their people, so the dwellings came

Its people concealed their separation, so it began

to reveal their longing for them, as I reveal mine.

To display its love, as I display mine.

سِرْتُم وسارَ القلبُ يتبعُكُمْ

سِرْتُم وسارَ القلبُ يتبعُكُمْ

ليرَى خيامكُمُ على بُعْدِ

ليرَى خيامكُمُ على بُعْدِ

You journeyed, and my heart journeyed after you,

You walked away secretly, and my heart followed

to see your tents from afar.

To see your tents in the distance.

وطردْتُموه ولم يَعُد خَجلاً

وطردْتُموه ولم يَعُد خَجلاً

لا القلبُ عِندكُمُ ولا عِنْدِي

لا القلبُ عِندكُمُ ولا عِنْدِي

You drove it away; ashamed, it did not return.

You dismissed it, no longer feeling shame.

The heart is neither with you nor with me.

Neither my heart remains with you, nor yours with me.

هذا حديثي بعدكُم فَتَرَى

هذا حديثي بعدكُم فَتَرَى

يا قومُ كيفَ حديثُكم بَعْدِي

يا قومُ كيفَ حديثُكم بَعْدِي

This is my tale since you left; so tell me,

This, my discourse after you, so you see

O people, what is your tale since I left?

My people, how your discourse is after me.

يا جاحِدي سَقَمِي بعزَّتِه

يا جاحِدي سَقَمِي بعزَّتِه

أَو ما سَمِعْتَ شهادة الشَّهْدِ

أَو ما سَمِعْتَ شهادة الشَّهْدِ

O you who deny the sickness his pride has caused me,

O you who deny my sickness, by his dignity!

or have you not heard honey's testimony?

Or have you not heard the testimony of sweetness?

تَدْرِي غرامِي ثُم تُنكِرُهُ

تَدْرِي غرامِي ثُم تُنكِرُهُ

وتريدُ تُخْرِجُني بلا حمْدِ

وتريدُ تُخْرِجُني بلا حمْدِ

You know my passion, then deny it,

You know my passion, yet you deny it,

and wish to drive me away without thanks.

Seeking to cast me out without praise.

شاع الغرامُ وشابَ من كلَفي

شاع الغرامُ وشابَ من كلَفي

رأْسي وأَنهجَ في الهَوَى بُرْدِي

رأْسي وأَنهجَ في الهَوَى بُرْدِي

Passion became known, and my infatuation grayed

Passion spread and my infatuation grew

my head; my mantle wore thin in love.

White are my temples and cold my mantle.

وكما يَشَا كَلَفي تفضَّل بي

وكما يَشَا كَلَفي تفضَّل بي

ولقد تعرَّض لي من المَهْدِ

ولقد تعرَّض لي من المَهْدِ

And as my passion wishes, be gracious to me;

However my infatuation decrees my state,

indeed, it has beset me since the cradle.

It has exposed me since the cradle.

مبدا غَرَامِي فيك عن خطا

مبدا غَرَامِي فيك عن خطا

ولَجَاجُ قلبي فيك عن عَمَد

ولَجَاجُ قلبي فيك عن عَمَد

My passion for you began by mistake,

The source of my passion for you is not error,

but my heart's persistence in loving you is deliberate.

But my stubborn heart intentional in its persistence.