لقد ذَهبتْ نَفْسي وقد صَفِرت يَدي

لقد ذَهبتْ نَفْسي وقد صَفِرت يَدي

بنَاقِضَةِ الميثاقِ ناكثةِ العَهْدِ

بنَاقِضَةِ الميثاقِ ناكثةِ العَهْدِ

Indeed, my soul has departed, and my hand is empty,

My soul is gone and my hand is withered,

because of one who breaks the covenant and betrays the pledge.

By she who violates pacts and breaks vows,

تروحُ إِلى حُبٍّ وتغدو إِلى قِلًى

تروحُ إِلى حُبٍّ وتغدو إِلى قِلًى

وتضْحَى على وصلٍ وتُمْسِي على صَدِّ

وتضْحَى على وصلٍ وتُمْسِي على صَدِّ

She turns to love at evening, and to aversion at morning,

Going to love in the morning, becoming aloof by night,

and spends the forenoon in union, the evening in rejection.

Spending the night in union, waking in separation.

وتأْتي إِلى الضِّرغامِ بعد تمنُّعٍ

وتأْتي إِلى الضِّرغامِ بعد تمنُّعٍ

وتسعى بِرِجْلَيْها إِلى منزلِ القِرْدِ

وتسعى بِرِجْلَيْها إِلى منزلِ القِرْدِ

She comes to the lion after holding back,

She comes to the tangled thicket after coyness,

and makes her way on her own two feet to the monkey's dwelling.

And strides with her feet to the monkey's abode.

وتجمعُ محبوبين في غِمْدِ قلْبِها

وتجمعُ محبوبين في غِمْدِ قلْبِها

وما يجمعُ القينُ الحسامَينْ في غِمْدِ

وما يجمعُ القينُ الحسامَينْ في غِمْدِ

She gathers two beloveds in the sheath of her heart,

She gathers two lovers in the sheath of her heart,

yet a smith never puts two swords in a single sheath.

As the scabbard never holds two swords.

وتُخْلفني وعْدَ الوصال ورُبَّما

وتُخْلفني وعْدَ الوصال ورُبَّما

أَتَتْني ولم أَشْتَقْ إِليها بِلاَ وَعْدِ

أَتَتْني ولم أَشْتَقْ إِليها بِلاَ وَعْدِ

She breaks her promise of union to me, and sometimes

She lets me down on a promise of union, and sometimes

she comes to me without a promise, when I have not longed for her.

She comes to me when I no longer yearn without a promise.

فَنَفْسِيَ منها في شِقاقٍ وشِقْوة

فَنَفْسِيَ منها في شِقاقٍ وشِقْوة

وقلبيَ منها في جهادٍ وفي جَهْدِ

وقلبيَ منها في جهادٍ وفي جَهْدِ

So because of her my soul is in discord and misery,

So my soul is in discord and misery because of her,

and because of her my heart is in struggle and hardship.

And my heart in struggle and exertion.

أَرتْني بها الأَيَّامُ كلَّ عجيبةٍ

أَرتْني بها الأَيَّامُ كلَّ عجيبةٍ

إِلى أَن جنيتُ النارَ من جَنَّة الخُلْدِ

إِلى أَن جنيتُ النارَ من جَنَّة الخُلْدِ

Through her, the days have shown me every marvel,

The days have shown me every wonder from her,

until I plucked fire from the Garden of Eternity.

Until I reaped fire from the garden of eternity.

فجمرةُ وَجْدِي ليس تخلو من اللَّظَى

فجمرةُ وَجْدِي ليس تخلو من اللَّظَى

وشُعْلَةُ قَلْبي ليس تُطْفَا من الوَقْدِ

وشُعْلَةُ قَلْبي ليس تُطْفَا من الوَقْدِ

So the ember of my passion is never free of flame,

The ember of my passion is not without flames,

and my heart's burning flame is never quenched.

And the blaze of my heart is not quenched from the fuel.

غرميَ فيها ليس يَجْري لغايةٍ

غرميَ فيها ليس يَجْري لغايةٍ

وحُبِّي فيها ليس يُفْض إِلى حَدِّ

وحُبِّي فيها ليس يُفْض إِلى حَدِّ

My infatuation with her runs to no end,

My love for her does not flow to an end,

and my love for her reaches no limit.

And my passion for her does not diminish to a limit.

لها وعَلَيْها ما رأًيتُ ولا أَرَى

لها وعَلَيْها ما رأًيتُ ولا أَرَى

ومنها وفيها ما أُسِرُّ وما أُبْدِي

ومنها وفيها ما أُسِرُّ وما أُبْدِي

For her and against her is what I have seen and what I do not see;

About her and against her is what I have and have not seen,

and from her and about her comes what I conceal and what I reveal.

What I conceal and what I reveal.

وحسْبكَ منها أَنَّ من كَلَفي بها

وحسْبكَ منها أَنَّ من كَلَفي بها

أَرَى وهْي عِنْدِي أَنَّها ما غَدَتْ عِنْدِي

أَرَى وهْي عِنْدِي أَنَّها ما غَدَتْ عِنْدِي

Enough to tell you of her: so infatuated am I with her

It is enough that she who tried me with herself,

that, even while she is with me, I think she has not come to me.

I see while with me she did not become with me.

تمنَّيتُ من حبِّي لطولِ اجتماعِنا

تمنَّيتُ من حبِّي لطولِ اجتماعِنا

بأَنِّي وإِيَّاها أَسيران في قدِّي

بأَنِّي وإِيَّاها أَسيران في قدِّي

Out of my love, to keep us long together, I wished

I wished from my love due to our long company,

that she and I were captives in my leather fetter.

That she and I were captives bound together.

طردتُ هواها جاهِداً فوجدتُهُ

طردتُ هواها جاهِداً فوجدتُهُ

لئيماً مَهِيناً ليس يَذْهَبُ بالطَّردِ

لئيماً مَهِيناً ليس يَذْهَبُ بالطَّردِ

I strove to banish my passion for her, but found it

I expelled her love vigorously but found it

base and abject, never leaving when driven away.

Vile, disgraced - it does not leave with expulsion.

وقد لامَ فيها كلُّ غثٍّ ملامةً

وقد لامَ فيها كلُّ غثٍّ ملامةً

وما قلبُه قلبي ولا وَجْدهُ وَجْدِي

وما قلبُه قلبي ولا وَجْدهُ وَجْدِي

Every worthless fellow has reproached me over her,

And every worthless critic blamed her,

yet his heart is not my heart, nor his passion my passion.

But his heart is not my heart, nor his passion my passion.

يراها بعينٍ ما أَراها بِمِثْلِها

يراها بعينٍ ما أَراها بِمِثْلِها

فإِني وإِيَّاه ضلَلْنَا عن القَصْدِ

فإِني وإِيَّاه ضلَلْنَا عن القَصْدِ

He sees her with an eye unlike the one with which I see her,

He sees her with an eye unlike what I see her with,

for he and I have strayed from the middle course.

For he and I both strayed from the goal.

وعيَّبها أَن قال غيرُّ مليحةٍ

وعيَّبها أَن قال غيرُّ مليحةٍ

وما الحسنُ شَرْط في المحبةِ والوُدِّ

وما الحسنُ شَرْط في المحبةِ والوُدِّ

He disparaged her by saying she was not beautiful,

And he blamed her, saying she is without beauty,

but beauty is no condition of love and affection.

Yet beauty is no condition for love and affection.

مَقَابِحُها عندي أَلذُّ من الكَرَى

مَقَابِحُها عندي أَلذُّ من الكَرَى

لِعَيْني وأَحْلَى في فؤادي من الشَّهْدِ

لِعَيْني وأَحْلَى في فؤادي من الشَّهْدِ

To me, her blemishes are more delightful than slumber

Her flaws, to my eyes, are sweeter than visions,

to my eye, and sweeter in my heart than honey.

And in my heart more delicious than honey.

وتلك المساوِي فهي عندي محاسنٌ

وتلك المساوِي فهي عندي محاسنٌ

لِشقْوةِ جَدِّي يا حبَائِي من جَدِّي

لِشقْوةِ جَدِّي يا حبَائِي من جَدِّي

Those faults are beauties in my eyes,

As for her blemishes, they are beauties to me,

through my ill fortune—oh, the gift my fortune has given me!

For the misery of my fervor, O my love from my fervor!

على أَنها والله مسكيَّةُ اللَّمَى

على أَنها والله مسكيَّةُ اللَّمَى

غزاليةُ العينين خُوطيَّةُ القَدِّ

غزاليةُ العينين خُوطيَّةُ القَدِّ

Yet, by God, she has musky, dusky lips,

She is musky-scented, doe-eyed, slender-waisted,

gazelle eyes, and a figure like a slender shoot.

In her face is the garden, her cheek a rose not from a bush, the rest of her body the season of blossoms.

ففي وَجْهِهَا البستانُ والخُدُّ وردهُ ال

ففي وَجْهِهَا البستانُ والخُدُّ وردهُ ال

جَنِيُّ وباقي جسمها زمنُ الوِرْدِ

جَنِيُّ وباقي جسمها زمنُ الوِرْدِ

In her face is the garden, and her cheek is its rose—

By God, my mind has betrayed me in loving her,

freshly picked—and the rest of her body is the season of roses.

So let no mind trust itself after me.

وقد خانَني واللهِ عَقْلي بحُبِّهَا

وقد خانَني واللهِ عَقْلي بحُبِّهَا

فلا يغْتَرِرْ بعَقْلِهِ أَحدٌ بَعْدِي

فلا يغْتَرِرْ بعَقْلِهِ أَحدٌ بَعْدِي

By God, my reason has betrayed me through love of her,

so let no one after me be deluded by his reason.