أَبى القَلْبُ إِلاَّ أَن يَبِيتَ بِه صباً

أَبى القَلْبُ إِلاَّ أَن يَبِيتَ بِه صباً

وهَيْهَاتَ صبٌّ أَنْ يُلاَقى له قَلْبَا

وهَيْهَاتَ صبٌّ أَنْ يُلاَقى له قَلْبَا

The heart insists on spending the night lovesick for him.

My heart refused but to spend the night in passion for him

And how unlikely that a lovesick lover should find a heart of his own!

Alas, no passion will find a heart to meet it

سَبىَ القلبَ مني لَحظُ ظَبْي أُحبُّه

سَبىَ القلبَ مني لَحظُ ظَبْي أُحبُّه

فيا قلبُ ما أَصْبىَ ويا لَحْظُ ما أَسْبىَ

فيا قلبُ ما أَصْبىَ ويا لَحْظُ ما أَسْبىَ

The glance of a gazelle I love stole my heart from me.

My heart was led captive from me by a glance from the gazelle I love

So, O heart, how lovesick! And O glance, how captivating!

So O my heart what are you captured by and O glance what have you captured

أُحِسُّ له وقْعاً ولا وقْعَ في الحَشَا

أُحِسُّ له وقْعاً ولا وقْعَ في الحَشَا

وطعناً ولا طعناً وضرباً ولا ضَربا

وطعناً ولا طعناً وضرباً ولا ضَربا

I feel its impact, yet there is no impact within my breast,

I feel him make an impact but no real impact is made

And a stab, yet no stab; and a blow, yet no blow.

A stab but no real stab, a blow but no real blow

وقالوا تغَيَّبْ تَسْلُ عمَّن تُحبُّه

وقالوا تغَيَّبْ تَسْلُ عمَّن تُحبُّه

فكنتُ كأَنِّي غِبْت أَستَحْضِرُ الحُبَّا

فكنتُ كأَنِّي غِبْت أَستَحْضِرُ الحُبَّا

And they said, 'Stay away, and you will forget the one you love.'

They said distract yourself and ask about your beloved

So it was as though I had gone away to summon love.

So I acted as though I was absent, imagining my love

وَثَبْتُ بِطَرْفَيْ رَحْلهِ فكأَنَّه

وَثَبْتُ بِطَرْفَيْ رَحْلهِ فكأَنَّه

تعلَّم من دَمْع الجفونِ بيَ الوثبا

تعلَّم من دَمْع الجفونِ بيَ الوثبا

I sprang onto the two ends of his saddle; it seemed as though it

And I grew attached to the edge of his departure, so it seemed

Had learned from eyelids' tears to leap with me.

He had learned from the tears of my eyelids to jump at me

دموْعٌ جَرَتْ من بَعْدِ كسْرة جَفْنِه

دموْعٌ جَرَتْ من بَعْدِ كسْرة جَفْنِه

تُعَلِّمُ دَمْعِي فيه أَن يَكْسِرَ الهُدْبَا

تُعَلِّمُ دَمْعِي فيه أَن يَكْسِرَ الهُدْبَا

Tears that flowed after the drooping of his eyelid

Tears streamed from the corner of his eye

Teach my tears, for his sake, to break the lashes.

Teaching my tears in it to break the dams

عَتِبْتُ عليه بالصُّدودِ فلم يَعُد

عَتِبْتُ عليه بالصُّدودِ فلم يَعُد

بعَتْبي فصيّرتُ الفراقَ هُو العَتْبَا

بعَتْبي فصيّرتُ الفراقَ هُو العَتْبَا

I reproached him by shunning him, but he did not return

I blamed him for his distance but he didn’t stop

In answer to my reproach; so I made parting itself the reproach.

So I made the separation itself the blame

وكَيْفَ سُكُوني بَعْد بُعْدِي لِحفْظِه

وكَيْفَ سُكُوني بَعْد بُعْدِي لِحفْظِه

بعَهدي وقِدْماً كُنْتُ أَتَّهِمُ القُرْبَا

بعَهدي وقِدْماً كُنْتُ أَتَّهِمُ القُرْبَا

And how could I rest, once far away, trusting his faithfulness

How can I find peace after my distance from him

To my pledge, when long ago I distrusted nearness?

When I was close I suspected the nearness

وقال أَمِن بَابِ التَّفَرُّقِ بيْنَنَا

وقال أَمِن بَابِ التَّفَرُّقِ بيْنَنَا

دخلتَ إِلى السُّلوانِ قلتُ نَعْم مِنْ با

دخلتَ إِلى السُّلوانِ قلتُ نَعْم مِنْ با

And he said, 'Was it through the door of our separation

And he said, “Are you entering the house of separation between us?”

That you entered solace?' I said, 'Yes, through the do—.'

I said “Yes” out of politeness

وهَيْهَات أَسْلُو بعد أَن ضَرَبَ الْهَوى

وهَيْهَات أَسْلُو بعد أَن ضَرَبَ الْهَوى

بأَغْرَبه قطْعاً وأَقْطَعه غَرْبَا

بأَغْرَبه قطْعاً وأَقْطَعه غَرْبَا

And how could I forget, after love struck

But how can I ask after love has struck

With its keenest cut and its sharpest edge?

Its strangest blow, and its most barren estrangement

صَديتُ إِلى أَن كاد يُغْنِينيَ الصَّدَى

صَديتُ إِلى أَن كاد يُغْنِينيَ الصَّدَى

إِلى ريقِ ثَغْرٍ كُنْتُ أَفْنَيْتُه شُرْبا

إِلى ريقِ ثَغْرٍ كُنْتُ أَفْنَيْتُه شُرْبا

I thirsted—until thirst itself almost sufficed me—

I turned away until the echo almost quenched my thirst

For the saliva of a mouth I had drained by drinking.

For the saliva of the mouth I once drank from

وهبَّ اشْتِياقي مَنْ كَراهُ ولم يَكُن

وهبَّ اشْتِياقي مَنْ كَراهُ ولم يَكُن

ينبِّهُهُ إِلاَّ النَّسيمُ الَّذِي هَبَّا

ينبِّهُهُ إِلاَّ النَّسيمُ الَّذِي هَبَّا

And my longing awoke from its slumber; nothing

And my passion awoke one who disliked it, it only woke him

Had roused it but the breeze that blew.

Through the breeze that blew

تولَّى سُلوِّي للبِعَاد الذِي أَتَى

تولَّى سُلوِّي للبِعَاد الذِي أَتَى

وشَابَ اصطِبَارِي للغرَام الذي شَبَّا

وشَابَ اصطِبَارِي للغرَام الذي شَبَّا

My solace departed because of the separation that came,

My consolation turned to the distance that came

And my endurance grew gray from the passion that flared.

And my patience grew up with the love that grew up

ولا ذَنْبَ لي إِلاَّ هَوَاهُ وإِنْ يَكُنْ

ولا ذَنْبَ لي إِلاَّ هَوَاهُ وإِنْ يَكُنْ

فَلاَ تُبْتُ مِنْ ذَنْبي ولا غَفَر الذَّنْبا

فَلاَ تُبْتُ مِنْ ذَنْبي ولا غَفَر الذَّنْبا

And I have no sin but loving him; and if that is a sin,

I have no fault but his love, and if it be

Then may I never repent of my sin, nor may that sin be forgiven.

A fault, do not blame me or pardon the sin