يقولون لِمْ خلَّى هواهُ فلانه

يقولون لِمْ خلَّى هواهُ فلانه

فقلت سلوا عن ذاك وجهَ فلانِ

فقلت سلوا عن ذاك وجهَ فلانِ

They say, “Why did his passion forsake Fulana?”

They ask why so-and-so is infatuated with her

I said, “Ask Fulan’s face about that.”

I said, ask about that face, ask about so-and-so

هو الوجهُ ساقَ النَّاسَ بالسيف لا العصا

هو الوجهُ ساقَ النَّاسَ بالسيف لا العصا

وذلك سيفٌ للِّحاظ يماني

وذلك سيفٌ للِّحاظ يماني

It is the face that drove people with the sword, not the staff,

That face led people with a sword, not a stick

and that is a Yemeni sword of glances.

And that is a Yemeni sword, when unsheathed

إِذا ما تجلَّى ضلّ من كَانَ هادياً

إِذا ما تجلَّى ضلّ من كَانَ هادياً

وقد زلَّ من كانَتْ له قَدَمَان

وقد زلَّ من كانَتْ له قَدَمَان

When he reveals himself, one who was a guide goes astray,

When it appears, it bewilders even a guide

and one with two feet has indeed stumbled.

And trips someone who has two legs

تعرّضْ له يا عاذِلي متأَملاً

تعرّضْ له يا عاذِلي متأَملاً

لعَيْنَيه تُصْبحْ عاشقاً بِضَمَانِ

لعَيْنَيه تُصْبحْ عاشقاً بِضَمَانِ

Approach him, O my reproacher, and gaze

Go closer to it, blamer, and contemplate

at his eyes—you will become a lover, I guarantee it.

Its eyes will make you a lover, I guarantee

يقول لنا يا لَيْتَني ما رأَيتُه

يقول لنا يا لَيْتَني ما رأَيتُه

ويا ليتَه ما كان قَطُّ رآني

ويا ليتَه ما كان قَطُّ رآني

He says to us, “Oh, if only I had not seen him,

It says to us, oh I wish I never saw it

and oh, if only he had never seen me!”

And oh I wish it never saw me

أَيا واحداً ديني عبادةُ واحدٍ

أَيا واحداً ديني عبادةُ واحدٍ

كَفَرْتُ بما بي إِنْ كفَرْتُ بثَانِ

كَفَرْتُ بما بي إِنْ كفَرْتُ بثَانِ

O peerless one, my religion is the worship of One;

My religion is the worship of the One

I would deny what is within me if I denied a second.

I disbelieve in anything else, if I disbelieve in the Second

طَلَبْتُ أَماناً من هواهُ فجاءَني

طَلَبْتُ أَماناً من هواهُ فجاءَني

كتابُ أَمَانِي لا كتَابُ أَمَانِ

كتابُ أَمَانِي لا كتَابُ أَمَانِ

I sought safety from loving him, and there came to me

I sought safety from its love, but what came to me

a writ of wishes, not a writ of safety.

Was the writ of my wishes, not the writ of safety

أَزَلْتُ وقَارِي في هواهُ صَبابةً

أَزَلْتُ وقَارِي في هواهُ صَبابةً

وأَنْزَلْتُ نُسْكي مِنْه دَارَ هَوَانِ

وأَنْزَلْتُ نُسْكي مِنْه دَارَ هَوَانِ

I cast off my dignity in love for him, out of longing,

I lost my dignity in its love out of youthfulness

and because of him I lodged my piety in an abode of humiliation.

And lowered my devotion from it to the abode of disgrace

ولي عند ذكراهُ خيولٌ سوابقٌ

ولي عند ذكراهُ خيولٌ سوابقٌ

من الدَّمع ما هَيَّجتُها بِحِرَانِ

من الدَّمع ما هَيَّجتُها بِحِرَانِ

And when I remember him, I have racing steeds

When I remember it, I have racing horses

of tears, which never balk when I rouse them.

That my tears have stirred up out of love-sickness

إِذا لَمْ يضِنَّ الصدرُ عنك بقَلْبه

إِذا لَمْ يضِنَّ الصدرُ عنك بقَلْبه

فكيف تضنُّ العين بالهَملاَن

فكيف تضنُّ العين بالهَملاَن

If the breast does not withhold its heart from you,

If the chest cannot refrain from you in its heart

then how can the eye withhold its streaming tears?

How can the eye refrain from tears?

وما لي يدٌ بالصبرِ عنك تأَسّفاً

وما لي يدٌ بالصبرِ عنك تأَسّفاً

عليك ولي عند العناق يَدَانِ

عليك ولي عند العناق يَدَانِ

And I have no hand for enduring your absence, grieving

I have no patience in staying away from you

for you; yet in an embrace I have two hands.

For missing you, and I have two hands for embracing