هَل يَنفَعُ الوَجدُ أَو يُفيدُ

هَل يَنفَعُ الوَجدُ أَو يُفيدُ

أَم هَل عَلى مَن بَكى جُناح

أَم هَل عَلى مَن بَكى جُناح

Does passionate longing avail or bring benefit?

Does passion help, or is it of use?

Or is there blame upon one who weeps?

Or is there fault in one who weeps?

يا مُنيَةَ القَلبِ غِبتَ عَنّي

يا مُنيَةَ القَلبِ غِبتَ عَنّي

فَاللَيلُ عِندي بِلا صَباح

فَاللَيلُ عِندي بِلا صَباح

O heart's desire, you have vanished from me,

O demise of my heart, you've been absent from me,

So my night has no morning.

So the night to me is without dawn.

أَفديهِ مِن معرضٍ تَولّى

أَفديهِ مِن معرضٍ تَولّى

لا عَينٌ مِنهُ وَلا أَثَر

لا عَينٌ مِنهُ وَلا أَثَر

I would ransom him—an aloof one who withdrew;

I ransom him from an averter who has turned away,

Not a sight of him, not a trace.

No eye from him, nor trace.

عَذَّبَني في هَواهُ كَلّا

عَذَّبَني في هَواهُ كَلّا

لَم يُبقِ مِنّي وَلَم يَذَر

لَم يُبقِ مِنّي وَلَم يَذَر

He tormented me with love for him—nay,

He tortured me in his love, never

He left nothing of me, spared nothing.

Leaving aught of me, nor letting be.

يا عَينُ عَنّى فَلَيسَ إِلى

يا عَينُ عَنّى فَلَيسَ إِلى

صَبر عَلى الدَمعِ وَالسَهَر

صَبر عَلى الدَمعِ وَالسَهَر

O eye, leave me be, for there is no way to

O eye, turn from me, for there is to me

Endure tears and sleeplessness.

No patience for tears or wakefulness.

وَيَفعَل الشَوقُ ما يُريد

وَيَفعَل الشَوقُ ما يُريد

في كَبِدٍ كُلّها جِراح

في كَبِدٍ كُلّها جِراح

And longing does whatever it wishes

And longing does what it desires

In a liver that is all wounds.

In a liver all wounds.

يا مُخجِلَ البَدرِ لا تَسَلني

يا مُخجِلَ البَدرِ لا تَسَلني

عَن جورِ أَلحاظِك المِلاح

عَن جورِ أَلحاظِك المِلاح

O you who shame the full moon, do not ask me

O shame of the full moon, ask me not

About the tyranny of your lovely glances.

Of the tyranny of your salty glances.

زادَ عَلى بَهجَةِ النَهارِ

زادَ عَلى بَهجَةِ النَهارِ

مِن حُسنِهِ الدَهرُ في اِزدِياد

مِن حُسنِهِ الدَهرُ في اِزدِياد

He surpassed the splendor of day;

In addition to the joy of day

Through his beauty, the world grows ever more splendid.

From his beauty time is ever increasing.

لَحظٌ لَهُ سَطوَةَ العقار

لَحظٌ لَهُ سَطوَةَ العقار

يَفعَل في العَقلِ ما أَراد

يَفعَل في العَقلِ ما أَراد

A glance with the overpowering force of wine

A glance possessing spellbinding power

Does to the mind whatever it wills.

Does in reason what it desires.

خَدّاهُ كَالوَردِ في البِهار

خَدّاهُ كَالوَردِ في البِهار

يَقطِفُ بِاللَحظِ أَو يَكاد

يَقطِفُ بِاللَحظِ أَو يَكاد

His cheeks are like roses among oxeye blossoms;

His cheeks are like roses in bloom

One plucks them with a glance—or nearly does.

That his glance picks, or nearly does.

وَذلِكَ المَبسَم البَرود

وَذلِكَ المَبسَم البَرود

حَصاهُ درّ وَصرفُ راح

حَصاهُ درّ وَصرفُ راح

And that cool, smiling mouth—

And that smiling mouth

Its pebbles are pearls, its moisture pure wine;

Its pearls and its parting of delight,

أَو مِثل ما قُلت ماءَ مُزنٍ

أَو مِثل ما قُلت ماءَ مُزنٍ

يُسقى بِهِ يانِع الأَقاح

يُسقى بِهِ يانِع الأَقاح

Or, as I said, water from rain clouds

Or like what I said, juicy water

With which blooming daisies are watered.

With which blooming meadows are watered.

يا مَن لَهُ أَبدَع الصِفات

يا مَن لَهُ أَبدَع الصِفات

يا غُصنُ يا دعصُ يا قَمَر

يا غُصنُ يا دعصُ يا قَمَر

O you who possess the most wondrous qualities,

O you who has the most wondrous attributes,

O branch, O sand dune, O moon!

O branch, O association, O moon!

غِبتَ فَلَم يَأتِ مِنكَ آت

غِبتَ فَلَم يَأتِ مِنكَ آت

فَاِستَوحَشَ السَمعَ وَالبَصَر

فَاِستَوحَشَ السَمعَ وَالبَصَر

You vanished, and no one came from you,

You went away, and there came not from you

So hearing and sight grew desolate.

A visitor, so hearing and sight felt lonely.

لَولا صَبا تلكُمُ الجِهات

لَولا صَبا تلكُمُ الجِهات

لَذابَ قَلبي مِنَ الفِكر

لَذابَ قَلبي مِنَ الفِكر

Were it not for the east wind from those regions,

Were it not for the zephyrs of those places

My heart would have melted from brooding.

My heart would have melted from thought.

يا أَيُّها النازِحُ البَعيد

يا أَيُّها النازِحُ البَعيد

جاءَت بِأَنبائِكَ الرِياح

جاءَت بِأَنبائِكَ الرِياح

O you who have departed far away,

O you who has traveled far away!

The winds brought news of you.

The winds brought tidings of you,

إِنَّ الصبا عَنكَ أَخبَرَتني

إِنَّ الصبا عَنكَ أَخبَرَتني

ما اِهتَزَّ رَوضُ الرُبى وَفاح

ما اِهتَزَّ رَوضُ الرُبى وَفاح

Indeed, the east wind told me about you

The zephyrs informed me, the meadow shook

Whenever the hillside garden swayed and breathed fragrance.

And its flowers' fragrance wafted.

يا ساحِراً فَوقَ كُلِّ ساحِرٍ

يا ساحِراً فَوقَ كُلِّ ساحِرٍ

وَمَن لَهُ حُسنه أَصِف

وَمَن لَهُ حُسنه أَصِف

O sorcerer surpassing every sorcerer,

O sorcerer, above every sorcerer,

And to whom shall I describe his beauty?

And who can describe his beauty?

وَجهٌ كَالصَباح باهِر

وَجهٌ كَالصَباح باهِر

أَردِيَة الحُسنِ يَلتَحِف

أَردِيَة الحُسنِ يَلتَحِف

A face, radiant as morning;

A face like the radiant dawn,

He wraps himself in robes of beauty.

The cloak of beauty he wraps around himself.

كَالرَوضِ حَفَّت بِهِ الأَزاهر

كَالرَوضِ حَفَّت بِهِ الأَزاهر

يَقطِفُ بِاللَحظِ إِن قَطَف

يَقطِفُ بِاللَحظِ إِن قَطَف

Like a garden encircled by blossoms,

Like a garden wreathed with flowers

One plucks them with a glance, if one plucks at all.

That his glance picks, if it picks.

كَالبَدرِ في لَيلَةِ السُعود

كَالبَدرِ في لَيلَةِ السُعود

أَشرَقَ لَألاؤُهُ وَلاح

أَشرَقَ لَألاؤُهُ وَلاح

Like the full moon on a night of good fortune,

Like the full moon on a night of serenity

His radiance shone forth and gleamed.

Its brilliance shone forth and beamed,

كَالغُصن اللَدن في التَثَنّي

كَالغُصن اللَدن في التَثَنّي

تَهزُّ أَعطافهُ الرِياح

تَهزُّ أَعطافهُ الرِياح

Like a supple branch in its swaying,

Like the tender bough bending

The winds stir his flanks.

The breezes shake its branches.

مَن لي بِمَخضوبَةِ البَنان

مَن لي بِمَخضوبَةِ البَنان

مَمشوقَةِ القَدِّ وَالدَلال

مَمشوقَةِ القَدِّ وَالدَلال

Who will bring me her with henna-dyed fingertips,

Who is for me with rouged fingers

Slender of figure and full of coquetry?

And swaying coyness and charms?

مَن هَجرُها مُشبِه الزَمان

مَن هَجرُها مُشبِه الزَمان

ماضٍ وَمُستَقبل وَحال

ماضٍ وَمُستَقبل وَحال

She whose estrangement resembles time:

Whose abandonment resembles time itself

Past, future, and present.

Past and future and present.

فيها رَثى عاذِلي لِشاني

فيها رَثى عاذِلي لِشاني

ثُمَّ اِنثَنى ضاحِكاً وَقال

ثُمَّ اِنثَنى ضاحِكاً وَقال

On her account, my reproacher pitied my plight,

In her my blamer lamented my condition

Then turned away, laughing, and said:

Then turned laughing and said:

عاشِقٌ وَمِسكينُ اللَه يريد

عاشِقٌ وَمِسكينُ اللَه يريد

وارِثٌ لِمَن يَعشقُ المِلاح

وارِثٌ لِمَن يَعشقُ المِلاح

A lover, and God's poor wretch, desires

A lover, and poor - God wants

An heir for one who loves the fair.

An heir for one who loves coquetry.

فَداع يَهجُرن أَو يَصِلني

فَداع يَهجُرن أَو يَصِلني

لَيسَ عَلى ساحِر اِقتِراح

لَيسَ عَلى ساحِر اِقتِراح

[Wording unclear:] So a caller—they forsake, or he joins me;

So farewell, she who abandons or unites me,

No one may dictate to a sorcerer.

A sorcerer has no suggestions to make.