هل تأمرينَ فأفتدِي وأقيكِ

هل تأمرينَ فأفتدِي وأقيكِ

لو كان فوق الروحِ ما يفديكِ

لو كان فوق الروحِ ما يفديكِ

Would you bid me, so I might sacrifice myself and shield you,

Shall I obey if you command me and sacrifice myself for you

if there were anything beyond my soul to ransom you?

Even if there was something beyond the soul that could redeem you

أمسيتُ أقلَقَ راقدٍ في مضجعٍ

أمسيتُ أقلَقَ راقدٍ في مضجعٍ

وكذلكَ يمسي مَن يفكِّرُ فيكِ

وكذلكَ يمسي مَن يفكِّرُ فيكِ

I passed the evening as the most restless sleeper in a bed,

I lay down troubled in my bed at night

and so spends the evening whoever thinks of you,

As does anyone who thinks of you

مستعرضاً صوَرَ الهوى وفصولَه

مستعرضاً صوَرَ الهوى وفصولَه

من كلِّ ثاوٍ في النهى متروكِ

من كلِّ ثاوٍ في النهى متروكِ

reviewing love's images and its chapters—

Reviewing images of love and its seasons

each thing lodged in the mind, left abandoned:

From every complacent one in denial abandoned

من محزنٍ مشجٍ ومن مستنهضٍ

من محزنٍ مشجٍ ومن مستنهضٍ

جبلاً وَهَى من عزميَ المدكوكِ

جبلاً وَهَى من عزميَ المدكوكِ

some saddening and heart-rending, and some rousing

From a saddener, a stirrer, and from one invigorated

a mountain of my battered resolve, grown weak;

A mountain weakened and crumbled by my resolute determination

وقديمِ سرٍّ في هواكِ كتمتُه

وقديمِ سرٍّ في هواكِ كتمتُه

أبداً وآخرَ ظاهرٍ مهتوكِ

أبداً وآخرَ ظاهرٍ مهتوكِ

and an old secret in my love for you that I concealed

And an old secret love for you I have concealed

forever, and another, open and laid bare.

Forever, and another apparent battered and contused

ولَرُبَّ آمالٍ عليكِ حبستُها

ولَرُبَّ آمالٍ عليكِ حبستُها

وخشيتُ لو تبدو قِتَالَ ذويكِ

وخشيتُ لو تبدو قِتَالَ ذويكِ

And many hopes for you I kept imprisoned,

And for many hopes in you I have confined

and feared, should they appear, a fight with your kin.

Fearing that if they materialize, it would lead to your death

كالطيرِ لو كانت تطيرُ لأسرعت

كالطيرِ لو كانت تطيرُ لأسرعت

ظمآنةً نحو الحياة بفيكِ

ظمآنةً نحو الحياة بفيكِ

Like birds, if they could fly, they would hasten,

Like a bird, if only it could fly, it would hasten

thirsty, toward the life within your mouth.

Thirstily toward life through your air

أطلقتُها وفككتُ عنها قيدَها

أطلقتُها وفككتُ عنها قيدَها

حتى بلغتُكِ بالمنى المفكوكِ

حتى بلغتُكِ بالمنى المفكوكِ

I released them and loosened their fetter,

I unleashed them and unshackled them

until I reached you through wishes set free.

Until I reached you with the accomplished intent

فدنوتُ حتى إذ ضممتُكِ باكياً

فدنوتُ حتى إذ ضممتُكِ باكياً

وجعلتُ حولك هالةً تحميكِ

وجعلتُ حولك هالةً تحميكِ

Then I drew near, until, when I embraced you, weeping,

So I drew near until when I embraced you crying

and made a halo around you to protect you,

And surrounded you with a halo to protect you

فإذا الخيالُ مكذَّبٌ وإِذا الفؤا

فإذا الخيالُ مكذَّبٌ وإِذا الفؤا

دُ معذَّبٌ عبثت به أيديكِ

دُ معذَّبٌ عبثت به أيديكِ

behold, the vision was belied, and behold, the heart

But imagination was unfulfilled, and attempts

was tormented; your hands had toyed with it.

Were tormented by your hands

ولقد مرضتِ فرحتُ أشقَى ذاكرٍ

ولقد مرضتِ فرحتُ أشقَى ذاكرٍ

يبكي لأجلكِ كلما ذكروكِ

يبكي لأجلكِ كلما ذكروكِ

And you fell ill; I became the most wretched of those remembering you,

And you fell ill, and I, most wretched in recollection

weeping for your sake whenever they mentioned you.

Wept for your sake whenever they mentioned you

جندُ السقامِ وتلك جندُك في الهوى

جندُ السقامِ وتلك جندُك في الهوى

من أيّ عهدٍ أصبحت تغزوكِ

من أيّ عهدٍ أصبحت تغزوكِ

The troops of sickness—and those are your troops in love—

The troop of illness and that is your troop in passion

since when have they begun to invade you?

From which era did they start to invade you

يا زهرتي لم أدرِ هل عَرَقُ الضنى

يا زهرتي لم أدرِ هل عَرَقُ الضنى

هذا عليكِ أم الندَى يعلوكِ

هذا عليكِ أم الندَى يعلوكِ

O my flower, I could not tell: was it the sweat of wasting illness

My flower, I did not know, was it the sweat of grief

upon you, or dew that covered you?

That covered you, or the dew rising above you

ولقد ظمئتِ فكدتُ أبذلُ مدمعي

ولقد ظمئتِ فكدتُ أبذلُ مدمعي

لو كنتُ أعلم أنه يرويكِ

لو كنتُ أعلم أنه يرويكِ

And you thirsted; I would almost have offered my tears,

And you were thirsty, I almost sacrificed my tears

had I known they would quench your thirst.

If only I knew they would quench your thirst

ووددت لو أنَّ الحياةَ تحولت

ووددت لو أنَّ الحياةَ تحولت

ماءً وإني ماءها أسقيكِ

ماءً وإني ماءها أسقيكِ

And I wished that life might turn

And I wished that life itself would change

into water, and I would give you its water to drink.

To water, and I am its water with which I water you

لكنَّ تلك حياةَ صبٍّ بائسٍ

لكنَّ تلك حياةَ صبٍّ بائسٍ

عَرَفَ الردى مما يكابدُ فيكِ

عَرَفَ الردى مما يكابدُ فيكِ

But that is the life of a wretched lover,

But that is the life of a miserable pouring

who has known death from what he endures for you.

That has experienced misery from what you endure

ملئت بكاء فاستحالت مُرّةً

ملئت بكاء فاستحالت مُرّةً

فغدت كمثلِ الدمعِ لا تغنيكِ

فغدت كمثلِ الدمعِ لا تغنيكِ

It was filled with weeping and so turned bitter,

You filled me with crying that it turned bitter

and became like tears, of no avail to you.

So it became like tears that do not avail you

رفقاً بمهجتي التي تدرينها

رفقاً بمهجتي التي تدرينها

قفراً رماه الحظُّ من واديكِ

قفراً رماه الحظُّ من واديكِ

Be gentle with my heart, which you know

Be gentle with my mind that you know

as a wasteland that fortune cast out of your valley.

Has been abandoned barren from your valley

وَضَعَت بساحتِكِ الرجاءَ وأقسمت

وَضَعَت بساحتِكِ الرجاءَ وأقسمت

بالحبِّ والإِخلاصِ لا تعدوكِ

بالحبِّ والإِخلاصِ لا تعدوكِ

It laid its hope in your courtyard and swore

It placed hope in your field and swore

by love and fidelity never to pass beyond you.

By love and loyalty not to transgress you