رقّbe tender ليto me ياO قلبheart of مَنthe one who هجراforsook
رقّ لي يا قلب مَن هجرا
والذيand by Him who باهىboasted بهof him القمَراthe moon
والذي باهى به القمَرا
Be tender to me, O heart of the one who forsook me,
My heart is gentle, though abandoned by the one
And by Him who boasted of him before the moon,
Whose beauty outshone even the moon.
فوَحسنٍso, by a beauty أنتَyou مالكهُits possessor
فوَحسنٍ أنتَ مالكهُ
مَلكcaptured الأبصارَthe eyes والنظراand the gaze
مَلك الأبصارَ والنظرا
So, by the beauty you possess,
For you possess a beauty he owned -
That has captured eyes and the gaze,
Who commandeered all eyes and their gaze.
وَالذيand by Him who أنشاكَfashioned you منfrom بدَعٍwonders
وَالذي أنشاكَ من بدَعٍ
أخضعتmade submit طوعاًwillingly لكَto you البَشراhumankind
أخضعت طوعاً لكَ البَشرا
And by Him who fashioned you from wonders
He who shaped you out of wonders
That made humankind willingly submit to you,
Subjugated all mankind willingly to you.
لاnot منعتُI denied العينَthe eye عبرَتهاits tear
لا منعتُ العينَ عبرَتها
لاno ولاnor أجفانهاits eyelids السهراsleeplessness
لا ولا أجفانها السهرا
I have not denied the eye its tears,
I do not forbid my eyes their tears,
No, nor its eyelids sleeplessness.
Nor my eyelids their wakefulness.