أرقتُ حتى كأني أعشقُ الأرَقا

أرقتُ حتى كأني أعشقُ الأرَقا

وذُبتُ حتى كأنَّ السقمَ لي خُلِقا

وذُبتُ حتى كأنَّ السقمَ لي خُلِقا

I lay sleepless, until I seemed to be in love with sleeplessness.

I became sleepless as if I were in love with sleeplessness,

And I melted away, until sickness seemed created for me.

And I wasted away as if sickness was created for me.

وفاضَ دَمعي على خَدي فأحرقهُ

وفاضَ دَمعي على خَدي فأحرقهُ

فمن رأى غرقاً في الماء محترِقا

فمن رأى غرقاً في الماء محترِقا

And my tears overflowed onto my cheek and burned it.

My tears flowed down my cheek and burned it,

Who, then, has seen someone drowning in water yet burning?

So whoever saw a drowning man burning in water?

مسالكُ الدمعِ من عيني إلى كبدي

مسالكُ الدمعِ من عيني إلى كبدي

أطغى وإن كان يشفيني إذا نطقا

أطغى وإن كان يشفيني إذا نطقا

The paths of tears from my eye to my liver

The paths of tears from my eyes to my liver

are more tyrannical, though it heals me when it speaks.

Overflowed, even though speaking would cure me.

وقائلٍ لي أين الصبرُ قلتُ له

وقائلٍ لي أين الصبرُ قلتُ له

ملَّ الفؤادُ من الأحزانِ فاحترقا

ملَّ الفؤادُ من الأحزانِ فاحترقا

And to one who asked me, “Where is patience?” I said:

And someone said to me, “Where is your patience?” I said to him,

“The heart grew weary of sorrows, and so burned.”

“My heart is full of sorrows, so it caught fire.”