سلي بعدكِ الواشينَ هل ذاعَ لي سرُّ

سلي بعدكِ الواشينَ هل ذاعَ لي سرُّ

وإن كانَ أضناني بتبريحهِ الهجرُ

وإن كانَ أضناني بتبريحهِ الهجرُ

Ask, after you are gone, the tale-bearers: has any secret of mine spread?

Ask the tale-bearers: since you left, has any secret of mine spread?

Though estrangement, with its torment, has worn me away.

Though separation has worn me down with its torment.

على أنني كاتمتُ صدري ما بهِ

على أنني كاتمتُ صدري ما بهِ

وفي كبدسي ما ليسَ يعلمهُ الصدرُ

وفي كبدسي ما ليسَ يعلمهُ الصدرُ

Yet I concealed from my own breast what was within it,

Yet I have concealed from my breast what lies within it,

while in my liver lies what even the breast does not know.

And in my liver lies what my breast does not know.

حفظتكِ لا أني ارجي من الهوى

حفظتكِ لا أني ارجي من الهوى

وفاءٌ ولكن ليسَ من شيمي الغدرُ

وفاءٌ ولكن ليسَ من شيمي الغدرُ

I kept faith with you—not because I expect from love

I have kept faith with you—not because I expect from love

fidelity, but because treachery is not in my nature.

Fidelity, but because treachery is not in my nature.

إذا هجعتْ عيناكِ جافاني الكرى

إذا هجعتْ عيناكِ جافاني الكرى

وباتتْ تناجيني الخواطرُ والفكرُ

وباتتْ تناجيني الخواطرُ والفكرُ

When your eyes slept, slumber shunned me,

When your eyes slumber, sleep shuns me,

and passing thoughts and reflection spent the night confiding in me.

And passing thoughts and reflections whisper to me all night.

أقاتلتي ظلماً لي الصبرُ والرضا

أقاتلتي ظلماً لي الصبرُ والرضا

وإن كانَ قلبي ليسَ يحلو لي الصبرُ

وإن كانَ قلبي ليسَ يحلو لي الصبرُ

O you who slay me unjustly, mine are patience and resignation,

O you who slay me unjustly, patience and acceptance are mine,

though patience brings my heart no sweetness.

Though my heart finds no sweetness in patience.

إذا كانَ ذنبي أنني لكِ عاشقٌ

إذا كانَ ذنبي أنني لكِ عاشقٌ

فمنكِ إليكِ العذرُ لو يشفعُ العذرُ

فمنكِ إليكِ العذرُ لو يشفعُ العذرُ

If my sin is that I am in love with you,

If my sin is that I am in love with you,

then from you to yourself comes the pardon—if pardon could intercede.

Then from you to you goes my excuse—if an excuse could intercede.

لكِ النهيُ إلا عن هواكِ وللهوى

لكِ النهيُ إلا عن هواكِ وللهوى

بلحظكِ في ألبابنا النهيُ والأمرُ

بلحظكِ في ألبابنا النهيُ والأمرُ

You may forbid me anything except loving you and delighting in you;

Yours is the right to forbid, but not love of you; and love,

with your glance, you wield command and prohibition over our very hearts.

Through your glance, has the power to forbid and command within our minds.

وقد ذقتُ من حلوِ الزمانِ ومرِّهِ

وقد ذقتُ من حلوِ الزمانِ ومرِّهِ

فلا الحلو أنساني هواكِ ولا المرُّ

فلا الحلو أنساني هواكِ ولا المرُّ

I have tasted both the sweetness of time and its bitterness;

And I have tasted time's sweetness and its bitterness,

neither sweetness made me forget your love, nor bitterness.

Yet neither the sweet nor the bitter made me forget my love for you.

ويا رحمَ اللهُ الليالي التي مضتْ

ويا رحمَ اللهُ الليالي التي مضتْ

ليالي كنا والزمانُ بنا نضرُ

ليالي كنا والزمانُ بنا نضرُ

Ah, may God have mercy on the nights that have passed—

And oh, may God have mercy on the nights gone by,

nights when we were together and time was radiant through us.

Nights when we were together, and time was verdant with us.

وكانَ حماماتُ اللواحظِ بيننا

وكانَ حماماتُ اللواحظِ بيننا

تروحُ وتعدو والقلوبُ لها وكرُ

تروحُ وتعدو والقلوبُ لها وكرُ

Between us were the doves of flashing glances,

And the doves of glances between us

going at evening and morning, while our hearts were their nest.

Went forth and sped along, while hearts were their nest.

الا ربَّ ليلٍ أسفرتْ تحتَ جنحهِ

الا ربَّ ليلٍ أسفرتْ تحتَ جنحهِ

فما شكَّ أهلُ الحيِّ أن طلعَ البدرُ

فما شكَّ أهلُ الحيِّ أن طلعَ البدرُ

Ah, many a night you shone beneath its wing,

Ah, many a night she unveiled her face beneath its wing,

and the people of the encampment never doubted that the full moon had risen.

So the people of the quarter had no doubt that the full moon had risen.

وقالتْ عذيري منكَ أمسيتَ غادراً

وقالتْ عذيري منكَ أمسيتَ غادراً

فقلتُ معاذَ اللهِ أن يغدرَ الحرُّ

فقلتُ معاذَ اللهِ أن يغدرَ الحرُّ

She said, “Who will save me from you? You have become faithless.”

She said, "Who will defend me against you? You have become faithless."

I said, “God forbid that a freeborn soul should betray.”

I said, "God forbid that a freeborn man should betray!"

فقالتْ فما للفجرِ تشكو لهُ الهوى

فقالتْ فما للفجرِ تشكو لهُ الهوى

فقلتُ وهل ليلُ المحبِّ لهُ فجرُ

فقلتُ وهل ليلُ المحبِّ لهُ فجرُ

She said, “Then why complain of love to the dawn?”

She said, "Then why do you complain of love to the dawn?"

I said, “Does a lover’s night ever have a dawn?”

I said, "And does a lover's night have a dawn?"

فقالتْ نسيتَ العهدَ قلتُ وهل سوى

فقالتْ نسيتَ العهدَ قلتُ وهل سوى

غرامكَ خصمي يومَ يجمعنا الحشرُ

غرامكَ خصمي يومَ يجمعنا الحشرُ

She said, “You have forgotten our pledge.” I said, “Have I any accuser

She said, "You forgot the pledge." I said, "Is anything but

but my passion for you, on the day the Resurrection gathers us?”

Passion for you my adversary on the day the final Gathering brings us together?"

فقامتْ على كبرٍ تقولُ قتلتهُ

فقامتْ على كبرٍ تقولُ قتلتهُ

كأن لم تكنْ تدري أو عندها خبرُ

كأن لم تكنْ تدري أو عندها خبرُ

Then she rose in haughty pride, saying, “You have killed him,”

Then she rose in pride, saying, "I killed him,"

as though she neither knew nor had any knowledge of it.

As though she neither knew nor had any word of it.

ومثلي فتى الدنيا الذي إن مشوا بهِ

ومثلي فتى الدنيا الذي إن مشوا بهِ

إلى القبرِ يطوي مآثرهُ القبرُ

إلى القبرِ يطوي مآثرهُ القبرُ

A man like me is the world’s true gallant: when they bear him

And one like me is this world's gallant youth: if they bear him

to the grave, the grave folds his noble deeds away.

To the grave, the grave folds away his noble deeds.