دارتْ عليها للهوى راحةٌ

دارتْ عليها للهوى راحةٌ

فبتُّ أسقاها وأسقيهِ

فبتُّ أسقاها وأسقيهِ

Love's palm circled over it;

Love kept turning me around,

So all night I was given it to drink and gave him drink,

So I became lost, giving her drink and quenching my thirst

من مهجةٍ تنسابُ من مهجةٍ

من مهجةٍ تنسابُ من مهجةٍ

آخذها فيَّ إلى فيهِ

آخذها فيَّ إلى فيهِ

From lifeblood flowing from lifeblood,

From a tender passion flowing from tender passion

I take it, my mouth to his.

Taking me into him, into her

والقلبُ من ذلّي ومن دلّهِ

والقلبُ من ذلّي ومن دلّهِ

كقومِ اسرائيلَ في التيهِ

كقومِ اسرائيلَ في التيهِ

And the heart, from my abasement and his coyness,

While my heart from his bending and her bending

Is like the people of Israel in the wilderness.

Is like the people of Israel lost in the wilderness

يا طولَ سقم القلبِ إما غدا

يا طولَ سقم القلبِ إما غدا

يمرضهُ من كانَ يشفيهِ

يمرضهُ من كانَ يشفيهِ

O how prolonged the heart's sickness, if now

Oh how long this sickness of heart! Tomorrow

The one who used to heal it makes it ill!

It will sicken whoever tried to heal it

لو تنصفون لقلتُ آه

لو تنصفون لقلتُ آه

ماتَ العليلُ فما دواهُ

ماتَ العليلُ فما دواهُ

If you dealt fairly, I would say, 'Alas!'

If you judge fairly, you would say "Alas!

The ailing one has died—what remedy is there for him?

The ailing one died, with no medicine to cure him

ماكادَ يطوي جانبيهِ

ماكادَ يطوي جانبيهِ

على الأسى حتى طواهُ

على الأسى حتى طواهُ

He had scarcely folded his sides

He barely folded his sides

Around sorrow before it folded him away.

With sorrow before it enfolded him"

ورأى الهوى ناراً فلم

ورأى الهوى ناراً فلم

يخفِ الهوى حتى كواهُ

يخفِ الهوى حتى كواهُ

And he saw love as a fire, yet did not

And love saw fire but did not

Fear love until it seared him.

Fear love until it burned him

شيءٌ يسمى بالغرا

شيءٌ يسمى بالغرا

مِ وليسَ يدري الناسُ ماهو

مِ وليسَ يدري الناسُ ماهو

Something called passionate love,

A thing called mystery

Yet people do not know what it is.

And people know not what it is

بينَ السعادةِ والشقا

بينَ السعادةِ والشقا

ءِ فكلما عرفوا تاهوا

ءِ فكلما عرفوا تاهوا

Between happiness and misery;

Between happiness and misery

For whenever they understand, they lose their way.

The more they knew, the more lost they were

يا مقلتيَّ إذا بقي

يا مقلتيَّ إذا بقي

في الجفنِ دمعٌ فاسكباهُ

في الجفنِ دمعٌ فاسكباهُ

O my two eyes, if there remains

Oh my two teardrops, if

A tear in the eyelid, pour it out.

Tears remain in the eyelid, let them pour

وإذا احتمى بكما الكرى

وإذا احتمى بكما الكرى

بعدَ التفرقِ فاطرُداهُ

بعدَ التفرقِ فاطرُداهُ

And if slumber takes refuge in you both

And if sorrow wraps you

After parting, drive it away.

After parting, chase it away

أخذَ الحبيبُ عليَّ عهداً

أخذَ الحبيبُ عليَّ عهداً

أنَّ أعذبَ في هواهُ

أنَّ أعذبَ في هواهُ

The beloved took a pledge from me

The beloved made a pledge

That I be tormented in loving him.

That he would be gentlest in his love

ومن العجائبِ أنني

ومن العجائبِ أنني

راضٍ وأسألهُ رضاهُ

راضٍ وأسألهُ رضاهُ

And among the wonders is that I am

And of wonders that I

Content, and ask him for his approval.

Am pleased, asking his pleasure

ألحاظهُ كالنحلِ تحمي

ألحاظهُ كالنحلِ تحمي

ما أجنَّتهُ الشفاهُ

ما أجنَّتهُ الشفاهُ

His glances, like bees, guard

His glances are like bees protecting

What the lips have hidden.

What his lips have harvested

فإذا رنا لم يبقَ قل

فإذا رنا لم يبقَ قل

باً سالماً إلا رماهُ

باً سالماً إلا رماهُ

And when he gazes, he leaves no heart

So when he hums, no heart remains

Unscathed—he strikes every one.

Whole unless he casts at it

وإذا مشى وقعتْ على

وإذا مشى وقعتْ على

كبدي وأحشائي خطاهُ

كبدي وأحشائي خطاهُ

And when he walks, his footsteps fall upon

And when he walks, his steps fall

My liver and my entrails.

Upon my liver and intestines

يا ربِّ هل ابدعتهُ

يا ربِّ هل ابدعتهُ

إلا ليفتنَ من رآهُ

إلا ليفتنَ من رآهُ

O Lord, did You create him

Oh Lord, did you create him

For anything but to enchant whoever sees him?

Only to seduce whoever saw him?

أطلعتهُ قمراً فكا

أطلعتهُ قمراً فكا

نَ سوادَ حظّي من دجاهُ

نَ سوادَ حظّي من دجاهُ

You made him rise as a moon, and so

You made him a moon, so the darkness

My fortune's blackness came from his darkness.

Of my fortune was from its light

وخلقتهُ رشأً فكا

وخلقتهُ رشأً فكا

نَ مراحَ أضلاعي حماهُ

نَ مراحَ أضلاعي حماهُ

And You created him a young gazelle, and so

And created him swift, so the shelter

The enclosure within my ribs became his sanctuary.

Of my ribs became his sanctuary

وبريتهُ غصناً فروّ

وبريتهُ غصناً فروّ

ى دمع أجفاني ثراهُ

ى دمع أجفاني ثراهُ

And You fashioned him a branch, and so

And nurtured him a branch, so he sprinkled

My eyelids' tears watered his soil.

The tears of my eyelids with dew

بعضُ الهوى عذ

بعضُ الهوى عذ

بٌ وسائرهُ العذابُ لمن بلاهُ

بٌ وسائرهُ العذابُ لمن بلاهُ

Some love is sweet,

Some love is pleasure and the rest is

And the rest is torment for whoever has experienced it.

Torment for whoever it afflicted