عَذبٌ من الماءِ قد سُدّتْ مواردهُ

عَذبٌ من الماءِ قد سُدّتْ مواردهُ

سيّانِ واجدُ ممنوع وفاقدُهُ

سيّانِ واجدُ ممنوع وفاقدُهُ

Sweet water whose sources have been barred—

Sweet water, its springs are blocked

one who finds it but is denied it and one who lacks it are alike.

Thirsty, yet forbidden and deprived of it

تجفو تعذَّرَ حِبٍّ لست تُبصرهُ

تجفو تعذَّرَ حِبٍّ لست تُبصرهُ

والمُرُّ حِرمانُ محبوبٍ تُشاهدُهُ

والمُرُّ حِرمانُ محبوبٍ تُشاهدُهُ

You turn away from an inaccessible beloved whom you do not see;

Love dries up and becomes difficult when you cannot see it

bitter is deprivation of a beloved you behold.

And the bitterness is being deprived of the beloved you behold

أرخى ذوائَبه دونى يُشكِّكُنى

أرخى ذوائَبه دونى يُشكِّكُنى

أَهْى التي سترتُه أم ولائدُهُ

أَهْى التي سترتُه أم ولائدُهُ

He let his locks fall before me, making me wonder:

He lets down his tresses around me, making me doubtful

Is it she whom I veiled, or his maidservants?

Is it her who hides him or his ringlets?

فليت قَدْ قَدَّ من جفنى يراقعَه

فليت قَدْ قَدَّ من جفنى يراقعَه

وإن كفَى فُصِّلتْ منهُ مجاسِدُه

وإن كفَى فُصِّلتْ منهُ مجاسِدُه

If only he had cut from my eyelid to mend it,

If only tears would flow from my eyes to wash him

and, if it sufficed, his undergarments were tailored from it.

Even if it severs his limbs from him

القدُّ والخصر والطرفُ الكحيلُ له

القدُّ والخصر والطرفُ الكحيلُ له

فكيفَ يُلَغبُ مَن هذى مَكايدُهُ

فكيفَ يُلَغبُ مَن هذى مَكايدُهُ

His are the figure, the waist, and the kohl-darkened eye;

The height, the waist, the kohl in his eyes

so how can one whose stratagems are these be wearied?

So how can one blame who is seduced by his wiles?

وما أردتُ سلُواّ عن محبّته

وما أردتُ سلُواّ عن محبّته

إلا وقلبي على كُلِّى يُساعدُهُ

إلا وقلبي على كُلِّى يُساعدُهُ

And never have I sought to forget my love for him

I did not intend to ask about loving him

without my heart aiding him against my whole self.

Except my heart assists it completely