لاno وَعَينَيكَby your two eyes وَالجَبينand the brow المُفَدّىworth sacrificing oneself for
لا وَعَينَيكَ وَالجَبين المُفَدّى
ماnot تَعَوّدتI have grown accustomed مِنfrom جَمالِكَyour beauty صَدّاrejection
ما تَعَوّدت مِن جَمالِكَ صَدّا
No, by your eyes and the brow I would give my life for,
No, and your eyes and your ransomed forehead,
I am unused to rejection from your beauty.
I have never become accustomed to your beauty turning away.
وَلَكَand to you اللَهُGod أَحَلI depart عَنكَfrom you يَوماًone day
وَلَكَ اللَهُ أَحَل عَنكَ يَوماً
لاno وَلاnor خُنتَyou betrayed; context suggests 'I betrayed' فيin الهَوىlove لَكَto you عَهداa pledge
لا وَلا خُنتَ في الهَوى لَكَ عَهدا
God be my witness to you—would I leave you even for a day?
And may God excuse you one day,
No; nor have I betrayed a pledge to you in love.
No, and you have never betrayed your oath of love.
وَغَراميand my passion الَّذيwhich عَهدتyou have known غَراميmy passion
وَغَرامي الَّذي عَهدت غَرامي
وَفُؤاديand my heart لَمnot يَبغِhas sought عَنكَaway from you مَرَدّاa turning back
وَفُؤادي لَم يَبغِ عَنكَ مَرَدّا
My passion remains the passion you have known,
And my passion which I am passionate about,
and my heart has sought no turning away from you.
And my heart that did not want to turn away from you.
لاmay not رَعىprotect اللَهُGod واشِياa slanderer قَدindeed سَعىschemed بيagainst me
لا رَعى اللَهُ واشِيا قَد سَعى بي
وَتَعنىand took pains لِشَقوَتيfor my misery وَتَصَدّىand set himself against me
وَتَعنى لِشَقوَتي وَتَصَدّى
May God not protect a slanderer who has schemed against me,
No, God protect the jealous one who strove against me
and labored for my misery and set himself against me.
And intended my misery and opposed me.
بِالَّذيby what بَينَناbetween us وَبَينَكand between you لاnot نُصwe heed (word begins)
بِالَّذي بَينَنا وَبَينَك لا نُص
غِending of 'we heed' لِواشto a slanderer فَقَدfor indeed بَغىhe wronged وَتَعَدّىand transgressed
غِ لِواش فَقَد بَغى وَتَعَدّى
By what lies between us and you, let us not
By what is between us and you we will not be frustrated,
heed a slanderer, for he has wronged and transgressed.
If the jealous one has transgressed and overstepped.
اِنif تَردyou wish بيupon me عُقوبَهpunishment فَبلحظَيthen with the two glances (continued)
اِن تَرد بي عُقوبَه فَبلحظَي
كَyour اِقتَصصexact retribution ياO غَزالgazelle صَفحاthe flat of a blade وَحَدّاand its edge
كَ اِقتَصص يا غَزال صَفحا وَحَدّا
If you wish to punish me, then with the two glances
If you want to punish me, with my glance,
of yours exact retribution, O gazelle, with flat and edge.
Take revenge, O gazelle, with forgiveness and mercy.
أناI ياقremaining (apparent typo) عَلىsteadfast in هَواكlove for you وَمنand who ليfor me
أنا ياق عَلى هَواك وَمن لي
أَنthat تَرانيyou see me ياO سَيِّديmy master لَكto you عَبداa slave
أَن تَراني يا سَيِّدي لَك عَبدا
I remain constant in loving you; who will grant me
I, o my love for you, and who do I have
that you see me, my master, as your slave?
That you see me, my master, as a servant to you.
قَدindeed فَضَحتyou put to shame الغُصونthe branches ليناin suppleness وَقَدّيand you rent (word begins)
قَد فَضَحت الغُصون لينا وَقَدّي
تending of 'you rent' فَؤاديmy heart مِنthrough اِعتِداshapeliness (word begins) لَكyour (completes 'your shapeliness') قَدّاa rending
ت فَؤادي مِن اِعتِدا لَك قَدّا
You have shamed the branches in suppleness, and rent
The branches have exposed me gently, and my heart,
my heart utterly with your well-proportioned form.
From passion for you, has molded and adapted.
كُنbe عَلىaccording to ماwhat تُريدyou wish وَصَلاunion وَهَجراand estrangement
كُن عَلى ما تُريد وَصَلا وَهَجرا
وَدنوّاand nearness اِنif شِئتyou wish مُنىwishes; likely 'from me' here وَبعداand distance
وَدنوّا اِن شِئت مُنى وَبعدا
Be as you wish, in union or estrangement,
Be however you want, union and separation,
and in nearness to me, if you wish, or distance.
And come near if you wish, intimacy and distance.
فَأَناfor I المُغرمthe devoted lover الصَبورthe patient one عَلىwith ماwhatever
فَأَنا المُغرم الصَبور عَلى ما
نابَنيbefell me فيin هَواكَlove for you سَهواunintentionally وَعَمداand deliberately
نابَني في هَواكَ سَهوا وَعَمدا
For I am the devoted lover, patient with whatever
So I am the passionate, patient with what
has befallen me in loving you, by accident or design.
Befalls me in my love for you, intentionally and inadvertently.
فيكَfor you أَبدَلتI exchanged عِفَّتيmy chastity بِاِفتِضاحfor disgrace
فيكَ أَبدَلت عِفَّتي بِاِفتِضاح
وَاِفتِقارand poverty وَلَمand not أَجِدI found مِنكَfrom you بَدّاan alternative
وَاِفتِقار وَلَم أَجِد مِنكَ بَدّا
For you I exchanged my chastity for disgrace
For you I have replaced my chastity with disgrace,
and poverty; I found no way to do without you.
And poverty, and I cannot find any alternative to you.
ياO حَبيبيmy beloved بِاللَهِby God عَطفاcompassion عَلىon شَيold man (word begins)
يا حَبيبي بِاللَهِ عَطفا عَلى شَي
خending of 'old man' غَرامpassion قَدindeed هَدّهhas broken him الوَجدlonging هَدّاan utter breaking
خ غَرام قَد هَدّه الوَجد هَدّا
My beloved, by God, have pity on an old
O my beloved, for God's sake, have compassion for a
man of passion, whom longing has utterly broken.
Passionate shaykh whom passion has guided and destroyed.
عاشَhe lived دَهراan age وَلَمand not يَملhe inclined فيكَregarding you يَوماone day
عاشَ دَهرا وَلَم يَمل فيكَ يَوما
لِسُلُوّtoward forgetting love وَفيand in الهَوىlove ماتَhe died صَدّاfrom rejection
لِسُلُوّ وَفي الهَوى ماتَ صَدّا
He lived an age, yet never for a day inclined, in loving you,
He lived an age and never tired of you one day,
toward forgetting; in love he died of rejection.
Because of night chat, and in love he died opposing.
ياO مُراديmy desire بِاللَهِby God أَعرَضتyou turned away عَنfrom عَبslave (word begins)
يا مُرادي بِاللَهِ أَعرَضت عَن عَب
دِكَyour (completes 'your slave') هُزلاin jest أَمor أَنتَyou أَعرَضتyou turned away جَدّاin earnest
دِكَ هُزلا أَم أَنتَ أَعرَضت جَدّا
O my desire, by God, did you turn away from a slave
O my wish, by God, have you turned away from your
of yours in jest, or did you turn away in earnest?
Servant jokingly or have you turned away seriously?
حَسبُكَenough for you اللَهُGod ياO ظَلومcruel one لَقَدindeed أَشyou made gloat (word begins)
حَسبُكَ اللَهُ يا ظَلوم لَقَد أَش
متending of 'you made gloat' بيover me حَسداenvious people عَلَيكَover you وَأَعداand enemies
مت بي حَسدا عَلَيكَ وَأَعدا
God is enough for you, O cruel one; you have indeed made
May God be sufficient for you, O unjust one, indeed you have
those who envy me for you, and my enemies, gloat over me.
Envied me about you and prepared against me.
كُلَّماwhenever مَرّpassed عاذَليmy reproacher وَرَأىand saw أَضribs (word begins)
كُلَّما مَرّ عاذَلي وَرَأى أَض
لعending of 'ribs' جِسميmy body تَعَدّcould be counted ناحhe wailed وَعَدّاand counted
لع جِسمي تَعَدّ ناح وَعَدّا
Whenever my reproacher passed and saw that the ribs
Whenever a blamer passed me and saw my
of my body could be counted, he wailed and counted them.
Emaciated body, he counted ribs and prepared to attack me.
لَمnot أَكُنI was أَجبanswer; likely 'wish' here الهَوىlove فيكَfor you يَبدىreveals
لَم أَكُن أَجب الهَوى فيكَ يَبدى
لِلاِعاديto enemies ماwhat منof نحوليmy wasting أَبدىit revealed
لِلاِعادي ما من نحولي أَبدى
I did not wish love for you to reveal
I did not confess love for you to the enemy to appear
to enemies what it has revealed of my wasting.
Nor did I fear that you would twist, O my demise, my heart intentionally.
لاno وَلاnor كُنتI was اِختَشىI fear (apparent typo) مِنكَfrom you اِنif; context suggests 'that' تَئyou destroy (word begins; text unclear)
لا وَلا كُنت اِختَشى مِنكَ اِن تَئ
لفending of 'you destroy' ياO مُنيَتيmy desire فُؤاديmy heart قَصداdeliberately
لف يا مُنيَتي فُؤادي قَصدا
No, nor did I fear that you would
And to this day, my opinion of you has not waned,
destroy my heart on purpose, O my desire.
No, and your eyes and your ransomed forehead.
وَاِلىand until الآنnow لَمnot يَخِبhas failed فيكَin you ظَنّيmy trust
وَاِلى الآن لَم يَخِب فيكَ ظَنّي
لاno وَعَينَيكَby your two eyes وَالجَبينand the brow المُفَدّىworth sacrificing oneself for
لا وَعَينَيكَ وَالجَبين المُفَدّى
And to this day my trust in you has not failed,
No, by your eyes and the brow I would give my life for.
Partial English translation: 36 of 38 Arabic lines translated.