حتَّام أرفلُ في هواك وتغفلُ

حتَّام أرفلُ في هواك وتغفلُ

وعلامَ أُهزلُ في هَواكَ وتهزلُ

وعلامَ أُهزلُ في هَواكَ وتهزلُ

How long shall I trail my robes in love for you while you remain heedless?

I languish in your love though you are heedless,

And why should I waste away in love for you while you jest?

Why should I jest about your love while you jest?

يا مُضرماً في مهجتي بصُدودهِ

يا مُضرماً في مهجتي بصُدودهِ

حُرقاً يكادُ لهنَّ يذبلُ يذبلُ

حُرقاً يكادُ لهنَّ يذبلُ يذبلُ

O you who kindle in my heart, through your rejection,

O you who has kindled fires in my innermost being,

burning pains before which Mount Yadhbul nearly withers.

Burning so fiercely I am about to wither and wither away.

القلبُ دلَّ عليكَ إنَّك في الدُّجا

القلبُ دلَّ عليكَ إنَّك في الدُّجا

قمرُ السَّماءِ لأنَّه لكَ مَنزلُ

قمرُ السَّماءِ لأنَّه لكَ مَنزلُ

The heart has revealed you: in the darkness you are

My heart points to you, for in gloom you are

the moon of heaven, for the heart is your abode.

The moon in the sky, you have made it your dwelling.

هب أنَّ خدَّكَ قد أُصيبَ بِعارضٍ

هب أنَّ خدَّكَ قد أُصيبَ بِعارضٍ

ما بالُ صدغِكَ راحَ وهوَ مُسَلسلٌ

ما بالُ صدغِكَ راحَ وهوَ مُسَلسلٌ

Suppose your cheek has suffered an affliction;

Grant that your cheek was afflicted with a blemish,

why has your temple-lock become chained?

Why did your temple become disturbed while it is chained?

قسماً بحاجبكَ الذي لم ينعقد

قسماً بحاجبكَ الذي لم ينعقد

إلاَّ أرانا السَّبي وهوَ محلَّلُ

إلاَّ أرانا السَّبي وهوَ محلَّلُ

I swear by your eyebrow, which never knit

I swear by your eyebrow that has not knitted

without showing us that captivity is lawful;

Except to show us a captive and it is unleashed.

وبما بثغركَ مِن سُلافةِ ريقةِ

وبما بثغركَ مِن سُلافةِ ريقةِ

عنُبت فقيلَ هي الرَّحيقُ السَّلسلُ

عنُبت فقيلَ هي الرَّحيقُ السَّلسلُ

and by the choice wine of saliva within your mouth,

And by the smoothness of the saliva of your mouth,

grown sweet [uncertain reading], and called the smooth-flowing nectar.

It was interpreted, it is the soft flowing nectar.

لولا مقبَّلكَ المنظَّمُ عقدهُ

لولا مقبَّلكَ المنظَّمُ عقدهُ

ما راحَ من هواكَ وهوَ مُقبَّلُ

ما راحَ من هواكَ وهوَ مُقبَّلُ

Were it not for your kissable mouth, its necklace neatly strung,

If it were not for your organized kissed lips,

no one who loved you would go away kissed.

It would not have passed from loving you while being kissed.

حثزني وحسنُك إِن لغا من لامني

حثزني وحسنُك إِن لغا من لامني

ونجوتُ منهُ فمجملٌ ومفصَّلُ

ونجوتُ منهُ فمجملٌ ومفصَّلُ

My grief and your beauty—if my reproacher speaks idly,

Your beauty and charm if it went beyond reproaching me

and I escape him—are, one summed up, the other detailed.

And I was saved from it, it would be wholesale and retail.

لو كنتَ في شرعِ المحبَّةِ عادلاً

لو كنتَ في شرعِ المحبَّةِ عادلاً

يا ظالمي ما كنتَ عني تعدلُ

يا ظالمي ما كنتَ عني تعدلُ

Were you just in the law of love,

If you were just in the law of love,

O you who wrong me, you would not turn away from me.

My unjust one, you would not have been unjust with me.

أُلحي عليكَ ولو دَرى بصبَابتي

أُلحي عليكَ ولو دَرى بصبَابتي

لأراحني من لومه مَن يعذُلُ

لأراحني من لومه مَن يعذُلُ

I am reproached over you; if he knew my ardent longing,

I importune you, and if he knew of my youthfulness,

the man who censures me would spare me his blame.

He who blames would give me respite from his blaming.

أَوما العجيبةُ أنَّ دمعي مُعربٌ

أَوما العجيبةُ أنَّ دمعي مُعربٌ

عن سرِّ ما أخفيه وهوَ الُمهملُ

عن سرِّ ما أخفيه وهوَ الُمهملُ

And is it not a wonder that my tears proclaim

Or is it not strange that my tears are eloquent

the secret of what I conceal, though they are unmarked?

Of the secret I conceal while it is neglected?

أُضحي وبالكَ من بلاءٍ هاتكاً

أُضحي وبالكَ من بلاءٍ هاتكاً

سترَ الهوى وعليهِ أصبحَ يُسبلُ

سترَ الهوى وعليهِ أصبحَ يُسبلُ

I become your bane through affliction, rending

I sacrifice myself while your affliction comes to you hastily,

love's veil, even as it begins to be drawn over love.

I have exposed the secret of passion and over it the morning dawn streams.

يا آمري بسلوِّه ليغُرَّني

يا آمري بسلوِّه ليغُرَّني

إنَّ السُّلو كما تقولُ لأجمَلُ

إنَّ السُّلو كما تقولُ لأجمَلُ

O you who bid me forget him, seeking to deceive me,

O you who commands me to be patient so it may deceive me,

forgetfulness, as you say, is surely fairer.

Patience, as you say, is most beautiful.

لكن يعزُّ خلاصُ قلبِ مُتيَّمٍ

لكن يعزُّ خلاصُ قلبِ مُتيَّمٍ

تركتهُ أيدي الهجرِ وهوَ مبُلبَلُ

تركتهُ أيدي الهجرِ وهوَ مبُلبَلُ

But the release of a heart enslaved by love is hard,

But the deliverance of a lovesick heart is dear,

which the hands of separation have left distraught.

Whose hands are left by separation and it is confused.

هيهاتَ كلاَّ لا حياةَ لمن غدا

هيهاتَ كلاَّ لا حياةَ لمن غدا

مِن جسمِه في كلِّ عُضوٍ مقتَلُ

مِن جسمِه في كلِّ عُضوٍ مقتَلُ

Far from it! No—there is no life for one who now has

Alas! No! There is no life for one who becomes

a fatal spot in every limb of his body.

In his body for every limb there is death.

ولرُبَّ عاذلةٍ شَجاها بذلُ ما

ولرُبَّ عاذلةٍ شَجاها بذلُ ما

أحوي وخيرُ المالِ مالٌ يُبذلُ

أحوي وخيرُ المالِ مالٌ يُبذلُ

Many a woman who reproaches me has grieved at my giving away what

And for many a reproacher whose coquetry has wounded,

I possess—and the best wealth is wealth given away.

I contain while the best wealth is spent wealth.

بكرت تُعنِّفُني وتعلمُ أنَّها

بكرت تُعنِّفُني وتعلمُ أنَّها

فيما توخَّت من عتابِي تجهلُ

فيما توخَّت من عتابِي تجهلُ

She came early to upbraid me, knowing that she

The young virgin reproaches me and she knows

was ignorant in the rebuke she intended for me.

That in what she has intended from reproaching me she is ignorant.

قالت وقَد أَتلفَتُ ما مَلكَت يَدي

قالت وقَد أَتلفَتُ ما مَلكَت يَدي

من ذا عليه إِذا تربتَ تُعوِّلُ

من ذا عليه إِذا تربتَ تُعوِّلُ

She said, when I had squandered what my hand possessed,

She said, “I have destroyed what my hands possessed.

“On whom will you rely when you become poor?”

Who is he, that when you are brought up, you can depend on?"

فأَجبتُها بعَزيمةٍ مُرِّيةس

فأَجبتُها بعَزيمةٍ مُرِّيةس

شمُّ الذُّرا من وَقعِها تَتقلقلُ

شمُّ الذُّرا من وَقعِها تَتقلقلُ

I answered her with a firm resolve [uncertain reading],

So I answered her with firm intoxicated determination,

at whose impact the lofty summits quake.

The pangs of love from its occurrence shake and quiver.

تاللهِ لا خفِتُ الخُطوبَ ولي حِمَى ال

تاللهِ لا خفِتُ الخُطوبَ ولي حِمَى ال

ملكِ العزيز أَبي الُمظفَّرِ موئِلُ

ملكِ العزيز أَبي الُمظفَّرِ موئِلُ

By God, I shall not fear calamities, for I have the sanctuary of

By Allah! I do not fear tribulations and I have a refuge

King al-ʿAzīz, Abū al-Muẓaffar, as my refuge.

That is the abode of the mighty king, my father al-Muzaffar.

مَلكٌ بحُسنِ صنيعهِ أَنا واثِقٌ

مَلكٌ بحُسنِ صنيعهِ أَنا واثِقٌ

وعلَى مواهبِ كفِّهش مُتوكِّلُ

وعلَى مواهبِ كفِّهش مُتوكِّلُ

A king whose gracious deeds I trust,

A king whose good treatment I am certain of

and on whose hand's gifts I rely.

And I depend on the gifts of his palm.