قَالَت لِطَيفِ خَيالٍ زارَني ومَضى

قَالَت لِطَيفِ خَيالٍ زارَني ومَضى

صِف ما رأَيت ولا تُنقِص ولا تزدِ

صِف ما رأَيت ولا تُنقِص ولا تزدِ

She said to a phantom vision that visited me and departed:

She said, "A gentle phantom visited me and vanished."

“Describe what you saw; neither omit nor add.”

Describe what you saw, omit nothing, add nothing.

فقالَ أبصرتهُ لو ماتَ من ظمأً

فقالَ أبصرتهُ لو ماتَ من ظمأً

وقُلتِ قِف عن ورُودِ الماءِ لا يَرِدِ

وقُلتِ قِف عن ورُودِ الماءِ لا يَرِدِ

He said, “I saw him: even were he to die of thirst,

He said, "I saw him; were he to die of thirst

And you said, ‘Refrain from approaching the water,’ he would not approach it.”

I would say, 'Stop this water from flowing through!'"

قالت صَدَقتَ الوفا في الحُبِّ عادَتُهُ

قالت صَدَقتَ الوفا في الحُبِّ عادَتُهُ

يا بَردَ ذاكَ الذي قالَت على كَبِدي

يا بَردَ ذاكَ الذي قالَت على كَبِدي

She said, “You spoke the truth; faithfulness in love is his habit.”

She said, "You speak truly of love’s habit—

Ah, how cooling upon my liver was what she said!

Oh, the coldness of her words upon my heart!"