ألمَّ به الوَشِي فأعرَضَ هَازئاً

ألمَّ به الوَشِي فأعرَضَ هَازئاً

فقُلتُ قَضِيبُ البانِ حرَّكَه الهَوَى

فقُلتُ قَضِيبُ البانِ حرَّكَه الهَوَى

Slander reached him, so he turned away in scorn.

The desire stirred him though he turned away haughtily,

So I said, "A branch of the bān tree, stirred by passion."

So I said, "The staff of the grocer is moved by passion."

ومَا اللُّؤلُؤ المكنونُ في الحُسنِ والصَّفَا

ومَا اللُّؤلُؤ المكنونُ في الحُسنِ والصَّفَا

كدمعَةِ مَعمُودٍ أضرَّ به الجوَى

كدمعَةِ مَعمُودٍ أضرَّ به الجوَى

Nor do concealed pearls, in beauty and purity,

The hidden pearl is not like a tear that hurt him when the air turned cold.

match a tear of a sufferer hurt by love's anguish.

My love for the homelands that nourished me has dwelt

ثَوَى حبُّ أوطان غَذتنِي لِبَانَها

ثَوَى حبُّ أوطان غَذتنِي لِبَانَها

بِقلبِي وَما أدراكَ ما به قَد ثَوَى

بِقلبِي وَما أدراكَ ما به قَد ثَوَى

Love of homelands that nourished me with their milk has settled

In my heart, though you cannot know what it has harbored there.

in my heart—and what could tell you what has settled there?

Whenever I encounter the causes of its sorrows,

ولمَّا اُلاقِي مِن دَواعي سُلُؤِّهَا

ولمَّا اُلاقِي مِن دَواعي سُلُؤِّهَا

وقلبِي علَى ذاكَ الغَرامِ قَدِ انطَوَى

وقلبِي علَى ذاكَ الغَرامِ قَدِ انطَوَى

And I have not yet encountered any cause to forget them,

My heart turns to that passion and wraps itself around it.

while my heart has enfolded that passion.

The vileness of souls did not stop me from its people,

فما صدَّني خبثُ النُّفوسِ مِنَ أهلِهَا

فما صدَّني خبثُ النُّفوسِ مِنَ أهلِهَا

وخُبثُ النفُوسِ الدَّاءُ مالَه مِن دَوَا

وخُبثُ النفُوسِ الدَّاءُ مالَه مِن دَوَا

So the baseness of souls among their people has not turned me away;

For the vileness of souls is an illness that has no cure.

and baseness of souls is the disease for which there is no cure.

Time brought us sorrow and gloating enemies,

ألَدَّ بِنا الدهرُ الخؤُونُ شَماتَةً

ألَدَّ بِنا الدهرُ الخؤُونُ شَماتَةً

وما الدهرُ إلاَّ صرفُ أهلِه لآسِوى

وما الدهرُ إلاَّ صرفُ أهلِه لآسِوى

Treacherous Time was bitterly hostile toward us, in spiteful glee;

Yet time is naught but the reversed fortunes of people.

and Time is nothing but its people's dealings, nothing else.

I love you all, and God knows that I

أُحبكُمُ واللهُ يعلَمُ أننِي

أُحبكُمُ واللهُ يعلَمُ أننِي

أُحبكُمُ يا ليتَ ذا بينَنا سَوَا

أُحبكُمُ يا ليتَ ذا بينَنا سَوَا

I love you, and God knows that I

Love you - if only this were mutual between us!

love you—oh, if only this were shared equally between us!