عادَت إِليَّ بَغيضةٌ فَتَودَّدت

عادَت إِليَّ بَغيضةٌ فَتَودَّدت

هَيهاتَ مَن جَعلَ البَغيضَ حَبيبا

هَيهاتَ مَن جَعلَ البَغيضَ حَبيبا

She returned to me, loathed, then courted my affection.

She whom I hated returned to me, trying to win my affection,

Impossible—who could make the loathed beloved?

Alas! Who could make an enemy into a lover?

عادَت إِليَّ فَخلت أَنّ شيبتِي

عادَت إِليَّ فَخلت أَنّ شيبتِي

خُلِستْ وَأَبدلها الزَّمان مشيبا

خُلِستْ وَأَبدلها الزَّمان مشيبا

She returned to me, and I thought my gray hair

She returned to find me gray-haired,

had been stolen away, and time had replaced it with grayness.

While she was still youthful, time had changed her to grayness.

فَكَأنَّني أَبصَرتُ منها بغتةً

فَكَأنَّني أَبصَرتُ منها بغتةً

يَومَ الوِصالِ مِنَ الحبيبِ رَقيبا

يَومَ الوِصالِ مِنَ الحبيبِ رَقيبا

So it was as though, in her, I suddenly saw

It was as if I saw in her suddenly,

on the day of union, a watcher instead of the beloved.

On the day of union, a spy from the lover.

وَوَددت أَنّ طلوعَها مقليّةً

وَوَددت أَنّ طلوعَها مقليّةً

مشنيّةً في الناسِ كانَ غروبا

مشنيّةً في الناسِ كانَ غروبا

And I wished that her rising, loathed as she was

I wished her rise clouded,

and despised among people, had been her setting.

Frowning at people, had been a sunset.

قَد كنتِ لي داءً وَلَكِن لَم أَجِدْ

قَد كنتِ لي داءً وَلَكِن لَم أَجِدْ

مِن داءِ سُقْمِك في الرّجال طبيبا

مِن داءِ سُقْمِك في الرّجال طبيبا

You were indeed a disease to me, but I found no

You were a disease to me, but I could not find,

physician among men for the malady of your sickness.

Among the remedies of men, a cure for your sickness.

وَلَحبّذا زَمنٌ مَضى ما كانَ لي

وَلَحبّذا زَمنٌ مَضى ما كانَ لي

قًربٌ إِليكِ وكنتُ منكِ سليبا

قًربٌ إِليكِ وكنتُ منكِ سليبا

And how lovely was a time gone by, when I had no

I wish the past time, when I had

closeness to you and was bereft of you.

No intimacy with you, and I was set free from you.

يا لَيتَ من قَدَرَ التّلاقي بيننا

يا لَيتَ من قَدَرَ التّلاقي بيننا

جَعَلَ الفراقَ مِنَ اللّقاءِ قَريبا

جَعَلَ الفراقَ مِنَ اللّقاءِ قَريبا

Oh, if only the one who ordained the meeting between us

O would that he who ordained the meeting between us

had made parting follow close upon our meeting.

Had made parting from the meeting near.

زَمَنٌ إِذا قاطَعتِنا مُتَبَسِّمٌ

زَمَنٌ إِذا قاطَعتِنا مُتَبَسِّمٌ

ضافٍ وإِن واصلتِ كان قَطوبا

ضافٍ وإِن واصلتِ كان قَطوبا

Time smiles when you cut us off,

A time when, if she visited me smiling,

and is bountiful; but if you renew ties, it scowls.

She was morose, and if she joined me she was sullen.

وَكأَنّ قَلبي وَهوَ غَيرُ مُقَلْقَلٍ

وَكأَنّ قَلبي وَهوَ غَيرُ مُقَلْقَلٍ

مُلئتْ بقُربك حافَتاهُ وَجيبا

مُلئتْ بقُربك حافَتاهُ وَجيبا

And it is as though my heart, although unshaken,

It was as if my heart, though unshaken,

had both its edges filled with throbbing by your nearness.

Was filled to overflowing by your nearness.

لَو لَم تَكوني في الزّمانِ عجيبةً

لَو لَم تَكوني في الزّمانِ عجيبةً

ما أَبصَرتْ عَينايَ فيهِ عَجيبا

ما أَبصَرتْ عَينايَ فيهِ عَجيبا

Had you not been a marvel in this age,

Had you not been unique in time

my eyes would have seen no marvel in it.

My eyes would not have seen in it anything unique.

وَخَلوتُ عُمري كلَّه مِن ذَنبهِ

وَخَلوتُ عُمري كلَّه مِن ذَنبهِ

فَجَعلتُ مِنكِ لَهُ إِلَيَّ ذنوبا

فَجَعلتُ مِنكِ لَهُ إِلَيَّ ذنوبا

And all my life I had been free of its wrongdoing;

And I spent all my life free from sin,

then through you I ascribed to it wrongs against me.

And made you for it sinful against me.

وخَلَفْتِ في جلدي وَلَم يكُ دهرَه

وخَلَفْتِ في جلدي وَلَم يكُ دهرَه

إِلّا السّليمَ جَرائحاً ونُدوبا

إِلّا السّليمَ جَرائحاً ونُدوبا

And you left in my skin—which all its life had been

And you left scars and wounds on my skin

nothing but sound—wounds and scars.

While time left none but the unharmed.

وَلَقيتُ فيكِ مِنَ العناءِ غَرائباً

وَلَقيتُ فيكِ مِنَ العناءِ غَرائباً

وَأَخذتُ مِن أَدهى البلاءِ ضروبا

وَأَخذتُ مِن أَدهى البلاءِ ضروبا

And in you I encountered strange forms of suffering,

And I met in you strange tribulations,

and endured many kinds of the direst affliction.

And suffered the most painful kinds of affliction.

وَتَركتِ قَلبي لا يُفيقُ كآبةً

وَتَركتِ قَلبي لا يُفيقُ كآبةً

وَجُفونَ عَيني لا تملّ نحيبا

وَجُفونَ عَيني لا تملّ نحيبا

And you left my heart unable to recover from sorrow,

And you left my heart inconsolable with anguish,

and the lids of my eye never weary of sobbing.

And my eyelids unable to cease weeping.

وَكأنَّني لمّا أخذتُكِ كارهاً

وَكأنَّني لمّا أخذتُكِ كارهاً

قَسمي حُرمتُ وما أخذت نصيبا

قَسمي حُرمتُ وما أخذت نصيبا

And it was as though, when I took you unwillingly,

It was as if, when I unwillingly took you,

I was denied my share and received no portion.

My fortune was denied, and I got no share.

لَو كُنتِ عيباً واحداً صَبرتْ له

لَو كُنتِ عيباً واحداً صَبرتْ له

نَفسي وَلكِن كنتِ أنتِ عيوبا

نَفسي وَلكِن كنتِ أنتِ عيوبا

Had you been a single fault, it would have been borne

Had you been but a single fault I would have endured you,

by my soul; but you yourself were many faults.

But you were, altogether, faults.