إِلىuntil كَمhow long أُرَجِّمُI conjecture فيكَabout you الظّنونَاconjectures
إِلى كَم أُرَجِّمُ فيكَ الظّنونَا
وَأَدفَعُand I ward off بالشَّكِّwith doubt عَنكَconcerning you اليَقيناcertainty
وَأَدفَعُ بالشَّكِّ عَنكَ اليَقينا
How long shall I hazard conjectures about you,
How long must I doubt you
and fend off certainty about you with doubt,
And push away certainty for suspicion?
وَآمُلُand I hope for عَطفَكَyour tenderness بعدَafter الجفاءِcoldness
وَآمُلُ عَطفَكَ بعدَ الجفاءِ
وَand قَسوةَthe hardness قَلبِكَof your heart ليtoward me أَنto تَلِيناsoften
وَ قَسوةَ قَلبِكَ لي أَن تَلِينا
and hope for your tenderness after coldness,
And hope for your kindness after coldness
and for your heart's hardness toward me to soften,
And for your hard heart to soften?
وَأَصبِرُand I endure للهَجرِin the face of abandonment صبرَthe patience الأَسيرِof a captive
وَأَصبِرُ للهَجرِ صبرَ الأَسيرِ
عَلىunder قِدِّهhis leather fetter صاغِراًabased مُستكِيناsubmissive
عَلى قِدِّه صاغِراً مُستكِينا
and endure abandonment with a captive's patience,
I wait patiently like a captive,
in his leather fetters, abased and submissive,
Head bowed, humiliated.
وآبَىand I refuse وَقَدthough already خُنتَyou have betrayed عَهدَthe covenant الهَوىof love
وآبَى وَقَد خُنتَ عَهدَ الهَوى
وَلَمand did not تَرْعَyou honor ذِمّتَهُits pledge أَنto أَخُوناI betray
وَلَم تَرْعَ ذِمّتَهُ أَن أَخُونا
and refuse—though you have betrayed love's covenant
Yet you refuse, though you've betrayed love's covenant
and have not honored its pledge—to betray it?
And care nothing for fidelity or betrayal.