بِنَفسِيَ مَن لا بُدَّ أَنِّيَ هاجِرُه

بِنَفسِيَ مَن لا بُدَّ أَنِّيَ هاجِرُه

وَمَن أَنا بِالمَيسورِ وَالعُسرِ ذاكِرُه

وَمَن أَنا بِالمَيسورِ وَالعُسرِ ذاكِرُه

I would ransom with my life the one I must forsake,

With my soul I must emigrate from one I cannot avoid

and the one I remember in ease and hardship;

Yet I recall him in hardship and ease

وَمَن قَد رَماهُ الناسُ بي فَاِتَّقاهُمُ

وَمَن قَد رَماهُ الناسُ بي فَاِتَّقاهُمُ

بِبَغضِيَ إِلّا ما تَجِنُّ ضَمائِرُه

بِبَغضِيَ إِلّا ما تَجِنُّ ضَمائِرُه

and the one whom people linked with me, who warded them off

And he whom people cast at me, so beware of them

by showing hatred of me, save for what his heart conceals.

With my hatred but what their consciences conceal

بِنَفسِيَ مَن لا أُخبِرُ الناسَ بِاِسمِهِ

بِنَفسِيَ مَن لا أُخبِرُ الناسَ بِاِسمِهِ

وَإِن حَمَلَت حِقداً عَلَيَّ عَشائِرُه

وَإِن حَمَلَت حِقداً عَلَيَّ عَشائِرُه

I would ransom with my life the one whose name I do not tell people,

With my soul I won't tell people his name

even if his clans harbor a grudge against me.

Even if his clans bore malice towards me

بِأَهلي وَمالي مَن جَلَبتُ لَهُ الأَذى

بِأَهلي وَمالي مَن جَلَبتُ لَهُ الأَذى

وَمَن ذِكرُهُ مِنّي قَريبٌ أُسامِرُه

وَمَن ذِكرُهُ مِنّي قَريبٌ أُسامِرُه

With my family and wealth I would ransom the one to whom I brought harm,

With my family and wealth I brought harm upon one

and the one whose memory is near me, with whom I converse by night.

Whose mention to me is intimate though I converse with him

وَمَن لَو جَرَت شَحناءُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

وَمَن لَو جَرَت شَحناءُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

وَحاوَرَني لَم أَدرِ كَيفَ أُحاوِرُه

وَحاوَرَني لَم أَدرِ كَيفَ أُحاوِرُه

And that one—if enmity arose between us,

And one, if discord flowed between us

and he spoke to me, I would not know how to answer him.

And he conversed with me I wouldn't know how to converse with him

أَيَثبي أَخا ضَرورَةٍ أَصفَقَ العِدى

أَيَثبي أَخا ضَرورَةٍ أَصفَقَ العِدى

عَلَيهِ وَقَلَّت في الصَديقِ أَواسِرُه

عَلَيهِ وَقَلَّت في الصَديقِ أَواسِرُه

[Reward] a man in distress, whose foes have joined forces

Does he confirm a brother of necessity whom the enemies

against him, and whose bonds of friendship have dwindled.

Clapped upon and few became his loyal friends?

وَمُستَخبِرٍ عَنها لِيَعلَمَ ما الَّذي

وَمُستَخبِرٍ عَنها لِيَعلَمَ ما الَّذي

لَها في فُؤادي غَيرَ أَنّي أُحاذِرُه

لَها في فُؤادي غَيرَ أَنّي أُحاذِرُه

And many an inquirer asks about her, seeking to learn what

And inquirer about it to know what is mine

she has in my heart; yet I am wary of him.

In my heart for him other than that I am wary of him

فَلَو كُنتُ أَدري أَنَّ ما كانَ كائِنٌ

فَلَو كُنتُ أَدري أَنَّ ما كانَ كائِنٌ

وَأَنَّ جَديدَ الوَصلِ قَد حُبِّرَ غابِرُه

وَأَنَّ جَديدَ الوَصلِ قَد حُبِّرَ غابِرُه

If I had known that what happened was bound to happen,

So had I known what would happen

and that the past of fresh union had already been adorned,

And that the new union's ink had dried and gone

وَرَدتُ بِهِ عَمياءَ مِنها وَلَم أَكُن

وَرَدتُ بِهِ عَمياءَ مِنها وَلَم أَكُن

إِذا ما وَشى واشٍ بِلَيلى أُناظِرُه

إِذا ما وَشى واشٍ بِلَيلى أُناظِرُه

I would have plunged with it into a blind ordeal from her, and would not have

I would've returned with it blindly and I wasn't

debated a slanderer whenever he spoke against Layla.

When a slanderer slandered Layla, looking at him

وَلَمّا تَناهى الحُبُّ في القَلبِ وارِداً

وَلَمّا تَناهى الحُبُّ في القَلبِ وارِداً

أَقامَ وَسَدَّت بَعدَ عَنّا مَصادِرُه

أَقامَ وَسَدَّت بَعدَ عَنّا مَصادِرُه

And when love had fully entered the heart,

And when love in the heart came to an end

it stayed, and afterward its ways out were barred to us.

It stayed and after us its sources were blocked

فَأَيُّ طَبيبٍ يُبرِئُ الحُبَّ بَعدَما

فَأَيُّ طَبيبٍ يُبرِئُ الحُبَّ بَعدَما

يُسَرُّ بِهِ بَطنُ الفُؤادِ وَظاهِرُه

يُسَرُّ بِهِ بَطنُ الفُؤادِ وَظاهِرُه

So what physician can cure love, after

So which doctor cures love after

the heart is gladdened by it, within and without?

It cheers the viscera of the heart and its exterior?

وَلا بَأسَ بِالهَجرِ الَّذي عَن قِلى

وَلا بَأسَ بِالهَجرِ الَّذي عَن قِلى

إِذا شَجَرَت عِندَ الحَبيبِ شَواجِرُه

إِذا شَجَرَت عِندَ الحَبيبِ شَواجِرُه

There is no harm in estrangement born of aversion,

And no harm from estrangement which from meeting

when its causes of discord arise with the beloved.

If its trees fruited for the beloved, and we conversed

وَلَكِنَّ مِثلَ المَوتِ هِجرانُ ذي الهَوى

وَلَكِنَّ مِثلَ المَوتِ هِجرانُ ذي الهَوى

حَذارِ الأَعادي وَالحَبيبُ مُجاوِرُه

حَذارِ الأَعادي وَالحَبيبُ مُجاوِرُه

But like death is a lover's estrangement

But like death is the estrangement of the beloved one

for fear of enemies, while the beloved lives beside him.

Beware enemies and the beloved dwells beside him

فَلَمّا رَأَيتُ المالِكيِّينَ كُلِّهِم

فَلَمّا رَأَيتُ المالِكيِّينَ كُلِّهِم

إِلَيَّ يُراعي طَرفَهُ وَيُحاذِرُه

إِلَيَّ يُراعي طَرفَهُ وَيُحاذِرُه

And when I saw the Malikiyyin, all of them,

So when I saw all the guards

each keeping his gaze upon me, watchful and wary,

Looking at me and being wary of him

تَجَنَّبتُ آتي المالِكيِّينَ وَاِنطَوى

تَجَنَّبتُ آتي المالِكيِّينَ وَاِنطَوى

إِلَيَّ جَناحَيَّ الَّذي أَنا ناشِرُه

إِلَيَّ جَناحَيَّ الَّذي أَنا ناشِرُه

I avoided visiting the Malikiyyin, and folded back

I avoided the guards' comers and folded

toward me were my two wings, which I had spread.

To me the wings which I spread