مَا بَيْنَ مُعْتَرَكِ الأَحْدَاقِ وَالمُهَجِ

مَا بَيْنَ مُعْتَرَكِ الأَحْدَاقِ وَالمُهَجِأَنَا القَتِيلُ بِلَا إِثْمٍ وَلَا حَرَجِ

Mā bayna muʿtaraki al-ʾaḥdāqi wa-al-muhaji, Anā al-qatīlu bilā ithmin walā ḥaraji

Between the battlefield of glances and of hearts, I am the slain one, with no sin and no blame.

وَدَّعْتُ قَبْلَ الهَوَى رُوحِي لِمَا نَظَرَتْعَيْنَايَ مِنْ حُسْنِ ذَاكَ المَنْظَرِ البَهِجِ

Waddaʿtu qabla al-hawā rūḥī limā naẓarat, ʿaynāya min ḥusni dhāka al-manẓari al-bahiji

I bade my soul farewell before love began, when my eyes beheld the beauty of that radiant sight.

لِلّهِ أَجْفَانُ عَيْنٍ فِيكَ سَاهِرَةٍشَوْقاً إِلَيْكَ وَقَلْبٌ بِالغَرَامِ شَجِ

Lillāhi ajfānu ʿaynin fīka sāhiratin, Shawqan ilayka waqalbun bi-al-gharāmi shaji

How wondrous the eyelids of an eye that stays awake for you in longing, and a heart that grieves with passion,

وَأَضْلُعٌ نَحِلَتْ كَادَتْ تُقَوِّمُهَامِنَ الجَوَى كَبِدِي الحَرَّا مِنَ العِوَجِ

Waʾaḍluʿun naḥilat kādat tuqawwimuhā, Mina al-jawā kabidī al-ḥarrā mina al-ʿiwaji

And wasted ribs which my liver, burning with love, has all but straightened from their curve,

وَأَدْمُعٌ هَمَلَتْ لَوْلَا التَّنَفُّسُ مِنْنَارِ الهَوَى لَمْ أَكَدْ أَنْجُو مِنَ اللُّجَجِ

Waʾadmuʿun hamalat lawlā at-tanaffusu min, Nāri al-hawā lam akad anjū mina al-lujaji

And tears that streamed: were it not for my sighs from love's fire, I would scarcely have escaped their depths.

وَحَبَّذَا فِيكَ أَسْقَامٌ خَفِيتُ بِهَاعَنِّي تَقُومُ بِهَا عِنْدَ الهَوَى حُجَجِي

Waḥabbadhā fīka asqāmun khafītu bihā, ʿannī taqūmu bihā ʿinda al-hawā ḥujajī

How sweet, in you, are the illnesses through which I vanished from myself; through them my proofs stand firm before love.

أَصْبَحْتُ فِيكَ كَمَا أَمْسَيْتُ مُكْتَئِباًوَلَمْ أَقُلْ جَزَعاً يَا أَزْمَةُ انْفَرِجِي

Aṣbaḥtu fīka kamā amsaytu muktaʾiban, Walam aqul jazaʿan yā azmatu nfarijī

In you I wake in sorrow just as I went to sleep, yet never did I cry in despair, "O hardship, lift!"

أَهْفُو إِلَى كُلِّ قَلْبٍ بِالغَرَامِ لَهُشُغْلٌ وَكُلِّ لِسَانٍ بِالهَوَى لَهِجِ

Ahfū ilā kulli qalbin bi-al-gharāmi lahu, Shughlun wakulli lisānin bi-al-hawā lahiji

I yearn for every heart that is wholly taken up with passion, and every tongue that speaks ardently of love,

وَكُلِّ سَمْعٍ عَنِ اللَّاحِي بِهِ صَمَمٌوَكُلِّ جَفْنٍ إِلَى الإِغْفَاءِ لَمْ يَعُجِ

Wakulli samʿin ʿani al-lāḥī bihi ṣamamun, Wakulli jafnin ilā al-ʾighfāʾi lam yaʿuji

And every ear that is deaf to the blamer, and every eyelid that never turns toward sleep.

لَا كَانَ وَجْدٌ بِهِ الآمَاقُ جَامِدَةٌوَلَا غَرَامٌ بِهِ الأَشْوَاقُ لَمْ تَهِجِ

Lā kāna wajdun bihi al-ʾāmāqu jāmidatun, Walā gharāmun bihi al-ʾashwāqu lam tahiji

Let there be no ecstasy in which the eyes stay dry, nor any passion in which longing is not stirred.

عَذِّبْ بِمَا شِئْتَ غَيْرَ البُعْدِ عَنْكَ تَجِدْأَوْفَى مُحِبٍّ بِمَا يُرْضِيكَ مُبْتَهِجِ

ʿadhdhib bimā shiʾta ghayra al-buʿdi ʿanka tajid, Awfā muḥibbin bimā yurḍīka mubtahiji

Torment me as you will, except by distance from you; you will find the most faithful lover, delighting in whatever pleases you.

وَخُذْ بَقِيَّةَ مَا أَبْقَيْتَ مِنْ رَمَقٍلَا خَيْرَ فِي الحُبِّ إِنْ أَبْقَى عَلَى المُهَجِ

Wakhudh baqiyyata mā abqayta min ramaqin, Lā khayra fī al-ḥubbi in abqā ʿalā al-muhaji

Take what remains of the last breath you have left me: there is no good in love if it spares the heart.

مَنْ لِي بِإِتْلَافِ رُوحِي فِي هَوَى رَشَإٍحُلْوِ الشَّمَائِلِ بِالأَرْوَاحِ مُمْتَزِجِ

Man lī biʾitlāfi rūḥī fī hawā rashaʾin, Ḥulwi ash-shamāʾili bi-al-ʾarwāḥi mumtaziji

Who will grant me to lose my soul in love for a fawn, sweet of nature, mingled with the very souls?

مَنْ مَاتَ فِيهِ غَرَاماً عَاشَ مُرْتَقِياًمَا بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الهَوَى فِي أَرْفَعِ الدَّرَجِ

Man māta fīhi gharāman ʿāsha murtaqiyan, Mā bayna ahli al-hawā fī arfaʿi ad-daraji

Whoever dies of love for him lives on, ascending among the people of love to the highest of ranks.

مُحَجَّبٌ لَوْ سَرَى فِي مِثْلِ طُرَّتِهِأَغْنَتْهُ غُرَّتُهُ الغَرَّا عَنِ السُّرُجِ

Muḥajjabun law sarā fī mithli ṭurratihi, Aghnathu ghurratuhu al-gharrā ʿani as-suruji

He is veiled; were he to travel by night in darkness like his locks, the bright blaze of his brow would spare him any lamps.

وَإِنْ ضَلِلْتُ بِلَيْلٍ مِنْ ذَوَائِبِهِأَهْدَى لِعَيْنِي الهُدَى صُبْحٌ مِنَ البَلَجِ

Waʾin ḍaliltu bilaylin min dhawāʾibihi, Ahdā liʿaynī al-hudā ṣubḥun mina al-balaji

And if I lose my way in the night of his tresses, a dawn from his radiant face guides my eyes aright.

وَإِنْ تَنَفَّسَ قَالَ المِسْكُ مُعْتَرِفاًلِعَارِفِي طِيبِهِ مِنْ نَشْرِهِ أَرَجِي

Waʾin tanaffasa qāla al-misku muʿtarifan, Liʿārifī ṭībihi min nashrihi arajī

And if he breathes, the musk confesses to those who know its scent: "My perfume comes from his fragrance."

أَعْوَامُ إِقْبَالِهِ كَاليَوْمِ فِي قِصَرٍوَيَوْمُ إِعْرَاضِهِ فِي الطُّولِ كَالحِجَجِ

Aʿwāmu iqbālihi ka-al-yawmi fī qiṣarin, Wayawmu iʿrāḍihi fī aṭ-ṭūli ka-al-ḥijaji

Years of his favour are as short as a single day, and a day of his turning away is as long as years.

فَإِنْ نَأَى سَائِراً يَا مُهْجَتِي ارْتَحِلِيوَإِنْ دَنَا زَائِراً يَا مُقْلَتِي ابْتَهِجِي

Faʾin naʾā sāʾiran yā muhjatī rtaḥilī, Waʾin danā zāʾiran yā muqlatī btahijī

If he departs on a journey, O my soul, depart with him; and if he draws near to visit, O my eye, rejoice.

قُلْ لِلَّذِي لَامَنِي فِيهِ وَعَنَّفَنِيدَعْنِي وَشَأْنِي وَعُدْ عَنْ نُصْحِكَ السَّمِجِ

Qul lilladhī lāmanī fīhi waʿannafanī, Daʿnī washaʾnī waʿud ʿan nuṣḥika as-samiji

Say to the one who blamed me for him and rebuked me: "Leave me to my state, and spare me your tasteless advice."

فَاللَّوْمُ لُؤْمٌ وَلَمْ يُمْدَحْ بِهِ أَحَدٌوَهَلْ رَأَيْتَ مُحِبّاً بِالغَرَامِ هُجِي

Fa-al-lawmu luʾmun walam yumdaḥ bihi aḥadun, Wahal raʾayta muḥibban bi-al-gharāmi hujī

For blame is baseness, and no one was ever praised for it; have you ever seen a lover reviled for his passion?

يَا سَاكِنَ القَلْبِ لَا تَنْظُرْ إِلَى سَكَنِيوَارْبَحْ فُؤَادَكَ وَاحْذَرْ فِتْنَةَ الدَّعَجِ

Yā sākina al-qalbi lā tanẓur ilā sakanī, Warbaḥ fuʾādaka waḥdhar fitnata ad-daʿaji

O you whose heart is at peace, do not look upon my beloved; keep your heart safe, and beware the enchantment of dark eyes.

يَا صَاحِبِي وَأَنَا البَرُّ الرَّؤُوفُ وَقَدْبَذَلْتُ نُصْحِي بِذَاكَ الحَيِّ لَا تَعُجِ

Yā ṣāḥibī waʾanā al-barru ar-raʾūfu waqad, Badhaltu nuṣḥī bidhāka al-ḥayyi lā taʿuji

My friend, I am kind and caring toward you, and I have given you my counsel: do not turn aside at that encampment.

فِيهِ خَلَعْتُ عِذَارِي وَاطَّرَحْتُ بِهِقَبُولَ نُسْكِيَ وَالمَقْبُولَ مِنْ حِجَجِي

Fīhi khalaʿtu ʿidhārī waṭṭaraḥtu bihi, Qabūla nuskiya wa-al-maqbūla min ḥijajī

There I cast off all restraint, and there I flung away the worth of my devotions and the best of my pilgrimages.

وَابْيَضَّ وَجْهُ غَرَامِي فِي مَحَبَّتِهِوَاسْوَدَّ وَجْهُ مَلَامِي فِيهِ بِالحُجَجِ

Wabyaḍḍa wajhu gharāmī fī maḥabbatihi, Waswadda wajhu malāmī fīhi bi-al-ḥujaji

The face of my passion shone white in loving him, and the face of those who blamed me turned black before my proofs.

تَبَارَكَ اللهُ مَا أَحْلَى شَمَائِلَهُفَكَمْ أَمَاتَتْ وَأَحْيَتْ فِيهِ مِنْ مُهَجِ

Tabāraka Allāhu mā aḥlā shamāʾilahu, Fakam amātat waʾaḥyat fīhi min muhaji

Blessed be Allah! How sweet are his qualities! How many hearts they have made to die and live again in him!

يَهْوِي لِذِكْرِ اسْمِهِ مَنْ لَجَّ فِي عَذَلِيسَمْعِي وَإِنْ كَانَ عَذْلِي فِيهِ لَمْ يَلِجِ

Yahwī lidhikri smihi man lajja fī ʿadhalī, Samʿī waʾin kāna ʿadhlī fīhi lam yaliji

My hearing inclines to the mention of his name from the one who keeps blaming me, even though the blame itself never enters it.

وَأَرْحَمُ البَرْقَ فِي مَسْرَاهُ مُنْتَسِباًلِثَغْرِهِ وَهْوَ مُسْتَحْيٍ مِنَ الفَلَجِ

Waʾarḥamu al-barqa fī masrāhu muntasiban, Lithaghrihi wahwa mustaḥyin mina al-falaji

I pity the lightning on its night course, claiming kinship with his smile, though it is abashed before the gap of his teeth.

تَرَاهُ إِنْ غَابَ عَنِّي كُلُّ جَارِحَةٍفِي كُلِّ مَعْنًى لَطِيفٍ رَائِقٍ بَهِجِ

Tarāhu in ghāba ʿannī kullu jāriḥatin, Fī kulli maʿnan laṭīfin rāʾiqin bahiji

When he is absent, every limb of mine sees him in every subtle meaning, delicate, lovely and bright:

فِي نَغْمَةِ العُودِ وَالنَّايِ الرَّخِيمِ إِذَاتَأَلَّفَا بَيْنَ أَلْحَانٍ مِنَ الهَزَجِ

Fī naghmati al-ʿūdi wa-an-nāyi ar-rakhīmi idhā, Taʾallafā bayna alḥānin mina al-hazaji

In the melody of the lute and the soft-toned flute, when they join together in the measures of the hazaj;

وَفِي مَسَارِحِ غِزْلَانِ الخَمَائِلِ فِيبَرْدِ الأَصَائِلِ وَالإِصْبَاحِ فِي البَلَجِ

Wafī masāriḥi ghizlāni al-khamāʾili fī, Bardi al-ʾaṣāʾili wa-al-ʾiṣbāḥi fī al-balaji

In the grazing grounds of the gazelles in the thickets, in the cool of evening and the brightness of dawn;

وَفِي مَسَاقِطِ أَنْدَاءِ الغَمَامِ عَلَىبِسَاطِ نَوْرٍ مِنَ الأَزْهَارِ مُنْتَسِجِ

Wafī masāqiṭi andāʾi al-ghamāmi ʿalā, Bisāṭi nawrin mina al-ʾazhāri muntasiji

Where the dew of the clouds falls upon a carpet of blossoms woven of flowers;

وَفِي مَسَاحِبِ أَذْيَالِ النَّسِيمِ إِذَاأَهْدَى إِلَيَّ سُحَيْراً أَطْيَبَ الأَرَجِ

Wafī masāḥibi adhyāli an-nasīmi idhā, Ahdā ilayya suḥayran aṭyaba al-ʾaraji

Where the breeze trails its hems, when before dawn it brings me the sweetest fragrance;

وَفِي الْتِثَامِيَ ثَغْرَ الكَأْسِ مُرْتَشِفاًرِيقَ المُدَامَةِ فِي مُسْتَنْزَهٍ فَرِجِ

Wafī at-tithāmiya thaghra al-kaʾsi murtashifan, Rīqa al-mudāmati fī mustanzahin fariji

And in my kissing the lip of the cup, sipping the wine's nectar in a joyful garden.

لَمْ أَدْرِ مَا غُرْبَةُ الأَوْطَانِ وَهْوَ مَعِيوَخَاطِرِي أَيْنَ كُنَّا غَيْرُ مُنْزَعِجِ

Lam adri mā ghurbatu al-ʾawṭāni wahwa maʿī, Wakhāṭirī ayna kunnā ghayru munzaʿiji

I never knew the loneliness of exile while he was with me, and wherever we were, my mind was never troubled.

فَالدَّارُ دَارِي وَحُبِّي حَاضِرٌ وَمَتَىبَدَا فَمُنْعَرَجُ الجَرْعَاءِ مُنْعَرَجِي

Fa-ad-dāru dārī waḥubbī ḥāḍirun wamatā, Badā famunʿaraju al-jarʿāʾi munʿarajī

The abode is my abode, my love is present, and wherever he appears, the bend of al-Jar'a is my own path.

لِيَهْنَ رَكْبٌ سَرَوْا لَيْلاً وَأَنْتَ بِهِمْبِسَيْرِهِمْ فِي صَبَاحٍ مِنْكَ مُنْبَلِجِ

Liyahna rakbun saraw laylan waʾanta bihim, Bisayrihim fī ṣabāḥin minka munbaliji

Joy to the riders who travelled by night with you among them, journeying in a morning that dawned from you.

فَلْيَصْنَعِ الرَّكْبُ مَا شَاؤُوا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْهُمْ أَهْلُ بَدْرٍ فَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ مِنْ حَرَجِ

Falyaṣnaʿi ar-rakbu mā shāʾū biʾanfusihim, Hum ahlu badrin falā yakhshawna min ḥaraji

Let the riders do with themselves as they please: they are the people of Badr, and need fear no blame.

بِحَقِّ عِصْيَانِيَ اللَّاحِي عَلَيْكَ وَمَابِأَضْلُعِي طَاعَةً لِلْوَجْدِ مِنْ وَهَجِ

Biḥaqqi ʿiṣyāniya al-lāḥī ʿalayka wamā, Biʾaḍluʿī ṭāʿatan lilwajdi min wahaji

By my defiance of the one who blames me over you, and by the burning in my ribs, in obedience to my ecstasy,

انْظُرْ إِلَى كَبِدٍ ذَابَتْ عَلَيْكَ جَوًىوَمُقْلَةٍ مِنْ نَجِيعِ الدَّمْعِ فِي لُجَجِ

Nẓur ilā kabidin dhābat ʿalayka jawan, Wamuqlatin min najīʿi ad-damʿi fī lujaji

Look upon a liver melted for you with passion, and an eye drowning in deep pools of bloody tears.

وَارْحَمْ تَعَثُّرَ آمَالِي وَمُرْتَجَعِيإِلَى خِدَاعِ تَمَنِّي الوَعْدِ بِالفَرَجِ

Warḥam taʿaththura ʾāmālī wamurtajaʿī, Ilā khidāʿi tamannī al-waʿdi bi-al-faraji

Have mercy on the stumbling of my hopes, and on my return to the illusion of wishing for the promise of relief.

وَاعْطِفْ عَلَى ذُلِّ أَطْمَاعِي بِهَلْ وَعَسَىوَامْنُنْ عَلَيَّ بِشَرْحِ الصَّدْرِ مِنْ حَرَجِ

Waʿṭif ʿalā dhulli aṭmāʿī bihal waʿasā, Wamnun ʿalayya bisharḥi aṣ-ṣadri min ḥaraji

Be kind to my lowly hopes, with their "perhaps" and "maybe", and grace me with an opening of the breast from all distress.

أَهْلاً بِمَا لَمْ أَكُنْ أَهْلاً لِمَوْقِعِهِقَوْلِ المُبَشِّرِ بَعْدَ اليَأْسِ بِالفَرَجِ

Ahlan bimā lam akun ahlan limawqiʿihi, Qawli al-mubashshiri baʿda al-yaʾsi bi-al-faraji

Welcome to what I was never worthy to receive: the herald's word, after despair, of relief:

لَكَ البِشَارَةُ فَاخْلَعْ مَا عَلَيْكَ فَقَدْذُكِرْتَ ثَمَّ عَلَى مَا فِيكَ مِنْ عِوَجِ

Laka al-bishāratu fakhlaʿ mā ʿalayka faqad, Dhukirta thamma ʿalā mā fīka min ʿiwaji

"Good news to you! Cast off your robe for the herald, for you were mentioned there, despite all your crookedness."