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The lute or the moon of enchantment

أربة العود أم قمرية السحر

1. The lute or the moon of enchantment
sang, plucking the strings of ecstasy.

١. أَرَبَّةُ الْعُودِ أَمْ قُمْرِيَّةُ السَّحَرِ
غَنَّتْ فَحَرَّكَتِ الأَشْجَانَ بِالْوَتَرِ

2. The houri whose eyes still hold the spell of night
would have you think her charms are but prattle.

٢. حَوْرَاءُ لِلسِّحْرِ فِي أَلْحَاظِهَا أَثَرٌ
يُرِيكَ أَنَّ الرُّقَى ضَرْبٌ مِنَ الْهَذَرِ

3. Had her beauty not shone like the moon
in the night of the locks of her hair,

٣. لَوْ لَمْ تَكُنْ قَمَراً فِي الْحُسْنِ مَا ظَهَرَتْ
لأَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ فِي لَيْلٍ مِنَ الشَّعَرِ

4. she'd not have appeared to people's eyes—
The eyes reveal the heart if you observe them well.

٤. أَمْلَتْ عَلَيَّ بِلَحْظَيْهَا حَدِيثَ هَوىً
عَرَفْتُ مِنْهُ ضَمِيرَ الْعَينِ بِالأَثَرِ

5. With a mere glance she conveyed to me
the discourse of love; from it I understood

٥. كَأَنَّمَا بَيْنَ جَفْنَيْهَا إِذَا نَظَرَتْ
هَارُوتُ يَعْبَثُ بِالأَلْبَابِ وَالْفِكَرِ

6. the secret thoughts shown by her eyes.
When she gazes 'tis as if, between her lids,

٦. لا غَرْوَ أَنْ هِمْتُ مِنْ وَجْدٍ بِصُورَتِهَا
فَالْحُسْنُ مَشْغَلَةٌ لِلْعَقْلِ وَالْبَصَرِ

7. Harut toyed with minds and thoughts.
Small wonder I was transported with passion

٧. لا تَقْنَعُ الْعَيْنُ مِنْهَا كُلَّمَا نَظَرَتْ
وَكَيْفَ يَقْتَنِعُ الْمُشْتَاقُ بِالنَّظَرِ

8. by her image, for beauty occupies heart and sight.
The eye is never sated, gaze as it may;

٨. نَاغَيْتُهَا بِلِسَانِ الشَّوْقِ فَازْدَهَرَتْ
لِلْحُسْنِ في وَجْنَتَيْهَا وَرْدَتَا خَفَرِ

9. how can yearning be satisfied by looking?
I spoke to her in the tongue of longing,

٩. وَازْوَرَّ حَاجِبُهَا عَنْ نَظْرَةٍ رَشَقَتْ
سَوَادَ قَلْبِي بِسَهْمٍ صِيغَ مِنْ حَوَرِ

10. and in her cheeks twin roses bloomed.
Her eyebrows contrived a glance that pierced

١٠. فَلَمْ أَزَلْ بِرُقَى الأَشْعَارِ أَعْطِفُهَا
وَرُقْيَةُ الشِّعْرِ تُجْرِي الْمَاءَ فِي الْحَجَرِ

11. my heart with an arrow fashioned of houri.
With the charms of verse I tried to bend her,

١١. حَتَّى إِذَا عَلِمتْ أَنِّي بِهَا كَلِفٌ
وَأَنَّنِي مِنْ تَجَنِّيهَا عَلَى خَطَرِ

12. and the spell of poetry splits even stone.
When she knew I was bound to her,

١٢. تَبَسَّمَتْ فَجَلَتْ لِلْعَيْنِ مِنْ فَمِهَا
يَاقُوتَةً أُودِعَتْ سَطْرَيْنِ مِنْ دُرَرِ

13. and that I was in peril from her disdain,
she smiled, and her mouth revealed to the eyes

١٣. فَبِتُّ مِنْ وَصْلِهَا فِي جَنَّةٍ يَنَعَتْ
أَفْنَانُهَا بِثِمَارِ الأُنْسِ وَالْحَبَرِ

14. a ruby held between two lines of pearls.
I pass the night enjoying union with her

١٤. أَبَحْتُ لِلْعَيْنِ فِيهَا مَا تَقَرُّ بِهِ
وَذُدْتُ كَفَّ الصِّبَا عَنْ مَعْقِدِ الأُزُرِ

15. in a garden made lush by the fruits of companionship.
I gave my eyes their fill of sights to please them

١٥. حَتَّى اشْرَأَبَّتْ عُقَابُ الْفَجْرِ وَانْطَلَقَتْ
حَمَائِمُ الشُّهْبِ مِنْ أُحْبُولَةِ السَّحَرِ

16. and loosened the braids that bound her dress.
Soon the Pleiades peered forth at dawn

١٦. فَيَا لَهَا لَيْلَةً كَانَتْ بِرَوْنَقِهَا
تَارِيخَ لَهْوٍ لِمَا أَحْرَزْتُ مِنْ وَطَرِ

17. and the doves of nightfall burst from the snare of dreams.
O, the night was resplendent with the joy

١٧. وَسَمْتُهَا بِضِياءِ الْكَأْسِ فَالْتَمَعتْ
وَزِينَةُ الدُّهْمِ فِي الأَوْضَاحِ وَالْغُرَرِ

18. I gained from tasting the wine of her lips!
I named it with the glow of the goblet, and it shone

١٨. لَوْ كَانَ يَسْمَحُ لِي دَهْرِي بِعَوْدَتِهَا
لَبِعْتُ فِيهَا لَذِيذَ النَّوْمِ بِالسَّهَرِ

19. with the glitter of wine in crystal and gold.
Would that my days allowed me to repeat it!

١٩. وَلَّتْ فَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْهَا غَيْرُ فَذْلَكَةٍ
تَلُوحُ فِي دَفْتَرِ الأَوْهَامِ وَالذُّكَرِ

20. I'd sell my nights cheap to buy that bliss.
She vanished, leaving behind only memories

٢٠. وَأَيُّ بَاقٍ عَلَى الأَيَّامِ نَطْلُبُهُ
وَكُلُّ وَارِدَةٍ يَوْمَاً إِلَى صَدَرِ

21. gleaming in the book of fantasies and thoughts.
What remains for us to seek in days gone by

٢١. فَلا تَثِقْ بِوَفَاءِ الدَّهْرِ إِنَّ لَهُ
غَدْراً يُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ الْعُودِ والثَّمَرِ

22. when all that arrives is destined for the grave?
Trust not the days' constancy. By nature

٢٢. وَلا تَغُرَّنْكَ مِنْ وَجْهٍ بَشَاشَتُهُ
فَالسّمُّ يُوجَدُ فِي نَضْرٍ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ

23. Time divides the lute from the instrumentalist's hand.
Let no smiling face trick you. Poison

٢٣. قَدْ كِدْتُ أُتْهِمُ ظَنِّي فِي فِرَاسَتِهِ
مِنْ طُولِ مَا اشْتَبَهَتْ عَيْنَايَ فِي الصُّوَرِ

24. can lie within vegetation's freshness.
I nearly doubted my insight, so long

٢٤. فَخُذْ لِنَفْسِكَ مِنْ دُنْيَاكَ مَا سَمَحَتْ
بِهِ إِلَيْكَ وَكُنْ مِنْهَا عَلَى حَذَرِ

25. did eyes confuse me with their resemblances.
Take from your world what it freely grants you

٢٥. وَسَالِمِ الدَّهْرَ تَسْلَمْ مِنْ غَوَائِلِهِ
فَصَاحِبُ الشَّرِّ لا يَنْجُو مِنَ الْكَدَرِ

26. but be on guard against its evils.
To be safe from Time's calamities

٢٦. لا يَبْلُغُ الْمَرْءُ مَا يَهْوَاهُ مِنْ أَرَبٍ
إِلَّا بِتَرْكِ الَّذِي يَخْشَاهُ مِنْ ضَرَرِ

27. make peace with Time. Who courts evil will know no peace.
One does not attain all one's hopes and desires

٢٧. فَانعَم وَطِب وَالهُ وَاطرَب وَاسعَ وَاعلُ وَسُد
وَاشْرَبْ وَغَنِّ وَتِهْ وَالْعَبْ وَهِمْ وَطِرِ

28. without abandoning what one fears will harm.
So enjoy peace and well-being. Wander wide,

٢٨. لا يَقْنَطُ الْمَرْءُ مِنْ غُفْرَانِ خَالِقِهِ
مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ كَافِرَاً بِالْبَعْثِ وَالْقَدَرِ