رعَى الله عَيشاً رُحْتُ أشكر فضلَه

رعَى الله عَيشاً رُحْتُ أشكر فضلَه

بغَيداء أشكوها الغرام فتنصفُ

بغَيداء أشكوها الغرام فتنصفُ

May God preserve a life for whose grace I came away giving thanks—

May God preserve a life for whose bounty I came to give thanks,

God has granted me a living I'm grateful for His grace

with a graceful maiden to whom I complained of love, and she did me justice.

with a graceful maiden, to whom I complain of passion and who does me justice.

In Ghayda I complain of love yet she is fair

إذا خطرت خاف القنا خطراتها

إذا خطرت خاف القنا خطراتها

لها من غصون البان قدٌّ مهفهف

لها من غصون البان قدٌّ مهفهف

When she walked with a swaying grace, the spear-shafts feared her motions;

When she sways as she walks, the spears fear her swaying steps.

When her image stirs, fear stirs for she is perilous

hers is a slender figure like the boughs of the moringa tree.

She has a slender figure like the branches of the bān tree.

Her branches are of supple myrtle

وما نظرت إلاَّ بأدعج فاترٍ

وما نظرت إلاَّ بأدعج فاترٍ

كما استَلَّ ماضٍ يفلق الهام مرهف

كما استَلَّ ماضٍ يفلق الهام مرهف

She never glanced save with a languid, deep-dark eye,

She looks only with a dark, languid eye,

I looked at her with languid, weary eyes

as though a keen, sharp blade were drawn to cleave men's heads.

as though a keen, finely honed blade that cleaves skulls were drawn.

Like a new moon rising, cleaving hearts in two

نظرت إليها والوشاة بغفلة

نظرت إليها والوشاة بغفلة

وشمل الهوى ما بيننا يتألّف

وشمل الهوى ما بيننا يتألّف

I looked at her while the slanderers were unaware,

I gazed at her while the talebearers were unaware,

I looked at her while backbiters were distracted

and the bonds of love between us were drawing together.

and love’s bonds between us were drawing together.

And love enveloped all between us, conciliate

فلا تُنكِرا منِّي هواها فإنَّني

فلا تُنكِرا منِّي هواها فإنَّني

عَرَفْتُ بها في الحبّ ما ليس يعرف

عَرَفْتُ بها في الحبّ ما ليس يعرف

So do not, you two, condemn me for loving her; for through her

So do not, you two, condemn my love for her, for I

So do not deny my passion for her, I have known

I learned of love what no one else knows.

have learned through her what is unknown in love.

Through love of her what others do not know

وقد كِدْتُّ أدمي خدها بنواظر

وقد كِدْتُّ أدمي خدها بنواظر

أبى الله إلاَّ أنها اليوم تذرَف

أبى الله إلاَّ أنها اليوم تذرَف

I nearly made her cheek bleed with my gazing eyes,

And I nearly made her cheek bleed with my eyes,

I almost grazed her cheek with my eyes

but God willed instead that today they should shed tears.

which God has willed to shed tears today.

But God forbade it and today she weeps

وقد مَلأت عَيْنيَّ بالحسن كلِّه

وقد مَلأت عَيْنيَّ بالحسن كلِّه

وما الشَّمس إلاَّ مثلها حين توصف

وما الشَّمس إلاَّ مثلها حين توصف

She has filled my eyes with beauty in its entirety;

And she filled both my eyes with beauty in all its fullness,

I filled my eyes with all her beauty

the sun itself is only her likeness when beauty is described.

and the sun is but her likeness when described.

The sun itself resembles her when famed

ليالي لم نحذر بها ما يريبنا

ليالي لم نحذر بها ما يريبنا

على مثلها فليأسَفِ المتأسّف

على مثلها فليأسَفِ المتأسّف

Those nights when we feared nothing that might arouse suspicion—

Nights when we did not fear what might trouble us—

Nights we did not dread what might make us doubt

for nights like those, let the grieving grieve.

for nights like those, let whoever grieves grieve.

For the likes of her the sorrowful should grieve

تطارحُني فيها الحديث فأنثني

تطارحُني فيها الحديث فأنثني

كأنْ قد أمالتني من الراح قرقف

كأنْ قد أمالتني من الراح قرقف

Through them she traded words with me, and I would bend away

She exchanges talk with me on those nights, and I sway,

She converses with me and I incline towards her

as though a potent draught of wine had made me sway.

as though heady wine had made me reel.

As though she had tilted me with gentle hands

تقول تلافُ الصبّ فيمن يحبّه

تقول تلافُ الصبّ فيمن يحبّه

فقلت لها إنَّ الصبابة تُتْلِفُ

فقلت لها إنَّ الصبابة تُتْلِفُ

She said, “A lover’s ruin lies in the one he loves.”

She says, “A lover’s ruin lies in the one he loves.”

She says, “Youth brings concord to lovers”

I told her, “Yes, consuming passion destroys.”

So I said to her, “Indeed, passionate longing destroys.”

And I said, “Youth itself brings harmony”

تعنّفني فيه اللحاة جهالة

تعنّفني فيه اللحاة جهالة

وما أنا لولا أنتِ ممَّن يُعنَّف

وما أنا لولا أنتِ ممَّن يُعنَّف

The reproachers rebuke me over her in their ignorance;

The faultfinders harshly rebuke me for it, in ignorance,

The ignoramuses blame me for passion

were it not for you, I would not be one whom anyone reproached.

and but for you, I would not be among those rebuked.

If not for you I'd not be blamed

ورُحْتُ ولا والله أدري بأنَّني

ورُحْتُ ولا والله أدري بأنَّني

من الراح أم من ريقها أترشف

من الراح أم من ريقها أترشف

I came away—and, by God, I did not know

And I went on, not knowing—by God—whether I

I awoke not knowing if ‘twas the saliva

whether I was sipping wine or the nectar of her mouth.

was sipping wine or the moisture of her mouth.

Of her mouth or wine that moistened my lips

وبِتْنا كما شِئْنا وشاء لنا الهوى

وبِتْنا كما شِئْنا وشاء لنا الهوى

وباتَتْ أباريقُ المدامة ترعف

وباتَتْ أباريقُ المدامة ترعف

We spent the night as we desired, and as love desired for us,

We spent the night as we wished, and as love wished for us,

We slept as love and passion did ordain

while the wine-jugs passed the night bleeding forth their vintage.

and the wine ewers spent the night bleeding.

While cups of wine through night fell and spilled over