سقى الله عهداً بالحمى قد تقدَّما

سقى الله عهداً بالحمى قد تقدَّما

وعَيشاً تقضّى ما ألَذَّ وأنعَما

وعَيشاً تقضّى ما ألَذَّ وأنعَما

May God water a bygone time in the protected grounds,

God watered a covenant with passion that brought us together

And a life now gone—how sweet and blissful it was!

And a living through which the most delicious and blissful is fulfilled

تعاطيتُ فيه الراح تمزج باللمى

تعاطيتُ فيه الراح تمزج باللمى

وعفراء سكرى المقلتين كأنَّما

وعفراء سكرى المقلتين كأنَّما

I drank wine then, mingled with the duskiness of lips,

I partook in it of comfort mixed with affliction

And a fair maiden, drunken-eyed, as though

And an intoxicated blonde whose glances are as if

سقتها الندامى من سلافة أشعاري

سقتها الندامى من سلافة أشعاري

لَهَوْتُ بها والدهر مستعذب الجنى

لَهَوْتُ بها والدهر مستعذب الجنى

The drinking companions had given her a draught of my poems' finest wine.

They were given to drink from the wine of my predecessors' poetry

I dallied with her, and time's harvest was sweet,

I sported with it while time's refuge was sweet

ونلتُ كما أهوى بوصلي لها المنى

ونلتُ كما أهوى بوصلي لها المنى

ولم أنْسَها كالغصن إذ مال وانثنى

ولم أنْسَها كالغصن إذ مال وانثنى

And through my union with her attained my wishes as I desired.

And I attained as I love, my wishes for her fulfilled

Nor have I forgotten her, like a bough that leaned and bent,

And I did not forget her as the branch when it leaned and bent

تمرُّ مع الأتراب بالخَيف من مِنى

تمرُّ مع الأتراب بالخَيف من مِنى

مرورَ المعاني في مفاوز أفكاري

مرورَ المعاني في مفاوز أفكاري

Passing with her peers through al-Khayf in Mina,

Passing by the loved ones in the afternoon from Mina

Like meanings passing through the desert wastes of my thoughts.

Like meanings passing through the expanses of my thoughts

وبيضٍ عذارى من لويٍّ وغالبِ

وبيضٍ عذارى من لويٍّ وغالبِ

كواعبَ أترابٍ فيا للكواعبِ

كواعبَ أترابٍ فيا للكواعبِ

And fair-skinned virgins of Lu'ayy and Ghalib,

And innocent white ones from smooth and soft

Full-bosomed maidens, alike in age—ah, those full-bosomed maidens!

Like the coevals of loved ones - so for the coevals!

تَخُطِّينَ في أبهى خُطاً متقاربِ

تَخُطِّينَ في أبهى خُطاً متقاربِ

وعَفِّين آثار الخُطا بذوائبِ

وعَفِّين آثار الخُطا بذوائبِ

They walked with the loveliest, closely spaced steps,

Stepping in the most magnificent step, close

And effaced their footsteps' traces with their tresses,

And covering the traces of steps with tails

كما قد عَفَتْ في منزل الذلِّ آثاري

كما قد عَفَتْ في منزل الذلِّ آثاري

إذا نظَرَتْ سلَّت بألحاظها الظبا

إذا نظَرَتْ سلَّت بألحاظها الظبا

Just as my traces had faded in the abode of humiliation.

As it covered in the abode of humility the traces of me

When she looked, she unsheathed blades with her glances,

When she looked, her glances unleashed gazelles

وإن خَطَرت كانت كما خطر القنا

وإن خَطَرت كانت كما خطر القنا

فما نَظَرتْ إلاَّ بأبيض يُنتضى

فما نَظَرتْ إلاَّ بأبيض يُنتضى

And if she swayed, she was like swaying spears.

And when she appeared, she was like the appearance of the flag

So she never looked but with a gleaming sword unsheathed,

She did not look except with whiteness to be copied

ولا خَطَرَتْ إلاَّ وتذكّرتُ في الوغى

ولا خَطَرَتْ إلاَّ وتذكّرتُ في الوغى

بهام خطير القدر ميلة خطّاري

بهام خطير القدر ميلة خطّاري

Nor did she sway without my recalling, in battle,

Nor did she appear unless I remembered in tumult

The dip of my swaying spear toward heads of lofty rank.

The perilous fateful glance of my tilting specifier

كأنِّي بها ما بينَ أختٍ وضرّةٍ

كأنِّي بها ما بينَ أختٍ وضرّةٍ

إليَّ بأسرار الغرام أسَرَّتِ

إليَّ بأسرار الغرام أسَرَّتِ

It is as though I see her between a sister and a co-wife,

As if with her what is between a sister and a wife

Confiding to me the secrets of passionate love.

She confided to me with the secrets of passion

أضيمَتْ كضَيْمي بين قومي وأُسْرتي

أضيمَتْ كضَيْمي بين قومي وأُسْرتي

ومن ضَيْمها كادَت تبيحُ طمرَّتي

ومن ضَيْمها كادَت تبيحُ طمرَّتي

She was wronged, as I was among my people and my family;

She was straitened like my straitness among my people and my family

And, through her suffering, my swift mare almost revealed

And from her straitness she almost made lawful my concealment

من الضَّيْم ما أخفَيْتُه تحت أطماري

من الضَّيْم ما أخفَيْتُه تحت أطماري

أمضَّ هواها في فؤادي وما حوى

أمضَّ هواها في فؤادي وما حوى

The oppression I had hidden beneath my rags.

From the straitness I hid beneath my pretendings

Love for her tormented my heart, and it held nothing

Her love passed in my heart and whatever it contained

سوى حبّها حتَّى أُليم فما ارعوى

سوى حبّها حتَّى أُليم فما ارعوى

وقد سألتْ عمَّا أُلاقي من الجوى

وقد سألتْ عمَّا أُلاقي من الجوى

But love for her, until reproached—yet it did not desist.

Apart from her love until I was pained but did not argue

And she had asked what burning sorrow I endured,

And she asked about what I face from burning

فَرُحْتُ إليها أشتكي مضض الهوى

فَرُحْتُ إليها أشتكي مضض الهوى

كما شَكت الأقلام مني إلى الباري

كما شَكت الأقلام مني إلى الباري

So I went to her, complaining of love's torment,

So I went to her complaining of the torment of passion

As the pens complained of me to the Creator.

As the pens complained from me to the Creator

رَأتْ فَتَياتُ الحيّ عَيني وَوَبْلَها

رَأتْ فَتَياتُ الحيّ عَيني وَوَبْلَها

فأكْثَرْنَ بالتأنيب إذ ذاك عَذْلَها

فأكْثَرْنَ بالتأنيب إذ ذاك عَذْلَها

The maidens of the quarter saw my eye and its downpour,

The girls of the neighborhood saw my eyes and their confusion

So then they heaped blame upon her with rebukes.

So they increased then in reproaching her their blaming

فَرُحْتُ وقد أجْرَتْ لها العينُ سَيْلَها

فَرُحْتُ وقد أجْرَتْ لها العينُ سَيْلَها

وجاراتها راحَتْ مُؤَنِّبة لها

وجاراتها راحَتْ مُؤَنِّبة لها

So I went, my eye having poured out its torrent for her,

I was glad when the eye unlocked its floods for her

And her neighbors set about reproaching her

And her female neighbors went reproaching her

على ما جرى في السفح من مدمعي الجاري

على ما جرى في السفح من مدمعي الجاري

أهيمُ بمرآها وحسن قوامها

أهيمُ بمرآها وحسن قوامها

For what flowed on the hillside from my streaming tears.

For what occurred in the plain from my streaming tears

I am lovesick at the sight of her and the beauty of her figure,

I wander about her mirror and the beauty of her figure

وإنِّي لمعذورٌ بمثل هيامها

وإنِّي لمعذورٌ بمثل هيامها

وكم ليلةٍ قد بِتُّ جنح ظلامها

وكم ليلةٍ قد بِتُّ جنح ظلامها

And surely I am excused for such infatuation with her.

And indeed I am excusable for the like of my infatuation

And many a night I have spent beneath the wing of its darkness;

And how many a night have I spent its darkness

يسامرني طول الدجى من غرامها

يسامرني طول الدجى من غرامها

سميرٌ أُناغي في معانيه سُمّاري

سميرٌ أُناغي في معانيه سُمّاري

Through all the darkness, from love for her, I am kept company

Keeping me company all night long from her passion

By a companion about whose themes I converse with my night companions.

A conversation I whisper to in its meanings my murmurer

إذا قَرُبَتْ من ناظري أو تأخَّرَتْ

إذا قَرُبَتْ من ناظري أو تأخَّرَتْ

ففي صورة الشَّمس المنيرة صُوِّرَتْ

ففي صورة الشَّمس المنيرة صُوِّرَتْ

When she draws near to my gaze or moves away,

When she drew near my sight or was delayed

She is fashioned in the likeness of the radiant sun,

She was depicted in the image of the shining sun

متى أسْفَرَتْ عن وجهها أو تَستَّرَتْ

متى أسْفَرَتْ عن وجهها أو تَستَّرَتْ

على قربها منِّي إذا هي أسْفَرَتْ

على قربها منِّي إذا هي أسْفَرَتْ

Whenever she unveils her face or veils herself.

Whether she revealed her face or veiled

Despite her nearness to me when she unveils,

In her nearness to me when she reveal it

يباعدُ منها الحسنُ ما بين أسفاري

يباعدُ منها الحسنُ ما بين أسفاري

لها مقلةٌ كالمشرفيِّ شباتُها

لها مقلةٌ كالمشرفيِّ شباتُها

Her beauty keeps me far from her, by the distances between my journeys.

Beauty distances from her what between my journeys

She has an eye whose point is like a Mashrafi sword's;

She has a gaze like the youth of its shooting

لعقيدة صَبري أوهَنَتْ نفثاتُها

لعقيدة صَبري أوهَنَتْ نفثاتُها

إذا ما رَنَتْ أو رُتّلت كلماتها

إذا ما رَنَتْ أو رُتّلت كلماتها

Its spell-breaths weakened my resolve to be patient.

To my patience's certainty her breaths weakened

Whenever she gazes, or her words are intoned,

If she rang or intoned her words

لرقّةِ سِحْري تنتمي لحظاتُها

لرقّةِ سِحْري تنتمي لحظاتُها

وألفاظُها تُعزى لرقَّةِ أشعاري

وألفاظُها تُعزى لرقَّةِ أشعاري

Her glances belong to the delicacy of my enchantment,

For the softness of my sorcery her moments belong

And her words are ascribed to the delicacy of my poems.

And her words attributed to the softness of my poetry