كتبَت جفونُك فوق خدِّك أسطُراً

كتبَت جفونُك فوق خدِّك أسطُراً

يشرَحن فيها ما تجنُّ لمن قَرا

يشرَحن فيها ما تجنُّ لمن قَرا

Your eyelids have written lines upon your cheek,

Your eyelids wrote lines upon your cheek.

explaining in them what you conceal to whoever reads.

They reveal therein what you conceal to whoever reads.

وكأن وجهَ هواك كان ملثَّماً

وكأن وجهَ هواك كان ملثَّماً

مُتخفِّياً قبل الفراقِ فأسفَرا

مُتخفِّياً قبل الفراقِ فأسفَرا

As though the face of your love had been veiled,

And it is as though the face of your love had been veiled,

hidden before parting—then it unveiled itself.

Hidden before parting, then laid bare.

ومُعاهدٍ للغصنِ أن لا ينثني

ومُعاهدٍ للغصنِ أن لا ينثني

مُستحلفٍ للبدرِ أن لا يبدُرا

مُستحلفٍ للبدرِ أن لا يبدُرا

You who bound the bough to a pledge never to bend,

And one who binds the bough by a pact never to sway,

and made the full moon swear never to rise:

Who makes the full moon swear never to rise.

لو كان يملِك أن يُصوِّر نفسَه

لو كان يملِك أن يُصوِّر نفسَه

ما زاد خالقَه على ما صَوَّرا

ما زاد خالقَه على ما صَوَّرا

had he possessed the power to fashion himself,

If he had the power to fashion himself,

his Creator could not have improved upon what he fashioned.

He could not improve upon what his Creator fashioned.

وهو الذي مازال ينكر في الهوى

وهو الذي مازال ينكر في الهوى

ما كان معروفاً ويعرفُ منكَرا

ما كان معروفاً ويعرفُ منكَرا

He is the one who, in love, has never ceased denying

And he is the one who never ceases, in love, to reject

what was acknowledged, while acknowledging what was denied.

What was held to be right, while acknowledging wrong.

وأخي اقتدارٍ بالنوى لولا الهَوى

وأخي اقتدارٍ بالنوى لولا الهَوى

والشوقُ كنتُ بها عَليه أقدَرا

والشوقُ كنتُ بها عَليه أقدَرا

My peer in mastery over separation—were it not for love

And one who wields power through parting—were it not for love

and longing, I would have mastered it better than he.

And longing, I would have had greater power over him through it.

وكأنني إذ خفتُ بادرَ عُذره

وكأنني إذ خفتُ بادرَ عُذره

علمتُه بمخافَتي أن يَغدرا

علمتُه بمخافَتي أن يَغدرا

It was as though, when I feared him, his excuse outran him;

And as though, when I feared the first sign of his excuse,

by showing my fear, I taught him how to betray.

I taught him, through my fear, to betray.

مازالَ صَبري تحتَ حُكم جفونِه

مازالَ صَبري تحتَ حُكم جفونِه

متعذِّراً بالغدر حتَّى عَذَّرا

متعذِّراً بالغدر حتَّى عَذَّرا

My patience remained beneath the rule of his eyelids,

My patience has remained beneath the rule of his eyelids,

pleading betrayal as its excuse, until it was excused.

Pleading betrayal as its excuse, until it faltered.

وأَتت خطوبٌ كادَ يُنسي ذكرُها

وأَتت خطوبٌ كادَ يُنسي ذكرُها

عهد الهوى ويكادُ أن لا يُذكَرا

عهد الهوى ويكادُ أن لا يُذكَرا

Then calamities came whose memory almost made me forget

And calamities came whose mention almost made one forget

love’s covenant, until it nearly went unremembered.

Love's covenant, itself now almost forgotten.

إن كانَ هَذا صَرف دَهرٍ واحدٍ

إن كانَ هَذا صَرف دَهرٍ واحدٍ

فلقد أقامَ مُنازلاً لي أدهُرا

فلقد أقامَ مُنازلاً لي أدهُرا

If this is but one turn of a single age,

If this is the adversity of a single age,

it has stood against me in battle for ages.

Then it has surely stood battling me for ages.

ولقلَّما يجني زماني بعدها

ولقلَّما يجني زماني بعدها

إلا لقيتُ بما جناهُ مُيسَّرا

إلا لقيتُ بما جناهُ مُيسَّرا

And seldom, after that, does my Time commit a wrong

And seldom does my time inflict harm thereafter

but I meet what it has wrought, ready to face it.

Without my meeting Muyassar through the harm it wrought.

سلِّم إلى الملوكِ شدةَ بأسِه

سلِّم إلى الملوكِ شدةَ بأسِه

واجعل لمالكِهِ النصيبَ الأوفَرا

واجعل لمالكِهِ النصيبَ الأوفَرا

Concede fierce prowess to kings,

Entrust his fierce might to kings,

but assign its possessor the fullest share.

And give his master the fullest share.

ماضٍ فما تنهي إليه ظُلامةٌ

ماضٍ فما تنهي إليه ظُلامةٌ

من طارق الحدثانِ إلا غيَّرا

من طارق الحدثانِ إلا غيَّرا

Resolute: no grievance is brought before him

Resolute: no grievance is laid before him

from the assaults of calamity but he sets it right.

From misfortune's night visitations but he sets it right.

أقلامُه ينطُقنَ عنه كأنَّها

أقلامُه ينطُقنَ عنه كأنَّها

لولا الدِّرايةُ أضمرت ما أضمَرا

لولا الدِّرايةُ أضمرت ما أضمَرا

His pens speak on his behalf, as though,

His pens speak for him, as though—

but for their discernment, they would hide what he hid.

But for our knowing better—they harbored what he harbored.

فكفَتهُ أن يعتدَّ أبيضَ صارماً

فكفَتهُ أن يعتدَّ أبيضَ صارماً

ومثقَّفاً يوم الكريهةِ أسمَرا

ومثقَّفاً يوم الكريهةِ أسمَرا

Thus they spare him the need to muster a keen white sword

Thus they spared him readying a white, keen-edged sword,

or, on the day of battle, a straightened brown spear.

And a straightened brown spear on the day of battle.

صَدقَت فِراسَتُه فما في خاطرٍ

صَدقَت فِراسَتُه فما في خاطرٍ

إلا يحاذرُ علمَهُ أن يخطُرا

إلا يحاذرُ علمَهُ أن يخطُرا

His discernment has proved true: there is no thought

His insight proves true: no thought within a mind

that does not fear his knowledge before it dares arise.

But fears to arise, dreading his knowledge.

تلقى الوجوه إذا اكفرَّهت أوجهٌ

تلقى الوجوه إذا اكفرَّهت أوجهٌ

ما قاصِديها ضاحكاً مستبشِرا

ما قاصِديها ضاحكاً مستبشِرا

He meets all faces—when the faces of some

He greets faces—when other faces scowl

scowl at those who seek them—laughing and radiant.

At those who seek them—smiling and rejoicing.