لئِن حُجِبَت نُجلُ العُيونِ وحورُها

لئِن حُجِبَت نُجلُ العُيونِ وحورُها

ففي كلِّ جسمٍ سقمُها وفتورُها

ففي كلِّ جسمٍ سقمُها وفتورُها

Though wide eyes and their dark-and-white beauty are veiled,

If the stars of beautiful eyes were veiled

their sickness and languor dwell in every body.

In every body is its sickness and languor

محاسنُ فيها وهيَ من كلِّ عاشِقٍ

محاسنُ فيها وهيَ من كلِّ عاشِقٍ

مساوٍ وكلٌّ جاهِدٌ يَستَعيرُها

مساوٍ وكلٌّ جاهِدٌ يَستَعيرُها

Beauties in those eyes, yet in every lover

Beauties in it that are equally

blemishes; and each strives to borrow them.

From every lover striving to borrow them

شَكونا إليها السقمَ وهي سَقيمةٌ

شَكونا إليها السقمَ وهي سَقيمةٌ

فما بالُنا مما بنا نستَجيرُها

فما بالُنا مما بنا نستَجيرُها

We complained to them of sickness, though they are sick;

We complained to her of illness while she was sick

why seek their protection from what ails us?

So why are we suffering what we asked her to save us from

وإنا لأولى بالنفورِ من الظّبا

وإنا لأولى بالنفورِ من الظّبا

وما حُمِّلَت منه ففيمَ نفورُها

وما حُمِّلَت منه ففيمَ نفورُها

And we have more cause to flee than the gazelles;

And we have more right to shy from the gazelles

none of it has been laid upon them—why, then, do they flee?

And she was not charged with that so why is she shying

ولما قَسَمنا الليلَ قِسمَينِ قرَّبا

ولما قَسَمنا الليلَ قِسمَينِ قرَّبا

مَزارَ التي شَطَّت عنِ العينِ دورُها

مَزارَ التي شَطَّت عنِ العينِ دورُها

And when we divided the night into two parts, they brought near

And when we divided the night in two halves

a visit to her whose dwellings lay far from sight:

The dwelling of she who swerved from the eye its turn

سُرىً وكَرىً إما بِهذا تَزورُها

سُرىً وكَرىً إما بِهذا تَزورُها

إلى حيثُ كانَت أو بِذا تَستَزيرُها

إلى حيثُ كانَت أو بِذا تَستَزيرُها

night travel and slumber: by one you visit her

To the right and to the left, either visiting it hereby

wherever she may be, or by the other invite her to visit you.

Or taking comfort thereby where it was

وممنوعَةٍ بالصوم في كلِّ حجَّةٍ

وممنوعَةٍ بالصوم في كلِّ حجَّةٍ

ثلاثينَ يَوماً ثم تأتي شُهورُها

ثلاثينَ يَوماً ثم تأتي شُهورُها

And wine, forbidden by the fast each year

And forbidden with fasting every month

for thirty days—then her months arrive.

Thirty days then her months come

تهيم بها نفسُ الفَتى وهي ضرَّةٌ

تهيم بها نفسُ الفَتى وهي ضرَّةٌ

فيا عجباً من ضرَّةٍ لا تُغيرُها

فيا عجباً من ضرَّةٍ لا تُغيرُها

The young man's soul is besotted with her, though she is a co-wife;

The soul of the youth craves her while she is harmful

how strange—a co-wife who stirs no jealousy in it!

So strange is the harmful one it does not change her

وحرَّمَها نصُّ الكتابِ فجاءنا

وحرَّمَها نصُّ الكتابِ فجاءنا

بتحليلِها نصُّ الهَوى ومُديرُها

بتحليلِها نصُّ الهَوى ومُديرُها

The Book's text forbade her; then there came to us

And the text of the Book forbade her then we came

desire's text and her cupbearer, declaring her lawful.

With making her lawful the text of passion and its guide

وأقبلَ شوالٌ بها فافرِجُوا لها

وأقبلَ شوالٌ بها فافرِجُوا لها

وإن كان مَحظوراً عليكُم عُبورُها

وإن كان مَحظوراً عليكُم عُبورُها

And Shawwal came with her, so make room for her,

And Shawwal came with it so make way for it

even if her passage is forbidden to you.

Even if crossing it is forbidden upon you

أرى نائِباتٍ نابِياتٍ شفارُها

أرى نائِباتٍ نابِياتٍ شفارُها

وما كفَّها إلا العُلى وأميرُها

وما كفَّها إلا العُلى وأميرُها

I see calamities whose blades glance off;

I see deputies, wishing, her lips

nothing checked them but lofty glory and its prince.

And only the Most High and its Emir curbed her

وسيرةُ قومٍ في الندى تغلِبيَّةٌ

وسيرةُ قومٍ في الندى تغلِبيَّةٌ

لكل زمانٍ منهم من يَسيرُها

لكل زمانٍ منهم من يَسيرُها

And a people's way in generosity is the way of Taghlib;

And the conduct of a people in dew, Ghulibi

in every age one of them follows it.

For every time one of them who leads it

وللدولة الزهراءِ نورٌ مطنِّبٌ

وللدولة الزهراءِ نورٌ مطنِّبٌ

من الأفُقِ الأعلى وهذا مُنيرُها

من الأفُقِ الأعلى وهذا مُنيرُها

And the radiant state has a far-spreading light

And for the brilliant state light bundled

from the highest horizon, and this man makes it shine.

From the highest horizon and this its illuminator

فتىً يَسبِقُ الفتيان من كان قبلَهُ

فتىً يَسبِقُ الفتيان من كان قبلَهُ

فأولُ فتيانِ المَعالي أخيرُها

فأولُ فتيانِ المَعالي أخيرُها

A youth who outstrips the youths who came before him;

A youth preceding the youths who were before him

so the foremost of glory's youths is its last.

So the first of the youths of glories is its last

أبوها ابنُها فيما أرى وكبيرُها

أبوها ابنُها فيما أرى وكبيرُها

على حُكم تاريخِ السنينَ صَغيرها

على حُكم تاريخِ السنينَ صَغيرها

Its father is its son, as I see it; and its greatest,

Her father is her son in what I see and her elder

by the reckoning of years, is its youngest.

By the date of the years her younger

كأن أبا الهَيجاءِ لما اكتَنى بها

كأن أبا الهَيجاءِ لما اكتَنى بها

أبوه أبو الهَيجاءِ حين يُثيرُها

أبوه أبو الهَيجاءِ حين يُثيرُها

As though Abu al-Hayja, when he assumed that byname,

As if when Abu Al-Hayja sufficed with her

were his father, Abu al-Hayja, when he stirs up battle.

Her father was the father of Al-Hayja when he rouses her

له في العُلى فِعلانِ إما يجرُّها

له في العُلى فِعلانِ إما يجرُّها

إلى حُكمِه فيها وإما يُجيرُها

إلى حُكمِه فيها وإما يُجيرُها

He has two deeds in glory: either he draws it

He has great deeds in the Most High, either pulling her

under his rule, or else he grants it refuge.

To his rule therein or protecting her

أخو حضرةٍ لا يدخلُ الهزلُ شِعبَها

أخو حضرةٍ لا يدخلُ الهزلُ شِعبَها

ولا يُمكنُ القولَ الذميم حُضورُها

ولا يُمكنُ القولَ الذميم حُضورُها

Master of a court whose ravine no frivolity enters,

The brother of the Presence which frivolity does not enter its borders

nor can vile speech gain admittance to it.

Nor does vile speech possibility attend its presence

ولا صَدَرت عنها العُفاةُ فلم تُعد

ولا صَدَرت عنها العُفاةُ فلم تُعد

حقائبَها مملوءةً وصدورُها

حقائبَها مملوءةً وصدورُها

Nor have seekers of bounty left it without returning

And the churls did not emanate from it so it did not prepare

with their saddlebags full, and their hearts as well.

Its burdens filled and its chests

خلائِقُ لولا حسنُ صورة وجههِ

خلائِقُ لولا حسنُ صورة وجههِ

لأعوزَ في الدنيا عَليها نظيرُها

لأعوزَ في الدنيا عَليها نظيرُها

Virtues that, were it not for the beauty of his face,

Attributes if it were not for the beauty of its face

would have no equal anywhere in the world.

It would lack in the world a peer