لي نشوة من هوى وسكر

لي نشوة من هوى وسكر

ولوعة من جوى وذكر

ولوعة من جوى وذكر

I have a rapture born of love and intoxication,

I have an intoxication of passion and rapture,

And a burning anguish born of heartache and remembrance.

And a burning of longing and remembrance,

ونشوة المستهام خمر

ونشوة المستهام خمر

يذكو بها في الفؤاد جمر

يذكو بها في الفؤاد جمر

And the rapture of the lovestruck is wine,

And the intoxication of the inspired is wine,

Through which an ember blazes in the heart.

With which embers are kindled in the heart,

يا جيرة بالعقيق حيّا

يا جيرة بالعقيق حيّا

ربوعكم وابل وقطر

ربوعكم وابل وقطر

O neighbors at al-‘Aqiq, may greetings reach

O my neighbor with agate, greetings,

Your dwellings from downpours and rain.

Your meadows are rain and droplets,

هل عائد والمنى خداع

هل عائد والمنى خداع

برامة عيشنا الاغر

برامة عيشنا الاغر

Will it return—though hopes deceive—

Is the hoped-for return an illusion?

Our radiant life at Rama?

Is our happy life transient?

أيام روض الصبا اريض

أيام روض الصبا اريض

غض وغصن الشباب نضر

غض وغصن الشباب نضر

In days when the garden of youth was lush,

The days of the garden of youth were agreeable,

Tender, and the bough of youth was verdant.

Its branches and the youth's foliage fresh,

منادمي اهيف مليح

منادمي اهيف مليح

اغن حلو القوام غرّ

اغن حلو القوام غرّ

My boon companion was slender-waisted and lovely,

My companions are gentle and beautiful,

Sweetly nasal-voiced, lovely in figure, and guileless.

Sweet of build and body graceful,

إذا بدا مائساً تثنى

إذا بدا مائساً تثنى

غصن نقاً واستضاء بدر

غصن نقاً واستضاء بدر

When he appeared, swaying, there swayed

When he appears downcast he inclines,

A bough upon a dune, and a full moon shone.

A supple branch glistening like a full moon,

يخلس لب العفيف وجداً

يخلس لب العفيف وجداً

غنج بأجفانه وسحر

غنج بأجفانه وسحر

In passion, the chaste man's reason is stolen

He steals the chaste heart fervently,

By the coquetry and magic in his eyelids.

Bewitching with his eyelids and magic,

يبسم عن واضح شتيت

يبسم عن واضح شتيت

رضابه شهدة وخمر

رضابه شهدة وخمر

He smiles, revealing bright, spaced teeth;

He smiles with a bright distractedness,

His saliva is honeycomb and wine.

His teeth honey and wine,

تحميه من لحظه سيوف

تحميه من لحظه سيوف

كأنما الثغر منه ثغر

كأنما الثغر منه ثغر

Swords from his gaze guard him,

His mouth protects him from glances like swords,

As though his mouth were a frontier stronghold.

As if his mouth were their sheath,

معذر فوق وجنتيه

معذر فوق وجنتيه

اقيم للعاشقين عذر

اقيم للعاشقين عذر

Down has appeared upon his cheeks—

He makes excuses above his cheeks,

An excuse has been established for lovers.

Establishing for lovers an excuse,

بالآس قد طرزت خدود

بالآس قد طرزت خدود

له تفوق الشقيق حمر

له تفوق الشقيق حمر

With myrtle have been embroidered cheeks

With misfortunes his cheeks were embroidered,

Of his—crimson, surpassing the anemones.

Surpassing carnelian in redness,

فخدّه والعذار حسناً

فخدّه والعذار حسناً

زبرجد اخضر وتبر

زبرجد اخضر وتبر

So his cheek and its down, in beauty,

His cheek and down are beautiful,

Are green peridot and unworked gold.

Green emerald and yellow amber,

وعاذل في هواه يبدي

وعاذل في هواه يبدي

نصحاً وبعض الملام غدر

نصحاً وبعض الملام غدر

And a critic of my love for him offers

And the reproacher in his passion shows,

Counsel—yet some reproach is betrayal.

Advice and some blame unjustly,

يقول ان الهوى هوان

يقول ان الهوى هوان

وليس يرضى الهوان حرّ

وليس يرضى الهوان حرّ

He says that love is humiliation,

Saying that passion is disgrace,

And no free man accepts humiliation.

And the disgraced is not pleased, the free,

فقلت اخطأت ان ذلاً

فقلت اخطأت ان ذلاً

في الحب عز لنا وفخر

في الحب عز لنا وفخر

So I said, ‘You are wrong: indeed, abasement

I said: you are wrong that humiliation,

In love is honor and pride for us.’

In love is honor and pride for us,

يا من رأى مثله غزالا

يا من رأى مثله غزالا

قد ساور الأسد منه ذعر

قد ساور الأسد منه ذعر

O who has seen a gazelle like him—

O you who saw the likes of a gazelle in him

Fear of him has assailed the lions—

That made the lion dread him,

أو مثل عبد المجيد شهماً

أو مثل عبد المجيد شهماً

هذب طبع له ونجر

هذب طبع له ونجر

Or a noble-hearted man like ‘Abd al-Majid,

Or the like of Abdel Majeed, noble,

Refined in nature and lineage?

Refined in nature, with a bright face,

ازهر تجلى له صفات

ازهر تجلى له صفات

تحكي نجوم السّماء زهر

تحكي نجوم السّماء زهر

Radiant, he has qualities that shine forth,

There bloomed in him qualities,

Resembling the bright stars of heaven.

That tell of the stars in the sky,

يا بدر أفق العلى إلى كم

يا بدر أفق العلى إلى كم

أنت عن العين مستسر

أنت عن العين مستسر

O full moon of glory's horizon, how long

O full moon on the horizon of highness,

Will you remain hidden from sight?

How long will you be veiled from the eye?

نشدتك الله في مشوق

نشدتك الله في مشوق

ليس له في البعاد صبر

ليس له في البعاد صبر

I adjure you by God, for one who yearns,

I called upon you in a longing,

Who has no patience in separation.

That has no patience for separation,

كنا اليفي هوى وود

كنا اليفي هوى وود

وعيشنا بهجة وبشر

وعيشنا بهجة وبشر

We were two companions in love and affection,

We shared love and affection,

And our life was joy and cheer.

And our life was joy and good news,

إذ نتعاطى سلاف نظم

إذ نتعاطى سلاف نظم

ونقل تلك السّلاف نثر

ونقل تلك السّلاف نثر

When we passed around the pure wine of verse,

When we would exchange drafts of prose,

And the sweetmeats served with that wine were prose.

And convey those drafts into poetry,

ففرقت بيننا الليالي

ففرقت بيننا الليالي

ان صروف الزمان غدر

ان صروف الزمان غدر

Then the nights parted us;

Yet the nights separated us,

Indeed, the turns of time are treachery.

If turns of fate are treacherous,

فكم جنينا ثمار أنس

فكم جنينا ثمار أنس

حلت وما خلتها تمرّ

حلت وما خلتها تمرّ

And how many fruits of companionship we gathered!

So we reaped fruits of company,

They were sweet, and I never thought they would turn bitter.

That came and did not last,

يا غائباً بالسّرور عني

يا غائباً بالسّرور عني

بعدك لم الق ما يسرّ

بعدك لم الق ما يسرّ

O you who have gone from me, taking joy with you,

O you absent from me in contentment,

Since you left, I have found nothing to delight me.

After you I have not found what gives pleasure,

عودك عيد لنا سعيد

عودك عيد لنا سعيد

عين المعالي به تقرّ

عين المعالي به تقرّ

Your return is a joyous festival for us,

Your return is a holiday for us, joyous,

The eye of glory finds delight in it.

The eye of hopes in it finds peace.