وظبيٍ غَريرٍ أودعَ اللهُ ثغره

وظبيٍ غَريرٍ أودعَ اللهُ ثغره

مداماً وذاك الغِنْج من طرفه سحرا

مداماً وذاك الغِنْج من طرفه سحرا

And a guileless gazelle—God placed in his mouth

A gazelle with charming eyes, Allah has granted it

Wine, and in that coquetry of his gaze, magic.

Wine and that charm from its side is magic

يمرّ فيغتال العقولَ بسَكْرةٍ

يمرّ فيغتال العقولَ بسَكْرةٍ

تدوم بنا حتى تمرَّ بنا أخرى

تدوم بنا حتى تمرَّ بنا أخرى

He passes, stealing away minds with a spell of drunkenness

It passes, so it captures minds intoxicated

That lasts within us until another comes upon us.

Lasting with us until another passes

وكلُّ جمالٍ مشرقٍ يملك الحشا

وكلُّ جمالٍ مشرقٍ يملك الحشا

هواه ولكنَّ الحَريري بنا أحرى

هواه ولكنَّ الحَريري بنا أحرى

And every radiant beauty possesses the heart

And all radiant beauty that possesses allure

Through love of him; but al-Hariri has a greater claim on us.

Its passion, but Al-Hariri is more precious to us

ومن غير شكٍ إِنه يسكر الورى

ومن غير شكٍ إِنه يسكر الورى

ولكنني ممن يموت به سُكْرا

ولكنني ممن يموت به سُكْرا

And without doubt he intoxicates humankind,

And without doubt it intoxicates all creation

But I am among those who die intoxicated by him.

But I am among those who die from its intoxication

ولا شك أن البدر في الأفق كامل

ولا شك أن البدر في الأفق كامل

وهذا نرى في كل عطف له بَدْرا

وهذا نرى في كل عطف له بَدْرا

And there is no doubt the full moon on the horizon is complete;

And no doubt the full moon is on the horizon

And in this one's every curve we see a full moon.

And this we see in each of its glances a full moon

وَتذكره تحت الظلام قُلوبُنا

وَتذكره تحت الظلام قُلوبُنا

فيا هَلْ ترى يطري لنا غده ذكرا

فيا هَلْ ترى يطري لنا غده ذكرا

And our hearts remember him beneath the darkness;

And our hearts remember it in the darkness

Ah then, I wonder—will his morrow renew his memory for us?

So oh do you see, will its memory fly to us tomorrow?

فكم صَدَعَ الأحشاء منا ببعده

فكم صَدَعَ الأحشاء منا ببعده

وجاء بشيء من لواحظه يُقرى

وجاء بشيء من لواحظه يُقرى

For how often he has rent our hearts through his absence,

So how it split our innards when it left

And brought something of his glances, offered as hospitality.

And came with something from its glances that heals

هو السحرُ لا بَلْ فتنةٌ بابلية

هو السحرُ لا بَلْ فتنةٌ بابلية

بَلِ الغِنْجُ بلْ شيءٌ فؤادي به أدرى

بَلِ الغِنْجُ بلْ شيءٌ فؤادي به أدرى

It is magic—no, rather a Babylonian enchantment;

It is magic, no but a Babylonian affliction

Rather, coquetry—rather, something my heart knows best.

No, the charm, no something my heart knows more about