في القلب منزلةُ الغزال الشامسِ

في القلب منزلةُ الغزال الشامسِ

فقل السلام على النّفور الآنسِ

فقل السلام على النّفور الآنسِ

In the heart is the dwelling of the skittish gazelle;

In my heart is the dwelling place of the shy gazelle,

so say, "Peace upon the shy yet companionable one."

So greet the aloofness that is intimate.

هزَّ الصبا عطفيه يوم سويقةٍ

هزَّ الصبا عطفيه يوم سويقةٍ

هزَّ الصّبا عطف القضيب المائس

هزَّ الصّبا عطف القضيب المائس

Youthful ardor swayed his flanks on the day of Suwayqa,

The morning breeze waved its shoulder on the day of Suwayqah,

as the east wind sways the side of a bending bough.

The morning breeze waved the shoulder of the bending spear.

أسفي لقلبٍ ما لهُ من مطلقٍ

أسفي لقلبٍ ما لهُ من مطلقٍ

فيه ودمعٍ ما له من حابس

فيه ودمعٍ ما له من حابس

Alas for a heart with none to free it,

I grieve for a heart that has no escape,

captive in him, and tears with none to restrain them.

In it are tears that have no detainer.

فحذارِ جذوةَ وجنايهِ فإنها

فحذارِ جذوةَ وجنايهِ فإنها

باللحظ تعلق في فؤاد القابس

باللحظ تعلق في فؤاد القابس

So beware the ember of his cheeks, for it

So beware the spark and crime of passion,

catches, through a glance, in the heart of one seeking fire.

For with a glance it clings to the heart of the perceiver.

وأطرب لورد حيائها من روضةٍ

وأطرب لورد حيائها من روضةٍ

وأعجبْ لنرجس طرفه من حارس

وأعجبْ لنرجس طرفه من حارس

And delight in the rose of her bashfulness—what a garden!

And I am enchanted by the rose of her shyness from a garden,

And marvel at the narcissus of his gaze—what a guardian!

And I admire the narcissus of her glance from a keeper.

عنفتْ بباكٍ في هواكِ لضاحكٍ

عنفتْ بباكٍ في هواكِ لضاحكٍ

وبساهرِ الليل التّمام لناعس

وبساهرِ الليل التّمام لناعس

She was harsh with one weeping for love of you, for the sake of one laughing,

She was violent with weeping for your love to a laugher,

and with one awake through the longest night, for the sake of one sleepy.

And to one asleep, the complete night-watcher.

ألقى ذوائبهُ وفضل لثامه

ألقى ذوائبهُ وفضل لثامه

فسريت في صبحٍ وليلٍ دامس

فسريت في صبحٍ وليلٍ دامس

He cast aside his tresses and the trailing fold of his veil;

He cast off his tresses and exceeded his cover,

so I journeyed through dawn and a pitch-dark night.

So I wandered in a morn and a dark night.

ذو طلعةٍ سبحانَ فالقَ صبحها

ذو طلعةٍ سبحانَ فالقَ صبحها

ومعاطف جلَّت يمين الغارس

ومعاطف جلَّت يمين الغارس

He has a countenance—glory to Him who makes its dawn break!—

With a rising for which glory to the splitter of its dawn!

and graceful curves—exalted be the planter's right hand!

And robes that have rolled up the right of the planter.

بمحبّهِ المشتاقِ ما بحلتهِ

بمحبّهِ المشتاقِ ما بحلتهِ

بعد النوى من صفرةٍ ووساوس

بعد النوى من صفرةٍ ووساوس

His longing lover bears what his robe bears,

By his ardent love she has not been permitted

after separation: yellow pallor and whisperings.

After resolve, from yellowness and suspicions.

كم زورةٍ كان الظلام مؤازري

كم زورةٍ كان الظلام مؤازري

فيها وثغرُ الصبح فيه منافسي

فيها وثغرُ الصبح فيه منافسي

How many a visit when darkness was my ally,

How many times has the darkness been my supporter

and dawn's mouth, therein, was my rival for him!

In it, while the mouth of dawn against me a rival!

ألقاهُ منتصراً بغرَّةِ طامعٍ

ألقاهُ منتصراً بغرَّةِ طامعٍ

وأعود منكسراً بذلّةِ آيس

وأعود منكسراً بذلّةِ آيس

I meet him triumphant, with a hopeful man's unwary confidence,

He cast it down, victorious, with the ignorance of a coveter,

and return broken, with a despairing man's humiliation.

And I return vanquished with the humiliation of a despairer.

مرَّتْ بأرجاءِ الفؤاد طيوفهُ

مرَّتْ بأرجاءِ الفؤاد طيوفهُ

فبكتْ على ربع السلوّ الدارس

فبكتْ على ربع السلوّ الدارس

His phantoms passed through the reaches of my heart,

The ghosts of it passed through the quarters of my heart,

and wept over the ruined abode of forgetfulness.

So it wept over the bedouin quarter of the cultivated area.

وأبي الهوى لو كنتُ أملك قوّةً

وأبي الهوى لو كنتُ أملك قوّةً

لجدعتُ من أنف الصباح العاطس

لجدعتُ من أنف الصباح العاطس

And by the father of love, if I had the strength,

And I refuse passion—if I possessed power

I would lop off the nose of sneezing dawn;

I would mutilate the nose of the sneezing morn.

فهصرتُ غصن القدِّ غيرَ مراقبٍ

فهصرتُ غصن القدِّ غيرَ مراقبٍ

ولثمتُ ورد الخدِّ غير مخالس

ولثمتُ ورد الخدِّ غير مخالس

then bend the bough of his stature, keeping no watch,

So I broke the branch of the hand without a watcher,

and kiss the rose of his cheek without furtiveness.

And I kissed the rose of the cheek without a toucher.

ولقد سريت إلى العلى في فتيةٍ

ولقد سريت إلى العلى في فتيةٍ

خلقوا لطيّ تنائفٍ وبسابس

خلقوا لطيّ تنائفٍ وبسابس

Indeed, I journeyed by night toward glory among young men

And I had wandered into the lofty ones in some youths

born to fold up desert wastes and barren plains.

Created for folding up the heels and saddling.

هبّوا فما كيرُ السماءِ بواكرٍ

هبّوا فما كيرُ السماءِ بواكرٍ

خوفاً ولا وحشُ الفلاة بكانس

خوفاً ولا وحشُ الفلاة بكانس

They sprang up; the sky's bellows were not nesting

They went and the sky is not harmed by rising clouds,

for fear, nor were the desert beasts sheltering in their lairs.

Fearfully, nor the desolate place by a weeper.

وفليتُ أحشاءَ البلاد وأهلها

وفليتُ أحشاءَ البلاد وأهلها

حتى وجدتُ الصبح بين حنادس

حتى وجدتُ الصبح بين حنادس

And I combed the entrails of the lands and their people,

Would that I had made my way through the regions of the country

until I found dawn amid deep darkness,

Until I found the morn between protective walls.

في حيث لا وجهُ الزمان بضاحك

في حيث لا وجهُ الزمان بضاحك

طلق ولا وجهُ العزيز بعابس

طلق ولا وجهُ العزيز بعابس

in a place where Time's face does not smile

Where there is no face of time smiling openly

cheerfully, nor does al-Aziz's face frown.

Nor face of the dear one frowning.