أَيَجني عَلى مُهجَتي طَرفُهُ

أَيَجني عَلى مُهجَتي طَرفُهُ

وَيُخضَبُ مِن دَمِها كَفُّهُ

وَيُخضَبُ مِن دَمِها كَفُّهُ

Does his glance wound my heart,

His glance wounds my passion,

and is his palm dyed with its blood?

And his hand is dyed with its blood.

وَتَلدَغُني تارَةً حَيَّةٌ

وَتَلدَغُني تارَةً حَيَّةٌ

هُناكَ يُساوِرُها رِدفُهُ

هُناكَ يُساوِرُها رِدفُهُ

And at times a serpent bites me,

At times a serpent bites me;

there where his haunches grapple with it.

There, its tail entwines it.

وَيَرشُفُ دوني لِثامٌ لَهُ

وَيَرشُفُ دوني لِثامٌ لَهُ

نَدى أُقحُوانٍ حَلا رَشفُهُ

نَدى أُقحُوانٍ حَلا رَشفُهُ

And his veil, rather than I, sips

Below me a veil drinks

the dew of daisies, sweet to sip.

The dew of primroses is its drink.

فَسائِل بِرامَةَ عَن ريمِها

فَسائِل بِرامَةَ عَن ريمِها

وَهَل ضَلَّ عَن سِربِها خِشفُهُ

وَهَل ضَلَّ عَن سِربِها خِشفُهُ

So ask at Ramah about its white gazelle,

I asked Barema about her gazelle,

and whether its fawn has strayed from its herd,

And if its fawn strayed from the herd.

وَهَل خاضَ جَرعاءَ وادي الغَضا

وَهَل خاضَ جَرعاءَ وادي الغَضا

يُلاعِبُ أَفنانَها عِطفُهُ

يُلاعِبُ أَفنانَها عِطفُهُ

and whether he crossed the sandy tract of Wadi al-Ghada,

And if it traversed the valley of Ghadha

his flank playing with its boughs,

Sporting with its doe mates.

فَأَعدى أَراكَتَها هَزَّةً

فَأَعدى أَراكَتَها هَزَّةً

وَأَرَّجَ أَنفاسَها عَرفُهُ

وَأَرَّجَ أَنفاسَها عَرفُهُ

thereby passing a tremor to its arak tree,

So it startled them with its skip

and his scent perfumed its breaths.

And stirred their breaths with its musk.

أَما وَهَوى مِثلِهِ جُؤذُراً

أَما وَهَوى مِثلِهِ جُؤذُراً

يُطابِقُ مَوصوفَهُ وَصفُهُ

يُطابِقُ مَوصوفَهُ وَصفُهُ

Ah, by love for an antelope calf like him,

Or did it, like itself, yearn

whose description matches the one it describes:

For one whose description matched it?

لَهُ نَظَرٌ فاتِنٌ فاتِرٌ

لَهُ نَظَرٌ فاتِنٌ فاتِرٌ

يَحُلُّ قُوى عَزمَتي ضُعفُهُ

يَحُلُّ قُوى عَزمَتي ضُعفُهُ

he has an enchanting, languid gaze,

It has a languid, charming glance

whose weakness undoes the strength of my resolve.

Whose weakness dissolves my will.

لَئِن هَزَّ أَعطافَنا حُسنُهُ

لَئِن هَزَّ أَعطافَنا حُسنُهُ

لَقَد بَزَّ أَنفُسَنا ظَرفُهُ

لَقَد بَزَّ أَنفُسَنا ظَرفُهُ

If his beauty has made our bodies sway,

If its beauty stirred our love,

his charm has surely stolen our souls.

Its grace outshone our souls.

وَأَقبَلَ بِالحُسنِ إِدبارُهُ

وَأَقبَلَ بِالحُسنِ إِدبارُهُ

يُلاعِبُ خوطَتَهُ حِقفُهُ

يُلاعِبُ خوطَتَهُ حِقفُهُ

And his turning away brought beauty forward,

With beauty its rear approaches,

his curved dune playing with his supple bough.

Sporting with its tufted tail.

وَحَفَّت بِهِ الخَيلُ خَيّالَةً

وَحَفَّت بِهِ الخَيلُ خَيّالَةً

فَطارَ بِهِ سُرعَةً طِرفُهُ

فَطارَ بِهِ سُرعَةً طِرفُهُ

And horses bearing riders surrounded him,

The steeds gathered around it fantasy-like,

then his noble steed flew swiftly with him.

So its flight was swift.

وَهَشَّ إِلى رَكضِهِ ظَهرُهُ

وَهَشَّ إِلى رَكضِهِ ظَهرُهُ

وَحَنَّ إِلى كَفِّهِ عُرفُهُ

وَحَنَّ إِلى كَفِّهِ عُرفُهُ

And its back thrilled to his spurring,

Its back inclined to the gallop

and its mane yearned for his palm.

And its mane inclined to its palm.

وَأَقوَمَ مِن رُمحِهِ قَدُّهُ

وَأَقوَمَ مِن رُمحِهِ قَدُّهُ

وَأَفتَكَ مِن نَصلِهِ طَرفُهُ

وَأَفتَكَ مِن نَصلِهِ طَرفُهُ

And his stature is straighter than his spear,

Its stature straighter than its spear,

and his glance deadlier than his blade.

And its blade sharper than its point.

وَكُلٌّ هُناكَ صَريعٌ بِهِ

وَكُلٌّ هُناكَ صَريعٌ بِهِ

يَرى أَنَّ عَيشَتَهُ حَتفُهُ

يَرى أَنَّ عَيشَتَهُ حَتفُهُ

And everyone there lies slain by him,

There, each prostrate sees

seeing his life as his death.

That its existence ends in death.

أَلا شَفَّ صَدرِيَ عَن سِرِّهِ

أَلا شَفَّ صَدرِيَ عَن سِرِّهِ

كَما شَفَّ عَن وَجهِهِ سَجفُهُ

كَما شَفَّ عَن وَجهِهِ سَجفُهُ

Lo, my breast has let its secret show through,

If only its secret cured my heart,

as his curtain has let his face show through.

As its forelock cured its brow!

وَخَفَّ بِقَلبِيَ فيهِ الهَوى

وَخَفَّ بِقَلبِيَ فيهِ الهَوى

وَلاعَبَ قُرطانَهُ شِنفُهُ

وَلاعَبَ قُرطانَهُ شِنفُهُ

And love for him set my heart aflutter,

And if its love calmed my heart,

and his upper-ear jewel played with his pendant earring.

Sporting with its ear tips!

فَهَل مِن سَبيلٍ إِلى زَورَةٍ

فَهَل مِن سَبيلٍ إِلى زَورَةٍ

يَمُنُّ بِها لَيلَةً عِطفُهُ

يَمُنُّ بِها لَيلَةً عِطفُهُ

Is there, then, any way to a visit

Is there a way on a night visit

that his flank might bestow one night,

Its love would compassionately turn?

فَيَلوي مِن غُصنِهِ هَصرُهُ

فَيَلوي مِن غُصنِهِ هَصرُهُ

وَيُمكِنُ مِن وَردِهِ قَطفُهُ

وَيُمكِنُ مِن وَردِهِ قَطفُهُ

so that embracing him might bend his bough,

That it may bend its branch,

and his rose might be plucked?

And allow the plucking of its rose?

وَقَد كُنتُ أَزري عَلى عِفَّةٍ

وَقَد كُنتُ أَزري عَلى عِفَّةٍ

وَيُعجِبُني أَنَّني عِفُّهُ

وَيُعجِبُني أَنَّني عِفُّهُ

And I once used to scorn chastity,

I had been chaste in modesty,

yet it delights me to be chaste for him.

Pleased that I was its chastity.