وَضَيفِ طَيفٍ أَمَّ مِن هاجِرٍ

وَضَيفِ طَيفٍ أَمَّ مِن هاجِرٍ

باتَ بِهِ المَشكُوُّ مَشكورا

باتَ بِهِ المَشكُوُّ مَشكورا

And a phantom guest came from one who shunned me;

The guest of a specter, or rather a wanderer,

Through him, the one I complained of was thanked that night.

Spent the night with the perfumed- one perfumed.

وَقَد جَلا الحُسنُ لَهُ سُنَّةً

وَقَد جَلا الحُسنُ لَهُ سُنَّةً

يُلقى بِها المَعذولُ مَعذورا

يُلقى بِها المَعذولُ مَعذورا

And beauty had revealed for him a rule

Beauty has set for him a tradition,

By which the reproached is found excused.

Whereby the outcast is made acceptable.

وَصَفحَةً تُنشَرُ مِن صَفحَةٍ

وَصَفحَةً تُنشَرُ مِن صَفحَةٍ

رَأَيتُ فيها الحُسنَ مَسطورا

رَأَيتُ فيها الحُسنَ مَسطورا

And a page unfolded from a cheek,

And a page I saw spread out from a page

I saw beauty inscribed upon it.

Whereon I saw beauty inscribed.

زارَ وَريحُ الفَجرِ قَد قَلَّصَت

زارَ وَريحُ الفَجرِ قَد قَلَّصَت

ذَيلَ غَمامٍ باتَ مَجرورا

ذَيلَ غَمامٍ باتَ مَجرورا

He visited while the dawn wind had drawn up

The dawn breeze blew and diminished

The train of a cloud that had trailed all night,

The tail of a cloud that spent the night dragged along.

وَقَلَّدَت أَجيادَ تِلكَ الرُبى

وَقَلَّدَت أَجيادَ تِلكَ الرُبى

دُرّاً مِنَ النُوّارِ مَنثورا

دُرّاً مِنَ النُوّارِ مَنثورا

And garlanded the necks of those hills

And it garlanded the steeds of those hills

With scattered pearls of blossom.

With pearls of light scattered about.

وَالصُبحُ قَد مَزَّقَ عَن صَدرِهِ

وَالصُبحُ قَد مَزَّقَ عَن صَدرِهِ

جَيبَ ظَلامٍ باتَ مَزرورا

جَيبَ ظَلامٍ باتَ مَزرورا

And dawn had torn from its breast

And the morn tore asunder from its breast

The collar of darkness, buttoned shut all night.

The lap of a darkness that spent the night crumpled up.

فَاِنجابَتِ الدُهمَةُ عَن شُهبَةٍ

فَاِنجابَتِ الدُهمَةُ عَن شُهبَةٍ

وَآلَتِ المِسكَةُ كافورا

وَآلَتِ المِسكَةُ كافورا

So darkness parted to reveal a pale greyness,

Whereupon the darkness uncovered a grayness,

And the musk became camphor,

And the censers exhaled camphor.

بِحَيثُ خَيلُ اللَيلِ مَطرودَةً

بِحَيثُ خَيلُ اللَيلِ مَطرودَةً

تَحتَ لِواءِ الحُسنِ مَنشورا

تَحتَ لِواءِ الحُسنِ مَنشورا

Where night's steeds were driven away

So that the steeds of night were routed

Beneath beauty's unfurled banner.

Beneath the standard of beauty outspread.

ثُمَّ مَضى يُعشى بِهِ خاطِري

ثُمَّ مَضى يُعشى بِهِ خاطِري

ناراً وَيُغشى ناظِري نورا

ناراً وَيُغشى ناظِري نورا

Then he went, my mind dazzled by him

Then it came to glad my heart,

With fire, and my eye veiled in light.

Kindling a fire and bedimming my sight with light,

كَما اِنثَنى غُصنُ النَقا أَملَداً

كَما اِنثَنى غُصنُ النَقا أَملَداً

وَاِلتَفَتَ الجُؤذُرُ مَذعورا

وَاِلتَفَتَ الجُؤذُرُ مَذعورا

As a supple branch on the dune bent,

As the sprig of basil bends suppliant

And the wild-ox calf turned back, startled.

And the wild cows wheel about in panic.

قَد أَسكَرَت خَمرُ الصِبا عِطفَهُ

قَد أَسكَرَت خَمرُ الصِبا عِطفَهُ

فَمادَ في بُردَيهِ مَخمورا

فَمادَ في بُردَيهِ مَخمورا

The wine of youth had intoxicated his frame,

The wine of youth has intoxicated his charm,

So he swayed in his two mantles, wine-drunk,

And he sways about in his cloak drunk.

مُعَربِداً يَجرَحُني طَرفُهُ

مُعَربِداً يَجرَحُني طَرفُهُ

وَكانَ ذَنبُ السُكرِ مَغفورا

وَكانَ ذَنبُ السُكرِ مَغفورا

Roistering, with his glance wounding me;

Teasing me, his glance wounds me,

And the sin of drunkenness was forgiven.

Yet the sin of drunkenness is forgiven.

وَأَرسَلَ اللَحظَةَ مَكسورَةً

وَأَرسَلَ اللَحظَةَ مَكسورَةً

مِن تَرَفٍ وَالخُطوَ مَقصورا

مِن تَرَفٍ وَالخُطوَ مَقصورا

And he cast a drooping glance

And he let fly a broken glance

From luxurious languor, and kept his steps short.

Of self-conceit while the pace was confined.

وَسالَ قَطرُ الدَمعِ في خَدِّهِ

وَسالَ قَطرُ الدَمعِ في خَدِّهِ

فَرَفَّ رَوضُ الحُسنِ مَمطورا

فَرَفَّ رَوضُ الحُسنِ مَمطورا

And teardrops streamed along his cheek,

And a teardrop flowed on his cheek

So beauty's garden flourished, rain-watered.

Whereupon the garden of beauty was watered.