عبثت به الحمّى فوَرَّد جسمَهُ

عبثت به الحمّى فوَرَّد جسمَهُ

وَعَكُ الحمى وتلهُّب المحرورِ

وَعَكُ الحمى وتلهُّب المحرورِ

Fever toyed with him and made his body rose-red—

Fever toyed with him, and his body was flushed rose-red

the fever’s ague and the burning of the fevered one.

by fever's pangs and the burning heat of the fever-stricken.

وبدا به الجدريُّ فهْو كلؤلؤٍ

وبدا به الجدريُّ فهْو كلؤلؤٍ

فوق العقيق منضَّد مسطور

فوق العقيق منضَّد مسطور

Smallpox appeared upon him, like pearls

And smallpox appeared on him, like pearls

arrayed in ordered rows upon carnelian.

arrayed in rows upon agate.

ونضاه بَنْثره فجاء كعصفرٍ

ونضاه بَنْثره فجاء كعصفرٍ

قد رُشَّ رشاً في بياض حرير

قد رُشَّ رشاً في بياض حرير

It wore him down by scattering its spots, till he seemed like safflower

It wore him down with its scattering, so he looked like safflower

sprinkled, spray upon spray, over white silk.

that had been sprinkled over the whiteness of silk.

الآن صرت البدر إذ حاكى لنا

الآن صرت البدر إذ حاكى لنا

كلفَ البدور مواضعُ التجدير

كلفَ البدور مواضعُ التجدير

Now you have become the full moon, since, for us,

Now you have become the full moon, for, to our eyes,

the pockmarks mimic the mottling of moons.

the pockmarked places mirror the dark patches of full moons.

فكخمرةٍ رُشَّت على تفاحة

فكخمرةٍ رُشَّت على تفاحة

أثرٌ يلوح بخدك المجدور

أثرٌ يلوح بخدك المجدور

Like wine sprinkled upon an apple

So, like wine sprinkled upon an apple,

is the mark that gleams upon your pockmarked cheek.

a mark gleams on your pockmarked cheek.

فكأنه ورق المصاحف زانهُ

فكأنه ورق المصاحف زانهُ

نَقط وشَكل في خلال عُشور

نَقط وشَكل في خلال عُشور

It is as though it were pages of Qur’anic codices, adorned

So it is as though it were pages of Qur'an manuscripts, adorned

with dots and vowel marks amid the ten-verse markers.

with dots and vowel signs amid ten-verse markers.