مُخفَّفةٌ مُثَقَّلةٌ تراها

مُخفَّفةٌ مُثَقَّلةٌ تراها

كأنْ لم يَغْذُ نِصْفَيها غِذاءُ

كأنْ لم يَغْذُ نِصْفَيها غِذاءُ

You see her slender, yet full-bodied,

Delicate, yet heavy-laden, you see her,

as though her two halves had not shared the same nourishment.

As if half her being was deprived of nourishment.

إذا الإغبابُ جَدَّد حسنَ شيءٍ

إذا الإغبابُ جَدَّد حسنَ شيءٍ

من الأشياءِ جَدَّدها اللقاءُ

من الأشياءِ جَدَّدها اللقاءُ

If infrequent visits renew the beauty of a thing

When absence renews the beauty of something,

among things, meeting her renews her.

Of things, it is presence that renews her.

لها ريقٌ تَشِفُّ له الثنايا

لها ريقٌ تَشِفُّ له الثنايا

وتَروِي عنه لا مِنه الظِّماءُ

وتَروِي عنه لا مِنه الظِّماءُ

Her saliva lends her front teeth a translucent gleam,

She has saliva that pleases the lips

and the thirsty tell of it, but do not drink their fill of it.

And quenches thirst but does not slake it.

وأنفاسٌ كأنفاسِ الخُزامَى

وأنفاسٌ كأنفاسِ الخُزامَى

قبيلَ الصبحِ بَلَّتها السماءُ

قبيلَ الصبحِ بَلَّتها السماءُ

And breaths like the breaths of lavender,

And breaths like the breaths of young gazelles

just before dawn, when the sky has moistened it.

Before dawn when the sky rains upon them.

تنفّسَ نشرُها سحَراً فجاءت

تنفّسَ نشرُها سحَراً فجاءت

به سَحَريّةُ المَسْرَى رُخاءُ

به سَحَريّةُ المَسْرَى رُخاءُ

Its fragrance breathed forth before dawn; then came

Her breathing spreads magic at dawn, so it came

bearing it, a gentle breeze on its predawn course.

With it the ease of enchantment smiled.