يا مرهفاً في لحاظه مرهف

يا مرهفاً في لحاظه مرهف

ومخطف القد سهمه مخطف

ومخطف القد سهمه مخطف

O you whose glances hold a keen blade,

O slender one, in whose glances lies a sharpened blade,

slender-waisted, whose arrow swiftly snatches away—

and slender of form, whose arrow snatches away—

من اودع الورد وجنتيك ومن

من اودع الورد وجنتيك ومن

نقش طرز العذار أو غلف

نقش طرز العذار أو غلف

Who lodged the roses in your cheeks, and who

who placed roses in your two cheeks, and who

embroidered the pattern of your first beard, or veiled it?

traced the embroidered borders of your cheek-down, or perfumed it?

وما لهذا الصدغ المشوش قد

وما لهذا الصدغ المشوش قد

عارض طرق التقبيل واستهدف

عارض طرق التقبيل واستهدف

Why has this disordered temple-lock

And what is with this disheveled temple-lock? It has

barred the paths of kissing and offered itself as a target?

blocked the paths of kissing and presented itself as a target.

أطلع أفق العجاج لي قمراً

أطلع أفق العجاج لي قمراً

بين نجوم تجول أو تزحف

بين نجوم تجول أو تزحف

The horizon of battle-dust brought forth for me a moon

The horizon of swirling dust brought forth a moon for me,

amid stars that wheeled or advanced in ranks,

among stars that wheel about or advance.

يقطر ماء الجمال منه وير

يقطر ماء الجمال منه وير

تج اذا ارتج ردفه المردف

تج اذا ارتج ردفه المردف

the water of beauty dripping from him, and trem—

The water of beauty drips from him, and he

bling whenever his ample haunches swayed.

trembles when his ample rump trembles.

ومسرف الحسن لا يلام اذا

ومسرف الحسن لا يلام اذا

جار على عاشقيه أو أسرف

جار على عاشقيه أو أسرف

One so prodigal in beauty is not blamed when

And one lavish in beauty is not blamed when

he tyrannizes his lovers or exceeds all bounds.

he wrongs his lovers or goes to excess.

عقف كلابه وأرهفه

عقف كلابه وأرهفه

فقلت يكفيك صدغك الاعقف

فقلت يكفيك صدغك الاعقف

He crooked his grappling hook and sharpened it;

He curved his hook and sharpened it;

I said, “Your hooked temple-lock is enough for you:

so I said, “Your curved temple-lock is enough for you.

تغنيك عن سهمك اللحاظ وعن

تغنيك عن سهمك اللحاظ وعن

صارمك العضب قدك الاهيف

صارمك العضب قدك الاهيف

it can spare you your arrow—the glances—and

Your glances suffice in place of your arrow, and

your keen-edged sword—your slender figure.”

your slender figure in place of your keen-edged sword.”

ومال كفي على سوالفه

ومال كفي على سوالفه

والموت من دون لمسها يسلف

والموت من دون لمسها يسلف

My palm inclined toward his side-locks,

And my hand inclined toward the sides of his neck,

though death advances before anyone can touch them.

while death preceded any touch of them.

فمر مر السحاب يسحب فض

فمر مر السحاب يسحب فض

ل الكم عجباً وفاضل المطرف

ل الكم عجباً وفاضل المطرف

Then he passed like a cloud, trailing the excess—

Then he passed as clouds pass, trailing the excess

of his sleeve—how wondrous!—and the train of his robe.

of his sleeve in pride, and the surplus of his cloak.

وقال والورد قد تعصفر في

وقال والورد قد تعصفر في

خديه غيظاً وآن أن يقطف

خديه غيظاً وآن أن يقطف

He said, while the roses in

And he said—the roses had turned safflower-red in

his cheeks turned safflower-red with rage, “It is time they were plucked!

his cheeks with rage, and their time for plucking had come—

مثلك يلقي يداً علي أما

مثلك يلقي يداً علي أما

يخاف من ناظري أن يتلف

يخاف من ناظري أن يتلف

Does one like you lay a hand upon me? Does he

“Someone like you lays a hand on me? Does he not

not fear that a glance of mine will destroy him?

fear perishing under my gaze?

لو مر بي الليث مات خوفاً ولو

لو مر بي الليث مات خوفاً ولو

أبصرت طيفي في النوملم يطرف

أبصرت طيفي في النوملم يطرف

Were a lion to pass me, it would die of fright; and if

If a lion passed me, it would die of fear; and if

you saw my phantom in sleep, you would not even blink.

you saw my phantom in sleep, your eye would not blink.

أنا العذاب المذاب والأسد ال

أنا العذاب المذاب والأسد ال

أسود بأساً والمقرف المقرف

أسود بأساً والمقرف المقرف

I am torment melted down, and the lion, the—

I am molten torment, and the lion,

black one in might, and the ignoble—ignoble indeed.

black in ferocity, and the baseborn, the reviled.

أشطر مني فتى إذا وقعت

أشطر مني فتى إذا وقعت

عليه عيني في الوقت لم يتلف

عليه عيني في الوقت لم يتلف

What youth is cleverer than I, if, when

A youth is more roguish than I if, when

my eye falls upon him, he does not perish at once?

my eye falls upon him, he does not perish on the spot.

إذا شربنا بنت الكروم فبال

إذا شربنا بنت الكروم فبال

بيض نحيا وبالقنا نتحف

بيض نحيا وبالقنا نتحف

When we drink the daughter of the vines, then by the—

When we drink the daughter of the vines, then with

white blades we live, and with lances we bestow our gifts.

bright blades we live, and with spears we bestow our gifts.

لولا توقي أو مراقبتي

لولا توقي أو مراقبتي

أني عزيز وأنت مستضعف

أني عزيز وأنت مستضعف

Were it not for my restraint and my regard

Were it not for my caution, or my regard for the fact

for my being mighty while you are weak,

that I am mighty and you are deemed weak,

نحرت حتى السماء واقعة

نحرت حتى السماء واقعة

فوقي والارض تحتنا تخسف

فوقي والارض تحتنا تخسف

I would slaughter you, though the sky were falling

I would slaughter you until the sky fell

above me and the earth beneath us caving in.”

above me and the earth beneath us caved in.”

فقلت مهلا فلست أول من

فقلت مهلا فلست أول من

أخطأ جهلا من قبل ان يعرف

أخطأ جهلا من قبل ان يعرف

I said, “Gently! You are not the first who

So I said, “Easy now: you are not the first who

erred in ignorance before coming to know.

has erred in ignorance before coming to know.

البدر لا ينسخ الظلام على

البدر لا ينسخ الظلام على

ديباجتيه والبحر لا ينزف

ديباجتيه والبحر لا ينزف

The full moon does not erase the darkness upon

The full moon is not effaced by the darkness upon

its two brocaded folds, nor can the sea be drained.

its two silken cheeks, and the sea cannot be drained.

عزمت أن أدعي عليك فلا

عزمت أن أدعي عليك فلا

تصغ إلى من لحا ومن عنف

تصغ إلى من لحا ومن عنف

I am resolved to bring a claim against you, so do not

I have resolved to lay a claim against you, so do not

heed anyone who reproaches or rebukes.

listen to anyone who reproaches or rebukes.

ولا تكلني الى اليمين فلو

ولا تكلني الى اليمين فلو

شئت اكلت الزبور والمصحف

شئت اكلت الزبور والمصحف

And do not leave me to swear an oath; if

Nor leave me to an oath: if

I wished, I could swallow the Psalter and the Qur’an.”

I wished, I could swallow the Psalter and the Qur’an.”

فافتر عن لؤلؤ وأسفر عن

فافتر عن لؤلؤ وأسفر عن

ورد وقبلته فما استنكف

ورد وقبلته فما استنكف

He smiled, revealing pearls, and unveiled

Then he smiled, revealing pearls, and unveiled

roses; I kissed him, and he did not disdain it.

roses; I kissed him, and he did not disdain it.

وقال ما تشتهي فقلت له

وقال ما تشتهي فقلت له

نقصف حسادنا بأن نقصف

نقصف حسادنا بأن نقصف

He said, “What do you desire?” I answered him,

And he said, “What do you desire?” I said to him,

“Let us shatter our enviers by going reveling.”

“Let us crush our enviers by carousing.”

فمال بي والظلام شملته

فمال بي والظلام شملته

وفجره في يمينه مرهف

وفجره في يمينه مرهف

He bore me away, with darkness as his cloak

Then he led me away, darkness his mantle,

and dawn in his right hand—a keen blade—

and his dawn a sharpened blade in his right hand,

إلى رياضٍ يغازل القطر ما

إلى رياضٍ يغازل القطر ما

دبج من زهرها وما فوف

دبج من زهرها وما فوف

to gardens where the raincloud courted all

to gardens where the rain flirts with what

the blossoms it had brocaded and variegated.

it has embroidered and striped among their blossoms,

ما بين فتيان لذة عرفوا ال

ما بين فتيان لذة عرفوا ال

عيش فنالوا نعيمه الالطف

عيش فنالوا نعيمه الالطف

There, among young men who had known the delight of—

amid young men of pleasure who had known

life and attained its most exquisite bliss,

life and attained its most delicate bliss.

هذا يحيي وذا يغار وذا

هذا يحيي وذا يغار وذا

يلثم كرهاً وذاك يستعطف

يلثم كرهاً وذاك يستعطف

this one made merry, that one grew jealous, another

This one greets, that one grows jealous, and another

kissed unwillingly, and yet another pleaded for favor.

kisses by force, while that one begs for affection.

برد الثرى بردنا وقد زرر ال

برد الثرى بردنا وقد زرر ال

بدر علينا دواجه المحصف

بدر علينا دواجه المحصف

The coolness of the earth cooled us, while the—

The earth’s coolness was our cloak, and the

moon buttoned its densely woven dark cloak over us.

full moon had buttoned its closely woven mantle over us.

وبيننا خمرتان من ريقة ال

وبيننا خمرتان من ريقة ال

كرم وريق أشهى من القرقف

كرم وريق أشهى من القرقف

Between us were two wines: one from the juice of the—

And between us were two wines: the spittle of the

vine, and one saliva sweeter than strong wine.

vine, and saliva more delicious than strong wine.

ولطف الله لي بمدرجة

ولطف الله لي بمدرجة

مثالها عند مثلي تلطف

مثالها عند مثلي تلطف

God graciously led me to an occasion

And God favored me with a scroll,

whose like, for one like me, is grace indeed.

whose like is a gracious favor for one like me.

أنشدته شعر مكشف فأنى

أنشدته شعر مكشف فأنى

يلثم تلكش السطر والأحرف

يلثم تلكش السطر والأحرف

I recited to him a revealing poem—so how

I recited unveiled verse to him; then he lingered,

could he kiss the opaque “تلكش,” the line, and the letters?

kissing those lines and letters.

ومات سكراً فمت من فرح

ومات سكراً فمت من فرح

وكاد ستر الغرام أن يكشف

وكاد ستر الغرام أن يكشف

He died of intoxication, and I died of joy;

And he died of drunkenness, and I died of joy,

the veil of passion was nearly torn away.

and love’s veil was almost lifted.