نَقَلتَ لقَلبي ما بجَفنكَ من كَسرِ

نَقَلتَ لقَلبي ما بجَفنكَ من كَسرِ

وعَلَّمتَ جِسمي بالضَّنَا رقَّةَ الخَصرِ

وعَلَّمتَ جِسمي بالضَّنَا رقَّةَ الخَصرِ

You passed to my heart the languor borne by your eyelid,

You passed to my heart the brokenness of your languid eyelid,

and through love’s wasting taught my body the slenderness of the waist.

And taught my body, through wasting sickness, your waist's slenderness.

وغادرتَ دمعي فوقَ خدِّي كأنَّه

وغادرتَ دمعي فوقَ خدِّي كأنَّه

ثناياك لما لُحتَ مُبتَسمَ الثَّغرِ

ثناياك لما لُحتَ مُبتَسمَ الثَّغرِ

You left my tears upon my cheek as though they were

And left my tears upon my cheek as though they were

your pearly teeth when you appeared, your mouth smiling.

Your front teeth when you appeared with a smiling mouth.

وأبصرتُ صُبحَ الوصل من وجهك الذي

وأبصرتُ صُبحَ الوصل من وجهك الذي

بَدَا تحتَ شعر خلتُهُ ليلةَ الهَجر

بَدَا تحتَ شعر خلتُهُ ليلةَ الهَجر

I beheld union’s dawn in your face—the face that

And I saw the dawn of union in your face, which

appeared beneath hair I mistook for separation’s night,

Appeared beneath hair I took for the night of separation.

يُحَبَّب لي فيك الغرامُ فلم أكد

يُحَبَّب لي فيك الغرامُ فلم أكد

أشبِّهه إلا بحسنك في شعري

أشبِّهه إلا بحسنك في شعري

and makes love for you dear to me; I can scarcely

Passion for you is made dear to me, so I could scarcely

liken it, in my verse, to anything but your beauty.

Liken it to anything but your beauty in my verse.

وهيفاء تحكي الظَّبى جيداً ومُقلَةً

وهيفاء تحكي الظَّبى جيداً ومُقلَةً

رَنَت وانثَنَت فارتَعتُ للبيضِ والسُّمرِ

رَنَت وانثَنَت فارتَعتُ للبيضِ والسُّمرِ

A slender beauty, gazelle-like in neck and eye,

And a slender-waisted beauty, like a gazelle in neck and eye,

cast a glance and swayed; I quailed before white blades and brown spears.

Gazed and swayed, and I quailed before white swords and brown spears.

حُسدتُ على لَثم الشَّقيقِ بخدِّها

حُسدتُ على لَثم الشَّقيقِ بخدِّها

ورَشفِ رُضَابٍ لم أَزَل منه في سُكرِ

ورَشفِ رُضَابٍ لم أَزَل منه في سُكرِ

I was envied for kissing the red anemone upon her cheek

I was envied for kissing the anemone on her cheek,

and sipping her mouth’s nectar, from which I have never ceased to be drunk.

And sipping her sweet saliva, from which I have never sobered.

ولستُ أخاف السِّحرَ من لحظاتها

ولستُ أخاف السِّحرَ من لحظاتها

لأني بموسى قد أَمنتُ من السِّحرِ

لأني بموسى قد أَمنتُ من السِّحرِ

I do not fear the sorcery in her glances,

And I do not fear sorcery from her glances,

for through Moses I have found safety from sorcery.

For through Musa I have become safe from sorcery.

فتىً إن سطا فرعونُ فَقرِى وجَدتُهُ

فتىً إن سطا فرعونُ فَقرِى وجَدتُهُ

يُغَرِّقُهُ من جود كَفَّيهِ في بَحر

يُغَرِّقُهُ من جود كَفَّيهِ في بَحر

A noble youth—should the Pharaoh of his poverty rebel, you would find him

A young man—if the Pharaoh of my poverty attacks, I find him

drowning that Pharaoh in a sea fed by the bounty of his two hands.

Drowning him in a sea of bounty from his two palms.

له باليد البيضاء أعظمُ آيةٍ

له باليد البيضاء أعظمُ آيةٍ

إذا اسودَّتِ الأيام من نُوَبِ الدَّهرِ

إذا اسودَّتِ الأيام من نُوَبِ الدَّهرِ

In his White Hand is the greatest of signs,

In his white hand he has the greatest miracle,

when days turn black with the calamities of Time.

When the days turn black with the calamities of time.