ما بال قلبكَ لا يقرّ خفوقا

ما بال قلبكَ لا يقرّ خفوقا

وأراك ترعى النجمة العيّوقا

وأراك ترعى النجمة العيّوقا

Why will your heart not rest from fluttering?

What ails your heart, that it will not stop throbbing?

I see you watching the star Capella,

And I see you watching the star al-‘Ayyuq.

وجفون عينك قد نثرنَ من البكا

وجفون عينك قد نثرنَ من البكا

فوق المدامع لؤلؤاً وعقيقا

فوق المدامع لؤلؤاً وعقيقا

and the lids of your eyes have strewn, through weeping,

And your eyelids have scattered, through weeping,

upon the tear-tracks, pearls and carnelian.

over the tear ducts, pearls and agate.

لو لم يكن إنسان عينكَ سابحاً

لو لم يكن إنسان عينكَ سابحاً

في بحر مُقلتِه لماتَ غريقا

في بحر مُقلتِه لماتَ غريقا

Were the pupil of your eye not swimming

Had the pupil of your eye not been a swimmer

in the sea of its eyeball, it would drown and die.

in the sea of its eyeball, it would have died by drowning.