من حُسنِك شِعري قد سُرقا

من حُسنِك شِعري قد سُرقا

فغَدَوتُ بهِ أكسُو الوَرَقا

فغَدَوتُ بهِ أكسُو الوَرَقا

My poetry has indeed been stolen from your beauty,

My poetry was stolen by your beauty

so I came to clothe the pages with it.

So I went around covering paper with it

كم قلتُ وفي قولي عجبٌ

كم قلتُ وفي قولي عجبٌ

سُبحانَ الخالقِ ما خَلقا

سُبحانَ الخالقِ ما خَلقا

How often I have said, with wonder in my words:

How much I said and my words were wondrous

Glory be to the Creator for what He has made!

Glory to the Creator and what He created

البابا يَتركُ سُبحَتَهُ

البابا يَتركُ سُبحَتَهُ

ليقبِّلَ عقدك والعُنُقا

ليقبِّلَ عقدك والعُنُقا

The Pope leaves his rosary

The Pope leaves his prayers

to kiss your necklace and your neck.

To kiss your necklace and nape

وفؤادُ الرّاهِبِ من ولَهٍ

وفؤادُ الرّاهِبِ من ولَهٍ

كبخورِ المذبحِ مُحترقا

كبخورِ المذبحِ مُحترقا

And the monk's heart, from passionate longing,

And the heart of the monk is ablaze

burns like incense at the altar.

Like incense burning in the altar

إن تُرخي شعرَكِ لي غَسقاً

إن تُرخي شعرَكِ لي غَسقاً

من خَدِّكِ أطلعت الشَّفَقا

من خَدِّكِ أطلعت الشَّفَقا

If you let down your hair as dusk for me,

If you let down your hair for me at dusk

you make twilight's glow rise from your cheek.

From your cheek the sunset emerged

خدَّاكِ إذا احمرّا خَجَلاً

خدَّاكِ إذا احمرّا خَجَلاً

رمّانٌ في الشمسِ انفَلقا

رمّانٌ في الشمسِ انفَلقا

Your cheeks, when they redden with shyness,

Your cheeks when they blushed shyly

are pomegranates split open in the sun.

Were like a pomegranate ripening in the sun, split open

والشَّعرُ كليلٍ أرّقني

والشَّعرُ كليلٍ أرّقني

وجبينُكِ كالصبحِ انبثَقا

وجبينُكِ كالصبحِ انبثَقا

And your hair is like a night that has kept me awake,

And poetry was like pearls that kept me awake

and your brow like the morning bursting forth.

While your forehead was like the rising dawn

وجفونكِ ذابلةٌ كحلاً

وجفونكِ ذابلةٌ كحلاً

وجفُوني ذابلةٌ أرقا

وجفُوني ذابلةٌ أرقا

And your eyelids droop with kohl,

Your eyelids are languorous with kohl

and my eyelids droop with sleeplessness.

And my eyelids languid from insomnia

والخَصرُ غريقٌ في كفَلٍ

والخَصرُ غريقٌ في كفَلٍ

لولاهُ قلبي ما غَرِقا

لولاهُ قلبي ما غَرِقا

And your waist is drowned in your hips;

Your waist is drowned in a grassy hillock

but for them, my heart would not have drowned.

Without it my heart would not have drowned

حلَّتُكِ الخضراءُ اجتَذَبَت

حلَّتُكِ الخضراءُ اجتَذَبَت

قلبي فغَدا يهوى الحبَقا

قلبي فغَدا يهوى الحبَقا

Your green gown has captivated

Your green anklet pulled

my heart, so it has come to love sweet basil.

My heart so it came to love confusion

مرّي وتَثنّي وابتسِمي

مرّي وتَثنّي وابتسِمي

لأشمَّ شذاً وأرى قلقا

لأشمَّ شذاً وأرى قلقا

Pass by, sway, and smile,

Pass by me, sway, and smile

so I may breathe fragrance and see restless motion.

So I can smell fragrance and see anxiety

واهاً للعاشقِ إن رمقت

واهاً للعاشقِ إن رمقت

عيناكِ وَواهاً إن رَمقا

عيناكِ وَواهاً إن رَمقا

Ah for the lover, should he be gazed upon

Woe to the lover if your eyes glance

by your eyes—and ah, should he gaze!

And woe if they glance again

ما ظبّةُ تلقاها ظبةٌ

ما ظبّةُ تلقاها ظبةٌ

أو بَرقٌ في حَلكٍ بَرَقا

أو بَرقٌ في حَلكٍ بَرَقا

Neither a sword's edge met by another,

No gazelle meets a gazing gazelle

nor lightning flashing in pitch darkness,

Or lightning in the darkness flashes lightning

بأحَدَّ وأبهرَ مِن نَظَرٍ

بأحَدَّ وأبهرَ مِن نَظَرٍ

إن صادَفَت الحدقُ الحدَقا

إن صادَفَت الحدقُ الحدَقا

is sharper or more dazzling than a glance

With more intense and dazzling than a gaze

when pupils meet pupils.

If the pupil meets a pupil