وَكاتبٍ شاعرٍ أَبدى بِمُهرَقهِ

وَكاتبٍ شاعرٍ أَبدى بِمُهرَقهِ

نَظماً وَشعراً بِهِ بانَت فَضائِلُهُ

نَظماً وَشعراً بِهِ بانَت فَضائِلُهُ

And a writer, a poet, displayed on his parchment

A writer, a poet revealed his virtues

verse and poetry through which his merits shone.

Through prose and verse composed with skill

أَوَدُّ لَثمَ فمٍ بِالدُرِّ مَنطقُهُ

أَوَدُّ لَثمَ فمٍ بِالدُرِّ مَنطقُهُ

وَلَثمِ كَفٍّ ندٍ بِالدُرِّ نائِلهُ

وَلَثمِ كَفٍّ ندٍ بِالدُرِّ نائِلهُ

I long to kiss a mouth whose speech is pearls,

I love to kiss the lips speaking pearls

and to kiss a generous hand whose bounty is pearls.

And the palm of a generous giving hand

لَمّا أَبى ساخري مِن قُلةٍ لَهُما

لَمّا أَبى ساخري مِن قُلةٍ لَهُما

قَبَّلتُ ما سَطَّرت فيهِ أَنامِلُهُ

قَبَّلتُ ما سَطَّرت فيهِ أَنامِلُهُ

When my mocker refused, because there was little for them both,

When the mockers refused them little merit

I kissed that on which his fingertips had written.

I kissed what his fingers had penned

فَصارَ بَينَ فَمي وَبَينَ مَبسِمِهِ

فَصارَ بَينَ فَمي وَبَينَ مَبسِمِهِ

طرسٌ كَفاني مِن المَحبوبِ وَاصِلُهُ

طرسٌ كَفاني مِن المَحبوبِ وَاصِلُهُ

And so there lay between my mouth and his smiling mouth

So my mouth and his smile were separated

a parchment whose link with my beloved sufficed me.

By a screen denying me my loved one

أَمّا أَنا فَسَقيمُ الجسمِ ناحِلُهُ

أَمّا أَنا فَسَقيمُ الجسمِ ناحِلُهُ

وَمَن أكتِّم قاسي القَلب باخِلهُ

وَمَن أكتِّم قاسي القَلب باخِلهُ

As for me, I am sick in body and wasted;

As for me, my body is emaciated and weak

and the one I keep hidden is hard-hearted and ungenerous.

And he whose heart is miserly conceals it

بَدرٌ عَلى غُصنٍ غُصنٌ عَلى كُثُبٍ

بَدرٌ عَلى غُصنٍ غُصنٌ عَلى كُثُبٍ

السحرُ كاحِلُهُ وَالحُسنُ شامِلُهُ

السحرُ كاحِلُهُ وَالحُسنُ شامِلُهُ

A full moon upon a bough, a bough upon sand dunes:

The moon on a branch, the branch on dunes

enchantment paints his eyes with kohl, and beauty enfolds him.

Dawn tender, beauty embracing it

إِني لقبحِ مقال أَنتَ تَعرِفُهُ

إِني لقبحِ مقال أَنتَ تَعرِفُهُ

هَجَرتَني وَجَرى بِالهَجرِ قائِلُهُ

هَجَرتَني وَجَرى بِالهَجرِ قائِلُهُ

Indeed, for an ugly remark you know,

I know the ugliness of what I say you recognize

you shunned me, and its speaker gave voice to abuse.

You deserted me though it pained the deserter

أَصفَرُّ مِن فَرَق يَربَدُّ مِن حَنَق

أَصفَرُّ مِن فَرَق يَربَدُّ مِن حَنَق

كَأنَّما نَحنُ مَقتولٌ وَقاتِلُهُ

كَأنَّما نَحنُ مَقتولٌ وَقاتِلُهُ

I turn yellow with fear; he darkens with rage,

I grow yellow with heartache, I smolder with rage

as though we were a slain man and his slayer.

As though we are murdered and murderer

يَخافُ منّي اِفتِضاحاً في مَحبَّتِهِ

يَخافُ منّي اِفتِضاحاً في مَحبَّتِهِ

وَالزينُ يَأنَفُ مِن شَينٍ يُداخِلُهُ

وَالزينُ يَأنَفُ مِن شَينٍ يُداخِلُهُ

He fears exposure through me in my love for him,

He fears scandal regarding his love for me

and beauty disdains a blemish that intrudes upon it.

Beauty disdains to mingle with disgrace

وَما دَرَت شَفتي حُبي فَتذكره

وَما دَرَت شَفتي حُبي فَتذكره

حَتّى كَأني بِمَن أَهواهُ جاهِلُهُ

حَتّى كَأني بِمَن أَهواهُ جاهِلُهُ

Nor has my lip known my love, that it might speak of it,

My lips never disclosed my love, so he might recall it

so much so that I seem not to know the one I love.

As though the one I loved were unknown to me