أَلا إِنَّ أَلحاَظاً بِقَلبي عَوابِثا

أَلا إِنَّ أَلحاَظاً بِقَلبي عَوابِثا

أَظُنُّ بِها هاروت أَصبح نافِثا

أَظُنُّ بِها هاروت أَصبح نافِثا

Behold—glances are playing havoc with my heart;

Lo, glances are toying with my heart;

I think that through them Hārūt has begun to breathe his spells.

I think Harut has begun breathing spells through them.

إِذا رامَ ذو وَجدٍ سُلواً مَنَعتَهُ

إِذا رامَ ذو وَجدٍ سُلواً مَنَعتَهُ

وَكُنَّ عَلى دِينِ التَصابي بَواعِثا

وَكُنَّ عَلى دِينِ التَصابي بَواعِثا

Whenever a lovesick soul seeks forgetfulness, they deny it him,

When a lover seeks forgetfulness, they thwart him,

and stir him to embrace the creed of youthful passion.

and are spurs to the creed of youthful dalliance.

وَقَيَّدنَ مَن أَضحى عَن الحُب مُطلَقاً

وَقَيَّدنَ مَن أَضحى عَن الحُب مُطلَقاً

وَأَسرَعنَ لِلبَلوى بِمَن كانَ رائِثا

وَأَسرَعنَ لِلبَلوى بِمَن كانَ رائِثا

They fetter whoever had become free of love,

They have fettered whoever had become free of love,

and hasten tribulation upon whoever had been slow to come.

and hurried whoever had tarried into affliction.

بِروحي رَشاً مِن آل خاقان راحِلٌ

بِروحي رَشاً مِن آل خاقان راحِلٌ

وَإِن كانَ ما بَينَ الجَوانِحِ لابِثا

وَإِن كانَ ما بَينَ الجَوانِحِ لابِثا

My soul be ransom for a fawn of the House of Khāqān, departing—

My soul be ransom for a departing young gazelle of the house of Khaqan,

though he remains lodged here within my breast.

though he remains between my ribs.

غَدا وَاحِداً في الحُسنِ لِلفَضل ثانِيا

غَدا وَاحِداً في الحُسنِ لِلفَضل ثانِيا

وَللبدر وَالشَمس المُنيرةِ ثالِثا

وَللبدر وَالشَمس المُنيرةِ ثالِثا

In beauty he became one of a kind, second only to al-Faḍl,

He became peerless in beauty, a second to excellence,

and third beside the full moon and the radiant sun.

and a third beside the full moon and the shining sun.