يا ماسِحَ القُبلَةِ مِن خَدِّهِ

يا ماسِحَ القُبلَةِ مِن خَدِّهِ

مِن بَعدِ ما قَد كانَ أَعطاها

مِن بَعدِ ما قَد كانَ أَعطاها

O you who wipe the kiss from his cheek,

O you who wiped the kiss from his cheek

O you who wipes the kiss from his cheek,

after he had already given it:

After you had given it to him

After having so generously bestowed it,

خَشيتَ أَن يَعرِفَ إِعجامَها

خَشيتَ أَن يَعرِفَ إِعجامَها

مَولاكَ في الخَدِّ فَيَقراها

مَولاكَ في الخَدِّ فَيَقراها

you feared that its letter-dots might be recognized

You feared that your beloved

You feared your master might decipher its script,

by your master upon the cheek, who would then read it.

Would recognize its imprint on his cheek and read it

Upon the cheek, and thereby read it.

وَلَو عَلِمنا أَنَّهُ هَكَذا

وَلَو عَلِمنا أَنَّهُ هَكَذا

كُنّا إِذا بُسنا مَسَحناها

كُنّا إِذا بُسنا مَسَحناها

And had we known that it was so,

If only we had known that this would be so

Had we but known that this was the way,

we would have wiped it away whenever we kissed,

Whenever we kissed, we would have wiped it away

We would have wiped it ourselves the moment we kissed,

فَصارَ فيها رَسمُها باقِياً

فَصارَ فيها رَسمُها باقِياً

يَعرِفُها مَن يَتَهَجّاها

يَعرِفُها مَن يَتَهَجّاها

so its outline would have remained there,

Leaving its trace remaining

So that its trace would remain inscribed,

recognizable to whoever spelled it out.

So it could be recognized by whoever sought it

Recognized by anyone who spells it out.

وَلا تَرَكناها عَلى حالِها

وَلا تَرَكناها عَلى حالِها

وَلامُها مِنها مَحَوناها

وَلامُها مِنها مَحَوناها

Nor would we have left it as it was;

And we would not have left it as it was

We would not have left it in its original state,

we would have erased its letter lām from it.

Or erased it after imprinting it

But would have erased the letter 'L' from within it,

فَكانَ باقي الإِسمِ لي قُبَّةٌ

فَكانَ باقي الإِسمِ لي قُبَّةٌ

بِالفَتحِ في خَدِّكَ مَجراها

بِالفَتحِ في خَدِّكَ مَجراها

So the rest of the name, for me, would have been “qubbah”—a dome—

Thus the remainder of the name would have been a dome

So the remainder of the word would be a 'dome' for me,

with an a-vowel, its course upon your cheek.

With an opening in your cheek as its course

With the open vowel finding its course upon your cheek.