ومختصر الخصر من بعده

ومختصر الخصر من بعده

هربت فالقيت في صده

هربت فالقيت في صده

And after him came one slender of waist.

And from a slender-waisted beloved’s distance

I fled, only to meet his rebuff.

I fled, only to be cast into his rejection.

وقابلني وجهه مقبلا

وقابلني وجهه مقبلا

بحد الحسام وإفر لده

بحد الحسام وإفر لده

His face met me, coming forward,

And his face met me, approaching,

with the saber’s edge and its watered pattern.

with the sword’s edge and [unclear text].

فما زلت أعصر من خدّه

فما زلت أعصر من خدّه

واقطف من مجتنى ورده

واقطف من مجتنى ورده

I kept pressing his cheek for its juice,

So I kept squeezing from his cheek,

and plucking from the yield of his rose.

and plucking from the harvest of his roses.

أشمّ بنفسج أصداغه

أشمّ بنفسج أصداغه

وزهراً تعصفر في خده

وزهراً تعصفر في خده

I breathe in the violets of his temple-locks,

I breathe in the violets of his temples,

and a blossom dyed safflower-red upon his cheek.

and blossoms turned safflower-red upon his cheek.

وأظما فأرشف من ريقه

وأظما فأرشف من ريقه

فياحر صدري من برده

فياحر صدري من برده

I thirst, then sip his saliva—

And I grow thirsty, then sip his saliva.

ah, what fire in my breast from its coolness!

Oh, how my breast burns from his coolness!

وما للحاظ سوى وجهه

وما للحاظ سوى وجهه

وما للعناق سوى قده

وما للعناق سوى قده

My gaze has nothing before it but his face,

And for the gaze there is only his face,

nor my embrace anything but his form.

and for the embrace there is only his form.