كَأَنَّ عِذَارَ مَنْ أُحِبُّ بِخَدِّهِ

كَأَنَّ عِذَارَ مَنْ أُحِبُّ بِخَدِّهِ

رِضَاهُ وفِيهِ بعْضُ آثَارِ صَدِّهِ

رِضَاهُ وفِيهِ بعْضُ آثَارِ صَدِّهِ

It is as though the down on my beloved's cheek

As if the reproach of the one I love on his cheek

were his favor, bearing some traces of his rejection.

Is his consent, though it bears some marks of his rejection

رَشِيقُ التَّثَنِّي رَاشِقُ الجَفْنِ فَاتِكٌ

رَشِيقُ التَّثَنِّي رَاشِقُ الجَفْنِ فَاتِكٌ

جُيُوشُ الهَوَى مِنْ تَحْتِ رَايةِ قَصْدِهِ

جُيُوشُ الهَوَى مِنْ تَحْتِ رَايةِ قَصْدِهِ

Graceful in his swaying, darting-eyed, deadly—

Graceful, languid, large-eyed, perfect

the armies of love are beneath the banner of his intent.

The troops of passion beneath the banner of his purpose

يُكَلِّفُ رِدْفَيْهِ مِنَ الثُّقْلِ مِثْلَ مَا

يُكَلِّفُ رِدْفَيْهِ مِنَ الثُّقْلِ مِثْلَ مَا

يُكَلِّفُ مِنْ ثُقْلِ الهَوَى قَلْبَ عَبْدِهِ

يُكَلِّفُ مِنْ ثُقْلِ الهَوَى قَلْبَ عَبْدِهِ

He burdens his buttocks with a weight like that

He burdens his cheeks with the like of what

of love with which he burdens his slave's heart.

He burdens the heart of his slave with the weight of passion

يَمُوجُ غَدِيرٌ تَحْتَ غُصْنِ قَوَامِهِ

يَمُوجُ غَدِيرٌ تَحْتَ غُصْنِ قَوَامِهِ

وَثُعْبَانُ ذَاكَ الشِّعْرِ ظَامٍ لِوِرْدِهِ

وَثُعْبَانُ ذَاكَ الشِّعْرِ ظَامٍ لِوِرْدِهِ

A pool ripples beneath his branch-like form,

A stream surges beneath the branch of his stature

and the serpent of that hair thirsts to drink from it.

And that snake, his curling hair, is dark for his roses

تَوَلَّى قَضَايَا الحَلِّ والعَقْدِ بَنْدُهُ

تَوَلَّى قَضَايَا الحَلِّ والعَقْدِ بَنْدُهُ

فَضَاقَ مَجَالُ الخُصْرِ مِنْ عَقْدِ بَنْدِهِ

فَضَاقَ مَجَالُ الخُصْرِ مِنْ عَقْدِ بَنْدِهِ

His sash took charge of matters of loosening and binding;

He has charge of the questions of connection and separation his coquetry

so the space about his waist shrank with the tying of his sash.

So the expanse of the waist is narrow for his belt’s bond

فَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ خَدَّيْهِ نَارٌ دُخَانُهَا

فَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ خَدَّيْهِ نَارٌ دُخَانُهَا

بِصُدْغَيْهِ فالجَنَّاتُ مِنْ تَحْتِ بُرْدِهِ

بِصُدْغَيْهِ فالجَنَّاتُ مِنْ تَحْتِ بُرْدِهِ

For if from his cheeks comes a fire whose smoke

If from his cheeks comes fire whose smoke

is at his temples, then the gardens of Paradise lie beneath his mantle.

Is in his apple cheeks, then gardens beneath his coldness

فَلا تَلْتَمِس إنْجَازَ مَوْعِدِ جَفْنِهِ

فَلا تَلْتَمِس إنْجَازَ مَوْعِدِ جَفْنِهِ

فَفِيهِ فُتُورٌ فَالْتَمِسْ خُلْفَ وَعْدِهِ

فَفِيهِ فُتُورٌ فَالْتَمِسْ خُلْفَ وَعْدِهِ

So do not seek fulfillment of his eyelid's promise;

So do not seek the fulfillment of the promise of his eyelids

for there is languor in it, so seek the breaking of its pledge.

For in it is weakness; seek his failure to keep his word

فَإِنْ كَانَ يَهْوَىَ الخُلْفَ أَفْدِيهِ مَالهُ

فَإِنْ كَانَ يَهْوَىَ الخُلْفَ أَفْدِيهِ مَالهُ

يُوَافِقُ في قَتْلِ المُحِبِّ بِجَهْدِهِ

يُوَافِقُ في قَتْلِ المُحِبِّ بِجَهْدِهِ

For if he loves breaking faith—may I be his ransom—why

If he inclines to failure, I ransom him with my wealth

does he agree to kill the lover with all his might?

To agree to kill the lover with his effort

فَخَرْتُ بِحُسْنِ النَّظْمِ فيهِ فقالَ لي

فَخَرْتُ بِحُسْنِ النَّظْمِ فيهِ فقالَ لي

تَعَلَّمْتَهُ مِنْ نَظْمِ ثَغْرِي وَعِقْدِهِ

تَعَلَّمْتَهُ مِنْ نَظْمِ ثَغْرِي وَعِقْدِهِ

I boasted of the beauty of my verse about him; he said to me,

So I fell by the excellence of prosody in it and he said to me

"You learned it from the array of my teeth and their necklace."

“You learned it from the prosody of my mouth and its knots”

وَلَمَّا رَأَى دَمْعِي دَماً ظَنَّ خَدَّهُ

وَلَمَّا رَأَى دَمْعِي دَماً ظَنَّ خَدَّهُ

تَرَائَى لدمْعِي فَاكْتَسَى لَوْنَ وَرْدِهِ

تَرَائَى لدمْعِي فَاكْتَسَى لَوْنَ وَرْدِهِ

And when he saw my tears were blood, he thought his cheek

And when he saw my blood-tears he thought his cheek

had appeared to my tears, which then donned its rose's hue.

Pretended for my tears and so took on the color of roses

وَلَوْ أَنَّ قَلْبِي حَازَ قَسْوَةَ قَلْبِهِ

وَلَوْ أَنَّ قَلْبِي حَازَ قَسْوَةَ قَلْبِهِ

سَلَوْتُ ولكنْ حَازَ رقُّةَ خَدِّهِ

سَلَوْتُ ولكنْ حَازَ رقُّةَ خَدِّهِ

And had my heart acquired the hardness of his heart,

If only my heart possessed the hardness of his heart

I would have forgotten him; but it acquired the softness of his cheek.

I would have been distracted, but it possessed the softness of his cheek

وقَدَّمْتُ دَمْعِي رَشْوَةً وَهْوَ لُؤْلؤٌ

وقَدَّمْتُ دَمْعِي رَشْوَةً وَهْوَ لُؤْلؤٌ

فَمَا جَادَ لِي يا لَيْتَ جَادَ بِرَدِّهِ

فَمَا جَادَ لِي يا لَيْتَ جَادَ بِرَدِّهِ

And I offered my tears as a bribe, and they were pearls;

And I presented my tears as a bribe, and they were pearls

yet he gave me nothing—if only he had given them back!

But he did not give generously! Would that he had given his favor!

أَأَحْبَابَنَا أَنْتُمْ لَنَا القَصْدُ والمُنَى

أَأَحْبَابَنَا أَنْتُمْ لَنَا القَصْدُ والمُنَى

أَيَرْغَبُ صَبٌّ عَنْ مُنَاهُ وَقَصْدِهِ

أَيَرْغَبُ صَبٌّ عَنْ مُنَاهُ وَقَصْدِهِ

O our beloveds, you are our goal and our desires;

O our loved ones, are you not our goal and destination?

would an ardent lover turn from his desires and his goal?

Does a youth turn away from his comfort and aim?

حَلَلْتُمْ مِنَ القَصْرَيْنِ قَلْبِي وَنَاظِرِي

حَلَلْتُمْ مِنَ القَصْرَيْنِ قَلْبِي وَنَاظِرِي

وَمَا أَحْكَمَ المَوْلَى عَلى مِلْكِ عَبْدِهِ

وَمَا أَحْكَمَ المَوْلَى عَلى مِلْكِ عَبْدِهِ

You have settled in the two palaces: my heart and my eye;

You have taken over both my heart and my sight

and how firmly the master rules over his slave's property!

And how the Master has decreed the possession of His servant!

فَإِنْ قُلْتُم ما الشَّامُ مِصْرٌ فَذُو الصَّفا

فَإِنْ قُلْتُم ما الشَّامُ مِصْرٌ فَذُو الصَّفا

يَرَى القُرْبَ في التَّوْحِيد من غَيْرِ بُعْدِهِ

يَرَى القُرْبَ في التَّوْحِيد من غَيْرِ بُعْدِهِ

For if you say, "Syria is not Egypt," the pure of heart

So if I say, “What is Damascus? Egypt?” then the Pure One

sees nearness in oneness, with no distance from him.

Sees nearness in Oneness without any distance