فَضَحْتَ جِيدَ الغَزَالِ بِالجَيَدِ

فَضَحْتَ جِيدَ الغَزَالِ بِالجَيَدِ

وَفُقْتَهُ بِالدَّلاَلِ والغَيَدِ

وَفُقْتَهُ بِالدَّلاَلِ والغَيَدِ

You put the gazelle's neck to shame with your graceful neck,

You have outshone the neck of the gazelle with your neck

and surpassed it in coquetry and suppleness.

And surpassed it with allure and flexuous sway

وَكُنْتَ أَوْلىَ مِنَ الغُصُونِ بِمَا

وَكُنْتَ أَوْلىَ مِنَ الغُصُونِ بِمَا

يُعْزَى لأَعْطَافِهَا مِنَ المَيَدِ

يُعْزَى لأَعْطَافِهَا مِنَ المَيَدِ

And you had more claim than branches to the grace

And you were more worthy than the branches of the willow

of swaying ascribed to their limbs.

Of whatever is imputed to their lithesomeness and pliancy

يَا سَاقِياً مُهْجَتِي كُؤُوسَ هَوَىً

يَا سَاقِياً مُهْجَتِي كُؤُوسَ هَوَىً

وَسَايقاً مُقْلَتِي إِلى السَّهَدِ

وَسَايقاً مُقْلَتِي إِلى السَّهَدِ

O you who give my soul cups of passion to drink,

O you who offer me cups of passion’s wine

and drive my eye to sleeplessness,

And ply my heart with love unto ecstasy

حَسْبِي وَحَسْبُ الهَوَى وَحَسْبُكَ مَا

حَسْبِي وَحَسْبُ الهَوَى وَحَسْبُكَ مَا

يَفْعَلُهُ الهَجْرُ بي فَلاَ تَزِد

يَفْعَلُهُ الهَجْرُ بي فَلاَ تَزِد

enough for me, for love, and for you is what

Enough for me, enough for passion and enough for you is what

abandonment does to me—so add no more.

Separation does to me so do no more

أَنَا الذِي أَحْتَسِي الخُدُودَ فَلِمْ

أَنَا الذِي أَحْتَسِي الخُدُودَ فَلِمْ

تسْتُرُهَا بِالعِذَارِ وَالزَّرَدِ

تسْتُرُهَا بِالعِذَارِ وَالزَّرَدِ

I am the one who sips cheeks—so why

I who yearn for cheeks so why

veil them with cheek-down and chain mail?

Do you conceal them with coquetry and ornament

حَلَلْتَ قَلْبِي وَرُحْتَ تَمْنَعُنِي

حَلَلْتَ قَلْبِي وَرُحْتَ تَمْنَعُنِي

حَلَّ نِطَاقٍ بِالخَصْرِ مُنْعَقِدِ

حَلَّ نِطَاقٍ بِالخَصْرِ مُنْعَقِدِ

You lodged in my heart, yet went on denying me

You have freed my heart yet gone to deny me

the untying of a girdle knotted at the waist.

A freed girdle round the waist made fast

عِنْدِي مِنَ الوَجْدِ مَا بهِ أُحُدٌ

عِنْدِي مِنَ الوَجْدِ مَا بهِ أُحُدٌ

يفِي وَلَمْ أُبْدِهِ إِلى أَحدِ

يفِي وَلَمْ أُبْدِهِ إِلى أَحدِ

I harbor a longing that Mount Uhud

In me is passion such that no one else

could match; yet I have revealed it to no one.

Has the like of it nor have I revealed it to anyone

كَمْ فِيكَ لِلعاذِلينَ مِنْ عَدَدٍ

كَمْ فِيكَ لِلعاذِلينَ مِنْ عَدَدٍ

قَدْ أَتْعِبَتْ قَبَلاَ لَهَا عُدَدِي

قَدْ أَتْعِبَتْ قَبَلاَ لَهَا عُدَدِي

How many hosts the reproachers muster over you!

How many for the censurers are there

They have already worn out my defenses against them.

Who exhausted counting them before counting me

وَا عَجَبا وَالدُّمُوعُ في حلَب

وَا عَجَبا وَالدُّمُوعُ في حلَب

والقَلْبُ حَرَّانَ وَهو في صَفدِ

والقَلْبُ حَرَّانَ وَهو في صَفدِ

How strange! Tears are being milked (Halab),

Oh wonder! While tears flow from the eye’s spring

and the heart is parched (Harran), though in fetters (Safad).

And the heart is aflame though in chains

بِاللهِ يَا لَيْلِي الطَّوُيِلَ لَقَدْ

بِاللهِ يَا لَيْلِي الطَّوُيِلَ لَقَدْ

قَصَّرْتَ نَوْمِي وَلَمْ تَعُدْ بِغَدِ

قَصَّرْتَ نَوْمِي وَلَمْ تَعُدْ بِغَدِ

By God, O my long night, you have indeed

By God, O long night of mine, you have

shortened my sleep and brought no morrow.

Shortened my sleep and brought me no morrow

جَعَلْتَ حَظِّي فِي الحُبِّ مُنْعَكِساً

جَعَلْتَ حَظِّي فِي الحُبِّ مُنْعَكِساً

فَجُدْ بِوَصْلٍ للصِّبَّ مُطِّرِدِ

فَجُدْ بِوَصْلٍ للصِّبَّ مُطِّرِدِ

You have turned my fortune in love upside down;

You have made my luck in love reversed

so grant the lovesick one uninterrupted union,

So strive to provide a meeting for the insomniac

حَتَّى تَرَانِي أَقُولُ مِنْ طَرَبٍ

حَتَّى تَرَانِي أَقُولُ مِنْ طَرَبٍ

يَا عَيْنُ رُودِي وَيا شَفَاةُ رِدِي

يَا عَيْنُ رُودِي وَيا شَفَاةُ رِدِي

until you see me cry out in rapture:

Until you see me say in joy:

O eye, roam; O lips, come to drink!

O eye return and O lips come back

أَوُدَعْتَنِي صِبْوةً أَوَائِلُهَا

أَوُدَعْتَنِي صِبْوةً أَوَائِلُهَا

يَقْصُرُ عَنْها أَوَاخِرُ الأَبد

يَقْصُرُ عَنْها أَوَاخِرُ الأَبد

You have lodged in me a passion whose beginnings

You have left me lovelorn, the first of it

the furthest reaches of eternity cannot attain.

Falls short of the last evermore

أَوْرَدْتِنيِ فَوقَ مَا أُطِيقٌ جَوَىً

أَوْرَدْتِنيِ فَوقَ مَا أُطِيقٌ جَوَىً

وَفَوْقَ طَوقِي في الحُبِّ لاَ تَزِدِ

وَفَوْقَ طَوقِي في الحُبِّ لاَ تَزِدِ

You plunged me into heartache beyond what I can bear;

You have led me, beyond what I can bear of love’s till,

and beyond my strength in love, add no more.

Above my strength in love, do no more

فَإِنَّ مَنْ كَانَ فَوْقَ طَاقَتِهِ

فَإِنَّ مَنْ كَانَ فَوْقَ طَاقَتِهِ

يَحْمِلُ تَعْجَزْ قُوَاهُ فَاتَّئِدِ

يَحْمِلُ تَعْجَزْ قُوَاهُ فَاتَّئِدِ

For whoever, beyond his capacity,

For he who is beyond his capacity

bears a burden finds his powers fail—so be gentle.

Bears the incapacity of his strength so slow down

رَوَيْتُ قَتْلِيَ عَنْ مُقْلَتَيْكَ فَفِي

رَوَيْتُ قَتْلِيَ عَنْ مُقْلَتَيْكَ فَفِي

رِوايَتي قَتْلَتِي بلا سَنَدِ

رِوايَتي قَتْلَتِي بلا سَنَدِ

I related my slaying on your two eyes' authority; so in

I have reported my murder by your eyes so in

my account, my slaying has no chain of transmission.

My reporting is my murder sans evidence

فَلمْ يُكذِّبْ رِوَايَتِي أَحَدٌ

فَلمْ يُكذِّبْ رِوَايَتِي أَحَدٌ

إِذْ لَمْ يُكَذَّبْ هَوَايَ مِنْ أَحَدِ

إِذْ لَمْ يُكَذَّبْ هَوَايَ مِنْ أَحَدِ

So no one called my account a lie,

None has refuted my reporting

since my love was never denied by anyone.

Since none has refuted my love from anyone

بِالَّلهِ لاَ تُرْسِلِ الجُفُونَ إِلى

بِالَّلهِ لاَ تُرْسِلِ الجُفُونَ إِلى

قَلْبِي فَمَا لِلقُلُوبِ مِنْ عَدَدِ

قَلْبِي فَمَا لِلقُلُوبِ مِنْ عَدَدِ

By God, do not send your eyelids against

By God do not unleash the lashes

my heart, for hearts have no defenses.

Upon my heart for hearts have no endurance

وَخلِّ جَفْنِي لاَ تُفِْنِهِ سِقماً

وَخلِّ جَفْنِي لاَ تُفِْنِهِ سِقماً

لاَ بُدَّ لِلرُّوحِ فِيكَ مِنْ جَسَدِ

لاَ بُدَّ لِلرُّوحِ فِيكَ مِنْ جَسَدِ

And leave my eyelid be; do not waste it with sickness:

And spare my eye do not weaken it with sickness

the soul, in loving you, cannot do without a body.

The soul needs to be within you in a body

مَا خُلْدِيَ بِالقُرْبِ مِنْكَ فَلِمْ

مَا خُلْدِيَ بِالقُرْبِ مِنْكَ فَلِمْ

رَمَيْتَ سَهْمَ الجُفُونِ فِي خَلَدِي

رَمَيْتَ سَهْمَ الجُفُونِ فِي خَلَدِي

I am not immortal near you; why, then,

Why did you aim the arrow of lashes into

have you shot the arrow of your eyelids into my heart?

My eternity with you in proximity