صنمٌ تسربل شكله من وَصفِهِ

صنمٌ تسربل شكله من وَصفِهِ

فسَبى القلوبَ بحسنه وبظَرفِهِ

فسَبى القلوبَ بحسنه وبظَرفِهِ

An idol whose form is robed in his attributes,

An idol whose beauty is clothed by his description,

And so he captivates hearts with his beauty and charm.

Who has captivated hearts with his charm and elegance.

جُمِعت محاسن يوسفٍ في وجهه

جُمِعت محاسن يوسفٍ في وجهه

فجميع أرواح العباد بكفِّهِ

فجميع أرواح العباد بكفِّهِ

Yusuf's beauties were gathered in his face,

The beauties of Joseph are gathered on his face,

So all the souls of humankind lie in his palm.

And so all souls are in his grasp.

فالشمس تقبس نورها من نوره

فالشمس تقبس نورها من نوره

والحور يؤخذ وصفُها من وصفِه

والحور يؤخذ وصفُها من وصفِه

So the sun draws its light from his light,

The sun borrows its light from his light,

And the houris' attributes are drawn from his own.

And the maidens derive their depictions from his depiction.

فإذا تَمَرَّضَ لحظُه فكأنَّما

فإذا تَمَرَّضَ لحظُه فكأنَّما

هاروت يسرق سحره من طرفِهِ

هاروت يسرق سحره من طرفِهِ

And when his glance grows languid, it is as though

When his glances fall ill, it is as though

Harut steals his magic from his gaze.

Harut has stolen their magic with a turn of his eye.

عجباً له خداً توقَّد جمرةً

عجباً له خداً توقَّد جمرةً

وعليه ماء بهائه لم يُطفِهِ

وعليه ماء بهائه لم يُطفِهِ

How wondrous his cheek, blazing like an ember,

Wondrously, he has a cheek kindled like embers,

Yet the water of his radiance upon it has not quenched it.

Yet the water of his brilliance does not extinguish it.

وإذا تورَّد خدُّه فكأنما

وإذا تورَّد خدُّه فكأنما

يُبدي جنيَّ الورد ساعة قطفِهِ

يُبدي جنيَّ الورد ساعة قطفِهِ

And when his cheek turns rosy, it is as though

And when his cheek turns rosy, it is as though

He displays fresh-picked roses at the moment of their plucking.

The garden of roses displays its blossoms at the moment of plucking.

وإذا تبسَّم عن تلالي ثغره

وإذا تبسَّم عن تلالي ثغره

أبصرتَ سمطَي لؤلؤٍ في رصفِهِ

أبصرتَ سمطَي لؤلؤٍ في رصفِهِ

And when he smiles, revealing his mouth's gleam,

And when he smiles with the hillocks of his mouth,

You see two strands of pearls in their ordered setting.

You see a string of pearls arranged on his lips.

وإذا مشى فتن الورى بتخفُّفٍ

وإذا مشى فتن الورى بتخفُّفٍ

من خصره وتثقُّلٍ من ردفِهِ

من خصره وتثقُّلٍ من ردفِهِ

And when he walks, he bewitches humankind with the lightness

And when he walks, bewitching all creation with his swaying gait

Of his waist and the heaviness of his buttocks.

From his hips and his heavy tread,

فتمايلت أغصانُه من فوقه

فتمايلت أغصانُه من فوقه

وترجرجت أمواجُه من خلفِهِ

وترجرجت أمواجُه من خلفِهِ

So his branches sway above him,

His branches sway above him,

And his waves ripple behind him.

And his waves surge behind him.

فيكاد يدخل بعضُه في بعضِهِ

فيكاد يدخل بعضُه في بعضِهِ

ليناً ويسقط نصفُه من نصفِهِ

ليناً ويسقط نصفُه من نصفِهِ

So one part of him almost enters another

He nearly enters into himself gently

Through suppleness, and one half almost falls away from the other.

And half of him spills out of the other half.

جلَّت صفاتُ محمدٍ وتلاطفت

جلَّت صفاتُ محمدٍ وتلاطفت

فقد ارتدى بجلاله وبلطفِهِ

فقد ارتدى بجلاله وبلطفِهِ

Muhammad's attributes are majestic and delicate;

The attributes of Muhammad have gathered and mingled,

And so he has robed himself in his majesty and grace.

For he is clothed in his majesty and kindness.

حاشا حبيبي أن أُشبِّه وجهه

حاشا حبيبي أن أُشبِّه وجهه

قمراً يُعاب بنقصه وبخسفِهِ

قمراً يُعاب بنقصه وبخسفِهِ

Far be it from me to liken my beloved's face

Far be it that I compare his face

To a moon faulted for its waning and eclipse.

To a moon flawed by its deficiencies and eclipses!

لا صبر لي عن أُنسه وحديثه

لا صبر لي عن أُنسه وحديثه

والإلف ليس بصابرٍ عن إلفِهِ

والإلف ليس بصابرٍ عن إلفِهِ

I cannot bear to be without his company and conversation,

I have no patience to be without his company and discourse,

And a lover cannot bear to be apart from his beloved.

For intimacy cannot endure being deprived of its intimacy.

إني أموت ببُعده وبصدِّه

إني أموت ببُعده وبصدِّه

وكذا أعيش بقربه وبعطفِهِ

وكذا أعيش بقربه وبعطفِهِ

Indeed, I die from his absence and his rejection,

I die from his distance and aloofness,

And likewise I live through his nearness and affection.

And so I live by his nearness and kindness.