لا تُكبِروا من ملاح المرد إنسانا

لا تُكبِروا من ملاح المرد إنسانا

ما الحُسن والطِّيب إلا عبد ظِبيانا

ما الحُسن والطِّيب إلا عبد ظِبيانا

Do not exalt anyone among the handsome beardless youths;

Do not exaggerate the beauty of this handsome man,

Beauty and fragrance are merely Ẓibyān’s slaves.

Good looks and charm are but two obedient slaves.

نفديك من كاملٍ حُسناً وإحسانا

نفديك من كاملٍ حُسناً وإحسانا

تُحيي وتقتل أحياناً فأحيانا

تُحيي وتقتل أحياناً فأحيانا

We would ransom you, perfect in beauty and kindness;

We'd sacrifice one perfect in beauty and kindness,

You give life at times, and at other times you kill.

Who can revive and kill, at times, now and then.

تبارك اللَهُ ماذا فيك من بدعٍ

تبارك اللَهُ ماذا فيك من بدعٍ

في الجسم والوجه إسراراً وإعلانا

في الجسم والوجه إسراراً وإعلانا

Blessed is God! What marvels there are in you,

Blessed is Allah! What wonders you possess,

In body and face, hidden and revealed!

In body and face, secrets and overt charms.

كأنما عجن الكافورُ طينتَه

كأنما عجن الكافورُ طينتَه

بالزعفران فعَلَّى منه كثبانا

بالزعفران فعَلَّى منه كثبانا

As though camphor had kneaded his clay

As if camphor kneaded its clay,

With saffron, then raised dunes from it.

With saffron, building from it sand dunes.

وصيغ أعلاه من نورٍ ومن ظُلَمٍ

وصيغ أعلاه من نورٍ ومن ظُلَمٍ

وجهاً وفرعاً يمجُّ المسك والبانا

وجهاً وفرعاً يمجُّ المسك والبانا

And his upper part was fashioned from light and darkness:

And crafted above, of light and darkness,

A face, and hair that pours forth musk and ben oil.

A face and locks that attract musk and ambergris.

فالفرع من سَبَجٍ والخد من ضَرَجٍ

فالفرع من سَبَجٍ والخد من ضَرَجٍ

والطَّرف من غنجٍ يلقاك وسنانا

والطَّرف من غنجٍ يلقاك وسنانا

So his hair is of jet, and his cheek of crimson dye,

The locks are of black hyacinth, the cheek of myrtle,

And his gaze is made of coquetry, meeting you drowsily.

And the eyelash of willow that looks at you, grinning.

فمن تنزَّه يوماً في محاسنه

فمن تنزَّه يوماً في محاسنه

فليس مُستحسِناً ما عاش بستانا

فليس مُستحسِناً ما عاش بستانا

So whoever one day strolls among his beauties

Whoever once meditated on his beauty,

Will admire no garden for as long as he lives.

Will not live happy unless in a garden.

ومن تنفس من أنفاسه نَفَساً

ومن تنفس من أنفاسه نَفَساً

لم يرضَ ما عاش أن يشتمَّ ريحانا

لم يرضَ ما عاش أن يشتمَّ ريحانا

And whoever inhales a single breath of his

And whoever inhaled his breath once,

Will never, while he lives, be content to smell sweet basil.

Will not be pleased to live without smelling a basil.

كأنما اللَه أوحى إذ براه إلى

كأنما اللَه أوحى إذ براه إلى

خزائن المسك ممّا طاب أو لانا

خزائن المسك ممّا طاب أو لانا

As though God, when He created him, had revealed to

As if God revealed, when creating him,

The treasuries of musk, of whatever was fragrant or soft,

From the treasuries of musk, sweet and gentle.

بأن تُؤلِّف من نَشرٍ جواهرها

بأن تُؤلِّف من نَشرٍ جواهرها

وقال كوني على التأليف إنسانا

وقال كوني على التأليف إنسانا

That they should bring their jewels of fragrance together,

To compose from its essences his pearls,

And said: 'Once blended, become a human being.'

And said: “Be a human in your composition.”

كأنه قبَّة من فضَّةٍ قسِمت

كأنه قبَّة من فضَّةٍ قسِمت

في ملتقى الخَور أردافاً وأعكانا

في ملتقى الخَور أردافاً وأعكانا

He is like a dome of silver, divided

He is like a dome of silver, divided

At the meeting of hollows, into buttocks and belly-folds.

At the bay’s meet, with pillars and nooks.

كأنه مُحَّةٌ من فرط نَعمته

كأنه مُحَّةٌ من فرط نَعمته

تكاد تجري من الأثواب أحيانا

تكاد تجري من الأثواب أحيانا

He is like an egg yolk, so great is his softness,

He is like a delicious date, from his excessive boon,

Almost flowing out of his clothes at times.

That almost leaks out of clothes at times.

تراه كالماء رجراجاً ومَلمسه

تراه كالماء رجراجاً ومَلمسه

كالنار حرّاً فتلقى اللونَ ألوانا

كالنار حرّاً فتلقى اللونَ ألوانا

You see him rippling like water, yet to the touch he is

You see him shimmering like water, his touch

Hot as fire, so you find one hue turning into many.

Is hot as fire, so he takes on colors.

تبدو له حركات من حرارتها

تبدو له حركات من حرارتها

ولينه يستحيل الماء رَيّانا

ولينه يستحيل الماء رَيّانا

Movements appear in him; through their heat

You see in him motions from his heat,

And his softness, water itself becomes lush.

And his softness turns water to jelly.

قد قلتُ إذ حار طرفي في محاسنه

قد قلتُ إذ حار طرفي في محاسنه

ولم أزل شاخصَ العينين حيرانا

ولم أزل شاخصَ العينين حيرانا

I said, when my gaze was lost among his beauties,

I have said, when my eyes were confounded by his beauty,

And I remained staring, bewildered:

And did not stop, staring, perplexed.

لا شك أنت من الجنّات مسترَقٌ

لا شك أنت من الجنّات مسترَقٌ

أو هارب فمتى فارقتَ رضوانا

أو هارب فمتى فارقتَ رضوانا

'No doubt you were stolen from Paradise’s gardens,

No doubt, you are from the heavens, stolen

Or are a runaway—when did you part from Riḍwān?'

Or fled, so when did you leave heavens’ bliss?

فاستضحكته على عجبٍ مساءَلتي

فاستضحكته على عجبٍ مساءَلتي

وقلتُ لمّا رأيتُ الثغر قد بانا

وقلتُ لمّا رأيتُ الثغر قد بانا

So my questioning made him laugh in astonishment,

He laughed at my wonder in questioning him,

And I said, when I saw his mouth revealed:

And I said, when I saw the lips appear:

لم ترضَ إذ جئتَنا من جنةٍ هرباً

لم ترضَ إذ جئتَنا من جنةٍ هرباً

حتى سرقتَ لنا في فيك مرجانا

حتى سرقتَ لنا في فيك مرجانا

'You were not content, when you fled to us from a garden of Paradise,

“You would not be pleased, coming to us from a heaven in escape,

Until you stole coral for us, there in your mouth.'

Until you stole for us coral in your teeth.”

ليس الحبيب الذي يأتيك مؤتزراً

ليس الحبيب الذي يأتيك مؤتزراً

مثلَ الحبيب الذي يأتيك عريانا

مثلَ الحبيب الذي يأتيك عريانا

The beloved who comes to you wearing a loincloth is not

The lover who comes to you covered,

Like the beloved who comes to you naked.

Is not like the lover who comes to you bare.