كم ليلةٍ بِتنا وَجَدّي عينُهُ

كم ليلةٍ بِتنا وَجَدّي عينُهُ

يقظى وأجفانُ الخُطوبِ نيامُ

يقظى وأجفانُ الخُطوبِ نيامُ

How many a night we spent, with my good fortune's eye

How many nights have we spent awake, while the eyes of troubles sleep?

awake, while the eyelids of calamities slept.

The watcher is gone, and we have privacy,

غابَ الرقيبُ وأمكنتْنَا خلوةٌ

غابَ الرقيبُ وأمكنتْنَا خلوةٌ

فاللَّثْمُ شفعٌ والعِنَاقُ لِزامُ

فاللَّثْمُ شفعٌ والعِنَاقُ لِزامُ

The watcher was gone, and seclusion was ours;

So kissing is permitted, and embracing is binding.

so kisses came in pairs, and embraces were unbroken.

She lowered her veil over a shining smile -

ثنتِ اللثام على وميضِ مباسمٍ

ثنتِ اللثام على وميضِ مباسمٍ

بَرقَتْ وهل يُخفِي الوميضَ لِثامُ

بَرقَتْ وهل يُخفِي الوميضَ لِثامُ

She folded her veil over the gleam of smiling lips

Can a veil conceal such radiance?

that flashed—yet can a veil conceal the gleam?

I kissed her mouth behind her veil,

فلثمْتُ فاها من وراءِ لثامِها

فلثمْتُ فاها من وراءِ لثامِها

والريقُ خمرٌ واللثامُ فِدامُ

والريقُ خمرٌ واللثامُ فِدامُ

So I kissed her mouth through her veil;

The saliva is wine, the veil is a cup.

and her saliva was wine, and the veil a straining cloth.

I complained of what her eyes did to mine,

وشكوتُ ما صنعتْ بعيني عينُها

وشكوتُ ما صنعتْ بعيني عينُها

ومن العيونِ مقاتلٌ وسِهامُ

ومن العيونِ مقاتلٌ وسِهامُ

And I complained of what her eye had done to mine;

Eyes can be warriors and arrows.

and some eyes are vulnerable targets, others arrows.

I named my glance a garden of her beauty,

وأسمتُ طرفي في رِياض جمالِها

وأسمتُ طرفي في رِياض جمالِها

والحسنُ روضٌ والعيونُ سَوامُ

والحسنُ روضٌ والعيونُ سَوامُ

And I let my gaze graze in the gardens of her beauty;

Beauty is a meadow, eyes are protectors.

beauty is a meadow, and eyes are grazing herds.

I gathered the pomegranates of her breasts,

وجنيتُ رمَّانَ النهودِ وإنَّها

وجنيتُ رمَّانَ النهودِ وإنَّها

لِمَنِ اجتناها صِحَّةٌ وسَقَامُ

لِمَنِ اجتناها صِحَّةٌ وسَقَامُ

And I plucked the pomegranates of her breasts; indeed, they

Whoever gathers them, finds health or illness.

are health and sickness to whoever plucks them.

Then we parted, and tears were falling stars,

ثمَّ افترقنا والدموعُ سواكِبٌ

ثمَّ افترقنا والدموعُ سواكِبٌ

والصبحُ طَلْقٌ وجههُ بسَّامُ

والصبحُ طَلْقٌ وجههُ بسَّامُ

Then we parted, with tears streaming,

Dawn is divorce, his face sour.

while dawn was radiant, its face beaming.

We spent the night, and our night's darkness in her absence

بِتنا وظلمةُ ليلِنا بلقائِها

بِتنا وظلمةُ ليلِنا بلقائِها

صبحٌ وبِنَّا والصَّبَاحُ ظلامُ

صبحٌ وبِنَّا والصَّبَاحُ ظلامُ

We spent the night, and through meeting her our night's darkness

Is dawn, and for us the dawn is darkness.

was dawn; we parted, and morning was darkness.