قالتْ وقد سَمِعتْ أني نسبتُ بها

قالتْ وقد سَمِعتْ أني نسبتُ بها

في بعض ما قلتُه ما أحسنَ الأدبا

في بعض ما قلتُه ما أحسنَ الأدبا

She said, having heard that I had sung of her

She said, having heard that I attributed to her

in some of my verses, “What fine manners!

In some of what I said, how impolite!

أليس يَسْمَعُ ما طارَ الوُشاةُ بنا

أليس يَسْمَعُ ما طارَ الوُشاةُ بنا

من الأحاديث إنْ صِدقاً وإنْ كَذِبَا

من الأحاديث إنْ صِدقاً وإنْ كَذِبَا

Does he not hear what the slanderers have spread about us

Don't the gossipers hear what flies between us

in their tales, whether true or false?

Of talk, whether true or lies?

هبوهُ لم يخشَ عَتْبِي حين عرَّضني

هبوهُ لم يخشَ عَتْبِي حين عرَّضني

لقالةٍ شعَّبوها بينهم شُعَبَا

لقالةٍ شعَّبوها بينهم شُعَبَا

Suppose he did not fear my reproach when he exposed me

They carried tales without fearing my rebuke when they exposed me

to gossip they split into many branches among themselves.

To slander they spread among themselves in parts

أما يخافُ بني عمٍّ لنْا غُيُراً

أما يخافُ بني عمٍّ لنْا غُيُراً

يحمون بالقُضُبِ الهنديةِِ الحَسَبَا

يحمون بالقُضُبِ الهنديةِِ الحَسَبَا

Does he not fear our jealous paternal cousins,

Don't they fear the sons of my paternal uncle who

who guard their ancestral honor with Indian swords?”

Defend propriety with Indian staffs?

فسكَّنتْها فتاةٌ من قرائِنها

فسكَّنتْها فتاةٌ من قرائِنها

بِرُقيةٍ من رُقاهَا تُطفِيءُ الغضَبَا

بِرُقيةٍ من رُقاهَا تُطفِيءُ الغضَبَا

Then a girl from among her peers soothed her

So a girl among her peers calmed her

with one of her incantations that quenches anger.

With a charm of her charms that extinguishes anger

قالت لها أنصتي ثم اسمعي نتفاً

قالت لها أنصتي ثم اسمعي نتفاً

من قوله فهو مما يعجب العربا

من قوله فهو مما يعجب العربا

She said to her, “Be quiet, then listen to a few snatches

She said to her, “Hush, listen to a thread

of his verse, for it is the sort that delights the Arabs.”

Of his words, which delights the Arabs.”

وأنشدتها أُبَيَّاتاً عبثت بها

وأنشدتها أُبَيَّاتاً عبثت بها

تكاد تبعث في قلب الصفا طربا

تكاد تبعث في قلب الصفا طربا

And she recited to her a few little verses I had composed in play,

And she recited to her some verses

that nearly awaken rapture in the heart of stone:

That almost inspire delight in a chaste heart

باللّهِ يا معشرَ العُذَّالِ ما لكُمُ

باللّهِ يا معشرَ العُذَّالِ ما لكُمُ

تَلحَوْنَ من هاجَهُ ريحُ الصَّبَا فَصبَا

تَلحَوْنَ من هاجَهُ ريحُ الصَّبَا فَصبَا

“By God, O band of reproachers, why do you

By God, O you fault-finders, what is with you

rebuke one whom the east wind stirred, so he fell in love?

That you find fault with one blown by the morning breeze?

فيمَ التعجُّبُ من قلبي وصبوتِه

فيمَ التعجُّبُ من قلبي وصبوتِه

كأنكم لم تَروْا من قبلِه عجَبَا

كأنكم لم تَروْا من قبلِه عجَبَا

Why wonder at my heart and its yearning,

Why be astonished at my heart and its passion

as though you had never seen a marvel before it?

As if before this you never saw anything amazing?

ذوقوا الهَوى ثم لوموا ما بَدا لكمُ

ذوقوا الهَوى ثم لوموا ما بَدا لكمُ

أو لا فخلُّوا ملامي واربحوا التَّعَبا

أو لا فخلُّوا ملامي واربحوا التَّعَبا

Taste love, then blame me as you please;

Taste passion, then blame what appears to you

or else leave off blaming me, and spare yourselves the toil.

Or else, stop blaming me and spare yourselves fatigue.

عذلتمونيَ فيمن لو بَدا لكمُ

عذلتمونيَ فيمن لو بَدا لكمُ

وراءَ حُجْبٍ خرقتمْ نحَوهُ الحُجُبَا

وراءَ حُجْبٍ خرقتمْ نحَوهُ الحُجُبَا

You reproached me for one who, if they appeared to you

You find fault with me for one who, if he appeared

behind veils, would have you tear through the veils to reach them.

Behind veils, you would tear through veils toward him.

وهبتُ للجِدِّ أيامي فعلَّمَنِي

وهبتُ للجِدِّ أيامي فعلَّمَنِي

تلاعبُ الدهرِ بي أن أُوثرَ اللَّعِبَا

تلاعبُ الدهرِ بي أن أُوثرَ اللَّعِبَا

I devoted my days to earnestness, but was taught

I devoted my days to seriousness, so it taught me

by time's playing with me to prefer play.

That the vicissitudes of fate make me prefer play.

وقد بُليتُ بقلبٍ لا يُطاوعنِي

وقد بُليتُ بقلبٍ لا يُطاوعنِي

إِذا بذلتُ له نُصْحاً أبى ونَبَا

إِذا بذلتُ له نُصْحاً أبى ونَبَا

And I have been afflicted with a heart that will not obey me;

I have been tested by a heart that does not obey me

whenever I offer it counsel, it refuses and recoils.

When I give it sincere advice, it refuses and warns.

يرى عذابَ الهَوى عَذْباً مذاقتُهُ

يرى عذابَ الهَوى عَذْباً مذاقتُهُ

فهل سمعتم عذاباً قبلَهُ عَذُبَا

فهل سمعتم عذاباً قبلَهُ عَذُبَا

It finds love's torment sweet to the taste;

It sees the torment of passion as a sweet experience

so have you heard of any torment before this that tasted sweet?

So have you heard before it a torment so sweet?

أرسلتُ صبري على وجدي ليُزعِجَهُ

أرسلتُ صبري على وجدي ليُزعِجَهُ

عن الحَشا فأقاما فيه واحترَبَا

عن الحَشا فأقاما فيه واحترَبَا

I sent my patience against my yearning to drive it

I sent my patience against my love to disturb it

from my breast; but both stayed there and fought.

From folly, but they stayed and warred.

إنْ يغلُبِ الصبرُ فالعقبَى لمصطبِرٍ

إنْ يغلُبِ الصبرُ فالعقبَى لمصطبِرٍ

أو يغلُبِ الوجدُ فالدنيا لمن غَلَبَا

أو يغلُبِ الوجدُ فالدنيا لمن غَلَبَا

If patience prevails, the final reward is for one who endures;

If patience wins, the reward is for the patient

or if yearning prevails, the world belongs to whoever wins.”

Or if passion wins, the world is for the victor.

فأعجبَتْ ثم قالتْ وهي ضاحكةٌ

فأعجبَتْ ثم قالتْ وهي ضاحكةٌ

بمثلِ ذا السحرِ نالَ المرءُ ما طلبَا

بمثلِ ذا السحرِ نالَ المرءُ ما طلبَا

She was impressed, then said, laughing,

She was delighted, then said laughingly,

“With magic like this, one wins whatever one seeks.

“With the like of this magic, one attains what one seeks.”

نَفْثٌ من السِحْرِ قد حُلَّتْ به عُقَدٌ

نَفْثٌ من السِحْرِ قد حُلَّتْ به عُقَدٌ

مما وجدتُ ولمَّا يُطْفِئِ اللَّهبَا

مما وجدتُ ولمَّا يُطْفِئِ اللَّهبَا

A breath of magic has untied knots

A breath of magic with which knots are untied

in my feelings, though it has not yet quenched the blaze.”

Of what I was experiencing, when will God extinguish the flames?