1. ضاحكٌ عن جُمانْ

    سافرٌ عن بَدرِ

    Laughing, revealing pearls,

    Unveiled, revealing a full moon,

  2. ضَاقَ عنهُ الزمانْ

    وَحَواءُ صَدْري

    Time grew too narrow for him,

    and so did the compass of my breast.

  3. آهْ ممَّا أجِدْ

    شَفَّني ما أجِدُ

    Ah, what I feel!

    What I feel has wasted me.

  4. قامَ بي وقعَدْ

    باطشٌ متَّئِدُ

    He raised me and set me down,

    violent, yet unhurried.

  5. كلما قلتُ قَدْ

    قالَ لي أينَ قَدُ

    Whenever I said, 'Enough!'

    he said to me, 'Where is enough?'

  6. وَانثنىَ خُوطَ بانْ

    ذا مَهّزٍ نَضْرِ

    And he swayed like a bān bough,

    with a fresh sway,

  7. عابَثَتْهُ

    يَدَانْ للصَّبا والقَطْرِ

    played with by

    the two hands of the east wind and the rain.

  8. ليسَ ليْ مِنكَ بُدْ

    خذ فُؤاديَ عنْ يَدْ

    I cannot do without you.

    Take my heart from my hand.

  9. لم تَدعْ لي جَلدْ

    غير أني أجْهَدْ

    You have left me no endurance,

    except that I keep striving.

  10. مَكرعٌ مِنْ شَهَدْ

    واشتياقي يَشْهَدْ

    A drinking-place of honey,

    and my longing bears witness.

  11. ما لِبِنْتِ الدِّنانْ

    وَلِذاكَ الثَّغْرِ

    What has the daughter of the wine-jars

    to do with that mouth?

  12. أين محيا الزّمان

    من مُحيَّا الجمر

    Where is the face of time

    beside the face of embers?

  13. بي هوى مُضْمَرُ

    ليتَ جَهْدي وَفقُهْ

    Within me is a hidden love;

    would that my effort matched it.

  14. كلمَّا يَظهَرُ

    ففؤادي أُفْقُهْ

    Whenever it appears,

    then my heart is its horizon.

  15. ذلك المنظرُ

    لا يُداوي عِشْقُه

    That sight

    does not cure the love it inspires.

  16. بأبي كيفَ كانْ

    فلكيٌّ دُرِّي

    My father be his ransom, however he may be:

    celestial, pearl-bright.

  17. راق حتى اسْتَبان

    عُذْرُهُ وعُذري

    He charmed until both became clear:

    his excuse and mine.

  18. هل إليكَ سبيلْ

    أوْ إلى أنْ أيْأَسا

    Is there a way to you,

    or to my giving up hope?

  19. ذبتُ إلا قليلْ

    عَبْرةً أو نَفَسَا

    I have melted away, save a little:

    a tear or a breath.

  20. ما عسى أن أقولْ

    ساءَ ظني بعسى

    What might I say?

    I have lost faith in 'perhaps.'

  21. وانقضى كلُّ شانْ

    وأنا أسْتَشْرِي

    And every affair has ended,

    while I run wild,

  22. خالعاً منْ عِنَانْ

    جَزَعي أو صَبري

    releasing from the reins

    my anguish or my patience.

  23. ما عَلى مَنْ يَلومْ

    لو تَنَاهَى عَنّي

    What would it cost the one who blames me

    if he left me alone?

  24. هلْ سوَى حبِّ ريمْ

    دينُهُ التَجني

    Is it anything but love for a gazelle

    whose creed is unjust cruelty?

  25. أنا فيهِ أهِيمْ

    وَهَوْ بي يُغنيِّ

    I wander mad with love for him,

    while he sings of me.

  26. قَدْ رأيتكْ عيان

    ليس عليكَ ستدريْ

    I have seen you with my own eyes.

    Nothing is incumbent on you—you will know.

  27. سَيَطول الزمانْ

    وستنسى ذكري

    Time will stretch on,

    and you will forget the memory of me.

  28. أمّا وَجْدِي فَقَدْ عَتَا

    فلا ألْقى مَلاذا

    As for my passion, it has grown tyrannical;

    so I find no refuge,

  29. ولا آلفُ مَهْلا

    أحْبِبْ

    nor do I know respite.

    How dear

  30. به إليَّ أحبب

    مُعْجِبْ

    he is to me—how dear!

    Enchanting!

  31. يا له وهو أعْجَب

    يَذْهَبْ

    Oh, what a marvel—he is more wondrous still!

    He takes

  32. بي في كلِّ مذهبْ

    لمَّا عنّا وعنَّتا

    me along every path.

    When he appeared and tormented me,

  33. تصدَّيْتُ فلاذا

    وأقبلتُ مُدِلا

    I confronted him, and he sought refuge,

    and I approached, self-assured.

  34. تَبَّا

    لِنَهْيِ مَن نهاني

    A curse

    on the prohibition of whoever forbade me!

  35. لبَّا

    وجدي من الغواني

    Enthralled

    by my passion, one among the lovely women—

  36. غَضْبي

    تقولُ إذ تراني

    an angry one—

    says when she sees me:

  37. مَهما

    عينايَ أوْجَبَتا

    'Whatever

    my eyes have demanded,

  38. فلنْ يَعْنُوَ هذا

    بالقربِ ذُلاًّ

    so this one will not bow,

    humbled by drawing near.'

  39. سلطانْ

    ألحاظْهُ جنودُهُ

    A sultan:

    his glances are his armies.

  40. بستانْ

    ألفاظه برودُهْ

    A garden:

    his words are its mantles.

  41. ريَّانْ

    من نعمةٍ تَؤودُهْ

    Well-watered

    with luxury that weighs him down.

  42. ألمَّا

    فإنْ تَلفّتا

    He drew near;

    for if he turns to look,

  43. ترى الناس جذاذا

    فَسالِمْهُ وإلاّ

    you see people shattered to pieces;

    so make peace with him—or else.

  44. أبْدِعْ

    بشادنٍ رخيمِ

    How wondrous

    is a soft-voiced fawn!

  45. يَرْتَعْ

    في قلبيَ السليم

    He grazes

    in my unblemished heart.

  46. يَطْلُعْ

    مطالعَ النجوم

    He rises

    at the rising-places of the stars.

  47. يُسَمَّى

    عمداً لِيُنْعَتا

    He is named

    deliberately, so that he may be described.

  48. كلا الحائِمَينِ حاذَى

    به ذاكَ المحلا

    Both circling ones came abreast,

    through him, of that place.

  49. حَنتْ

    إليَّ وهْيَ تَجْزَعْ

    She yearned

    for me, while she was distraught.

  50. جُنَّتْ

    لم تدرِ كيفَ تَصْنَعْ

    She went mad;

    she did not know what to do.

  51. غلَّتْ

    وأُمُّها تَسمَّعْ

    She seethed,

    while her mother listened:

  52. مَمَّا

    يَعْشَقُني ذا الفَتى

    'Mama,

    this young man loves me,

  53. ولا تدري لماذا

    ولا نقُلْ له لا

    and you do not know why,

    and let us not say no to him.'