بَريقٌ لاحَ مُؤتلِقا

بَريقٌ لاحَ مُؤتلِقا

وَجنحُ الليلِ قَد غسقا

وَجنحُ الليلِ قَد غسقا

A gleam appeared, radiant,

A flash gleamed radiantly,

while the wing of night had darkened.

And the wings of night had fallen dark.

فَبتُّ لهُ كئيباً سا

فَبتُّ لهُ كئيباً سا

هراً في مَضجَعي أَرِقا

هراً في مَضجَعي أَرِقا

So I spent the night, saddened by it,

So I spent the night miserable and sleepless,

wakeful, sleepless in my bed.

Tossing and turning in my bed.

وشهبُ سمائهِ قد زي

وشهبُ سمائهِ قد زي

ينت بِضيائِها الأفُقا

ينت بِضيائِها الأفُقا

And the bright stars of its sky had adorned

The stars of its sky shone

the horizon with their light.

With their brilliance on the horizon.

وذكّرني فريقاً قد

وذكّرني فريقاً قد

غَدوا لِفراقهم فرقا

غَدوا لِفراقهم فرقا

And it reminded me of a company who

And they reminded me of a band

had become scattered through their parting.

Who at their parting were torn apart.

وَلي قلبٌ كئيبٌ في ال

وَلي قلبٌ كئيبٌ في ال

هَوى قد ذابَ واِحتَرقا

هَوى قد ذابَ واِحتَرقا

And I have a sorrowful heart in

My heart is miserable with passion,

love, which has melted and burned.

Melted and set ablaze.

عليلٌ كلَّما خَفقت

عليلٌ كلَّما خَفقت

لهُ ريحُ الصبا خَفقا

لهُ ريحُ الصبا خَفقا

Ailing: whenever there blows

Infirm, whenever the morning breeze stirs,

for it the east wind, it flutters.

It stirs and flutters.

أسيرُ الوجدِ باب الصبر

أسيرُ الوجدِ باب الصبر

عليهِ اِنسدّ واِنغَلَقا

عليهِ اِنسدّ واِنغَلَقا

A captive of longing, the door of patience

I am love's captive; the door of patience upon it

has been barred and shut against it.

Is shut and bolted.

ومرهفة توشّح بال

ومرهفة توشّح بال

خلاخلِ خصرها القلقا

خلاخلِ خصرها القلقا

And a slender maiden girdles

A gazelle, clad in the anklets’ tinkling,

her swaying waist with anklets.

Appeared by night over a moon-like tent pole and a branch above a lofty dune.

بَدَت ليلاً على قمرٍ

بَدَت ليلاً على قمرٍ

وَغُصناً فوق دعص نقا

وَغُصناً فوق دعص نقا

She appeared as night above a moon,

Sipping from its spittle as if from wine,

and as a branch above a mound of sand.

Tasting it in draughts and sips.

مجاجةُ ريقِها كالنح

مجاجةُ ريقِها كالنح

لِ مرتشفاُ ومَلتعقا

لِ مرتشفاُ ومَلتعقا

The nectar of her saliva is like bees' honey,

With true devotion my love I gave her,

when sipped or licked.

Never tasting it or sipping.

لها أَخلصتُ في ودّي

لها أَخلصتُ في ودّي

وما مازجتهُ مذقا

وما مازجتهُ مذقا

For her I have been sincere in my love,

I know not whether a bud she planted

and have mixed it with no deceit.

In my heart, or a piercing glance.

وَما أَدري أنبلاً أر

وَما أَدري أنبلاً أر

سَلَت في القلبِ أَم حدقا

سَلَت في القلبِ أَم حدقا

I do not know whether it was arrows she

She is coy with me, yet shows me

sent into my heart, or eyes.

Gentleness, charm, and favor.

تُجافيني وتُظهر لي الد

تُجافيني وتُظهر لي الد

دَلال العذبَ والملقا

دَلال العذبَ والملقا

She shuns me, yet shows me

In beauty she surpasses the full moon of heaven,

sweet coquetry and flattery.

Should it be full and perfectly round.

تفوقُ بِحُسنها بدرَ الس

تفوقُ بِحُسنها بدرَ الس

سَما إِن تمّ واِتّسَقا

سَما إِن تمّ واِتّسَقا

In beauty she surpasses the full moon

When she appears, you see

of heaven, when full and perfectly rounded.

A cheek, soft, white, pure.

تريكَ إِذا بَدت خدّاً

تريكَ إِذا بَدت خدّاً

أَسيلاً أبيضاً يققا

أَسيلاً أبيضاً يققا

When she appears, she shows you a cheek,

And, like musk, verses in order strewn,

smooth, white, dazzlingly fair.

Their fragrance wafting.

وَنظماً مُحكماً كالمس

وَنظماً مُحكماً كالمس

كِ فاحَ أريجهُ عبقا

كِ فاحَ أريجهُ عبقا

And finely wrought verse, like musk,

When you speak to them about what they contain,

whose fragrance wafts, sweet-scented.

They speak back to you in rhyme.

إِذا اِستَنطقتهُ عمّا

إِذا اِستَنطقتهُ عمّا

تضمّنَ واِحتوى نطقا

تضمّنَ واِحتوى نطقا

If you bid it speak of what

I sought, trying to make them come to me,

it holds and contains, it speaks.

And they flowed to me smooth and slick.

طلبتُ مُحاولاًمنه ال

طلبتُ مُحاولاًمنه ال

مجيءَ فجاءَ مُندلقا

مجيءَ فجاءَ مُندلقا

I asked, endeavoring to make it

Praise for the king - may the singer

come, and it came pouring forth:

Of his subtle generosity pour music in the East.

مديحٌ في المليك فلا

مديحٌ في المليك فلا

ح مغني لطفه شرقا

ح مغني لطفه شرقا

praise of King Falah,

Scion of the benefactor, the king

the radiant abode of his grace.

Who has arranged the honor of superiority.

سليلُ المحسنِ الملك ال

سليلُ المحسنِ الملك ال

لَذي رتبَ الفخارِ رَقا

لَذي رتبَ الفخارِ رَقا

Scion of al-Muhsin, the king

A brother of generosity - if you seek

who climbed the ranks of glory.

A gift from him, it flows freely.

أَخو كرمٍ إٍذا اِستعفف

أَخو كرمٍ إٍذا اِستعفف

ت شعراً عندهُ نَفَقا

ت شعراً عندهُ نَفَقا

A generous man: when I refrain from begging,

poetry finds a ready market with him.