قوامُكَ ثُمَّ لَحظُكَ يا غُلامُ

قوامُكَ ثُمَّ لَحظُكَ يا غُلامُ

كَأَنَّهُما المُثَقَّفُ وَالحُسامُ

كَأَنَّهُما المُثَقَّفُ وَالحُسامُ

Your stature, then your glance, O youth—

Your stature, then your glance, O youth,

as though they were a straightened lance and a keen sword.

are like the straightened lance and the keen sword.

وَلِلبيضِ المَواضي وَالعَوالي

وَلِلبيضِ المَواضي وَالعَوالي

بِذا التَشبيهِ تيهٌ وَاِبتِسامُ

بِذا التَشبيهِ تيهٌ وَاِبتِسامُ

The keen white swords and lofty lances

And the white, keen blades and lofty lances

take pride in this comparison and smile.

take pride in this comparison and smile.

وَأَنّى لِلسُيوفِ فَعالُ هَذي ال

وَأَنّى لِلسُيوفِ فَعالُ هَذي ال

لِحاظِ وَلِلقَنا هَذا القوامُ

لِحاظِ وَلِلقَنا هَذا القوامُ

And how could swords accomplish what these—

And how could swords achieve the feats of these

glances do, or lances possess this stature?

glances, or lances possess this stature?

عَقَدتَ بِعَقدِ بَندِكَ في فُؤادي

عَقَدتَ بِعَقدِ بَندِكَ في فُؤادي

غَراماً ما لِعُروَتِهِ اِنفِصامُ

غَراماً ما لِعُروَتِهِ اِنفِصامُ

With the knot of your sash, within my heart I bound

You tied, with your sash's knot, within my heart

a passion whose bond can never break.

a passion whose loop can never break.

أَمِط عَنكَ السِلاحَ غَنيتَ عَنهُ

أَمِط عَنكَ السِلاحَ غَنيتَ عَنهُ

وَأَنتَ الفارِسُ البَطَلُ الهُمامُ

وَأَنتَ الفارِسُ البَطَلُ الهُمامُ

Lay your weapon aside—you have no need of it,

Cast off your weapons; you have no need of them,

for you are the valiant, heroic knight.

for you are the heroic, valiant horseman.

إِذا ما كُنتَ أَعزَلَ كُنتَ شاكي ال

إِذا ما كُنتَ أَعزَلَ كُنتَ شاكي ال

سِلاحِ يَهابُكَ الجَيشُ اللُهامُ

سِلاحِ يَهابُكَ الجَيشُ اللُهامُ

Whenever you are unarmed, you bristle with—

Even when unarmed, you are bristling with

weapons; the vast host itself fears you.

weapons; the vast army fears you.

وَأَسمَرَ هَزَّ أَسمَرَ في كَثيبٍ

وَأَسمَرَ هَزَّ أَسمَرَ في كَثيبٍ

تَأَلَّقَ فَوقَهُ البَدرُ التِمامُ

تَأَلَّقَ فَوقَهُ البَدرُ التِمامُ

A dusky youth brandished a tawny lance amid a battalion;

And a swarthy youth shook a dark lance in a dune,

above it the full moon gleamed in all its fullness,

above which the full moon gleamed,

مِنَ الزَّرَدِ المُضاعَفِ في لِثامٍ

مِنَ الزَّرَدِ المُضاعَفِ في لِثامٍ

يُضاعِفُ حُسنَهُ ذاكَ اللِّثامُ

يُضاعِفُ حُسنَهُ ذاكَ اللِّثامُ

from behind doubled chain mail, wearing a veil;

in a veil of doubled chainmail—

and that very veil redoubled his beauty.

that veil doubles his beauty.

حَمى تُفّاحَ خَدَّيهِ بِطَرفٍ

حَمى تُفّاحَ خَدَّيهِ بِطَرفٍ

صَحيحٍ ما يُفارِقُهُ السَّقامُ

صَحيحٍ ما يُفارِقُهُ السَّقامُ

He guarded the apples of his cheeks with an eye

He guarded the apples of his cheeks with a gaze

so sound that languor never leaves it.

sound, yet never free from sickness.

إِلَيكُم بِالعُيونِ النُجلِ عَنّي

إِلَيكُم بِالعُيونِ النُجلِ عَنّي

فَفي الحَدَقِ الصِّغارِ نَمى الغَرامُ

فَفي الحَدَقِ الصِّغارِ نَمى الغَرامُ

Keep those wide eyes away from me!

Take the wide eyes away from me;

For passion has flourished within narrow pupils.

for love has grown in the small pupils.

عُيونُ التُركِ أَنفَذُ في الوَغى مِن

عُيونُ التُركِ أَنفَذُ في الوَغى مِن

سِهامِهمُ إِذا اِرتَفَعَ القَتامُ

سِهامِهمُ إِذا اِرتَفَعَ القَتامُ

The eyes of the Turks pierce deeper into battle than—

The Turks' eyes pierce more deeply in battle than

their arrows, when the dust-cloud rises.

their arrows when the battle-dust rises.

وَهَل لِلناسِجِ المبسوطِ فَعلُ ال

وَهَل لِلناسِجِ المبسوطِ فَعلُ ال

أغالِقِ حينَ تَختَلِفُ السِهامُ

أغالِقِ حينَ تَختَلِفُ السِهامُ

Can those whose eyes are wide open do what the—

And can the outspread 'weaver' match the work of

tightly closed eyes do when arrows clash?

the darts when arrows crisscross?

لهُ مِن أَشرَفِ الأَنوارِ جِسمٌ

لهُ مِن أَشرَفِ الأَنوارِ جِسمٌ

بَلانا مَن بَراهُ بِهِ جُسامُ

بَلانا مَن بَراهُ بِهِ جُسامُ

He has a body fashioned from the noblest light;

He has a body of the noblest light;

mighty are the trials with which his Maker tested us through him.

he who fashioned him has sorely tried us through him.

لَنا مِن ريقِهِ خَمرٌ حَلالٌ

لَنا مِن ريقِهِ خَمرٌ حَلالٌ

تَمَنّى وَصفَها الخَمرُ الحَرامُ

تَمَنّى وَصفَها الخَمرُ الحَرامُ

From his saliva we have lawful wine,

From his saliva we have lawful wine,

whose qualities forbidden wine itself longs to possess.

whose qualities forbidden wine longs to claim.

فَوا ظَمَأي إِلى بَرَدٍ بِفيهِ

فَوا ظَمَأي إِلى بَرَدٍ بِفيهِ

فَفي فيهِ مَعَ البَرَدِ المُدامُ

فَفي فيهِ مَعَ البَرَدِ المُدامُ

Ah, how I thirst for the coolness within his mouth!

And oh, my thirst for the hail in his mouth!

For in his mouth, together with that coolness, is wine.

For in his mouth, alongside the hail, is wine.

هُوَ الصَنَمَ الَّذي يَبدو فَلولا اِت

هُوَ الصَنَمَ الَّذي يَبدو فَلولا اِت

تِقاءُ اللَهِ ضَلَّ بِهِ الأَنامُ

تِقاءُ اللَهِ ضَلَّ بِهِ الأَنامُ

He is the idol made manifest—were it not for the—

He is the idol who appears; were it not for

fear of God, all humankind would stray through him.

fear of God, mankind would go astray through him.

فَضَمُّ عَقارِبِ الأَصداغِ مِنهُ

فَضَمُّ عَقارِبِ الأَصداغِ مِنهُ

إِلى حَنَشِ الذُؤابَةِ لا يُرامُ

إِلى حَنَشِ الذُؤابَةِ لا يُرامُ

Then draw the scorpions of his temple-locks

So clasping the scorpions of his temples

to the serpent of his forelock—he cannot be approached.

with the serpent of his tress is not to be attempted.

وَذَلِكَ إِنَّما يَحويهِ حاوٍ

وَذَلِكَ إِنَّما يَحويهِ حاوٍ

حَوى أَقصى الأَماني وَالسَلامُ

حَوى أَقصى الأَماني وَالسَلامُ

Only a snake-charmer can encompass all that,

And only a snake-charmer can possess that,

one who has encompassed the utmost desires—and enough said.

one who has attained the utmost of wishes—and peace!

أَدِر كَأسَ المُدامَةِ وَاِجلُها في

أَدِر كَأسَ المُدامَةِ وَاِجلُها في

غَلائِلِ جَوهَرٍ وَلَها اِضطرامُ

غَلائِلِ جَوهَرٍ وَلَها اِضطرامُ

Pass round the cup of wine and display it in

Pass round the cup of wine, and unveil it in

robes of crystal, all ablaze:

thin robes of crystal, while it blazes:

مُعَتَّقَةً كُمَيتَ اللَّونِ صِرفاً

مُعَتَّقَةً كُمَيتَ اللَّونِ صِرفاً

مِنَ المِسكِ الذَكِيِّ لَها خِتامُ

مِنَ المِسكِ الذَكِيِّ لَها خِتامُ

well-aged, deep red in color, and pure,

well-aged, reddish-brown in color, unmixed,

with fragrant musk as its seal.

its seal made of fragrant musk.

فَفي الأَفواهِ مِنها زَنجَبيلٌ

فَفي الأَفواهِ مِنها زَنجَبيلٌ

إِذا نَفَحَت يُسَلُّ بِها الزُكامُ

إِذا نَفَحَت يُسَلُّ بِها الزُكامُ

In every mouth it leaves the warmth of ginger;

For in the mouth it yields ginger;

when it breathes its fragrance, it makes one forget a cold.

when its scent wafts, it drives away the common cold.

تَصُبُّ عَلى ظَلامِ اللَيلِ ضَوءَ الن

تَصُبُّ عَلى ظَلامِ اللَيلِ ضَوءَ الن

نَهارِ فَيَنجَلي عَنّا الظَلامُ

نَهارِ فَيَنجَلي عَنّا الظَلامُ

Upon the darkness of night it pours the light of—

It pours upon the darkness of night the light of

day, and darkness lifts from us.

day, so darkness lifts from us.

وَمِن دُرِّ الحَبابِ لَها نِظامٌ

وَمِن دُرِّ الحَبابِ لَها نِظامٌ

أَلا يا حَبَّذا ذاكَ النِظامُ

أَلا يا حَبَّذا ذاكَ النِظامُ

From the pearls of its bubbles it has a necklace—

And it has a necklace of pearly bubbles—

ah, how lovely is that strand!

ah, how lovely is that necklace!

مَتى يَنزِل بِقَلبٍ حَلَّ فيهِ ال

مَتى يَنزِل بِقَلبٍ حَلَّ فيهِ ال

سُرورُ وَشَرَّدَ الهَمَّ اِنهِزامُ

سُرورُ وَشَرَّدَ الهَمَّ اِنهِزامُ

Whenever it descends into a heart, there settles within it—

Whenever it descends into a heart, there settles

joy, while care flees in routed flight.

joy, and a rout sends sorrow fleeing.