وَمَريضِ كَرِّ اللحْظِ تَحسِبُ أَنَّما

وَمَريضِ كَرِّ اللحْظِ تَحسِبُ أَنَّما

أَجفانُهُ نَشْوى بِلا خَمْرِ

أَجفانُهُ نَشْوى بِلا خَمْرِ

And one whose returning glance is languid—you would think

And the sick one with heavy-lidded eyes, you'd think

his eyelids were drunk without wine.

His eyelids were dewy without wine

يُزْهى بِراءٍ مِنْ زُمُرُّدِ شَعْرِهِ

يُزْهى بِراءٍ مِنْ زُمُرُّدِ شَعْرِهِ

خُلِقَتْ مُنَكَّسَةً عَلَى الثَّغْرِ

خُلِقَتْ مُنَكَّسَةً عَلَى الثَّغْرِ

He glories in a letter rāʾ of his emerald hair,

Adorned with pure emerald hair

fashioned upside down above his mouth.

Created hanging over his lips

لي من تَمَرُّضِ طَرْفِهِ وكَلامِهِ

لي من تَمَرُّضِ طَرْفِهِ وكَلامِهِ

سُكْران من خَمْرٍ ومن سِحْرِ

سُكْران من خَمْرٍ ومن سِحْرِ

From his languishing glance and his speech I have

To me his feigned illness of glance and speech

two intoxications—from wine and from magic.

Is intoxication, magic and sorcery

شَبَّهْتُ غُرَّةَ وجههِ إِذْ أَشْرَقَتْ

شَبَّهْتُ غُرَّةَ وجههِ إِذْ أَشْرَقَتْ

مِن فَوْقِ لَيْلٍ مِنْ دُجى الشَّعْرِ

مِن فَوْقِ لَيْلٍ مِنْ دُجى الشَّعْرِ

I likened the radiance of his face, when it shone

I compared the radiance of his face when it shone

above a night of the hair’s darkness,

Above a night of the darkness of hair

تَقويسَ نُونٍ مِنْ نِقابِ خَريدَةٍ

تَقويسَ نُونٍ مِنْ نِقابِ خَريدَةٍ

نَقَلَتْهُ مِن خَفَرٍ عَلى بَدْرِ

نَقَلَتْهُ مِن خَفَرٍ عَلى بَدْرِ

to the nūn-shaped curve of a maiden’s veil,

To the bending of a noon letter from the veil of a fair woman

which she shifted, out of modesty, over a full moon;

Moved from a guard to the full moon

أَوْ مثلَ ضَوْءِ هلالِ وَصلٍ لاحَ لي

أَوْ مثلَ ضَوْءِ هلالِ وَصلٍ لاحَ لي

بالسَّعْدِ بَيْنَ سَحابَتَيْ هَجْرِ

بالسَّعْدِ بَيْنَ سَحابَتَيْ هَجْرِ

or to the light of reunion’s crescent, which appeared to me

Or like the light of a crescent moon that appeared to me

auspiciously, between two clouds of separation.

With good fortune between two clouds of estrangement

خُلِقَتْ محاسِنُهُ عَليهِ كَما اشْتَهى

خُلِقَتْ محاسِنُهُ عَليهِ كَما اشْتَهى

وخُلِقْتُ ما لي عنهُ مِنْ صبرِ

وخُلِقْتُ ما لي عنهُ مِنْ صبرِ

His charms were fashioned upon him just as he desired,

His beauties were created upon him as he wished

and I was created unable to bear being without him.

And I was created with no patience from him