عادَ الغَداةَ الصَبَّ عيدُ

عادَ الغَداةَ الصَبَّ عيدُ

فَالقَلبُ مَتبولٌ عَميدُ

فَالقَلبُ مَتبولٌ عَميدُ

This morning a returning pang revisited the lover,

The morning of celebration has returned

so his heart is love-ravaged and stricken,

So my enduring heart is exultant,

مِن حُبِّ ظَبيٍ صادَهُ

مِن حُبِّ ظَبيٍ صادَهُ

يا مَن رَأى ظَبياً يَصيدُ

يا مَن رَأى ظَبياً يَصيدُ

from loving a gazelle that caught him.

With love for a gazelle he hunted,

Oh, who has seen a gazelle that hunts?

O you who saw a gazelle being hunted!

أَنِسٌ أَلوفٌ لِلحِجا

أَنِسٌ أَلوفٌ لِلحِجا

لِ وَدونَهُ قَصرٌ مَشيدُ

لِ وَدونَهُ قَصرٌ مَشيدُ

Tame, at home in curtained

With thousands of friends at the Hijaz,

chambers, with a lofty palace barring the way to him.

For him a lofty palace erected,

مِن حَولِهِ حُرّاسُهُ

مِن حَولِهِ حُرّاسُهُ

وَبِبابِهِ أَسَدٌ مَريدُ

وَبِبابِهِ أَسَدٌ مَريدُ

His guards are all around him,

All around it his guards,

and at his gate stands a fierce lion.

At its gate a belligerent lion.

وَالظَبيُ مَسكَنُهُ الفَلا

وَالظَبيُ مَسكَنُهُ الفَلا

ةُ مُطَرَّدٌ فيها شَريدُ

ةُ مُطَرَّدٌ فيها شَريدُ

Yet a gazelle's dwelling is the wild

The gazelle, his dwelling is the meadow,

lands, driven about there, a fugitive.

A fugitive wandering in it scared,

ما إِن تَزالُ تُظِلُّهُ ال

ما إِن تَزالُ تُظِلُّهُ ال

أَمطارُ فيها وَالجَليدُ

أَمطارُ فيها وَالجَليدُ

Never do they cease to cover him—

The rains never cease to shade it,

the rains there, and the frost.

As well as the ice in it.

وَالظَبيُ تَصرَعُهُ الحَبا

وَالظَبيُ تَصرَعُهُ الحَبا

إِلُ وَهوَ عَن شَرَكٍ يَحيدُ

إِلُ وَهوَ عَن شَرَكٍ يَحيدُ

And a gazelle is felled by

The gazelle, passions fell it

snares, while he swerves away from a trap.

While it avoids any partnership.

وَيَطيشُ نَبلي إِن رَمَي

وَيَطيشُ نَبلي إِن رَمَي

تُ وَإِن رَمى فَهوَ المُجيدُ

تُ وَإِن رَمى فَهوَ المُجيدُ

My arrows go astray if I

It dodges my arrows if I shoot,

shoot; but if he shoots, he is the master.

And if it shoots, it is the excellent one.

فَأَصابَ لَمّا أَن رَمى

فَأَصابَ لَمّا أَن رَمى

قَلبي لَهُ سَهمٌ سَديدُ

قَلبي لَهُ سَهمٌ سَديدُ

So when he shot, he struck

So when it shot, it hit my heart

my heart; his arrow was true.

With an arrow right on target

إِذ مَرَّ يَختَلِسُ النُفو

إِذ مَرَّ يَختَلِسُ النُفو

سَ وَخَلفَهُ تُزجيهِ غيدُ

سَ وَخَلفَهُ تُزجيهِ غيدُ

As he passed, stealing

As it walked sneaking up the souls

souls, graceful maidens behind him urged him onward.

With behind it the complaints being led

يَمشي الهُوَينا كَالنَزي

يَمشي الهُوَينا كَالنَزي

فِ لِبُهرِهِ وَهوَ الحَميدُ

فِ لِبُهرِهِ وَهوَ الحَميدُ

He walks softly, like one

It walks delicately like the soft wind

drunk, from his breathlessness, though he is much admired.

Graceful and shy it proceeds

وَعَلى التَرائِبِ دُرَّةٌ

وَعَلى التَرائِبِ دُرَّةٌ

فيها الزَبَرجَدُ وَالفَريدُ

فيها الزَبَرجَدُ وَالفَريدُ

And on her upper chest lies a pearl ornament,

On the carpet there is a pearl

set with peridot and choice pearls.

In it emerald and rare

وَنَقارِسٌ قَد زانَها

وَنَقارِسٌ قَد زانَها

حَلَقٌ غَدائِرُها تَصيدُ

حَلَقٌ غَدائِرُها تَصيدُ

And ornaments have been adorned

Chokers adorned it

with rings; her tresses ensnare.

Their circles delicately knit

وَأَغَنَّ يَحفِلُ عُصفُراً

وَأَغَنَّ يَحفِلُ عُصفُراً

وَكَأَنَّهُ جَمرٌ وَقودُ

وَكَأَنَّهُ جَمرٌ وَقودُ

And a soft, nasal-voiced one, rich in safflower red,

And it sings, busily moving

as though he were a blazing ember.

As if it is fiery coal and firewood

وَالقُرطُ في مَهلوكَةٍ

وَالقُرطُ في مَهلوكَةٍ

مَجراهُ مِن جَبَلٍ بَعيدُ

مَجراهُ مِن جَبَلٍ بَعيدُ

And the earring hangs in a perilous wasteland;

The earrings on a crescent

its course lies far from a mountain.

Its canal from a distant mountain

خَصرٌ لَطيفٌ كَشحُهُ

خَصرٌ لَطيفٌ كَشحُهُ

مَجرى الوِشاحِ لَها خَضيدُ

مَجرى الوِشاحِ لَها خَضيدُ

A waist, delicate at the flank,

A delicate waist, its bend

where her sash runs, supple and soft.

Like the course of a brook, it cheers up

تِلكَ الَّتي لَذَّ الشَبا

تِلكَ الَّتي لَذَّ الشَبا

بُ بِها وَطاوَعَني القَصيدُ

بُ بِها وَطاوَعَني القَصيدُ

She is the one who made my youthful

That which delighted youth with it

days sweet, and verse obeyed me.

And poetry obeyed me

تِلكَ الَّتي حُبٌّ لَها

تِلكَ الَّتي حُبٌّ لَها

في القَلبِ باقٍ لا يَبيدُ

في القَلبِ باقٍ لا يَبيدُ

She is the one for whom love

The one whose love in my heart remains

abides in my heart and never perishes.

Never to perish or disappear

مَن كانَ أَفنى وُدَّهُ

مَن كانَ أَفنى وُدَّهُ

دَهرٌ فَوُدُّكُمُ يَزيدُ

دَهرٌ فَوُدُّكُمُ يَزيدُ

If anyone's affection has been exhausted

Whoever’s love time eradicated

by time, my affection for you increases.

Then your love continues to grow

أَو كانَ غَيَّرَهُ الزَما

أَو كانَ غَيَّرَهُ الزَما

نُ فَحُبُّكُم غَضٌّ جَديدُ

نُ فَحُبُّكُم غَضٌّ جَديدُ

Or if his love has been changed by

Or if time changed it

time, my love for you is tender and new.

Then your love is fresh and new

أَو كانَ جَلداً في الهَوى

أَو كانَ جَلداً في الهَوى

فَأَنا الضَعيفُ لَهُ البَليدُ

فَأَنا الضَعيفُ لَهُ البَليدُ

Or if he is strong in passion,

Or if one is patient in passion

then I am weak before it, dull-witted.

Then I am the weak, the submissive one

يَوماً إِذا لاقَيتُكُم

يَوماً إِذا لاقَيتُكُم

وَلَدى الهِجانِ أَنا التَليدُ

وَلَدى الهِجانِ أَنا التَليدُ

Whenever I meet you,

One day when I meet you

though among fair women I am an old hand,

And by yearning I am the compliant one

لا أَستَطيعُ جَوابَكُم

لا أَستَطيعُ جَوابَكُم

وَلِغَيرِكُم قَولي عَتيدُ

وَلِغَيرِكُم قَولي عَتيدُ

I cannot answer you,

I cannot answer you

yet for others my speech is ready.

While to others, my words are ready

فَأَشَدُّ حُبِّ حُبُّكُم

فَأَشَدُّ حُبِّ حُبُّكُم

وَالحُبُّ أَهوَنُهُ شَديدُ

وَالحُبُّ أَهوَنُهُ شَديدُ

For the fiercest love is my love for you,

But your love is the strongest love

and even the mildest love is fierce.

And the weakest love is severe

فَلَئِن ظَفِرتُ بِخَلوَةٍ

فَلَئِن ظَفِرتُ بِخَلوَةٍ

مِن حِبَّتي فَأَنا السَعيدُ

مِن حِبَّتي فَأَنا السَعيدُ

For if I gain a moment alone

So if I gain seclusion with my beloved

with my beloved, I am the happy one.

Then I am the happy one

أَو مُتُّ مِن حُبّي لَها

أَو مُتُّ مِن حُبّي لَها

فَأَنا القَتيلُ بِهِ الشَهيدُ

فَأَنا القَتيلُ بِهِ الشَهيدُ

Or if I die of my love for her,

Or if I die of my love for her

then I am slain by it—a martyr.

Then I am the martyr, the witness