قُلتُ إِنَّ القَضيبَ يَحكيكَ عَطفاً

قُلتُ إِنَّ القَضيبَ يَحكيكَ عَطفاً

وَغَزالَ الصُرَيمِ جيداً وَطَرفا

وَغَزالَ الصُرَيمِ جيداً وَطَرفا

I said the bough resembles you in suppleness,

I said that the young man charms you with tenderness

and the gazelle of al-Suraym in neck and gaze.

And the neck of the gazelle, graceful and gentle

وَلَقَد حدتُ عَن جَمالِكَ لَمّا

وَلَقَد حدتُ عَن جَمالِكَ لَمّا

قِستُهُ بِالبُدورِ نَعتاً وَوَصفا

قِستُهُ بِالبُدورِ نَعتاً وَوَصفا

Yet I strayed from your beauty when

And I have told of your beauty when

I compared it to full moons in epithet and description.

I compared it to the full moons, praise and description

يا مَليحَ الدَلالِ إِنَّ بِقَلبي

يا مَليحَ الدَلالِ إِنَّ بِقَلبي

نارُ وَجدٍ مِنَ الهَوى لَيسَ يَطفا

نارُ وَجدٍ مِنَ الهَوى لَيسَ يَطفا

O lovely in your coyness, indeed within my heart

O beautiful charmer, in my heart

is a fire of longing born of love that does not go out.

Is a fiery passion from love that does not subside

كُلَّما ازدَدتَ في المَلاحَةِ ضِعفاً

كُلَّما ازدَدتَ في المَلاحَةِ ضِعفاً

زادَ قَلبي مِنَ الصَبابَةِ ضِعفا

زادَ قَلبي مِنَ الصَبابَةِ ضِعفا

Whenever your loveliness doubled,

Whenever you grow more beautiful and weak

my heart's ardent longing doubled.

My heart grows weaker from passion

كُنت لا تَعرِفُ الصُدودَ كَدَمعي

كُنت لا تَعرِفُ الصُدودَ كَدَمعي

صِرت أَقلى مِن دَمعِ عَيني واجِفا

صِرت أَقلى مِن دَمعِ عَيني واجِفا

You once knew no turning away, like my tears;

You did not know rejection like my tears

now you are more disdainful than my eye's quivering tears.

I have become less than the flowing tears of my eyes

بِأَبي نَبِت عارِضَ قُلتُ لَمّا

بِأَبي نَبِت عارِضَ قُلتُ لَمّا

مَدفوقَ النَهارِ بِاللَيلِ سَجفا

مَدفوقَ النَهارِ بِاللَيلِ سَجفا

May my father ransom that cheek's down! I said, when

By my father, I said, when the prominent eyebrows

it spread a curtain of night over daylight:

Pushed away the day with the night, overflowing

النَجاةَ النَجاةَ يا خَيلَ سِلوا

النَجاةَ النَجاةَ يا خَيلَ سِلوا

ني فَجَيشُ الغَرامِ قَد جاءَ زحفا

ني فَجَيشُ الغَرامِ قَد جاءَ زحفا

Help! Help! O cavalry of my consolation—

Salvation, salvation! O horses ask

for the army of passion has already come advancing!

For me, the army of love has come marching

كَيفَ يَخفى الهَوى حَليفَ غرام

كَيفَ يَخفى الهَوى حَليفَ غرام

وَجدُهُ فيكَ واضِحٌ لَيسَ يَخفى

وَجدُهُ فيكَ واضِحٌ لَيسَ يَخفى

How can love be hidden in one bound to passion,

How can love, the confidant of passion

whose longing for you is plain, not concealed?

Be hidden in you, it is clear, it cannot be hidden

لا تَزِدني عَلَيكَ في الحُبِّ وَجداً

لا تَزِدني عَلَيكَ في الحُبِّ وَجداً

بَعضَ ما بي مِنَ الصَبابَةِ يكفى

بَعضَ ما بي مِنَ الصَبابَةِ يكفى

Do not increase my longing for you in love;

Do not increase me in love and passion

some of the yearning within me is enough.

Some of the passion in me is enough

يا مُديرَ الكُؤسِ مِن مُقلَتِهِ

يا مُديرَ الكُؤسِ مِن مُقلَتِهِ

أَنتَ جَرَّعتَني الصَبابَةَ صَرفا

أَنتَ جَرَّعتَني الصَبابَةَ صَرفا

O cupbearer who passes cups from his eye,

O cupbearer, from his angled cup

you made me drink ardent yearning undiluted.

You have made me drink passion straight

يا نَسيمَ العِراقِ هبَّ فَقد آ

يا نَسيمَ العِراقِ هبَّ فَقد آ

نَسَ قَلبي مِن طَيِّ نشرِكَ عَرفا

نَسَ قَلبي مِن طَيِّ نشرِكَ عَرفا

O breeze of Iraq, blow, for already

O breeze of Iraq, blow, for I have

my heart has sensed a fragrance from the folds of your wafting.

Forgotten my heart from the scent of your air

واِصطَنعني بِنَفحَةٍ مِن زَرودٍ

واِصطَنعني بِنَفحَةٍ مِن زَرودٍ

إِنَّ قَلبي بِغَيرِها لَيسَ يُشفى

إِنَّ قَلبي بِغَيرِها لَيسَ يُشفى

And favor me with a breath from Zarud;

And heal me with a whiff of flowers

indeed, without it my heart cannot be healed.

For my heart cannot be cured with anything else