أُحِبُّ مُعانَقَةَ النَرجِسِ

أُحِبُّ مُعانَقَةَ النَرجِسِ

لِعَينَيكِ يا اِبنَةَ كولَمبُسِ

لِعَينَيكِ يا اِبنَةَ كولَمبُسِ

I love embracing the narcissus

I love caressing narcissus

I love embracing the narcissus,

For your eyes, O daughter of Columbus;

For your eyes, oh daughter of Columbus

For the sake of your eyes, O daughter of Columbus,

وَأَهوى الشَقيقَ وَلَثمَ العَقيقِ

وَأَهوى الشَقيقَ وَلَثمَ العَقيقِ

لِخَدِّكَ وَالثَغرِ الأَلعَسِ

لِخَدِّكَ وَالثَغرِ الأَلعَسِ

And I adore the anemone and kissing carnelian,

And I crave carnations and kiss ruby

And I adore the anemone and kissing the carnelian,

For your cheek and your dusky lips.

For your cheek and pouty lips

For they resemble your cheek and your dark-hued lips.

أَعِندَكَ إِن غِبتَ عَن ناظِري

أَعِندَكَ إِن غِبتَ عَن ناظِري

مَشَيتُ مِنَ الصُبحِ في حِندِسِ

مَشَيتُ مِنَ الصُبحِ في حِندِسِ

Do you know that, if you vanish from my sight,

Do you miss me when I'm away from your sight?

Do you know that when you vanish from my sight,

I walk out of morning into pitch darkness,

I walked from dawn in silk

I walk from the break of dawn in pitch darkness?

وَأَنَّ الظَلامَ عَلى هَولِهِ

وَأَنَّ الظَلامَ عَلى هَولِهِ

إِذا جِئتِ حالَ إِلى مُشمِسِ

إِذا جِئتِ حالَ إِلى مُشمِسِ

And that darkness, for all its terror,

And darkness in all its horror

And that the night, despite its terror,

Turns into sunshine when you come,

When you came to my sun

Transforms into sunlight when you appear?

وَفي الصَدرِ قَلباً وَلا كَالقُلوبِ

وَفي الصَدرِ قَلباً وَلا كَالقُلوبِ

مَتى شِئتِ يَسعَدِ أَو يَتعَسِ

مَتى شِئتِ يَسعَدِ أَو يَتعَسِ

And that in my breast is a heart unlike other hearts,

In my heart a heart unlike hearts

Inside my chest is a heart unlike other hearts;

Happy or wretched whenever you wish?

Happy or sad whenever you wish

It finds joy or misery whenever you wish.

وَدِدتُ الإِفاضَةَ قَبلَ اللِقاءِ

وَدِدتُ الإِفاضَةَ قَبلَ اللِقاءِ

فَلَمّا لَقيتُكِ لَم أَنبَسِ

فَلَمّا لَقيتُكِ لَم أَنبَسِ

I wished to speak at length before our meeting,

I wanted to talk before meeting

I longed to pour out my soul before we met,

But when I met you, I uttered not a word.

But when I met you I was speechless

Yet when I met you, I could not speak a word.

وَبِتُّ وَإِيّاكِ في مَعزِلٍ

وَبِتُّ وَإِيّاكِ في مَعزِلٍ

كَأَنّي وَإِيّاكِ في مَجلِسِ

كَأَنّي وَإِيّاكِ في مَجلِسِ

And I spent the night with you in seclusion,

I spend the night with you in seclusion

I spent the night alone with you in seclusion,

As though you and I were at a gathering.

As if you and I are in a gathering

Yet I behaved as though we sat in a crowded assembly.

وَلَو أَنَّ ما بِيَ بَِلطَودِ دُكَّ

وَلَو أَنَّ ما بِيَ بَِلطَودِ دُكَّ

وَبِالأَسَدِ الوَردِ لَم يَفرِسِ

وَبِالأَسَدِ الوَردِ لَم يَفرِسِ

And if what ails me were in a mountain, it would be shattered;

If I possessed the ferocity of a bear

Had a mountain borne the weight of my feelings, it would have crumbled,

And were it in a tawny lion, that lion would not seize prey.

And gentleness of a rose I wouldn't lose hope

And had the tawny lion felt it, he would have ceased his hunt.

هَمَمتُ فَأَنكَرَني مَقوَلي

هَمَمتُ فَأَنكَرَني مَقوَلي

وَشاءَ الغَرامُ فَلَم أَهجِسِ

وَشاءَ الغَرامُ فَلَم أَهجِسِ

I resolved to speak, but my tongue disowned me;

I decided to speak but my words failed me

I strove to speak, but my tongue betrayed me,

And passion willed it, yet I did not murmur.

And love had its way so I stayed silent

And though passion willed it, I could not whisper a sound.

كَأَنِّيَ لَستُ أَميرَ الكَلامِ

كَأَنِّيَ لَستُ أَميرَ الكَلامِ

وَلا صاحِبَ المَنطِقِ الأَنفَسِ

وَلا صاحِبَ المَنطِقِ الأَنفَسِ

As though I were not the prince of speech,

As if I'm not the prince of speech

As if I were not the Prince of Words,

Nor the master of the finest eloquence.

Or master of exquisite rhetoric

Nor the master of the most precious eloquence.

جَلالُكِ وَاللَيلُ في صَمتِهِ

جَلالُكِ وَاللَيلُ في صَمتِهِ

فَلا غَروَ أَن رُحتُ كَالأَخرَسِ

فَلا غَروَ أَن رُحتُ كَالأَخرَسِ

Your majesty, and the night in its silence—

Your glory and the night in its silence

Your majesty, coupled with the night's deep silence—

So no wonder I became like one unable to speak.

No wonder I became mute

It is no wonder I became as one mute.

وَمَرَّت بِنا ساعَةٌ خِلتُنا

وَمَرَّت بِنا ساعَةٌ خِلتُنا

خلَعنا الجُسومَ عَنِ الأَنفُسِ

خلَعنا الجُسومَ عَنِ الأَنفُسِ

And an hour passed over us; I fancied we had

An hour passed while we were alone

An hour passed over us wherein I fancied

Cast our bodies off our souls,

We took off our clothes and pretended

We had shed our bodies from our souls,

وَأَنّا مِنَ الرَوضِ في جَنَّةٍ

وَأَنّا مِنَ الرَوضِ في جَنَّةٍ

وَأَنّا مِنَ العُشبِ في سُندُسِ

وَأَنّا مِنَ العُشبِ في سُندُسِ

And that, instead of the garden, we were in paradise,

That we were in a garden of bliss

As if we were in a paradise within the garden,

And that, instead of grass, we were on fine silk.

And on meadows of lily

And seated not on grass, but on fine silk brocade.

كَذاكَ الهَوى فِعلُهُ في النُفوسِ

كَذاكَ الهَوى فِعلُهُ في النُفوسِ

كَفِعلِ المُدامَةِ في الأَرأُسِ

كَفِعلِ المُدامَةِ في الأَرأُسِ

Such is love's effect upon souls,

Such is the effect of passion on the soul

Such is the effect of passion upon souls,

Like the effect of wine upon heads.

Like alcohol's sway on heads

Like the effect of wine upon the mind.

تَنَبَّهَ فيها وَفِيَّ الهَوى

تَنَبَّهَ فيها وَفِيَّ الهَوى

فَلَو نَعيسَ النَجمُ لَم نَنعَسِ

فَلَو نَعيسَ النَجمُ لَم نَنعَسِ

Love awoke in her and in me,

Passion awoke in me and you

Passion awoke within her and within me;

So even if the star grew drowsy, we would not doze.

If stars slept we wouldn't doze

Had the stars themselves grown drowsy, we would not have slept.

وَكُلُّ فُؤادٍ شَديدُ العُرامِ

وَكُلُّ فُؤادٍ شَديدُ العُرامِ

إِذا رِضتَهُ بَِلهَوى يَسلَسِ

إِذا رِضتَهُ بَِلهَوى يَسلَسِ

And every fiercely unruly heart

And every heart fiercely in love

For every heart, however fierce and wild,

Grows docile when you tame it with love.

Is humbled when you are pleased

Becomes pliable when tamed by love.

فَمالَت فَطَوَّقَها ساعِدي

فَمالَت فَطَوَّقَها ساعِدي

مُنَعَّمَةً بَضَّةَ الملمَسِ

مُنَعَّمَةً بَضَّةَ الملمَسِ

Then she leaned, and my arm encircled her,

She leaned toward me and I embraced her

She leaned toward me, and my arm embraced her—

Delicate and soft to the touch.

Velvety smooth to the touch

A creature of luxury, soft and delicate to the touch.

وَإِنَّ العَفَّ لَفي بُردِها

وَإِنَّ العَفَّ لَفي بُردِها

وَإِنَّ الإِباءَ لَفي مِعطَسي

وَإِنَّ الإِباءَ لَفي مِعطَسي

And chastity is surely within her mantle,

Chastity is in her coldness

Yet, surely chastity dwelt within her robe,

And pride is surely in my nose.

And refusal in my sneeze

And noble restraint governed my spirit.

وَقُلتُ وَكَفِّيَ في كَفِّها

وَقُلتُ وَكَفِّيَ في كَفِّها

أَلا صرِّحي لِيَ أَو فَاِهمِسي

أَلا صرِّحي لِيَ أَو فَاِهمِسي

And I said, with my palm in hers,

I said to her, my palm in hers

I asked, with my hand resting in hers:

“Come, speak plainly to me—or else whisper:

Speak openly or whisper

"Will you not declare it to me, or at least whisper it?"

بَلاءٌ هُوَ الحُبُّ أَم نِعمَةٌ

بَلاءٌ هُوَ الحُبُّ أَم نِعمَةٌ

أَجابَت تَجَلَّد وَلا تَيأَسِ

أَجابَت تَجَلَّد وَلا تَيأَسِ

Is love an affliction or a blessing?”

Is love a trial or a gift?

"Is this love an affliction, or a blessing?"

She answered, “Be steadfast, and do not despair.”

She answered, be patient and don't lose hope

She replied: "Endure, and do not despair."