أرأيت كيفَ بدا يشيرُ

أرأيت كيفَ بدا يشيرُ

بلحاظه الرشأُ الغَريرُ

بلحاظه الرشأُ الغَريرُ

Have you seen how he appeared, signaling

I saw how his glances began to gesture,

with his glances—the guileless fawn?

The delicate eyelash, so charming,

خطّ ابن مُقلته الهوى

خطّ ابن مُقلته الهوى

وارتاحَ يقرأهُ الضميرُ

وارتاحَ يقرأهُ الضميرُ

His eye's Ibn Muqla inscribed love,

Tracing the line of his enamored eyelid,

and the inner self delighted in reading it.

And the conscience found peace reading it.

في طُرس خدٍّ من خيال

في طُرس خدٍّ من خيال

الهدبِ لاحَ به سطورُ

الهدبِ لاحَ به سطورُ

On a cheek's parchment, from the shadow

In the apples of cheeks of fantasy,

of eyelashes, lines appeared upon it.

Lines shone through the down,

فصحيفةُ البشرى محيَّاه

فصحيفةُ البشرى محيَّاه

ورونقه البشيرُ

ورونقه البشيرُ

His face is thus the page of glad tidings,

So the parchment of good tidings smiled at him,

and his radiance their herald.

And the harbinger adorned it.

حيَّا بيوم كادَ يقطر

حيَّا بيوم كادَ يقطر

من غضارته السرورُ

من غضارته السرورُ

He offered greetings on a day almost dripping

It greeted a day that almost dripped,

with joy from its luxuriant freshness.

With its abundant joy,

وأدارَ لامعةً تشفُّ

وأدارَ لامعةً تشفُّ

كخدّه بأبي المديرُ

كخدّه بأبي المديرُ

And he passed around a gleaming cup, translucent

And turned a shining blade that reveals,

like his cheek—may my father ransom the cupbearer!

Like his cheek, the full moon.

أَهلاً وقد حدرَ اللثا

أَهلاً وقد حدرَ اللثا

مَ كأنَّه القمرُ المنيرُ

مَ كأنَّه القمرُ المنيرُ

Welcome! Now that he has lowered the veil,

Welcome! The spittle almost fell,

he seems like the radiant moon.

As if it were the shining moon,

رشأٌ إذا كسرَ الجفونَ

رشأٌ إذا كسرَ الجفونَ

فقلبُ عاشِقه الكسيرُ

فقلبُ عاشِقه الكسيرُ

A fawn—when he lowers his eyelids,

An eyelash, if it touches the eyelids,

it is his lover's heart that breaks.

Then the heart of its lover breaks.

والجفنُ أصرع ما يكون

والجفنُ أصرع ما يكون

غداةَ يصرعهُ الفتورُ

غداةَ يصرعهُ الفتورُ

And the eyelid is at its deadliest

And the eyelid is the quickest to fall,

on the morning when languor lays it low.

The next morning, broken by languor.

خصر اللمى تحيي وتق

خصر اللمى تحيي وتق

تل في تكسّرها الخصورُ

تل في تكسّرها الخصورُ

Cool are his dusky lips; life and death are dealt

The waist of a gazelle revives and kills,

by the waists as they sway.

In its subtle movements the souls perish.

يا جاهلاً نبأَ اللحاظ

يا جاهلاً نبأَ اللحاظ

وذاكَ يعقله البصيرُ

وذاكَ يعقله البصيرُ

O you ignorant of the message of glances—

O ignorant one, the news of the glances,

and that is understood by the discerning—

Only the wise understands it.

أفلا سقطتَ على الخبير

أفلا سقطتَ على الخبير

بوحيها فأنا الخبيرُ

بوحيها فأنا الخبيرُ

have you not, then, come upon the expert

Why have you not fallen upon the expert,

in their intimations? For I am the expert.

With her inspiration? I am the expert!

إنَّ الوجوهَ لكالزجاجة

إنَّ الوجوهَ لكالزجاجة

تستبينُ بها الأُمورُ

تستبينُ بها الأُمورُ

Indeed, faces are like glass:

Faces are like glass,

through them, matters become clear.

Through them matters become clear,

وتشفُّ عمَّا خلفها

وتشفُّ عمَّا خلفها

فله بها أبداً ظهورُ

فله بها أبداً ظهورُ

And they reveal what lies behind them,

And they reveal what is behind them,

so through them it is ever manifest.

So through them His signs always appear.

وإذا القلوبُ تراسلت

وإذا القلوبُ تراسلت

فمن اللحاظ لها سفيرُ

فمن اللحاظ لها سفيرُ

And when hearts exchange messages,

And when hearts correspond,

from glances comes their envoy.

The glances are their envoys.

بشراك زرتك يقظة

بشراك زرتك يقظة

فالطيف طارقه غُرورُ

فالطيف طارقه غُرورُ

Good news for you: I visited you in waking life,

In a dream I visited you,

for a dream's night-visitor is a deception.

So fantasies were the deceiving visitor.

فدعوت لي فيه الهنا

فدعوت لي فيه الهنا

ولغيري الجدّ العثورُ

ولغيري الجدّ العثورُ

So I prayed for happiness for myself in it,

I invoked blessing upon you,

and for others, fortune that stumbles.

And for others, serious effort.

أحبب إليك بهالةٍ

أحبب إليك بهالةٍ

فيها تنادمتِ البدورُ

فيها تنادمتِ البدورُ

How dear to you is a halo

I loved you with an aura,

in which full moons drank together!

In which stars were intimate.

هي جنَّة لكن سقاةُ

هي جنَّة لكن سقاةُ

رحيقها المختوم حورُ

رحيقها المختوم حورُ

It is a paradise, but the cupbearers

It is a paradise, but its sealed wine,

of its sealed nectar are houris.

Are maidens of paradise.

بين الخدور ولا أُصرّحُ

بين الخدور ولا أُصرّحُ

باسم من حوت الخدورُ

باسم من حوت الخدورُ

Amid curtained chambers—and I will not disclose

Among the cheeks, and I do not declare,

the name of her whom those chambers shelter.

The name of her who contained the cheeks.

بيضاء مطعمةُ الهوى

بيضاء مطعمةُ الهوى

شهدت بعفَّتها الستورُ

شهدت بعفَّتها الستورُ

Fair-skinned, a nourisher of desire,

White, complexioned with love,

the curtains bore witness to her chastity.

Her virtue witnessed by the screens.

كلفي بصائدة القلوب

كلفي بصائدة القلوب

ومن حبائلها الشعورُ

ومن حبائلها الشعورُ

My passion is for a huntress of hearts,

Entrap me, huntress of hearts,

and among her snares are her tresses.

And she whose snares are passions.

ما بين قرطيها إلى الخل

ما بين قرطيها إلى الخل

خال روض صباً نظيرُ

خال روض صباً نظيرُ

What lies between her earrings and her anklet

From her earrings to her mole,

is the likeness of a garden of youthful longing.

A garden, the youth its stream.

والوجنتانِ شقيقةٌ

والوجنتانِ شقيقةٌ

ماء الشباب لها غديرُ

ماء الشباب لها غديرُ

And her two cheeks are an anemone;

And both cheeks are sisters,

the water of youth is its pool.

The water of youth their brook.

كيف الوصول لخدرها

كيف الوصول لخدرها

ووراء كِلّتها الغيورُ

ووراء كِلّتها الغيورُ

How can her chamber be reached,

How to reach her intoxicated cheek,

with the jealous watcher behind her curtain?

When her jealousy is guarding her?

لامَ العذولُ بها وقالَ

لامَ العذولُ بها وقالَ

من الصبابة لا عذيرُ

من الصبابة لا عذيرُ

The reproacher blamed me over her and said:

Blame the virgin, who said,

There is no excuse for infatuation.

“For youth there is no excuse.”

لا تخدعنَّك غريرةٌ

لا تخدعنَّك غريرةٌ

هي أمّها الدنيا الغرورُ

هي أمّها الدنيا الغرورُ

Let no guileless girl deceive you;

Let not the coquetry deceive you,

her mother is the deceitful world.

Its source is the deceitful world.

والعشقُ لا يملك فؤاد

والعشقُ لا يملك فؤاد

ك فهو سلطانٌ يجورُ

ك فهو سلطانٌ يجورُ

And let love not possess your heart;

And love cannot control a heart,

for it is a sovereign who oppresses.

For it is a tyrannical sultan.

كم مغرمٍ حكمت بمهجته

كم مغرمٍ حكمت بمهجته

الترائبُ والنحورُ

الترائبُ والنحورُ

How many a lover's life has been judged

How many enamored ones your glances have judged,

by bosoms and throats!

To languish and pine.

ثم انثنت ولها حُشا

ثم انثنت ولها حُشا

شة صدره وله الزفيرُ

شة صدره وله الزفيرُ

Then she turned away; hers was the last spark

Then she bent, and her breast contained,

of life in his breast, and his the sighing.

His breath, and his sigh.

قسماً بأيدي الرامياتِ

قسماً بأيدي الرامياتِ

إلى مِنًى عنقاً تسيرُ

إلى مِنًى عنقاً تسيرُ

I swear by the forelegs of the darting mounts,

I swear by the hands of archers,

traveling toward Mina at a brisk pace:

Aiming for the necks they lead!

قلَّ الكرامُ وإنَّما

قلَّ الكرامُ وإنَّما

بكم قليلهم كثيرُ

بكم قليلهم كثيرُ

The noble have grown few, and only

The generous are few, but by you,

through you are their few made many.

Their few are many.

ولكِّ عصرٍ أوَّل

ولكِّ عصرٍ أوَّل

منهم لأوَّلكم أخيرُ

منهم لأوَّلكم أخيرُ

And every age has a foremost man

For every era there is a first,

among them, yet beside your foremost he comes last.

Of them for your first a last.

نفر إلى غير المساعي

نفر إلى غير المساعي

العزّ ليس لكم نفيرُ

العزّ ليس لكم نفيرُ

A march toward any pursuits other than those

Some strive for other than deeds,

of glory is no march for you.

Honor does not come to you without effort.

للمجد كلّكم بدور

للمجد كلّكم بدور

فلك السعود بها يدورُ

فلك السعود بها يدورُ

For glory, you are all full moons;

For glory you all take turns,

the sphere of good fortune turns with them.

So good fortune revolves around you.

وعلى ارتشاف طلى الهنا

وعلى ارتشاف طلى الهنا

أبداً نديمكم السرورُ

أبداً نديمكم السرورُ

And while you sip the wine of bliss,

And the pleasure of sipping the joy of bliss,

joy is always your drinking companion.

Will always be your boon companion.

أصبا القريض قفي فقد

أصبا القريض قفي فقد

بلغَ المقامَ بك المسيرُ

بلغَ المقامَ بك المسيرُ

O east breeze of poetry, halt, for

The stringing of poems succeeded,

the journey has brought you to this station.

For the destination has been reached by you.

حُطِّي اللثامَ فهاهنا

حُطِّي اللثامَ فهاهنا

روضُ المباكر والغدير

روضُ المباكر والغدير

Lower the veil, for here

Remove the veil, for here,

are the early visitor's garden and the pool.

Is the meadow of early rising and streams.

ومن القوافي فتِّحي

ومن القوافي فتِّحي

زهراً به تبهى العصورُ

زهراً به تبهى العصورُ

And from rhymes bring into bloom

And of rhymes, pluck open

flowers with which the ages grow splendid.

A blossom by which eras thrive.

يبقى كما اشتهت العُلى

يبقى كما اشتهت العُلى

غضًّا تهاداه الدهورُ

غضًّا تهاداه الدهورُ

It endures, as lofty glory has desired,

It remains, as the sublime desired,

fresh, passed as a gift from age to age.

Evergreen, courted by times.

سبحان من بالمصطفى

سبحان من بالمصطفى

أسرى فطابَ له المسيرُ

أسرى فطابَ له المسيرُ

Glory to Him who took al-Mustafa

Glory to Him who took His Servant by night,

by night, so sweet became his journey.

From the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque.

حملته همَّته وتلك

حملته همَّته وتلك

هي البُراق به تطيرُ

هي البُراق به تطيرُ

His resolve bore him, and that

His determination carried him, and that,

is al-Buraq, flying with him.

Is Al-Buraq by which he flew.

للحجّ سارَ ومن رأى

للحجّ سارَ ومن رأى

ركناً إلى رمن يسيرُ

ركناً إلى رمن يسيرُ

He traveled on pilgrimage; who has seen

He traveled to the Hajj, and whoever saw,

a pillar journeying toward a [pillar]?

A shrine, to a pillar he walked.

فالأرضُ تشهد كلّها

فالأرضُ تشهد كلّها

لك إنَّك النوء الغزيرُ

لك إنَّك النوء الغزيرُ

So all the earth bears witness

So the whole earth testifies,

for you: you are the bountiful rain-star.

You are the pouring rain.

حيّت أغرّ كأن طلع

حيّت أغرّ كأن طلع

ةَ وجهه قمرٌ منيرُ

ةَ وجهه قمرٌ منيرُ

It hailed a radiant man, as though the radiance

You have lived the most delightful life,

of his face were a shining moon.

As if the rising of his face were the shining moon.

لا النَسرُ طارَ لها ولا

لا النَسرُ طارَ لها ولا

عبرت بها الشعرى العبورُ

عبرت بها الشعرى العبورُ

Neither al-Nasr flew to it, nor

Neither eagle flew to it, nor

did Sirius, the Crossing One, pass through it.

Did the Sirius star cross it.

قِرّي شقاشق غيرها

قِرّي شقاشق غيرها

فبذا النديّ لها الهديرُ

فبذا النديّ لها الهديرُ

Be still, throat-sacs of all but her;

Chirp the notes of others,

for in this assembly, the roaring is hers.

For by this qualified one they trill.