للمعة برق بابتسامة ثغره

للمعة برق بابتسامة ثغره

هديت لنظم الشعر في ليل شعره

هديت لنظم الشعر في ليل شعره

By a lightning flash in the smile of his mouth,

With a flash of lightning and a smile on his lips

I was guided to compose poetry in the night of his hair.

He gifted the art of poetry on a night of poetry

وشوش بالي منه صدغ مشوش

وشوش بالي منه صدغ مشوش

فجدت بحسن النظم في عقد بحره

فجدت بحسن النظم في عقد بحره

A tousled temple-lock of his unsettled my mind,

His cheek distracted me, confused

So I excelled in fine verse, stringing its sea's necklace.

So I found in the beauty of his verse the pearls of his sea

وحساده عابوه إذ مر ضاحكا

وحساده عابوه إذ مر ضاحكا

فقلت اصطكاك الدر في وسط ثغره

فقلت اصطكاك الدر في وسط ثغره

His enviers faulted him as he passed laughing,

And his enviers blamed him as he passed by laughing

But I said, 'Pearls clashing within his mouth!'

So I said it's the friction of pearls in the midst of his lips

ونافحني الداري يوما وما درى

ونافحني الداري يوما وما درى

بأني لفظت المسك ساعة ذكره

بأني لفظت المسك ساعة ذكره

The Dari perfumer once vied with me in fragrance, unaware

And the guard rebuked me one day, not knowing

That I breathed out musk the moment I mentioned him.

That I had diffused musk at the time of his mention

ورب خيال زارني منه موهنا

ورب خيال زارني منه موهنا

فنبه أهل الحي عباق نشره

فنبه أهل الحي عباق نشره

And many a phantom of him visited me late at night,

And how many apparitions visited me from him seducing

Its heady fragrance rousing the people of the quarter.

Waking the people of the neighborhood with his fragrance

علوقا بأطرافي شذاه ومطرفي

علوقا بأطرافي شذاه ومطرفي

فها أنا بعد النوم ناشق عطره

فها أنا بعد النوم ناشق عطره

Its scent clinging to my limbs and my bordered cloak,

Clinging to me were his branches and twigs

Here I am, after sleep, inhaling its perfume.

And the guards of that neighborhood shouted "The aroma! The aroma!"

وحراس ذاك الحي صاحو الشذا الشذا

وحراس ذاك الحي صاحو الشذا الشذا

فقلت خيال زار من بعد هجره

فقلت خيال زار من بعد هجره

The guards of that quarter cried, 'The fragrance! The fragrance!'

So I said an apparition visited after his abandonment

I said, 'A phantom visited after his estrangement.'

And they said "The wounded loved one is hurt by the aroma"

وقالوا جريح القوم ضائره الشذا

وقالوا جريح القوم ضائره الشذا

فقلت ثقوا من كسر قلبي يجبره

فقلت ثقوا من كسر قلبي يجبره

They said, 'The wounded man among the people is harmed by fragrance.'

So I said "Trust the one who broke my heart will heal it"

I said, 'Rest assured: whoever broke my heart will mend it.'

And after three days a merchant came to the neighborhood

وبعد ثلاث عاج بالحي تاجر

وبعد ثلاث عاج بالحي تاجر

يقول سحيق المسك هاتوه نشره

يقول سحيق المسك هاتوه نشره

After three nights, a merchant stopped by the quarter,

Saying "That intense musk, bring it out and diffuse it!"

Saying, 'Powdered musk—bring it so we can examine it!'

So they said "Did an apparition come spreading

فقالوا خيال قال هل جاء ناشراً

فقالوا خيال قال هل جاء ناشراً

قميص ابن يعقوب ففاح بنشره

قميص ابن يعقوب ففاح بنشره

They said, 'A phantom.' He asked, 'Did it come unfolding

The shirt of Joseph, so it smelled with its diffusion?"

The shirt of Jacob's son, and become fragrant with its scent?'

And she is not like a female ostrich, whenever he passes by

وما أم خشف كلما مر سانحا

وما أم خشف كلما مر سانحا

ينص إليها جيده عند ذعره

ينص إليها جيده عند ذعره

No mother of a fawn—whenever it passes rightward,

He turns his neck toward her in her confusion

It stretches its neck toward her in fright;

She sings when she listens to him pleasing her

أغن إذا أصغت إليه يروقها

أغن إذا أصغت إليه يروقها

فتغلي بروقيها تلابيب صدره

فتغلي بروقيها تلابيب صدره

Nasal-voiced, it delights her whenever she listens to it,

Her necklace boiling with the folds of his chest

And she lifts the folds of its breast with her two horns;

She plays with him sometimes fearing his capture

تزجيه حينا إذ تخاف اقتناصه

تزجيه حينا إذ تخاف اقتناصه

وتنفر أحيانا لادمان نفره

وتنفر أحيانا لادمان نفره

She urges it onward at times, fearing its capture,

And sometimes is annoyed by his constant aloofness

And sometimes bolts to accustom it to flight;

She walks with him in the garden for a while and another time

تسيم به بالروض طوراً ومرة

تسيم به بالروض طوراً ومرة

تقيل لدى أيك المراح وسدره

تقيل لدى أيك المراح وسدره

At times she takes it grazing in the meadow, and at others

She stays heavy next to the shelters and the lotus trees

Rests at midday beside the resting-ground's thickets and lote trees;

You see him procumbent on the ground in the dust

تراه دوين الورد بالعفر رابضا

تراه دوين الورد بالعفر رابضا

فلم تأل بالشدقين في نقض عقره

فلم تأل بالشدقين في نقض عقره

She sees it lying in dust just short of the watering place,

Never satiated by the cheeks in his killing

And spares no effort with both jaws to heal its wound—

He loves me more intensely than his gentle apparition

أشد هوى مني لطيف خياله

أشد هوى مني لطيف خياله

وأكثر شوقي إن نعمت بنزره

وأكثر شوقي إن نعمت بنزره

Is more ardent in love than I for his ghostly image.

And I long for him even more if I'm blessed by his visit

And my longing grows greater if I enjoy a scant glimpse of it.

Take me by the hand, oh companions of the night of agony

خذوا بيدي يا نائمي الليل للكرى

خذوا بيدي يا نائمي الليل للكرى

لعل خيالا طار يأوي لو كره

لعل خيالا طار يأوي لو كره

Take my hand, you sleepers of the night, and lead me to slumber,

Perhaps an apparition will come rest even if unwillingly

Perhaps a phantom that flew away will return to its nest.

To distance what is between the sleeper and my eyes

لباعد ما بين الرقاد وناظري

لباعد ما بين الرقاد وناظري

وما بين قلبي المستهام وصبره

وما بين قلبي المستهام وصبره

It has indeed widened the gulf between sleep and my eye,

And what is between my passionate heart and its patience

And between my love-crazed heart and its patience.

Sleep has left me, taking back its apparition

مضى النوم مني يسترد خياله

مضى النوم مني يسترد خياله

أسيرا ففات النوم مني بأسره

أسيرا ففات النوم مني بأسره

Sleep departed from me to reclaim his phantom

A prisoner, so sleep has escaped me entirely

As a captive; and so sleep eluded me altogether.

And how can slumber return to me, consumed with agony

وكيف يرد الجفن مني على كرى

وكيف يرد الجفن مني على كرى

وحافل دمعي يستهل بقطره

وحافل دمعي يستهل بقطره

How can my eyelid close upon slumber,

My brimming tears flowing with their drops

While my brimming tears rain down in drops?

I have appointed the white nights to be with me, for I

يد لليالي البيض عندي فإنني

يد لليالي البيض عندي فإنني

تعللت ليل البدر عنهم ببدره

تعللت ليل البدر عنهم ببدره

The bright nights have done me a kindness, for I

Have blamed the moonlit night for them and its full moon

Found solace for their absence in its moon, on the full-moon night.

And how many hands I have for the night of his apparition

وكم من يد عندي لليل خياله

وكم من يد عندي لليل خياله

علينا الدجى أرخى ضوافي ستره

علينا الدجى أرخى ضوافي ستره

And how many kindnesses I owe the night of his phantom:

The darkness lowered its shelters' curtains upon us

Darkness lowered the ample folds of its veil over us.

Tell about me the apparition that traveled by night

ألا خبروا عني الخيال الذي سرى

ألا خبروا عني الخيال الذي سرى

يزر موهنا من قبل مطلع فجره

يزر موهنا من قبل مطلع فجره

Now tell, on my behalf, the phantom that traveled by night

Visiting, seducing before the rise of its dawn

To visit late at night, before its dawn breaks.

For the love of the phantom's manners from the creation of passion

فحب طروق الطيف من خلق الهوى

فحب طروق الطيف من خلق الهوى

وشأن سواد الليل كتمان سره

وشأن سواد الليل كتمان سره

For loving the phantom's night visits is part of passion's nature,

Is the way of the black night to conceal its secret

And night's darkness has the task of concealing its secret.