إنّي بحبِّ الجبالِ بعتُ كما

إنّي بحبِّ الجبالِ بعتُ كما

تعلمُ أرضَ العراقِ بالجَبلِ

تعلمُ أرضَ العراقِ بالجَبلِ

Indeed, for love of the mountains I have sold—as

With my love of mountains, as you know

you know—the land of Iraq for the mountain.

I sold the land of Iraq with its hills.

مصارعُ العاشقين أكثر ما

مصارعُ العاشقين أكثر ما

تكونث بين العِذار والكَفَل

تكونث بين العِذار والكَفَل

Lovers' downfalls most often

The battlefield of lovers is most often

lie between cheek-down and the rump.

Between cheek and chin.

أحبُّ بانَ القدودِ تعطفُه

أحبُّ بانَ القدودِ تعطفُه

صَبا الصبِّا بالغُدوِّ والأصُلِ

صَبا الصبِّا بالغُدوِّ والأصُلِ

I love the bān-tree of graceful forms, swayed

I love the flexing of the slim waists

by youth's east wind at morn and eve;

When the youths bend with the morn and eve.

وكلّ طَفلٍ كأن غرّتَهُ الشم

وكلّ طَفلٍ كأن غرّتَهُ الشم

سُ أنارت من كِلّهِ الطَّفَلِ

سُ أنارت من كِلّهِ الطَّفَلِ

and every tender youth, whose brow is like the sun

Each boy's cheek the sun seemed to have lit

shining through the veil of twilight.

Illuminating his whole cheek.

مبلبَلُ الصُّدغِ وردُ وجنتهِ

مبلبَلُ الصُّدغِ وردُ وجنتهِ

أحمرُ من قبل حمرةِ الخَجَل

أحمرُ من قبل حمرةِ الخَجَل

His temple-locks are tousled; the rose of his cheek

His mole is a rose, his cheek a garden,

is red even before the blush of bashfulness.

Redder than the redness of shyness itself,

ووجهُه البدرُ تحتَ طرّتهِ

ووجهُه البدرُ تحتَ طرّتهِ

يبدو كصبحٍ بالليلِ مشتَمِلِ

يبدو كصبحٍ بالليلِ مشتَمِلِ

And his face—the full moon beneath his forelock—

And his face the full moon beneath his forelock

appears like dawn wrapped in night.

Appears like a dawn amidst the night.