قَلْبِيَ في ذاتِ الاَثيْلاَتِ

قَلْبِيَ في ذاتِ الاَثيْلاَتِ

رَهِيْنُ لَوْعَاتٍ وَرَوْعاتِ

رَهِيْنُ لَوْعَاتٍ وَرَوْعاتِ

My heart at Dhat al-Uthaylat

My heart amid the churches

Is held captive by burning pangs and terrors.

Is captive to passions and tremors

فَوَجِّهَا نَحْوَهُمُ إنَّهُمْ

فَوَجِّهَا نَحْوَهُمُ إنَّهُمْ

وإنْ بَغَوْا قِبْلَةُ بُغْياتي

وإنْ بَغَوْا قِبْلَةُ بُغْياتي

So turn toward them, you two, for they—

So direct it towards them for they are

Even if unjust—are the qibla of my desires.

Though unorthodox, the qiblah of my desires

وعَرِّسَا مِنْ عَقَداتِ اللِّوَى

وعَرِّسَا مِنْ عَقَداتِ اللِّوَى

بالهَضَبَاتِ الزَهَرِيَّاتِ

بالهَضَبَاتِ الزَهَرِيَّاتِ

And halt for the night among al-Liwa's tangled dunes,

And marry it off with the knots of ardour

On the flower-bright uplands.

To the flowery hills,

وعَرِّجَا يا فَتَيَيْ عامِرٍ

وعَرِّجَا يا فَتَيَيْ عامِرٍ

بالفَتَيَات العِيْسَوِيّاتِ

بالفَتَيَات العِيْسَوِيّاتِ

And turn aside, O two youths of Amir,

And take it, O lads of Aamir,

To the maidens who follow Jesus.

To the smooth maidens.

فإنَّ بِي للرُّوْمِ رُوْمِيّةً

فإنَّ بِي للرُّوْمِ رُوْمِيّةً

تَكْنِسُ ما بين الكنيساتِ

تَكْنِسُ ما بين الكنيساتِ

For among the Romans I am smitten with a Roman woman,

For in me is a Roman air

Who makes her lair among the churches.

That sweeps between the churches,

أَهِيمُ فيها والهوى ضَلَّةٌ

أَهِيمُ فيها والهوى ضَلَّةٌ

بَيْنَ صَوامِيْعَ وبِيْعاتِ

بَيْنَ صَوامِيْعَ وبِيْعاتِ

I am mad with love for her, and love leads one astray

I roam in it while love is misleading

Among hermitages and churches.

Between bells and stalls.

وفي ظِباء البَدْو مَنْ يَزْدرِي

وفي ظِباء البَدْو مَنْ يَزْدرِي

بالظَّبَيَاتِ الحَضَرِيَّاتِ

بالظَّبَيَاتِ الحَضَرِيَّاتِ

And among the desert gazelles is one who scorns

And in the gazelles of the desert who would spurn

The gazelles of the towns.

The urban does?

أُفْصِحُ وَحْدِي يومَ فِصْحٍ لَهُمْ

أُفْصِحُ وَحْدِي يومَ فِصْحٍ لَهُمْ

بَين الأرَيْطَى والدُّوَيْحاتِ

بَين الأرَيْطَى والدُّوَيْحاتِ

I alone speak openly on their Easter day,

I converse on Easter day with them

Between the little arta shrubs and the little trees.

Between the cloisters and convents.

وقد أَتَوْا منه إلى مَوْعِدٍ

وقد أَتَوْا منه إلى مَوْعِدٍ

واجتمعوا فيه لِمِيْقاتِ

واجتمعوا فيه لِمِيْقاتِ

And they had come from there to a meeting-place,

And they came for it to a tryst

And gathered there at the appointed time,

And gathered in it for the appointed time,

بِمَوْقِفٍ بين يَدَيْ أُسْقُفٍ

بِمَوْقِفٍ بين يَدَيْ أُسْقُفٍ

مُمْسِكِ مِصْباحٍ ومِنْساةِ

مُمْسِكِ مِصْباحٍ ومِنْساةِ

At a gathering before a bishop,

In a stance before a bishop

Holding a lamp and a staff,

Holding a lantern and staff,

وكلِّ قَسٍّ مُظْهِرٍ للتُّقَى

وكلِّ قَسٍّ مُظْهِرٍ للتُّقَى

بآي إنْصَاتٍ وإخباتِ

بآي إنْصَاتٍ وإخباتِ

And every priest displaying piety

And every priest displaying piety

With signs of hushed attention and humility.

With signs of hearkening and humility,

وعينُهُ تَسرَحُ في عَيْنِهِمْ

وعينُهُ تَسرَحُ في عَيْنِهِمْ

كالذِّئب يَبْغي فَرْسَ نَعْجاتِ

كالذِّئب يَبْغي فَرْسَ نَعْجاتِ

And his eye roams among their wide-eyed beauties,

While his eye roams in their eyes

Like a wolf seeking to maul ewes.

Like a wolf coveting a flock of lambs.

وأيُّ مَرْءٍ سالمٌ مِنْ هَوىً

وأيُّ مَرْءٍ سالمٌ مِنْ هَوىً

وقد رأى تلك الظُّبَيَّاتِ

وقد رأى تلك الظُّبَيَّاتِ

And what man is safe from passion

And what man is safe from passion

Having seen those little gazelles?

Having seen those does?

فمن خُدُودٍ قَمَرِيّاتٍ

فمن خُدُودٍ قَمَرِيّاتٍ

على قُدُوْدٍ غُصُنِيَّاتِ

على قُدُوْدٍ غُصُنِيَّاتِ

For there are moonlike cheeks

Of moon-like cheeks

Upon branchlike figures.

Upon cylidrical necks,

وقد تَلَوْا صُحْفَ أناجِيلِهِمْ

وقد تَلَوْا صُحْفَ أناجِيلِهِمْ

بحُسْن ألحانٍ وأصواتِ

بحُسْن ألحانٍ وأصواتِ

And they had recited the pages of their Gospels

And they recited their scriptures

With beautiful melodies and voices.

In sweet tones and voices

يَزِيْدُ في نَفْرِ يعافيرهمْ

يَزِيْدُ في نَفْرِ يعافيرهمْ

عنِّي وفي ضَغْط صبَاباتي

عنِّي وفي ضَغْط صبَاباتي

It increases their fawns' flight

Increasing in their gang of stallions

Away from me, and the pressure of my yearnings.

My agony and the tightness of my bonds,

والشمسُ شمسُ الحُسْن من بينهمْ

والشمسُ شمسُ الحُسْن من بينهمْ

تحت غَماماتِ اللِّثاماتِ

تحت غَماماتِ اللِّثاماتِ

And the sun—the sun of beauty among them—

And the sun - the sun of beauty - among them

Is beneath the clouds of face-veils.

Under the clouds of veils,

وناظري مُخْتَلِسٌ لَمْحَها

وناظري مُخْتَلِسٌ لَمْحَها

ولَمْحُها يُضْرِمُ لَوْعاتي

ولَمْحُها يُضْرِمُ لَوْعاتي

And my eye steals a glimpse of her,

While my glance steals its ray

And that glimpse kindles my burning pangs.

And its ray kindles my passions,

وفي الحَشَا نارٌ نُوَيْريَّةٌ

وفي الحَشَا نارٌ نُوَيْريَّةٌ

عُلَّقْتُها منذ سُنَيَّاتِ

عُلَّقْتُها منذ سُنَيَّاتِ

And in my breast is a fire of Nuwayra,

And in love there is a fiery pain

To which I have been bound for a few years.

I have hung since years,

لا تنطفي وقتاً وكم رُمْتُها

لا تنطفي وقتاً وكم رُمْتُها

بل تلتظي في كلِّ أوقاتي

بل تلتظي في كلِّ أوقاتي

It never goes out, though often I have tried to quench it;

That does not subside ever, and how often I cast it

Rather, it blazes through all my hours.

Rather it flares up at all my times.

فَحَيِّ عنِّي رَشَأَ المُنْحَنَى

فَحَيِّ عنِّي رَشَأَ المُنْحَنَى

وإنْ أَبَى رَجْعَ تحيَّاتي

وإنْ أَبَى رَجْعَ تحيَّاتي

So greet for me the fawn of the bend,

So awaken in me, O bent bough,

Even if it refuses to return my greetings.

The sprightliness, though my greetings it spurns.