وكأنّها نونٌ تُمَطّ وعينها

وكأنّها نونٌ تُمَطّ وعينها

ميمٌ لطولِ نحولها بالفدفدِ

ميمٌ لطولِ نحولها بالفدفدِ

And she is like a nūn stretched out, and her eye

Her eyes like the letter noon elongated

a mīm—so long and lean is she upon the barren plain.

And like the letter meem bent with charm

كحلتْ جفونَ الصبح منها بالسرى

كحلتْ جفونَ الصبح منها بالسرى

وتكحلتْ منه بلوْنِ الإثْمِدِ

وتكحلتْ منه بلوْنِ الإثْمِدِ

She kohled dawn's eyelids with her own night journey,

She lined the dawn's eyes with kohl from her own

and from it kohled her eyes with antimony's hue.

And lined hers with the kohl of misdeeds

فلجسمها والصبحُ يتبع نورَهُ

فلجسمها والصبحُ يتبع نورَهُ

من جفنِ ليلتها انسلالُ المرودِ

من جفنِ ليلتها انسلالُ المرودِ

So her body, while dawn follows its light,

So her body and the dawn follow the light

slips from her night's eyelid like a kohl stick.

That slipped from her eyelids at night's reprieve

يا ليتها كانت سفينَةَ زاجرٍ

يا ليتها كانت سفينَةَ زاجرٍ

فتخوضَ بي مدّ العبابِ المزبدِ

فتخوضَ بي مدّ العبابِ المزبدِ

Oh, would that she were a driver's ship,

If only she were a deterring sailor's ship

to carry me through the swell of the foaming sea,

To sail me through the swelling foam and wave

فأرى ابن حمدانٍ ونورَ جبينه

فأرى ابن حمدانٍ ونورَ جبينه

يجلو سناهُ قذى جفون الأرْمَدِ

يجلو سناهُ قذى جفون الأرْمَدِ

so I might see Ibn Hamdan and the light of his brow,

To see Ibn Hamdan and light of his brow

whose radiance clears the grit from the eyelids of the sore-eyed.

Illuming his years, the grit in red eyes enslaved