نَكَثَت وَحُقَّ لِعَهدِها أَن يُنكَثا

نَكَثَت وَحُقَّ لِعَهدِها أَن يُنكَثا

مَرَضُ الجُفونِ بِذاكَ عَنها حَدّثا

مَرَضُ الجُفونِ بِذاكَ عَنها حَدّثا

She broke her pledge, and her pledge deserved to be broken;

She broke her vow, though it was right for it to be kept

The languor of her eyelids told this tale of her.

My eyelids' illness from that was openly discussed

ضُعفُ العُهُودِ مِنَ الضِعافِ لَواحِظاً

ضُعفُ العُهُودِ مِنَ الضِعافِ لَواحِظاً

دِينٌ قَدِيمٌ لَيسَ بِدعاً مُحَدَثا

دِينٌ قَدِيمٌ لَيسَ بِدعاً مُحَدَثا

Weak pledges from those with languid glances

The weakness of vows is, for the weak-willed, a lesson

are an ancient custom, no newly invented practice.

An ancient religion, not an innovation just established

إِن واعَدَتكَ فَشَأنُها أَلّا تَفِي

إِن واعَدَتكَ فَشَأنُها أَلّا تَفِي

أَو أَقسَمت فَسَبِيلُها أَن تَحنَثا

أَو أَقسَمت فَسَبِيلُها أَن تَحنَثا

If she promises to meet you, her way is not to keep her word;

If she makes a promise, her way is not to fulfill

or if she swears, her way is to break her oath.

Or if she swears an oath, her path is to break it

بِالنَفسِ مَن أَرثِي لِرقّةِ خَصرِها

بِالنَفسِ مَن أَرثِي لِرقّةِ خَصرِها

لَو رَقَّ يَوماً قَلبُها لِي أَو رَثى

لَو رَقَّ يَوماً قَلبُها لِي أَو رَثى

My life for her whose slender waist I pity—

With my soul I'd elegize her waist's softness

if only her heart would one day soften toward me or feel pity!

If her heart ever softened or grieved for me one day

أَبداً تُرِيكَ شَمائِلَ الشَكوى وَما

أَبداً تُرِيكَ شَمائِلَ الشَكوى وَما

مِن شَأنِ سُكرٍ أَن يَدُومَ وَيَلبَثا

مِن شَأنِ سُكرٍ أَن يَدُومَ وَيَلبَثا

She always shows you the signs of suffering, though it is not

She always shows you the traits of complaint, yet

the nature of drunkenness to endure and linger:

A drunken stupor's wont is not to last or perpetuate

لِينَ المَعاطِفِ وَاحمرارَ الخَدِّ وَالن

لِينَ المَعاطِفِ وَاحمرارَ الخَدِّ وَالن

نَظَرَ المحيَّرَ وَالكَلام الأَخنَثا

نَظَرَ المحيَّرَ وَالكَلام الأَخنَثا

the suppleness of her limbs, the redness of her cheek, and the

The softness of her cloak, her cheeks' redness, her

dazed gaze and the soft, languorous speech.

Bewildering glance, her effeminate speech

عَرَبيَّةٌ تُخفِي مَحاسِنَ لَو بَدَت

عَرَبيَّةٌ تُخفِي مَحاسِنَ لَو بَدَت

لِلرّوم وَحَّدَ مِنهُمُ مَن ثَلَّثتا

لِلرّوم وَحَّدَ مِنهُمُ مَن ثَلَّثتا

An Arab woman conceals beauties which, if revealed

An Arab woman hiding her beauty though if

to the Romans, would make their Trinitarians proclaim God's oneness:

Revealed, it would entrance any Roman who saw it thrice

بدرَ الدُجى وَالشادِنَ المَذعُورَ وَال

بدرَ الدُجى وَالشادِنَ المَذعُورَ وَال

غُصنَ المَنعَّمَ وَالكَثِيبَ الأَوعَثا

غُصنَ المَنعَّمَ وَالكَثِيبَ الأَوعَثا

the full moon of darkness, the startled young gazelle, and the

The full moon in darkness, the startled oryx, the

tender bough and the soft, yielding dune.

Lush branch, the disheveled sand dune

ما جُمِّعَت عَبَثاً بَدائِعُ حُسنِها

ما جُمِّعَت عَبَثاً بَدائِعُ حُسنِها

لَكِن لِتَلعَبَ بِالعُقولِ وَتَعبَثا

لَكِن لِتَلعَبَ بِالعُقولِ وَتَعبَثا

The marvels of her beauty were not gathered in vain,

Not idly assembled are the masterpieces of her beauty

but to play with minds and trifle with them.

Rather to toy with minds and confuse thoughts

لَبِسَت حُلاها عُوذَةً لِجَمالِها

لَبِسَت حُلاها عُوذَةً لِجَمالِها

خَوفَ العُيون وَما عَسى أَن تُحدِثا

خَوفَ العُيون وَما عَسى أَن تُحدِثا

She wore her ornaments as a charm to guard her beauty,

She wears her adornments as a talisman for her beauty

for fear of eyes and what they might do.

Fearing eyes, who knows what they might generate

فَرَأيتُ شَمساً بِالكَواكِبِ قُلِّدَت

فَرَأيتُ شَمساً بِالكَواكِبِ قُلِّدَت

وَهِلالَ تَمٍّ بِالثُرَيّا رُعِّثا

وَهِلالَ تَمٍّ بِالثُرَيّا رُعِّثا

So I saw a sun hung with a necklace of stars,

I saw a sun studded with stars, a crescent

and a crescent in its fullness, with the Pleiades as earrings.

Moon inscribed with Pleiades scattered

خُضتُ السُيُوفَ فَما رَأَيتُ كَلَحظِها

خُضتُ السُيُوفَ فَما رَأَيتُ كَلَحظِها

أفرى لِحَبّاتِ القُلُوبِ وَأَفرَثا

أفرى لِحَبّاتِ القُلُوبِ وَأَفرَثا

I have braved swords, yet seen none to match her glance

I drew swords but saw nothing like her glance

in cleaving the cores of hearts and tearing them open.

More given to shredding hearts and shredding shields

وَلَقِيتُ أَهوالاً فَلَم أَرَ كَالنَوى

وَلَقِيتُ أَهوالاً فَلَم أَرَ كَالنَوى

لِحَشايَ أَنكى أَو لِعَهدِيَ أَنكَثا

لِحَشايَ أَنكى أَو لِعَهدِيَ أَنكَثا

I have faced horrors, yet seen none to rival separation

And I met terrors, but saw nothing like an abode's

in wounding my heart or undoing my pledge.

Ruin or a pact of mine being renounced

لا كانَ يَومَ فِراقِنا مِن مَوقِفٍ

لا كانَ يَومَ فِراقِنا مِن مَوقِفٍ

ما كانَ أَكرَبَ لِلنُفوسِ وَأَكرَثا

ما كانَ أَكرَبَ لِلنُفوسِ وَأَكرَثا

May that scene on the day of our parting never have been!

No day of our parting was, for souls, as woeful

How distressing it was to souls, how crushing!

Or plentifully watered with flowing tears

يا مَن بَعَثتُ لَها بِرُوحي طائِعاً

يا مَن بَعَثتُ لَها بِرُوحي طائِعاً

وَأَبَت بِطَيفِ خَيالِها أَن تَبعَثا

وَأَبَت بِطَيفِ خَيالِها أَن تَبعَثا

O you to whom I willingly sent my soul,

O she to whom I sent my soul obedient

yet you refused to send me your phantom in a dream!

Yet she refused with her ghostly form to be brought to life

صَرَّحتُ بِالشَكوى وَإِن لَم تَسمَعِي

صَرَّحتُ بِالشَكوى وَإِن لَم تَسمَعِي

لا بُدَّ لِلمَصدُورِ مِن أَن يَنفَثا

لا بُدَّ لِلمَصدُورِ مِن أَن يَنفَثا

I have voiced my complaint openly, even if you have not heard:

I complained openly even if you did not hear

one with an ailing chest must spit.

What issues forth must exhale and breathe

ما لِي أَجِدُّ صَبابَةً وَتَشَوُّقاً

ما لِي أَجِدُّ صَبابَةً وَتَشَوُّقاً

وَتَلاعِبِينَ تَمَاجُناً وَتَخَنُّثا

وَتَلاعِبِينَ تَمَاجُناً وَتَخَنُّثا

Why am I earnest in passion and longing,

What do I gain from foolishness, yearning

while you toy with me, wantonly and coquettishly?

Flirting, and being coy and feminine?

صَيَّرتِ جِسمِي لِلسّقامِ مُوَرَّثاً

صَيَّرتِ جِسمِي لِلسّقامِ مُوَرَّثاً

وَتَرَكتِ قَلبِي بِالغَرامِ مُؤَرَّثا

وَتَرَكتِ قَلبِي بِالغَرامِ مُؤَرَّثا

You made my body an inheritance for sickness,

You've made my body an inheritance for disease

and left my heart ablaze with passion.

And left my heart an inheritance obsessed with love

فَشُغِفتُ فيكِ مَعَ الشَبابِ تَطَرُّفاً

فَشُغِفتُ فيكِ مَعَ الشَبابِ تَطَرُّفاً

وَسَلَوتُ عَنكِ مَعَ المشِيبِ تَحَنُّثا

وَسَلَوتُ عَنكِ مَعَ المشِيبِ تَحَنُّثا

So in youth I was smitten with you for diversion,

So I became, in youth, extremely obsessed with you

and as my hair grayed, I ceased to long for you out of piety.

And in old age, overly delicate and deficient