يا غَزالاً يُخفي سناه الغَزالَه

يا غَزالاً يُخفي سناه الغَزالَه

فَتَنتني لحاظُك الغَزّالَه

فَتَنتني لحاظُك الغَزّالَه

O gazelle, whose radiance hides the sun,

O gazelle hiding his youth with gazelle charm

Your flirtatious glances have bewitched me.

Your alluring glances have beguiled me

مرَّ دَهرٌ وَالعَيشُ صفوٌ إِلى أَن

مرَّ دَهرٌ وَالعَيشُ صفوٌ إِلى أَن

ذاقَ قَلبي طَعمَ الهوى فَحَلا لَه

ذاقَ قَلبي طَعمَ الهوى فَحَلا لَه

An age passed with life serene, until

Time passed and life was pure until

My heart tasted love and found it sweet.

My heart tasted the flavor of love and dissolved for it

ما لِقَلبي والحبِّ لَو لَم تُمِله

ما لِقَلبي والحبِّ لَو لَم تُمِله

للتَصابي أَعطافُك الميّاله

للتَصابي أَعطافُك الميّاله

What would my heart have to do with love, had not

What is with my heart and love, if you did not weary it

Your swaying curves drawn it toward youthful dalliance?

For your leaning sides that allure

زادَني لحظُك السَقيم اِعتلالاً

زادَني لحظُك السَقيم اِعتلالاً

لا شَفى اللَهُ سقمَه واِعتلالَه

لا شَفى اللَهُ سقمَه واِعتلالَه

Your languid glance has increased my sickness;

Your sickly glance increased my sickness

May God never cure its sickness or infirmity!

May God not cure its sickness and frailty

كُنتُ غِرّاً بالحبِّ حتّى دَهَتني

كُنتُ غِرّاً بالحبِّ حتّى دَهَتني

بِرَناها لحاظُكَ المُغتالَه

بِرَناها لحاظُكَ المُغتالَه

I was naïve in love, until I was ambushed

I was fooled by love until

By your murderous glances, with their lingering gaze.

Your deceitful glances tricked me

كَيفَ أَرجو الوَفا وأَنتَ على العَه

كَيفَ أَرجو الوَفا وأَنتَ على العَه

دِ بطيءُ الرِضا سَريعُ المَلالَه

دِ بطيءُ الرِضا سَريعُ المَلالَه

How can I hope for fidelity when you, though pledged,

How can I hope for loyalty when you are slow to consent and quick to weary

Are slow to be pleased and quick to tire?

I said when your indifference towards me was prolonged

قُلتُ لمّا أَطال فيكَ عَذولي

قُلتُ لمّا أَطال فيكَ عَذولي

أَنا راضٍ به عَلى كُلِّ حاله

أَنا راضٍ به عَلى كُلِّ حاله

I said, when my reprover spoke at length about you,

I am content with it in any state

I am content with him in every circumstance.

O breeze that blew from the caves, gently

يا نَسيماً سَرى من الغَور وَهناً

يا نَسيماً سَرى من الغَور وَهناً

ساحباً في رُبى الحِمى أَذيالَه

ساحباً في رُبى الحِمى أَذيالَه

O breeze that drifted from al-Ghawr late at night,

Dragging its hems among the sanctuaries of the protectorate

Trailing its skirts among the sanctuary's hills,

It smelled sweetly of the fragrance of one living in the neighborhoods

طابَ نشراً بطيب من سكن الجِز

طابَ نشراً بطيب من سكن الجِز

عَ وَوافى يجرُّ بُردَ الجَلاله

عَ وَوافى يجرُّ بُردَ الجَلاله

It grew fragrant with the scent of those who dwelt at the valley bend,

And it reached to soothe the cold of the night

And came trailing the mantle of majesty.

So it related the best of speech, sound

فَروى أَحسنَ الحَديث صَحيحاً

فَروى أَحسنَ الحَديث صَحيحاً

مُسنداً عنهُمُ وأَدّى الرِسالَه

مُسنداً عنهُمُ وأَدّى الرِسالَه

So it recounted the finest tale, authentically,

Supported by them, and conveyed the message

On their authority, and delivered the message.

Repeat that speech to my hearing

هاتِ كرِّر ذاكَ الحَديث لسَمعي

هاتِ كرِّر ذاكَ الحَديث لسَمعي

وَلك الطَولُ إِن رأَيتَ الإِطالَه

وَلك الطَولُ إِن رأَيتَ الإِطالَه

Come, repeat that tale for me to hear;

And feel free to prolong if you see fit

And yours is the credit, if you choose to speak at length.

In the morning you reopened a wound in the heart

قد نكأتَ الغداة في القَلب جُرحاً

قد نكأتَ الغداة في القَلب جُرحاً

كُنتُ أَرجو بعد البِعاد اِندِمالَه

كُنتُ أَرجو بعد البِعاد اِندِمالَه

You have reopened a wound in my heart this morning;

I had hoped that after being apart it would heal

I had hoped it would heal after separation.

Good for you if you came to a hillside neighborhood

يا لك الخير إِن أَتَيتَ رُبى سَل

يا لك الخير إِن أَتَيتَ رُبى سَل

عٍ وَشارَفت كثبَه وَرمالَه

عٍ وَشارَفت كثبَه وَرمالَه

O breeze—may good be yours—if you reach the hills of Salʿ,

And neared its mound and sands

And approach its dunes and sands,

Stop at its landmarks and ask about a heart

قِف بأَعلامِه وَسل عن فؤادٍ

قِف بأَعلامِه وَسل عن فؤادٍ

خَتَلَته ظباؤُهُ المُختالَه

خَتَلَته ظباؤُهُ المُختالَه

Stop at its landmarks and ask after a heart

Seduced by its flirtatious gazelles

Deceived by its proudly strutting gazelles.

Be gentle and explain to them the state of one in passion

وَتلطَّف واِشرَح لهم حالَ صبٍّ

وَتلطَّف واِشرَح لهم حالَ صبٍّ

غَيَّرَ السقمُ حاله فأَحالَه

غَيَّرَ السقمُ حاله فأَحالَه

And be gentle; explain to them a lover's plight:

Sickness changed his state and weakened him

Sickness has changed his condition and transformed him.

No lightning flashed in the darkness of night

ما سرى بارقٌ برامةَ إلّا

ما سرى بارقٌ برامةَ إلّا

واِستَهَلَّت دموعيَ الهَطّالَه

واِستَهَلَّت دموعيَ الهَطّالَه

Whenever lightning flashed by night over Ramah,

Except my pouring tears gushed forth

My copious tears began to pour,

And I remembered the square of intimacy, by God

وَتذكَّرتُ مربع الأنس واللَّه

وَتذكَّرتُ مربع الأنس واللَّه

وِ وَعصرَ الصِّبا وَعَهدَ البِطالَه

وِ وَعصرَ الصِّبا وَعَهدَ البِطالَه

And I remembered the abode of fellowship and play,

And the era of youth and time of leisure

And the season of youth and the days of idleness,

When my shadow from youth was shady

حيثُ ظلّي من الشَباب ظَليلٌ

حيثُ ظلّي من الشَباب ظَليلٌ

وَالهَوى مُسبِغٌ عليَّ ظِلاله

وَالهَوى مُسبِغٌ عليَّ ظِلاله

Where youth's shade over me was deep,

And infatuation clothed me in its shadows

And love spread its shadows lavishly over me.