سَرت نفحةٌ من حيِّهم بسلام

سَرت نفحةٌ من حيِّهم بسلام

فأَحيَت بما حيَّت صَريعَ غَرامِ

فأَحيَت بما حيَّت صَريعَ غَرامِ

A fragrant breath wafted from their dwelling with a greeting of peace,

A gentle breeze blew from their abode in peace,

So, with its greeting, it revived one felled by love.

Reviving with its greeting my languishing passion.

لئن نَقعَت من لاعج الوجد غُلَّةً

لئن نَقعَت من لاعج الوجد غُلَّةً

فمن بعد ما أَورَت لهيبَ أوامِ

فمن بعد ما أَورَت لهيبَ أوامِ

If indeed it quenched a thirst born of burning longing,

If it drew from the bosom of love a painful yearning,

It was only after kindling the blaze of thirst.

It also later ignited the flames of desire.

أَحيَّت براحٍ أَم بريّا تحيَّةً

أَحيَّت براحٍ أَم بريّا تحيَّةً

سكرتُ بها سُكري بكاس مُدامِ

سكرتُ بها سُكري بكاس مُدامِ

Did it offer a greeting with wine, or with fragrance?

Did it greet me with a gentle wind or a passing scent?

I grew drunk on it as on a cup of aged wine.

With it I became intoxicated, drunk from a flowing cup.

سرت قبل مَسراها الصبا بشميمها

سرت قبل مَسراها الصبا بشميمها

فأَزرت بعَرفي عَبهرٍ وَخُزامِ

فأَزرت بعَرفي عَبهرٍ وَخُزامِ

Before its passage, the east wind carried its perfume,

Before its joy, dawn breathed its fragrance,

Putting the scents of narcissus and lavender to shame.

And I was perfumed with the most splendid fragrances.

ووافى شَذاها بالشِفاءِ لمدنفٍ

ووافى شَذاها بالشِفاءِ لمدنفٍ

من الشوق مَغلولِ الجَوانح ظامي

من الشوق مَغلولِ الجَوانح ظامي

And its fragrance arrived with healing for one wasting away

Its aroma brought healing to one lovesick,

From longing, his ribs in fetters, athirst.

Whose feelings were bound in agony.

وَلَمّا دَنت منّي حللتُ لها الحُبى

وَلَمّا دَنت منّي حللتُ لها الحُبى

وَبادرتُ إِعظاماً لها بقيامِ

وَبادرتُ إِعظاماً لها بقيامِ

And when it drew near me, I loosened my knee-bands for it,

When she drew near me, I shed my bonds,

And I hastened to rise in reverence for it.

And hastened to rise up in veneration.

وَمطَّت قناعَ الطِرس عَن ضوء حسنها

وَمطَّت قناعَ الطِرس عَن ضوء حسنها

فنارَ بها رَبعي وضاءَ مقامي

فنارَ بها رَبعي وضاءَ مقامي

And it drew the page's veil away from its beauty's light,

She unveiled the veil from her beauty’s radiance,

So my dwelling glowed through it, and my abode shone.

Illuminating my home and its dwellings.

فشنَّفتُ سَمعي من فَرائد لفظها

فشنَّفتُ سَمعي من فَرائد لفظها

بجوهر أَسلاكٍ ودُرِّ نظامِ

بجوهر أَسلاكٍ ودُرِّ نظامِ

So, from the choice gems of its words, I adorned my hearing

I sharpened my hearing for the gems of her words,

With jewels on strings and pearls in ordered strands.

With strands of pearls and perfect composition.

وَقلَّدتُ جيدي من تقاصير نظمها

وَقلَّدتُ جيدي من تقاصير نظمها

عقودَ لآل فذَّةٍ وتؤامِ

عقودَ لآل فذَّةٍ وتؤامِ

And from the short strands of its verse I adorned my neck

I adorned my neck with the short poems of her verse,

With necklaces of pearls, single and paired.

Like choice rubies and paired pearls.

وَلَم أَدرِ ما أَهداه لي حسنُ سجعها

وَلَم أَدرِ ما أَهداه لي حسنُ سجعها

أَرنَّةَ شادٍ أَم هديلَ حَمامِ

أَرنَّةَ شادٍ أَم هديلَ حَمامِ

And I knew not what its beautiful rhymed prose had brought me:

I know not whether the melody of her rhyme

A singer's trill, or the cooing of doves?

Was like the cooing of doves or trilling of pigeons.

كأَنَّ معانيها بحالِكِ نِقسها

كأَنَّ معانيها بحالِكِ نِقسها

بدورُ تَمام في بهيم ظَلامِ

بدورُ تَمام في بهيم ظَلامِ

As though its meanings, amid its ink's deep black,

It is as if her ideas were molded to her state,

Were full moons in pitch-black darkness.

Revolving perfectly in the darkest gloom.

كأَنَّ مبانيها مباسمُ غادةٍ

كأَنَّ مبانيها مباسمُ غادةٍ

نضَت عن لآليها فضولَ لثامِ

نضَت عن لآليها فضولَ لثامِ

As though its word-forms were a maiden's smiling lips,

It is as if her structure was like smiling rosebuds

Who drew her veil's loose folds away from her pearls.

That peeked from behind their protective veils.

كأَنَّ قوافيها أَزاهرُ رَوضةٍ

كأَنَّ قوافيها أَزاهرُ رَوضةٍ

تبسَّمن صُبحاً عَن ثغورِ كِمامِ

تبسَّمن صُبحاً عَن ثغورِ كِمامِ

As though its rhymes were the blossoms of a garden,

It is as if her rhymes were garden flowers

That smiled at dawn through the mouths of their buds.

That smiled at dawn from behind their masks.

وَما بالُها لا تجمع الحسنَ كلَّه

وَما بالُها لا تجمع الحسنَ كلَّه

وقد بلغت في الحُسن كلَّ مَرامِ

وقد بلغت في الحُسن كلَّ مَرامِ

And why should it not encompass all beauty,

How could such a one fail to possess all beauty,

When it has attained every goal in beauty?

When she has attained the height of perfection?

ولا غروَ أَن أَربت على القول أَنَّها

ولا غروَ أَن أَربت على القول أَنَّها

كَلامُ ملوكٍ أَو مُلوكُ كلامِ

كَلامُ ملوكٍ أَو مُلوكُ كلامِ

Nor is it strange that it surpasses the claim that it is

No wonder I deemed her speech to be that of royalty,

The speech of kings—or the kings of speech.

Or that royalty itself was her speech.

فَيا سيِّداً مذ غالني الدَهرُ قربَه

فَيا سيِّداً مذ غالني الدَهرُ قربَه

وَقفتُ عليه لوعتي وهُيامي

وَقفتُ عليه لوعتي وهُيامي

So, O master, since Time robbed me of closeness to him,

O lord, since fate has denied me closeness to you,

I have devoted my anguish and love's madness to him.

I have stood steadfast, though lovesick and confused.

تحدَّر دَمعي مذ تذكَّر عهدَه

تحدَّر دَمعي مذ تذكَّر عهدَه

تحدُّر قَطرٍ من مُتونِ غَمامِ

تحدُّر قَطرٍ من مُتونِ غَمامِ

My tears streamed down when they recalled his companionship,

Since remembering our pact, my tears flow down

Like rain streaming from the backs of clouds.

Like drops from laden rainclouds.

وأَصبحتِ الأَحشاءُ من فرط شَوقه

وأَصبحتِ الأَحشاءُ من فرط شَوقه

تشبُّ لظى نيرانها بضِرامِ

تشبُّ لظى نيرانها بضِرامِ

And from excessive longing for him, my inward parts began

With intense longing, my heart has become

To stoke their fires' blaze with kindling.

Ablaze with fires fueled by embers.

بعثتَ بأَبيات من الشعر أَصبحَت

بعثتَ بأَبيات من الشعر أَصبحَت

تَمائم جيدي بل شفاءَ سقامي

تَمائم جيدي بل شفاءَ سقامي

You sent verses of poetry that became

You sent verses of poetry that have become

Amulets about my neck—rather, a cure for my sickness.

Like amulets on my neck, healing my sickness.

أَبَنتَ بها عن لهجةٍ هامشيَّةٍ

أَبَنتَ بها عن لهجةٍ هامشيَّةٍ

ملكتَ بها للقولِ كلَّ زِمامِ

ملكتَ بها للقولِ كلَّ زِمامِ

Through them you revealed a marginal manner of speech,

With them you expressed an eloquent dialect,

Through which you held every rein of speech.

Grasping with your words every last rein.

توارثتها عن عصبة مضريَّةٍ

توارثتها عن عصبة مضريَّةٍ

مدارهَ فصحٍ منجبين كرامِ

مدارهَ فصحٍ منجبين كرامِ

You inherited it from a Mudarite clan,

You inherited them from excellent, noble people,

Eloquent spokesmen, sires of worthy offspring, noble men.

Whose pure Arabic was their habit.

وضمَّنتها من خالص الودِّ نفثةً

وضمَّنتها من خالص الودِّ نفثةً

شحذتَ بها عضبي ورِشت سِهامي

شحذتَ بها عضبي ورِشت سِهامي

And you imbued them with a breath of pure affection,

And you instilled in them a breath of sincere affection,

With which you sharpened my sword and fletched my arrows.

With which you sharpened my resolve and readied my arrows.

وإِن كُنتُ أَضمرت السكوتَ تحيَّة

وإِن كُنتُ أَضمرت السكوتَ تحيَّة

فحسبي سكوتٌ ناطقٌ بذمامي

فحسبي سكوتٌ ناطقٌ بذمامي

And if I had intended silence as a greeting,

Though I intended to greet you with silence,

Then silence that speaks of my pledged loyalty suffices me.

Yet my very silence speaks volumes.

فَلا برحت تغشاكَ منّي رسائلٌ

فَلا برحت تغشاكَ منّي رسائلٌ

بنشر ثناءٍ أَو بطيب سَلامِ

بنشر ثناءٍ أَو بطيب سَلامِ

So may letters from me never cease to reach you,

Message after message comes from me to you,

With the fragrance of praise or the sweetness of greetings.

Spreading praise or extending a warm greeting.

أحيّي به ذاك المُحيّا وإِنَّما

أحيّي به ذاك المُحيّا وإِنَّما

أحيّي به وَاللَه بدرَ تَمامِ

أحيّي به وَاللَه بدرَ تَمامِ

With it I greet that countenance, and in truth,

With it I salute the one worthy of salutations,

With it, by God, I greet nothing but a full moon.

And by Allah, the full moon at its peak.