قِف بالعُذيب وحيِّ حيَّ قطينِه

قِف بالعُذيب وحيِّ حيَّ قطينِه

واِستسق عَينَك في مراتع عينِهِ

واِستسق عَينَك في مراتع عينِهِ

Halt at al-ʿUdhayb, and greet the tribe whose people dwell there;

Halt at al-ʿUdhayb and greet the camp of its dwellers.

and bid your eye rain upon the pastures of his eye.

And ask your eye for rain in the pastures of its wide-eyed wild cattle.

واِحذر هنالكَ من ظِباءِ كناسِه

واِحذر هنالكَ من ظِباءِ كناسِه

إِن كنتَ لا تخشى أسودَ عَرينِهِ

إِن كنتَ لا تخشى أسودَ عَرينِهِ

And beware, there, the gazelles of his covert,

And there beware the gazelles of its covert,

if you no longer fear the lions of his den.

if you do not fear the lions of its den.

وإِن اِدَّعيتَ خلوَّ قلبك في الهَوى

وإِن اِدَّعيتَ خلوَّ قلبك في الهَوى

فمن اِبتَلاهُ بوجدِه وحنينِهِ

فمن اِبتَلاهُ بوجدِه وحنينِهِ

And if you claim your heart is empty of love,

And if you claim your heart is free of love,

then who afflicted it with passion and yearning?

who, then, afflicted it with its passion and yearning?

هَيهات لا يُغني الحذارُ إذا بَدَت

هَيهات لا يُغني الحذارُ إذا بَدَت

تلك الدُمى بين الحِمى وحجونِهِ

تلك الدُمى بين الحِمى وحجونِهِ

Impossible—caution is no protection when there appear

Far from it! Caution is useless when there appear

those idol-like beauties between the Sanctuary and al-Ḥajūn.

those statue-like beauties between the sanctuary and its Ḥajūn.

ومحجَّبٍ إِن لاح تحت ردائِه

ومحجَّبٍ إِن لاح تحت ردائِه

أَبصرتَ بدرَ التمِّ فوق جَبينِهِ

أَبصرتَ بدرَ التمِّ فوق جَبينِهِ

And a veiled beauty—if he gleams beneath his cloak,

And many a veiled one—if he gleams beneath his cloak,

you see the full moon above his brow.

you behold a full moon above his brow.

ما هزَّ ذابلَ قدِّه إلّا غدت

ما هزَّ ذابلَ قدِّه إلّا غدت

شغفاً تسيل عليه نفسُ طعينِهِ

شغفاً تسيل عليه نفسُ طعينِهِ

No sooner does the slender spear of his stature sway than

No sooner does he sway the slender lance of his stature than

the soul of one it pierced pours over him, mad with love.

his pierced victim's soul begins to flow over him in passion.

لا يخدعنَّكَ منه لينُ قوامه

لا يخدعنَّكَ منه لينُ قوامه

هَذا الَّذي صَدَع القُلوبَ بلينِهِ

هَذا الَّذي صَدَع القُلوبَ بلينِهِ

Let not the suppleness of his form deceive you about him:

Do not let the suppleness of his figure deceive you:

this is the one who split hearts with that very softness.

he is the one who shatters hearts with his softness.

قد أَخجل المرّانَ حالي قدِّهِ

قد أَخجل المرّانَ حالي قدِّهِ

وَالبيضَ في الأَجفان سود جفونِهِ

وَالبيضَ في الأَجفان سود جفونِهِ

The two aspects of his stature have put the supple spear-shafts to shame,

His graceful stature has put spear-shafts to shame,

and the blackness of his eyelids, the white blades in their sheaths.

and his dark eyelids, the bright swords in their sheaths.

لَولا تلوّنُ ودِّه ما كانَ لي

لَولا تلوّنُ ودِّه ما كانَ لي

طَرفٌ يَحار الدَمعُ في تَلوينِهِ

طَرفٌ يَحار الدَمعُ في تَلوينِهِ

Were it not for his affection’s changing colors, I would have no

Were it not for his affection's shifting colors, I would have no

eye whose tears are at a loss how to color it.

eye that tears are at a loss to color.

عابَ الكواشحُ مَينَه في وعده

عابَ الكواشحُ مَينَه في وعده

هبهُ يَمينُ أَلَستُ ملكَ يمينهِ

هبهُ يَمينُ أَلَستُ ملكَ يمينهِ

The spiteful fault his falsehood in the promise he made;

The ill-wishers faulted his falsehood in his promise.

call it an oath—am I not the possession of his right hand?

Suppose he lies—am I not his right hand's possession?

ما هيَّمت قَلبي فنونُ هيامه

ما هيَّمت قَلبي فنونُ هيامه

حتّى رأى في الحسن حسنَ فنونِهِ

حتّى رأى في الحسن حسنَ فنونِهِ

The varied arts of his passion did not entrance my heart

The many forms of passion for him did not madden my heart

until it saw, within beauty, the beauty of his arts.

until it saw, in beauty, the beauty of his varied charms.

وَكتمتُ عَن نَفسي حَديثَ غرامه

وَكتمتُ عَن نَفسي حَديثَ غرامه

حذراً عليه ولَم أفُه بمصونِهِ

حذراً عليه ولَم أفُه بمصونِهِ

I concealed even from my own soul the tale of my love for him,

And I hid from my own soul the story of my love for him,

fearing for him, and never breathed its guarded secret.

fearing for him, and never uttered his guarded secret.

فالقَلبُ لا يَدري بعلَّة وجده

فالقَلبُ لا يَدري بعلَّة وجده

وَالعَقلُ يَجهَلُ من قَضى بجنونِهِ

وَالعَقلُ يَجهَلُ من قَضى بجنونِهِ

Thus the heart does not know the cause of its longing,

So the heart does not know the cause of its passion,

nor reason know who decreed its madness.

and the mind does not know who decreed its madness.

وَمؤنِّبٍ لي في البكاءِ كأَنَّني

وَمؤنِّبٍ لي في البكاءِ كأَنَّني

أَبكي إذا جدَّ الأَسى بعيونِهِ

أَبكي إذا جدَّ الأَسى بعيونِهِ

A reproacher chides me for weeping, as though I

And many a man rebukes me for weeping, as though I

weep, when sorrow grows fierce, with his own eyes!

weep with his eyes when grief grows keen.

ظنَّ الهَوى سهلَ المرام وما درى

ظنَّ الهَوى سهلَ المرام وما درى

أنَّ المنى في الحُبِّ دون منونِهِ

أنَّ المنى في الحُبِّ دون منونِهِ

He thought love’s object easy to attain, never knowing

He thought love easy to attain, and did not know

that hopes in love fall short of its deathblows.

that hopes in love fall short of its death.

ماذا عليه وما شجاه ولوعُهُ

ماذا عليه وما شجاه ولوعُهُ

إِن باتَ قَلبي مولَعاً بشجونِهِ

إِن باتَ قَلبي مولَعاً بشجونِهِ

What is it to him, and why should his ardent lover grieve him,

What is it to him—its ardor has not grieved him—

if my heart spends the night consumed by its sorrows?

if my heart spends the night enthralled by its sorrows?

زعم النصيحةَ حين أَرشَدني إلى

زعم النصيحةَ حين أَرشَدني إلى

ترك الهوى من جدِّه ومُجونِهِ

ترك الهوى من جدِّه ومُجونِهِ

He claimed it sincere counsel when he directed me

He claimed good counsel when he guided me toward

to forsake love, out of his ignorance and wanton folly.

abandoning love, both its earnestness and its wantonness.

كلّا وعيشِك لو أَراد نصيحتي

كلّا وعيشِك لو أَراد نصيحتي

لَم يَرضَ لي أَني أَعيشُ بدونِهِ

لَم يَرضَ لي أَني أَعيشُ بدونِهِ

No—by your life! Had he truly sought my good,

No! By your life, had he meant to counsel me well,

he would not wish me to live without him.

he would not consent to my living without it.