خَليليَّ خطبُ الحبِّ أَيسرُهُ صَعبُ

خَليليَّ خطبُ الحبِّ أَيسرُهُ صَعبُ

وَلكن عَذابُ المُستهام به عَذبُ

وَلكن عَذابُ المُستهام به عَذبُ

My two friends, love's ordeal is hard even at its easiest,

My beloved, love's discourse is easy at first

Yet the torment of one maddened by it is sweet.

But the agony of one possessed by it is sweet

وَما أنسَ لا أَنسى وُقوفي صَبيحةً

وَما أنسَ لا أَنسى وُقوفي صَبيحةً

وقد أَقبلت يَقتادُها الشَوقُ والحبُّ

وقد أَقبلت يَقتادُها الشَوقُ والحبُّ

Whatever I forget, I do not forget standing one morning,

I shall never forget standing one morn

As she approached, led by yearning and love—

As she came to me, led on by desire and love

فَتاةٌ هي البدرُ المُنيرُ إذا بَدَت

فَتاةٌ هي البدرُ المُنيرُ إذا بَدَت

وَلكنَّ لا شَرقٌ حَواها ولا غَربُ

وَلكنَّ لا شَرقٌ حَواها ولا غَربُ

A maiden, the radiant full moon whenever she appears,

A girl, she is the shining full moon unveiled

Yet neither east nor west has contained her.

Though no east or west can contain her

مُنعّمةٌ رؤدٌ لها الشَمسُ ضَرَّةٌ

مُنعّمةٌ رؤدٌ لها الشَمسُ ضَرَّةٌ

وَغُصن النَقا ندٌّ وظبيُ الفَلا تِربُ

وَغُصن النَقا ندٌّ وظبيُ الفَلا تِربُ

Delicately nurtured and tender, she has the sun as a rival wife,

Luxuriant, tended by the submissive sun

And the dune's bough is her equal, the desert gazelle her age-mate.

Willow branch swaying, doe of meadow gamboling

فَوافَت تُناجيني بعتبٍ هو المُنى

فَوافَت تُناجيني بعتبٍ هو المُنى

وَلَيسَ يلَذُّ الحبُّ ما لَم يكن عَتبُ

وَلَيسَ يلَذُّ الحبُّ ما لَم يكن عَتبُ

So she came, whispering reproaches to me—all I desired,

She came to me whispering with reproach, the wish

And love is not sweet unless there is reproach.

For love is not joy unless twined with admonishment

فَما زلتُ أُبدي العُذرَ أَسأَلُها الرِضا

فَما زلتُ أُبدي العُذرَ أَسأَلُها الرِضا

وَقَد علمت لو أَنصفَت لمن الذَنبُ

وَقَد علمت لو أَنصفَت لمن الذَنبُ

So I kept offering excuses, asking for her approval,

Still I made excuses, asked her pardon

Though she knew, had she been fair, whose fault it was.

Had she been just, she'd have known I was not to blame

إِلى أَن طوَت نشرَ العِتاب وأَقبلت

إِلى أَن طوَت نشرَ العِتاب وأَقبلت

تبسَّمُ عن ثَغرٍ هو اللؤلؤُ الرَطبُ

تبسَّمُ عن ثَغرٍ هو اللؤلؤُ الرَطبُ

Until she folded up her outspread reproach and began

Until she furled the standard of rebuke and smiled

To smile, revealing a mouth of moist pearls.

From lips like moistened pearls

فعاطيتُها كأسَ الحَديثِ وَبَيننا

فعاطيتُها كأسَ الحَديثِ وَبَيننا

حِجابُ عَفافٍ عنده تُرفَعُ الحُجبُ

حِجابُ عَفافٍ عنده تُرفَعُ الحُجبُ

So I shared with her the cup of conversation, while between us

I gave her the wine of talk, a curtain between us

Lay a veil of chastity, before which veils are lifted.

Of virtuous modesty, where all veils are lifted

فظلَّت بها سَكرى وَرُحتُ كأَنَّني

فظلَّت بها سَكرى وَرُحتُ كأَنَّني

أَخو نَشوَةٍ بالراحِ لَيسَ لَهُ لبُّ

أَخو نَشوَةٍ بالراحِ لَيسَ لَهُ لبُّ

So she remained drunk on it, and I felt as though I were

She remained intoxicated, while I departed

A man in wine's rapture, bereft of reason.

As one made giddy by the wind, witless

فَواللَهِ ما صِرفُ المُدامِ بِفاعِلٍ

فَواللَهِ ما صِرفُ المُدامِ بِفاعِلٍ

بنا فعلَها يَوماً ولَو أَدمنَ الشِربُ

بنا فعلَها يَوماً ولَو أَدمنَ الشِربُ

By God, undiluted wine could not

By God, the flowing wine does not make one act

Ever do to us what that cup did, even with ceaseless drinking.

Indecently, not even if addicted to drink

وَقَفتُ أُجيلُ الطَرفَ في روضِ حُسنها

وَقَفتُ أُجيلُ الطَرفَ في روضِ حُسنها

وَيَمنَعُني من طَرفها مُرهَفٌ عَضبُ

وَيَمنَعُني من طَرفها مُرهَفٌ عَضبُ

I stood, letting my gaze roam through the garden of her beauty,

I stood deferring my gaze in her garden of beauty

And a keen, cutting blade from her gaze held me back.

Though an angry watchman prevented me from looking

وَما برحَت تُصبي فؤادي وهل فَتىً

وَما برحَت تُصبي فؤادي وهل فَتىً

تغازلُه تِلكَ اللِحاظ ولا يَصبو

تغازلُه تِلكَ اللِحاظ ولا يَصبو

She never ceased to enchant my heart; can any youth

She did not stop seducing my heart, does a man

Be courted by those glances and not fall in love?

Endure such glances and remain indifferent?

وَراحَت تُريحُ القَلبَ من زَفَراتِهِ

وَراحَت تُريحُ القَلبَ من زَفَراتِهِ

بطيب حَديثٍ عنده يَقِفُ الرَكبُ

بطيب حَديثٍ عنده يَقِفُ الرَكبُ

And she began to ease the heart of its sighs

She relieved my heart of its sighs

With sweet conversation, at which the caravan halts.

With sweet talk, at which travelers halt

فَما راعَها الّا سُقوطُ قِناعِها

فَما راعَها الّا سُقوطُ قِناعِها

وطُرَّتُها في كَفِّ ريح الصَبا نَهبُ

وطُرَّتُها في كَفِّ ريح الصَبا نَهبُ

Then only the falling of her veil startled her,

Until her veil slipped and the desert wind

And her forelock was plunder in the east wind's palm.

Snatched it from her hand, seized it as spoils

هُنالكَ أَبصرتُ المُنى كَيفَ تُجتَنى

هُنالكَ أَبصرتُ المُنى كَيفَ تُجتَنى

وَكَيفَ يَنال القَلبُ ما أَمَّل القَلبُ

وَكَيفَ يَنال القَلبُ ما أَمَّل القَلبُ

There I saw how wishes are harvested,

There I saw fulfillment, how hearts realize

And how the heart attains what the heart has hoped for.

What hearts desire, how hearts attain their wants

فَلِلَّه يَومٌ ساعَفَتنا بِهِ المُنى

فَلِلَّه يَومٌ ساعَفَتنا بِهِ المُنى

وَطابَ لَنا فيه التواصلُ والقُربُ

وَطابَ لَنا فيه التواصلُ والقُربُ

What a day, by God, when wishes came to our aid,

Oh what a day when wishes were doubled for us

And on that day, communion and closeness were sweet to us.

And intimacy and nearness were pure pleasure