ظُبىً وَسِهامٌ أَم رَناً وَلحاظُ

ظُبىً وَسِهامٌ أَم رَناً وَلحاظُ

عَلَيها نفوسُ العاشقين تُفاظُ

عَلَيها نفوسُ العاشقين تُفاظُ

Sword-edges and arrows—or gazes and glances?

Is it a smiling gazelle or a flexible spear?

Upon them the souls of lovers perish.

The souls of lovers swoon over her.

وَتلك رِماحٌ أَم قدودٌ موائسٌ

وَتلك رِماحٌ أَم قدودٌ موائسٌ

وَهَيهات أَعطافُ الرِماح غِلاظُ

وَهَيهات أَعطافُ الرِماح غِلاظُ

And are those spears, or swaying figures?

Are they javelins or slender wine cups?

But far from it—the shafts of spears are thick.

Alas, the javelins are not flexible.

وَما عميَت عن لينها عينُ كاشحٍ

وَما عميَت عن لينها عينُ كاشحٍ

ولكن قُلوبُ الكاشحين فِظاظُ

ولكن قُلوبُ الكاشحين فِظاظُ

And no foe's eye has been blind to her softness,

No critic's eye was blinded to her softness,

but the hearts of foes are harsh.

But the hearts of critics are harsh.

لعمريَ لو لم ترضَ نَفسي بحبِّها

لعمريَ لو لم ترضَ نَفسي بحبِّها

لما كُنتُ أَرضى في الهوى وأغاظُ

لما كُنتُ أَرضى في الهوى وأغاظُ

By my life, had my soul not consented to loving her,

By my life! If my soul did not accept loving her,

I would not be pleased and vexed in passion.

I would not accept love or persist in passion.

وإِنَّ فؤادي وهو شاكٍ من الهَوى

وإِنَّ فؤادي وهو شاكٍ من الهَوى

ليثنيه عن نهج السلوِّ حفاظُ

ليثنيه عن نهج السلوِّ حفاظُ

And my heart, though it complains of passion,

Though my heart doubts this love,

is surely turned from the path of forgetting by loyalty.

Faithfulness dissuades it from the path of indifference.

وَما جلهَت نَفسي بأَنَّ شرابَه

وَما جلهَت نَفسي بأَنَّ شرابَه

سَرابٌ وَبَرد العيش منه شُواظُ

سَرابٌ وَبَرد العيش منه شُواظُ

Nor was my soul unaware that its drink

My soul is not deceived that her wine

is a mirage, and life's coolness from it is scorching flame.

Is a mirage and the coolness of life comes from it.

وَهَل عَن مَقامات الهوى متحوَّلٌ

وَهَل عَن مَقامات الهوى متحوَّلٌ

وَفيها شَتا أَهلُ الغَرام وَقاظوا

وَفيها شَتا أَهلُ الغَرام وَقاظوا

And is there any departure from passion's abodes,

Can one turn away from the abodes of love

where lovers have wintered and summered?

While people of passion are awake there night and day?

بِنَفسي من أَطمعتُ نَفسي بنَيلِها

بِنَفسي من أَطمعتُ نَفسي بنَيلِها

وَما عندها للمستميح لَماظُ

وَما عندها للمستميح لَماظُ

My life for her whom I led my soul to hope to win,

I hoped for union with her, tempting my soul,

yet she has not a morsel for the supplicant.

But she has no gentle union for those who seek her.

مَعاطفُها نَشوى وَما ذُقن خمرةً

مَعاطفُها نَشوى وَما ذُقن خمرةً

وَأَجفانُها وَسنى وهنَّ يَقاظُ

وَأَجفانُها وَسنى وهنَّ يَقاظُ

Her curves are drunk, though they have tasted no wine;

Her greetings are joy, though we've tasted no wine,

and her eyelids are drowsy, though they are awake.

And her eyes are sleep, though they are wide awake.

كأَنَّ عيوناً أغريت بجمالها

كأَنَّ عيوناً أغريت بجمالها

لشدَّة ما تَرنو إِليه جحاظُ

لشدَّة ما تَرنو إِليه جحاظُ

It is as though eyes captivated by her beauty

As if she has eyes that seduce with their beauty

were bulging from the intensity of their gaze upon it.

So intensely they yearn for what they see.

برعتُ على أَهل الغَرام بوصفها

برعتُ على أَهل الغَرام بوصفها

كأَنّي قُسٌّ وَالغَرامُ عُكاظُ

كأَنّي قُسٌّ وَالغَرامُ عُكاظُ

I have surpassed the lovers in describing her,

I surpassed people of passion in describing her

as though I were Quss and love were ʿUkāẓ.

As if I were a judge and passion were a witness.