عَميدٌ أُصيبَ عَن عَمدِ

عَميدٌ أُصيبَ عَن عَمدِ

وَأَغرَت بِهِ الهَوى غُرَّه

وَأَغرَت بِهِ الهَوى غُرَّه

A love-stricken man, struck deliberately,

A lovesick man was wounded deliberately,

whom love’s delusions lured to her—

and a radiant brow incited passion against him,

مِن هَيفا صادَت قُلوبَ الصيد

مِن هَيفا صادَت قُلوبَ الصيد

لَم تَترُك لِمَن سَلا عُذرَه

لَم تَترُك لِمَن سَلا عُذرَه

a slender beauty who hunted the hearts of the proud.

of a slender-waisted beauty who hunted the hearts of the proud.

She left no excuse to anyone who recovered.

She left no excuse for anyone who forgot love.

مُحَيّا قَد لاحَ لِلزَهرِ

مُحَيّا قَد لاحَ لِلزَهرِ

عَن لَحظٍ مَبهوت

عَن لَحظٍ مَبهوت

A countenance flashed before the flowers,

A face has shone before the flowers,

beneath a dumbfounded gaze.

drawing from them a gaze struck with wonder.

خَطَّ الحُسنُ مِنهُ في سَطرِ

خَطَّ الحُسنُ مِنهُ في سَطرِ

جَواباً لِكُلِّ تَعنيت

جَواباً لِكُلِّ تَعنيت

From it Beauty penned, in a single line,

Beauty wrote from it, in a single line,

an answer to every difficult demand.

an answer to every fault-finding reproach.

أَوفى في الجَمالِ وَفي السِحرِ

أَوفى في الجَمالِ وَفي السِحرِ

عَلى يوسُفٍ وَهاروت

عَلى يوسُفٍ وَهاروت

In beauty and in sorcery, it surpassed

It surpassed, in beauty and in sorcery,

Joseph and Hārūt.

Yusuf and Harut.

يُهدي غُنجُ لَحظِهِ المُردي

يُهدي غُنجُ لَحظِهِ المُردي

حِماماً يُباحُ مِن نَظرَه

حِماماً يُباحُ مِن نَظرَه

The fatal coquetry of that glance bestows

The coquetry of his deadly glance bestows

a death made lawful by a single look.

a death made lawful by his gaze.

وَيُهدي مِن خَدِّهِ التَوريد

وَيُهدي مِن خَدِّهِ التَوريد

عَقيقاً يُصاغُ مِن دُرَّه

عَقيقاً يُصاغُ مِن دُرَّه

And the rose-bloom of her cheeks bestows

And the rosy tint of his cheek bestows

carnelian fashioned from their pearls.

carnelian fashioned from his pearls.

فَتاةٌ مِسواكُها يَشهَد

فَتاةٌ مِسواكُها يَشهَد

بِشَهدٍ لَم يَدرِهِ الرَشفُ

بِشَهدٍ لَم يَدرِهِ الرَشفُ

A maiden whose tooth-stick bears witness

A maiden whose tooth-stick bears witness

to honey her mouth has never known.

to honey no sipping has ever known.

أَرى وَردَ خَدِّها وَرَّد

أَرى وَردَ خَدِّها وَرَّد

دُموعي فَهيَ دَمٌ صِرفُ

دُموعي فَهيَ دَمٌ صِرفُ

I see the rose of her cheek has dyed

I see the rose of her cheek has reddened

my tears rose-red: they are pure blood.

my tears, so they are pure blood.

صِفاتٌ حَظُّ الشَجي المُكَمَّد

صِفاتٌ حَظُّ الشَجي المُكَمَّد

مِنهُنَّ الغَرامُ وَالوَصفُ

مِنهُنَّ الغَرامُ وَالوَصفُ

Qualities whose portion for the sorrowing, tormented lover

Qualities—the sorrowful, grief-stricken lover's share

is passion and portrayal,

of them is passion and their description.

وَبَردُ الغَليلِ في البَردِ

وَبَردُ الغَليلِ في البَردِ

مَيّادٌ تَجني المُنى زَهرَه

مَيّادٌ تَجني المُنى زَهرَه

and burning thirst assuaged by coolness.

And balm for burning thirst, within the cloak:

A swaying beauty, plucking the blossom of desires;

a swaying form whose blossom wishes pluck.

وَجيدٌ يُغني عَنِ التَقليد

وَجيدٌ يُغني عَنِ التَقليد

كَجيدِ الغَزالِ في وَجرَه

كَجيدِ الغَزالِ في وَجرَه

a neck that has no need of necklaces,

And a neck that needs no necklace,

like a gazelle’s neck within its lair.

like a gazelle's neck in its lair.

دَمي في حُكمِ الهَوى طُلّا

دَمي في حُكمِ الهَوى طُلّا

بِقَدٍّ كَالغُصنِ إِذ طَلّا

بِقَدٍّ كَالغُصنِ إِذ طَلّا

By passion’s judgment, my blood goes unavenged,

My blood, by love's decree, is shed unavenged,

for a stature like a branch when dew-clad.

by a figure like a bough when it appeared.

وَبِهِ خافِقُ الحَشا حَلّا

وَبِهِ خافِقُ الحَشا حَلّا

وَعَن وِردِ وَصلِهِ حَلّا

وَعَن وِردِ وَصلِهِ حَلّا

There the fluttering heart alighted,

And in him my fluttering heart took abode,

then left the watering-place of union.

yet withdrew from the waters of his union.

حَمَتني صَفِيَّةُالوَصلا

حَمَتني صَفِيَّةُالوَصلا

بِنَفسي نارَ الأَسى تَصلى

بِنَفسي نارَ الأَسى تَصلى

The chosen one denied me union;

Safiyya denied me union.

within my soul the fire of sorrow blazes.

With my soul, burning in sorrow's fire, I would ransom

مَهاةٌ جارَت عَلى الأُسدِ

مَهاةٌ جارَت عَلى الأُسدِ

بِعَضبٍ مَضاؤُهُ الفَترَه

بِعَضبٍ مَضاؤُهُ الفَترَه

An oryx who tyrannized lions

an oryx that tyrannized over lions,

with a sword whose keen edge is languor,

with a keen sword whose cutting power is languor,

وَغُصنٍ غَضِّ الجَنى أُملود

وَغُصنٍ غَضِّ الجَنى أُملود

أَطاعَت سُمرُ القَنا أَمرَه

أَطاعَت سُمرُ القَنا أَمرَه

and a tender-fruited, supple branch

and a supple bough with tender fruit,

whose command the tawny spears obeyed.

whose command the brown spear-shafts obeyed.

فَجَعتَ الرَقيبَ وَالعاذِل

فَجَعتَ الرَقيبَ وَالعاذِل

حَتّى قَد رَحَمتُ عُذّالي

حَتّى قَد رَحَمتُ عُذّالي

You brought grief upon watcher and censor,

You devastated the watcher and the reprover,

until I came to pity those who blamed me:

until I even pitied my reprovers.

صَدرُ مَن فُؤادُهُ عاطِل

صَدرُ مَن فُؤادُهُ عاطِل

وَخَدُّ مَن بِدَمعِهِ حالي

وَخَدُّ مَن بِدَمعِهِ حالي

a breast bereft of its heart,

The breast of one whose heart is unadorned,

and the cheek of one adorned with his tears.

and the cheek of one adorned with his tears.

سُؤالي وَقفٌ عَلى باخِل

سُؤالي وَقفٌ عَلى باخِل

وَحُبّي وَقفٌ عَلى سالي

وَحُبّي وَقفٌ عَلى سالي

My pleading is a waqf assigned to a miser;

My plea is devoted to one who withholds,

my love, a waqf assigned to one grown indifferent.

and my love is devoted to one who has forgotten love.

لَو نالَ الصَبا لَظى وَجدي

لَو نالَ الصَبا لَظى وَجدي

لَعادَت أَنفاسُها زَفرَه

لَعادَت أَنفاسُها زَفرَه

If the east wind touched the blaze of my passion,

If the blaze of my passion touched the east wind,

its breaths would turn to sighs;

its breaths would turn into a sigh;

أَوِ الوُرقَ ما بَكَت تَغريد

أَوِ الوُرقَ ما بَكَت تَغريد

بَل فاضَت آماقُها عَبرَه

بَل فاضَت آماقُها عَبرَه

nor would the gray doves have wept in song,

or, if it touched the gray doves, they would not weep in song,

rather, their eyes would overflow with my tears.

but their eye-corners would overflow with tears.

جَنَيتُ الحِمامَ مِن غَرسِ

جَنَيتُ الحِمامَ مِن غَرسِ

أَلحاظي في رَوضِ مَرآها

أَلحاظي في رَوضِ مَرآها

I harvested death from the planting of

I reaped death from planting

my glances in the garden of beholding her.

my glances in the garden of her form.

بِنَفسي وَأَينَ لي نَفسي

بِنَفسي وَأَينَ لي نَفسي

زَواها عَنّي مُفَدّاها

زَواها عَنّي مُفَدّاها

By my soul!—yet where is my soul?

I would ransom her with my soul—but where is my soul?

She whom it would ransom has taken it from me.

The one it would ransom has taken it from me:

مَهاةٌ تَقولُ لِلشَمسِ

مَهاةٌ تَقولُ لِلشَمسِ

إِذا واجَهَت مُحَيّاها

إِذا واجَهَت مُحَيّاها

An oryx says to the sun,

an oryx who says to the sun,

when it confronts her countenance:

when it faces her countenance:

تَحكي مِنَ السَما خَدّي

تَحكي مِنَ السَما خَدّي

يا ختي اِش ذا الحَسَد وَذا القُدرَه

يا ختي اِش ذا الحَسَد وَذا القُدرَه

“From the sky you imitate my cheek.

You imitate my cheek from the sky.

Sister, what is this envy—and what is this power?

O my sister, what is this envy and this power?

تَوَفّي ما عَلَيكِ بِجيدِ اِن جيد

تَوَفّي ما عَلَيكِ بِجيدِ اِن جيد

تَراهُ الشُموس بِعَين حَسرَه

تَراهُ الشُموس بِعَين حَسرَه

Discharge what you owe with a neck—if a neck

Pay what you owe with a neck—if you have a neck

the suns behold with longing eyes.”

the suns behold with an eye of regret.