يا لَحَظاتٍ لِلفِتَن

يا لَحَظاتٍ لِلفِتَن

في كَرِّها أَوفى نَصيب

في كَرِّها أَوفى نَصيب

O glances! Temptation has

O moments of temptation -

the fullest share in their assault.

In its abhorrence, my fairest fortune,

تَرمي وَكُلّي مَقتَلُ

تَرمي وَكُلّي مَقتَلُ

وَكُلُّها سَهمٌ مُصيب

وَكُلُّها سَهمٌ مُصيب

They shoot, and every part of me is a mortal target,

You cast, and I am utterly undone,

and each of them an unerring arrow.

Each one an arrow true.

النُصحُ لِلّاحي مُباح

النُصحُ لِلّاحي مُباح

أَمّا قَبولُهُ فَلا

أَمّا قَبولُهُ فَلا

The reproacher is free to offer counsel;

Advice to the lover is allowed,

but accepting it—no.

But acceptance - never.

عُلِّقتُها وَجهَ صَباح

عُلِّقتُها وَجهَ صَباح

ريقَ طِلاً عَيني طَلا

ريقَ طِلاً عَيني طَلا

I fell in love with her: a face like morning,

I hung it as the face of morning,

saliva like wine, two eyes like a fawn's.

My eyes rained dew of youth.

كَالظَبيِ ثَغرُه أَقاح

كَالظَبيِ ثَغرُه أَقاح

مِمّا اِرتَعاهُ بِالفَلا

مِمّا اِرتَعاهُ بِالفَلا

Gazelle-like, his teeth are daisies

Like the gazelle its mouth was wanton

from what he grazed on in the wilderness.

From what it had browsed on the mead.

ياظَبيُ خُذ قَلبي وَطَن

ياظَبيُ خُذ قَلبي وَطَن

فأَنتَ في الإِنسِ غَريب

فأَنتَ في الإِنسِ غَريب

O gazelle, take my heart as your home,

O gazelle, take my heart and roam

for you are a stranger among humankind.

For you are a stranger among men,

وَاِرتَع فَدَمعي سَلسَلُ

وَاِرتَع فَدَمعي سَلسَلُ

وَمُهجَتي مَرعىً خَصيب

وَمُهجَتي مَرعىً خَصيب

And graze: my tears are sweet, flowing water,

And browse, for my tears are a chain,

and my lifeblood is a fertile pasture.

My love a meadow, a lush terrain.

بَينَ اللَمى وَالحَوَرِ

بَينَ اللَمى وَالحَوَرِ

مِنها الحَياةُ وَالأَجَل

مِنها الحَياةُ وَالأَجَل

Between dusky lips and eyes of black and white,

Between the blamer and the praiser

from her come life and death.

Lies life and death.

سَقَت رِياضُ الخَفَرِ

سَقَت رِياضُ الخَفَرِ

في خَدِّها وَردَ الخَجَل

في خَدِّها وَردَ الخَجَل

Modesty's gardens have watered

The garden plots of the guardsman

the rose of shyness upon her cheek.

Grew on their cheeks the rose of shame.

غَرَستُهُ بِالنَظَرِ

غَرَستُهُ بِالنَظَرِ

وَأَجتَنيهِ بِالأَمَل

وَأَجتَنيهِ بِالأَمَل

I planted it with a glance,

I planted it with a glance

and I pluck it with hope.

And harvested it with hope.

في لَحظِهِ الساجي وَسَن

في لَحظِهِ الساجي وَسَن

أَسهَرَ أَجفانَ الكَئيب

أَسهَرَ أَجفانَ الكَئيب

In his tranquil gaze is a drowsiness

In its languid moment, an idol, a charm,

that kept the sorrowful one's eyelids awake.

It kept vigil the lids of the sorrowful one.

وَالرِدفُ فيهِ ثِقَلُ

وَالرِدفُ فيهِ ثِقَلُ

خَفَّ لَهُ عَقلُ اللَبيب

خَفَّ لَهُ عَقلُ اللَبيب

And the haunches have a heaviness

Continuance in it is burdensome,

that made the wise man's reason grow light.

The mind of the wise is perplexed.

أَهدَت إِلى حَرِّ العِتاب

أَهدَت إِلى حَرِّ العِتاب

بَردَ اللَمى وَقَد وَقَد

بَردَ اللَمى وَقَد وَقَد

She offered to the heat of reproach

It gave me the cold of reproach

her dusky lips' coolness, while that heat blazed.

The chill of blame it fanned.

فَلَو لَثَمتُها لَذاب

فَلَو لَثَمتُها لَذاب

بِزَفرَتي ذاكَ البَرَد

بِزَفرَتي ذاكَ البَرَد

So, had I kissed her, it would have melted—

Had I kissed it that cold would have melted

that hail, at my sigh.

By my breath, that frost.

ثُمَّ لَوَت جيدَ كَعاب

ثُمَّ لَوَت جيدَ كَعاب

ما حَليُهُ إِلّا الغَيَد

ما حَليُهُ إِلّا الغَيَد

Then she, a full-breasted maiden, turned her neck,

Then had I turned the cheek of a twist

adorned by nothing but supple grace,

Its adornment only the braid.

في نَزعَةِ الظَبيِ الأَغَنِّ

في نَزعَةِ الظَبيِ الأَغَنِّ

وَهَزَّةِ الغُصنِ الرَطيب

وَهَزَّةِ الغُصنِ الرَطيب

with the toss of a nasal-voiced gazelle

In the stirring of the graceful gazelle

and the sway of a tender branch.

And the quiver of the tender branch

يَجري لِدَمعِيَ جَدوَلُ

يَجري لِدَمعِيَ جَدوَلُ

فَيَنثَني مِنها قَضيب

فَيَنثَني مِنها قَضيب

A rivulet of my tears flows,

There runs for my tears a brook

and a slender bough of hers bends.

From which springs a rod.

أَأَنتِ حَوراً أَرسَلَك

أَأَنتِ حَوراً أَرسَلَك

رِضوانُ صَدقاً لِلخَبَر

رِضوانُ صَدقاً لِلخَبَر

Are you a houri, sent

Are you a houri, did the Garden send you in truth?

by Ridwan to prove the report true?

For the report hearts were cut to pieces for you,

قُطِّعَتِ القُلوبُ لَك

قُطِّعَتِ القُلوبُ لَك

وَقيلَ ما هَذي بَشَر

وَقيلَ ما هَذي بَشَر

Hearts were torn to pieces for you,

And it was said “This cannot be mortal!”

and it was said, 'This is no mortal.'

Umm al-Safa is anguished, distraught,

أُمُّ الصَفا مُضنىً هَلَك

أُمُّ الصَفا مُضنىً هَلَك

مِنَ النَوى أُمِّ الكَدَر

مِنَ النَوى أُمِّ الكَدَر

Mother of serenity, a wasted lover has perished

From the pine, Umm al-Kadar.

from separation, the mother of sorrow.

My love is purified by tribulation,

حُبّي تُزَكّيهِ المِحَن

حُبّي تُزَكّيهِ المِحَن

أَمرُ الهَوى أَمرٌ عَجيب

أَمرُ الهَوى أَمرٌ عَجيب

Trials purify my love;

The ways of passion are wondrous strange!

love's ways are a wondrous thing.

My longing is like an alembic -

كَأَنَّ عِشقيَ مَندَلُ

كَأَنَّ عِشقيَ مَندَلُ

زادَ بِنارِ الهَجرِ طيب

زادَ بِنارِ الهَجرِ طيب

As though my passion were aloeswood,

With the fires of separation more fragrant.

made more fragrant by the fire of estrangement.

You were strange in your surpassing beauty,

أَغرَبتِ في الحُسنِ البَديع

أَغرَبتِ في الحُسنِ البَديع

فَصارَ دَمعي مُغرِبا

فَصارَ دَمعي مُغرِبا

You were extraordinary in wondrous beauty,

And so my tears became a Maghrib.

so my tears became extraordinary too.

The scope of my love is everything,

شَملُ الهَوى عِندي جَميع

شَملُ الهَوى عِندي جَميع

وَأَدمُعي أَيدي سَبا

وَأَدمُعي أَيدي سَبا

For me, love's union is complete,

And my tears are hands that give drink.

yet my tears are Saba's scattered hands.

So listen, obedient slave,

فَاِستَمِعي عَبداً مُطيع

فَاِستَمِعي عَبداً مُطيع

غَنّى لِتَعصي الرُقَبا

غَنّى لِتَعصي الرُقَبا

So hear an obedient slave,

Who sang to disobey the overseers.

who sang so you might defy the watchers:

This overseer - how I wish he were not so quick to suspect!

هَذا الرَقيبُ ما أَسواه بِظَن

هَذا الرَقيبُ ما أَسواه بِظَن

اِش لَو كان الاِنسان مُريب

اِش لَو كان الاِنسان مُريب

This watcher—how vile he is in his suspicions!

O my lady arise, let us go against

What if someone gave cause for suspicion?

The one who suspected the overseer.

يا مَولَتي قُم نَعمَلو

يا مَولَتي قُم نَعمَلو

ذاكَ الَّذي ظَن الرَقيب

ذاكَ الَّذي ظَن الرَقيب

O my lady, rise—let us do

that which the watcher suspected.