لاَمُ العِذَارِ لِتَوكِيدِ الهَوَى خُلِقَت

لاَمُ العِذَارِ لِتَوكِيدِ الهَوَى خُلِقَت

ام للتَّعَجُّبِ مِمَّا ذُقتُهُ مُشِقت

ام للتَّعَجُّبِ مِمَّا ذُقتُهُ مُشِقت

Was the lām of the sideburn created to affirm love,

Is it the blame of confirming passion that it was created,

Or was it drawn in wonder at what I tasted?

Or is it for wonder at what bitterness I have tasted,

أم لابتِدَاءِ صَبَابَاتِ المُتَيَّمِ أم

أم لابتِدَاءِ صَبَابَاتِ المُتَيَّمِ أم

لِمِلكِ مُهجَتهِ لِلعَينِ إذ رَمقَت

لِمِلكِ مُهجَتهِ لِلعَينِ إذ رَمقَت

Or to begin the lovesick lover's yearnings, or

Or is it to begin the youthfulness of the lovesick,

For the eye to possess his soul when it gazed?

Or for the kingdom of his spirit to the eye when it glanced,

أم لاختِصَاصِي بِنَبلٍ من لوَاحِظِهِ

أم لاختِصَاصِي بِنَبلٍ من لوَاحِظِهِ

أم لاستِغَاثَةِ قَلبِي منهُ إذ رَشقَت

أم لاستِغَاثَةِ قَلبِي منهُ إذ رَشقَت

Or to single me out for arrows from his sidelong glances?

Or is it my specialty in gentleness from its beholder,

Or for my heart's plea for rescue from him when they loosed arrows?

Or is it to invoke my heart from it when it shot,

أم للإضافَةِ مِن ذُلِيِّ لِعِزَّتِهِ

أم للإضافَةِ مِن ذُلِيِّ لِعِزَّتِهِ

يَا لَيتَ شِعرِيَ أم لِلعهدِ لو صَدَقَت

يَا لَيتَ شِعرِيَ أم لِلعهدِ لو صَدَقَت

Or to join my abasement to his glory?

Or is it for the addition from the lowly to his glory,

Would that I knew! Or for the pledge—if only it proved true?

Oh, would that I know! Or is it for the covenant, if it were true,

أم ذِي لِتَعرِيفِ وَجدِي أم لجَحدِ دمِ

أم ذِي لِتَعرِيفِ وَجدِي أم لجَحدِ دمِ

خُيُولُهُ مِن مَجَارِي أدمُعِي استَبَقَت

خُيُولُهُ مِن مَجَارِي أدمُعِي استَبَقَت

Or is this to make my passion known, or to deny the blood

Or the one to define my passion, or for the blood of my tears

Whose steeds raced ahead from the channels of my tears?

Its steeds from my tear ducts raced forth,

أم ذِي لِتَعلِيلِ قَلبِي بِالزّيارَةِ أم

أم ذِي لِتَعلِيلِ قَلبِي بِالزّيارَةِ أم

للأمرِ أن تَسكُبَ العَينانِ فَاندَفَعَت

للأمرِ أن تَسكُبَ العَينانِ فَاندَفَعَت

Or is this to soothe my heart with a visit, or

Or the one to justify my heart with visitation, or

To command both eyes to pour out tears, so they surged forth?

For the command that the two eyes pour forth and gush out,

أم تِلكَ لِلقَسَمِ المَبرُورِ من دَنِفٍ

أم تِلكَ لِلقَسَمِ المَبرُورِ من دَنِفٍ

أم ذِي لِعَاقِبَةٍ في الغيبِ قَد سَبَقَت

أم ذِي لِعَاقِبَةٍ في الغيبِ قَد سَبَقَت

Or is that for the faithfully kept oath of a lovesick sufferer?

Or are those for the binding oath of him who is gentle,

Or is this for an outcome already foreordained in the unseen?

Or the one for a consequence in the unseen that preceded,

أم ذِي لِتَارِيخِ شهرِ اللَّحظِ صارِمَهُ

أم ذِي لِتَارِيخِ شهرِ اللَّحظِ صارِمَهُ

أم ذِي لِجِنسِ جَوَارِي أدمُعِي دَفِقَت

أم ذِي لِجِنسِ جَوَارِي أدمُعِي دَفِقَت

Or is this to mark when the glance unsheathed its keen sword?

Or the one for the date of the month of the severe glance,

Or is this to denote the kind of my streaming tears as they gushed forth?

Or the one for the genus of my pouring tears that flooded forth,

هَذِي لَعَمرِي مَعَانِي اللاَّمِ عِدَّتُهَا

هَذِي لَعَمرِي مَعَانِي اللاَّمِ عِدَّتُهَا

أتَتكَ سِتَّةَ عَشرَ حَسبَمَا اتَّفَقَت

أتَتكَ سِتَّةَ عَشرَ حَسبَمَا اتَّفَقَت

These, by my life, are the meanings of lām; their count:

These, by my life, are the meanings of "laam", their count

Sixteen, brought to you just as they happened to occur.

Came to you sixteen, as it turned out.