طرفي عن وَجْهِك لم يَطْرِفِ

طرفي عن وَجْهِك لم يَطْرِفِ

والقلبُ عن حُبِّك لم يُصْرَف

والقلبُ عن حُبِّك لم يُصْرَف

My eye has never blinked away from your face,

My gaze has not turned away from your face,

nor has my heart been turned away from loving you.

And my heart has not been diverted from loving you.

وَلي كما شاءَ الهَوَى صبوةٌ

وَلي كما شاءَ الهَوَى صبوةٌ

مُسْرِفةٌ في حُسْنِكَ المُسْرفِ

مُسْرِفةٌ في حُسْنِكَ المُسْرفِ

As passion willed, I harbor an infatuation—

And, as passion willed, I have an ardent longing,

lavish before your lavish beauty.

Extravagant in its passion for your extravagant beauty.

حَمَّلْتَ قَلْبِيَ فَوْقَ مقدَارِهِ

حَمَّلْتَ قَلْبِيَ فَوْقَ مقدَارِهِ

فَخَفْ على قَلْبِيَ أَو خَفِّفِ

فَخَفْ على قَلْبِيَ أَو خَفِّفِ

You loaded my heart beyond its capacity;

You have burdened my heart beyond its capacity;

so take care with my heart—or lighten its load.

So fear for my heart, or lighten its load.

في خَدِّهِ جَمْرةُ نَارِ الحَشَا

في خَدِّهِ جَمْرةُ نَارِ الحَشَا

أَضعافُ ما في وَرْدَةِ المُضْعَفِ

أَضعافُ ما في وَرْدَةِ المُضْعَفِ

In his cheek glows an ember of the fire in my breast,

In his cheek is an ember of the heart’s fire,

many times brighter than the rose-flush of one laid low.

Many times that found in a double-petaled rose.

أَثَّرَ تَقْبِيلي على خَدِّهِ

أَثَّرَ تَقْبِيلي على خَدِّهِ

فهل رأَيت العَشْرَ في المُصْحَفِ

فهل رأَيت العَشْرَ في المُصْحَفِ

My kisses left their mark upon his cheek;

My kissing has left a mark upon his cheek;

have you ever seen the “ten” mark in a Qur’an codex?

So have you seen the ten-verse marker in a Qur’an manuscript?

يا مُخْجِلاً يوسفَ في حُسْنِهِ

يا مُخْجِلاً يوسفَ في حُسْنِهِ

قل لي أَما تخجلُ من يُوسُفِ

قل لي أَما تخجلُ من يُوسُفِ

O you who put Joseph’s beauty itself to shame,

O you who put Joseph to shame in beauty,

tell me: are you not ashamed before Joseph?

Tell me: are you not ashamed before Joseph?