من لي بضمّ رشيق قدّك

من لي بضمّ رشيق قدّك

وبلثم ورد رياضِ خدِّك

وبلثم ورد رياضِ خدِّك

Who will let me embrace your slender form,

Who can I hold close, your slender waist,

and kiss the roses in the gardens of your cheek?

And kiss rose petals on your cheek?

اني إذا هبَّ النسيم

اني إذا هبَّ النسيم

أشمّ منه نيسم وردِك

أشمّ منه نيسم وردِك

Indeed, whenever the breeze blows,

When the breeze blows,

I smell in it the breath of your roses.

I smell jasmine from you.

وأقابل الرياح القبول

وأقابل الرياح القبول

تمرّ عابثة بجعدِك

تمرّ عابثة بجعدِك

And I face the easterly winds

I meet the winds openly

as they pass, playing with your curls.

As they playfully toss your curls.

أصبو إذا سرَتِ الصبا

أصبو إذا سرَتِ الصبا

حمّالة نفحات رندِك

حمّالة نفحات رندِك

I yearn whenever the east wind passes,

I become happy when the morning blows,

bearing fragrant wafts of your laurel.

Bringing whiffs of your softness.

وأعود أرقبُ عودها

وأعود أرقبُ عودها

متأرجاً من عود ندكِّك

متأرجاً من عود ندكِّك

And again I watch for its return,

I go back to watching for its return,

fragrant with the aloeswood of your perfume.

Yearning for your waving tresses.

أبنيَّ هل لمشاهد

أبنيَّ هل لمشاهد

يشتار لي من أري شهدِك

يشتار لي من أري شهدِك

My dear son, could a beholder

I wonder - is there a witness

gather me some honey from your honeycomb,

Who can buy for me what I see of your sweetness,

ويذوق لي عذبا مسا

ويذوق لي عذبا مسا

غاً من شهي رضاب بردِك

غاً من شهي رضاب بردِك

and taste for me something sweet, easy

And taste for me the delicate wine

to swallow, from the delicious nectar of your hailstone teeth?

Of your pleasing cold lips?

قسماً بقدّك صدِقا

قسماً بقدّك صدِقا

واليتي قسما بقدّك

واليتي قسما بقدّك

A truthful oath by your form—

I swear by your truthfulness,

and my oath is an oath by your form—

And she who swore by your truthfulness,

إني وما لبى الحجيج

إني وما لبى الحجيج

بوِردِهم لهجٌ بوردِك

بوِردِهم لهجٌ بوردِك

indeed, by what the pilgrims chant

I - though pilgrims have not attained

in their litanies, I am ever speaking of your roses.

With their prayers your prayers' bounty.

ما خنت عهدك في الهوى

ما خنت عهدك في الهوى

لا والهوى وقديم عهدك

لا والهوى وقديم عهدك

I have not betrayed your pledge in love—

I have not betrayed your love,

no, by love and your longstanding pledge!

No, and not the love - our old love.

صبٌّ الوبُ كعاطشٍ

صبٌّ الوبُ كعاطشٍ

حلأته عن عذب وردك

حلأته عن عذب وردك

Lovesick, I circle like a thirsty man

Love pours like a thirsty man

whom you have barred from your sweet watering-place.

Whose thirst was quenched by your sweetness.

لقدَحت بين جوانحي

لقدَحت بين جوانحي

ناراً ذكت بأوار زندك

ناراً ذكت بأوار زندك

You have indeed kindled between my ribs

You lit a fire in my heart

a fire blazing with the heat of your fire-stick.

That blazed with the warmth of your fire.

بنعيم وصلكَ داوني

بنعيم وصلكَ داوني

عذّبتني بأليم صدك

عذّبتني بأليم صدك

Heal me with the bliss of union with you;

Cure me with the bliss of your company,

you have tormented me with the pain of your rejection.

You have tortured me with your painful estrangement.

فارفق لرقٍّ عاشقٍ

فارفق لرقٍّ عاشقٍ

متعلق برقيق بردك

متعلق برقيق بردك

So be gentle with a lovesick slave

So be gentle to a sensitive lover

clinging to the delicate fabric of your cloak.

Clinging to the softness of your affection.

أنت الطبيب نعلتي

أنت الطبيب نعلتي

فلعلتي برء بعودك

فلعلتي برء بعودك

You are the physician for my ailment;

You are the doctor - my shoes,

so my ailment's cure lies in your return.

So perhaps I will be healed by your threshold.

عاقدتني أن لا تحول

عاقدتني أن لا تحول

وقد حللت وثيق عقدك

وقد حللت وثيق عقدك

You made a pact with me that you would not change,

You have bound me not to change,

yet you have undone your firmly bound pledge.

Yet you have freed the bond of your pact.

ووعدتني فمطلتني

ووعدتني فمطلتني

يا ماطلي بخلوفِ وعدِك

يا ماطلي بخلوفِ وعدِك

And you promised me, then put me off,

And you promised me, then made me wait,

O you who put me off by breaking your promise!

O procrastinator, with your violation of promises!

عيني إليكَ طموحةٌ

عيني إليكَ طموحةٌ

والقلب ينزع نحو قصدك

والقلب ينزع نحو قصدك

My eye gazes longingly toward you,

My eyes long for you

and the heart yearns in your direction.

While my heart inclines toward your intention.

أبعدتَ عني منجداً

أبعدتَ عني منجداً

روى الغمامُ ربوعَ نجدك

روى الغمامُ ربوعَ نجدك

You have gone far from me, bound for Najd;

You have distanced Munjid from me,

may the clouds water the dwellings of your Najd!

The clouds have watered the expanse of your Najd.

لا تبعدنَّ فعبرتي

لا تبعدنَّ فعبرتي

تجري عليك بطول بعدك

تجري عليك بطول بعدك

Do not go far away, for my tears

Do not distance me, for my crossing

flow for you because your absence is so long.

Flows to you through the length of your absence.

أنت الأمير بحسنه

أنت الأمير بحسنه

ما الحسن الا بعض جندك

ما الحسن الا بعض جندك

You are the prince by virtue of your beauty;

You are the prince in his beauty,

beauty is only part of your army.

Beauty is but some of your troops.

حُزت الجمال جميعه

حُزت الجمال جميعه

فجميعه في ضمن فردك

فجميعه في ضمن فردك

You have possessed all beauty,

You have all beauty combined,

and all of it is encompassed in your person alone.

So all of it is within your individuality.

ما مثل قولك أو كفعلك

ما مثل قولك أو كفعلك

أو كهز لك أو كجدِّك

أو كهز لك أو كجدِّك

Nothing is like your speech or your deeds,

None is like your words or your actions,

or like your jesting or your earnestness.

Or like your seriousness or your generosity.

ولقد نثرتُ مدامعي

ولقد نثرتُ مدامعي

نَسَقاً كنثر جمان عقدك

نَسَقاً كنثر جمان عقدك

And I have indeed scattered my tears,

And I have shed my tears

one after another, like the scattered pearls of your necklace.

Flowing like the scattering of your necklace's pearls.

أمحمد لم أقض لا

أمحمد لم أقض لا

ومحمد فرضاً لحمدك

ومحمد فرضاً لحمدك

O Muhammad, I have not fulfilled—no,

For Muhammad ‒ I have not yet

by Muhammad—the duty of praising you.

Fulfilled, and Muhammad is incumbent upon your praise.

ماودّ مثلي والد

ماودّ مثلي والد

ولداً أطاع كمثل ودك

ولداً أطاع كمثل ودك

No father like me has ever loved

No one has loved a son like me,

an obedient son as much as I love you.

And a son who obeyed like my love for you.

نُبئت عنك محامدا

نُبئت عنك محامدا

ميسورها يقضي برشدك

ميسورها يقضي برشدك

I have been told of your praiseworthy qualities;

I was told praiseworthy things about you

what is readily known of them attests to your sound judgment.

Made easy by your guidance.

كن عبدَ جدّك واعلمنَّ

كن عبدَ جدّك واعلمنَّ

بأنني عبدٌ لجدّك

بأنني عبدٌ لجدّك

Be your grandfather's servant, and know for certain

Be your grandfather's servant, and let me know

that I am a servant to your grandfather.

That I am a servant of your grandfather.

حلاك مرهفهُ الصنيع

حلاك مرهفهُ الصنيع

أفاض جوهره بحدّك

أفاض جوهره بحدّك

The craftsman adorned you with his keen blade;

May your delicate craftsmanship be preserved,

he poured its substance into your edge.

Its essence has overflowed your limit.

قد فاض منه فرنده

قد فاض منه فرنده

وطغى فرقرق من فرندك

وطغى فرقرق من فرندك

Indeed, its watered pattern flowed forth from it,

It has overflowed from it, so the anklet overflows

and surged, then shimmered from your blade's watered pattern.

From the tinkling of your anklet.

انظر إلى حسن الخطاب

انظر إلى حسن الخطاب

ولا تسوءهُ بقبح ردك

ولا تسوءهُ بقبح ردك

Consider the beauty of this address,

Look at the good words,

and do not mar it with the ugliness of your reply.

And do not vilify them with your ugly response.

واعلم بأني جاهدٌ لك بالد

واعلم بأني جاهدٌ لك بالد

دعا فاجهد بجهدك

دعا فاجهد بجهدك

And know that I strive for you in

And know that I struggle for you in the country,

prayer; so strive with all your strength

Praying - so strive with your striving.

عليَّ وبرقي خلَّبٌ

عليَّ وبرقي خلَّبٌ

أسقي الحيا من برق رعدك

أسقي الحيا من برق رعدك

for me; though my lightning yields no rain,

Upon me is a mixed up lightning bolt,

I draw rain from the lightning of your thunder.

I give life water from the lightning of your thunder.

نجمي ونجمك قاربا

نجمي ونجمك قاربا

أن يقرنا في برج سعدِك

أن يقرنا في برج سعدِك

My star and yours have come close

My star and your star have come close,

to conjunction in the zodiacal sign of your good fortune.

To be joined in the mansion of your good fortune.