قد اطبَّاني رشأ مهفهفٌ

قد اطبَّاني رشأ مهفهفٌ

احوى الجفون اختشي برائقه

احوى الجفون اختشي برائقه

A slender young gazelle has captivated me,

A joyful breeze has graced me,

Dark-lidded; I fear his flashes.

My eyelids are aflutter, startled by its radiance.

جفوته لا سالياً وهل ترى

جفوته لا سالياً وهل ترى

يا زهرتي يجفو الندى شقائقه

يا زهرتي يجفو الندى شقائقه

I shunned him, not having ceased to love—and do you see,

It withered not leaving a trace, could you imagine,

O my flower, dew forsaking its anemones?

My flower, that the dew would dry up its petals?

عانقته من دون غزلان النقا

عانقته من دون غزلان النقا

وقد قضى الحب بأن اعانقه

وقد قضى الحب بأن اعانقه

I embraced him rather than the gazelles of the dune,

I embraced it without the gazelles of Naqā witnessing,

And love has decreed that I embrace him.

And love had decreed that I embrace it.

يرنو وما يرنو بغير فاترٍ

يرنو وما يرنو بغير فاترٍ

ذي حور يزجُّ لي رواشقه

ذي حور يزجُّ لي رواشقه

He gazes, and gazes only with a languid eye,

It glances my way languidly,

With white and black in vivid contrast, hurling his darts at me.

Like a houri casting amorous glances my way.

هو الزمان اختشيه طارقاً

هو الزمان اختشيه طارقاً

وهل فتى لا يختشي طوارقه

وهل فتى لا يختشي طوارقه

He is Time; I fear him when he comes by night,

It is time, I fear its darkness,

And is there any youth who does not fear his night visitations?

What lad does not dread its darkness?

قضى عليَّ بالفراق برهة

قضى عليَّ بالفراق برهة

ممشوق قد عزّ بأن افارقه

ممشوق قد عزّ بأن افارقه

He sentenced me to separation for a while—

It has ordained my separation awhile,

A tall, slender youth, whom it has proved hard for me to leave.

Empowered, having decided I leave it.