سَلا هَل سَلا عَن رَبَّةِ الخالِ وَاللَمى

سَلا هَل سَلا عَن رَبَّةِ الخالِ وَاللَمى

مُحِبٌّ غَدا مِن ظُلمِها مُتَظَلِّما

مُحِبٌّ غَدا مِن ظُلمِها مُتَظَلِّما

Ask, you two: has the lady with the mole and dusky lips been forgotten

Is there any news of the keeper of cheeks and beauty spots?

by a lover driven by her injustice to complain?

A lover will tomorrow emerge from her darkness complaining

وَهَل لاحَ بَرقٌ مِن تَبَسُّمِ ثَغرِها

وَهَل لاحَ بَرقٌ مِن تَبَسُّمِ ثَغرِها

فَاِمطِر إِلّا سُحُبَ أَجفانِهِ دَما

فَاِمطِر إِلّا سُحُبَ أَجفانِهِ دَما

And did lightning ever flash from her smiling lips

Did any lightning flash from the smile of her mouth?

without making the clouds of his eyelids rain blood?

That rains nothing but the clouds of her eyelids blood

مُهَفهَفَةٌ كَالخَيزَرانَةِ لَينَةٌ

مُهَفهَفَةٌ كَالخَيزَرانَةِ لَينَةٌ

يَزيدُ اِعوِجاجي حينَ زادَت تَقَوُّما

يَزيدُ اِعوِجاجي حينَ زادَت تَقَوُّما

Slender-waisted, supple as a bamboo cane,

Swaying like a tender sapling

my bending deepens as she grows more upright.

My crookedness increases when she is more upright

إِذا حادَثَت قابَلتَ دُرّاً مُنَثَّراً

إِذا حادَثَت قابَلتَ دُرّاً مُنَثَّراً

وَإِن ضَحِكَت قَبّلَتُ دُرّاً مُنَظَّما

وَإِن ضَحِكَت قَبّلَتُ دُرّاً مُنَظَّما

When she speaks, you encounter scattered pearls;

When she speaks you meet scattered pearls

and if she laughs, I kiss pearls strung in a row.

And when she smiles you kiss arranged pearls

وَلَمّا وَقَفنا لِلوَداعِ عَشِيَّةً

وَلَمّا وَقَفنا لِلوَداعِ عَشِيَّةً

وَنارَالجَوى لَم تَبدُ إِلّا تَضَرُّما

وَنارَالجَوى لَم تَبدُ إِلّا تَضَرُّما

And when we stood one evening to say farewell,

And when we stood to say farewell one evening

and the fire of longing showed itself only in fierce flame,

The fire of love showed nothing but embers

خَشيتُ عَلى عَيني اليَمينِ مِنَ البُكا

خَشيتُ عَلى عَيني اليَمينِ مِنَ البُكا

فَأَصبَحَ بَشّاراً وَكُنتُ مُتَمِّما

فَأَصبَحَ بَشّاراً وَكُنتُ مُتَمِّما

I feared for my right eye because of weeping,

I feared for my right eye from crying

lest I become Bashshar, having been Mutammim.

So it brought good news while I made it complete

أَما آنَ أَن تَدنو الدِيارَ بِنازِحٍ

أَما آنَ أَن تَدنو الدِيارَ بِنازِحٍ

وَهَل نافِعي قَولي بُعَيدَ النَوى أَما

وَهَل نافِعي قَولي بُعَيدَ النَوى أَما

Is it not time the dwellings drew near to one far away?

Is it not time for the abodes to be near someone departing?

And will my saying 'Is it not...?' help me just after parting?

Is my saying of distant intentions of any use?

كَأَنَّ قِسِيَّ البَينِ لَم تَرَ في الوَرى

كَأَنَّ قِسِيَّ البَينِ لَم تَرَ في الوَرى

لِأَغرِاضِها إِلّا المُحِبّينَ أَسهُما

لِأَغرِاضِها إِلّا المُحِبّينَ أَسهُما

As though the bows of separation saw among humankind

As if the hardness of separation did not see in the world

no arrows for their targets but lovers.

For its purposes other than lovers as its targets