حسناءُ ! رِجلُكِ في الركابِ

حسناءُ ! رِجلُكِ في الركابِ

ويداكِ تعبثُ بالكتابِ

ويداكِ تعبثُ بالكتابِ

Beauty, your foot is in the stirrup,

Beautiful one! Your foot is in the stirrup

and your hands toy with the book.

And your hands fiddle with the book

وأنا الظميءُ إلى شرابك

وأنا الظميءُ إلى شرابك

كان من ريقي شرابي

كان من ريقي شرابي

And I, thirsting for your drink,

While I, thirsty for your drink

had my own saliva for a drink.

My saliva was my drink

حسناءُ زاد من اضطرابي

حسناءُ زاد من اضطرابي

بغيُ التنقص في اضطرابي

بغيُ التنقص في اضطرابي

Beauty, my turmoil was heightened

Beautiful one, my turmoil increased

by the cruelty of belittlement amid my turmoil.

I wanted to lessen my turmoil

حسناءُ ساعتُكِ التي

حسناءُ ساعتُكِ التي

دوَّرتِ كانت من طِلابي

دوَّرتِ كانت من طِلابي

Beauty, the watch that you

Beautiful one, that hour of yours

wound was part of my pursuit.

When you turned was part of my requests

حاولتُ أجعلها الذريعةَ

حاولتُ أجعلها الذريعةَ

لاحتكاكي واقترابي

لاحتكاكي واقترابي

I tried to make it the pretext

I tried to make it the excuse

for making contact and drawing near.

For my rubbing against and approaching you

عبثاً فقد أدركتِ ماتبغي

عبثاً فقد أدركتِ ماتبغي

القُشورُ من اللباب

القُشورُ من اللباب

In vain, for you understood what

In vain, for you realized what

the husks seek from the kernel.

The shells wanted from the cores

كنتِ العليمةَ بابن

كنتِ العليمةَ بابن

آوى إذ تَحَلَّق للغراب

آوى إذ تَحَلَّق للغراب

You knew well the jackal

You were wise, daughter of

when he circled around the crow.

A father whose nest gathered crows

ذلُّ السؤالِ جرعته

ذلُّ السؤالِ جرعته

فبخلتِ حتى بالجواب

فبخلتِ حتى بالجواب

I swallowed the humiliation of asking,

The humiliation of that question I drank

yet you begrudged me even an answer.

So you were stingy even with an answer

ما كنتُ أعرف قبل هذا

ما كنتُ أعرف قبل هذا

اللطفِ ما لطفُ التغابي

اللطفِ ما لطفُ التغابي

I had not known, before this

I did not know before this

kindness, how kind feigned ignorance could be.

Kindness what the kindness of accord was

حسناءُ لم يعسُر طِلابي

حسناءُ لم يعسُر طِلابي

إن كان ما بكِ مثلَ ما بي

إن كان ما بكِ مثلَ ما بي

Beauty, my pursuit would not be difficult

Beautiful one, my request was not difficult

if what is in you were like what is in me.

If what is with you is like what is with me

لكن بكِ المرحُ اللعوبُ

لكن بكِ المرحُ اللعوبُ

وسحرهُ ودمُ الشباب

وسحرهُ ودمُ الشباب

But in you is playful merriment,

But with you there is flirtation and play

and its charm, and the blood of youth.

And its magic and youth’s blood

وبيَ الذي لا شيءَ يعدل

وبيَ الذي لا شيءَ يعدل

قبحَه إلاَّ التصابي

قبحَه إلاَّ التصابي

While in me is that which nothing rivals

While with me there is nothing that equals

in ugliness except the pretense of youth.

My ugliness except decay

وخطُ المشيبِ كأنّه

وخطُ المشيبِ كأنّه

كلأٌ تهيَّأ لاحتطاب

كلأٌ تهيَّأ لاحتطاب

And the streak of gray hair looks like

And the line of old age is like

grass ready to be gathered for fuel.

Fodder prepared for burning

حسناءُ والدنيا وأنت

حسناءُ والدنيا وأنت

ومن عليها لانقلاب

ومن عليها لانقلاب

Beauty, the world, and you,

Beautiful one, and the world and you

and all upon it are bound to change.

And whoever is on it will not last

ما كان مدعاةَ اقترابٍ

ما كان مدعاةَ اقترابٍ

عاد مدعاة اجتناب

عاد مدعاة اجتناب

What was once a reason to draw near

What was a reason for approaching

has become a reason to stay away.

Became a reason for avoiding

إنْ يمشِ في فَوديَّ،

إنْ يمشِ في فَوديَّ،

مبيضَّين عودٌ من ثقاب

مبيضَّين عودٌ من ثقاب

If there passes across my temples—

If he walks in my chest ridge,

both white—a matchstick,

A rod of embers from matchsticks

فلقد أروح لَّمِتي

فلقد أروح لَّمِتي

كهلالِ عيدٍ في ارتقاب

كهلالِ عيدٍ في ارتقاب

then I might leave with my locks

Then I would go to my solitude

like an Eid crescent watched for.

Like an aged crescent waiting

حسناءُ إنَّ الحُبَّ

حسناءُ إنَّ الحُبَّ

والصَّبواتِ من شأني ودابي

والصَّبواتِ من شأني ودابي

Beauty, indeed, love

Beautiful one, passion

and youthful passions are my concern and my habit.

And ardors are of my business and custom

أنا نحلةٌ لمَّت من الزهر

أنا نحلةٌ لمَّت من الزهر

المجاجَ من اللُّعاب

المجاجَ من اللُّعاب

I am a bee that gathered from the flowers

I am a bee that sucked from the flowers

the saliva they exude,

The soft resin from the buds

ورَمَت به شُهداً يُلطِّفُ

ورَمَت به شُهداً يُلطِّفُ

من مرارة كل صابِ

من مرارة كل صابِ

and cast it forth as honey that softens

And threw it as honey that sweetens

the bitterness of every bitter sap.

The bitterness of every misfortune

حسناءُ لو كان الهوى

حسناءُ لو كان الهوى

والحبُّ يؤخذ باغتصاب

والحبُّ يؤخذ باغتصاب

Beauty, if desire

Beautiful one, if love and passion

and love could be taken by force,

Were to be taken by force

قد كان ما بيني وبينَكِ

قد كان ما بيني وبينَكِ

قربَ مِطرقةٍ وباب

قربَ مِطرقةٍ وباب

what lay between me and you would indeed have been

There would have been, between me and you

the closeness of a hammer and a door.

The closeness of hammer and nail

بل كان بُعدَ المشرقَين

بل كان بُعدَ المشرقَين

وقد رَجَعت إلى صوابي

وقد رَجَعت إلى صوابي

Rather, it was the distance between the two easts,

Rather, the distance between the two horizons

and I have returned to my senses.

Would have been, and I would have returned to my sanity

كنَّا كأبعد ما يُرى

كنَّا كأبعد ما يُرى

مُتعذِّران على انجذاب

مُتعذِّران على انجذاب

We were as far apart as anything in sight,

We would have been, as far as can be seen

impossible to draw together.

Impossible to attract to each other