حيتّك باسمةً ثغورُ الزنبقِ

حيتّك باسمةً ثغورُ الزنبقِ

مُفَْتَرَّةً عن طيِّبٍ متألَقِ

مُفَْتَرَّةً عن طيِّبٍ متألَقِ

The lilies' mouths greeted you, smiling,

Your smile greeted the lips of narcissus

parted to reveal fragrant radiance.

Parted with a sweet radiance

ضمّتْ براعُمها شِفَاهَ مقبِّلٍ

ضمّتْ براعُمها شِفَاهَ مقبِّلٍ

وحنتْ عليك حنوَّ صبٍّ شيّقِ

وحنتْ عليك حنوَّ صبٍّ شيّقِ

Her buds clasped a kisser's lips,

Its buds pressed the lips of a kisser

and bent toward you with a yearning lover's tenderness.

And bent towards you with the bend of pouring wine

وكأَنها في الماء خَوْدٌ شَمَّرتْ

وكأَنها في الماء خَوْدٌ شَمَّرتْ

عن ساقِها عند الورودِ لتستقي

عن ساقِها عند الورودِ لتستقي

And as though in the water she were a maiden, uncovering

As if it were a partridge that had tucked up

her leg as she came to draw water.

Its legs by the flowers to drink

وكأنها استحيتْ فغضَّتْ طرفَها

وكأنها استحيتْ فغضَّتْ طرفَها

وتطأْمنتْ خَفَراً برأْسٍ مطرق

وتطأْمنتْ خَفَراً برأْسٍ مطرق

And as though she had grown shy and lowered her gaze,

As if it was shy so it lowered its gaze

and bowed bashfully, her head downcast.

And nodded reassurance with a bowed head

نَهِلتْ أَفاويقَ الندى زهراتُها

نَهِلتْ أَفاويقَ الندى زهراتُها

فتفتَّحتْ كالشاربِ المتمطق

فتفتَّحتْ كالشاربِ المتمطق

Her blossoms drank successive draughts of dew,

The dewdrops of the valley rained on its flowers

then opened like a drinker smacking his lips.

So they opened like one taking little sips

لم تقوَ صغراها عَلى برْدِ الندى

لم تقوَ صغراها عَلى برْدِ الندى

أَفما تراها ذاتَ ثغرٍ أَزرق

أَفما تراها ذاتَ ثغرٍ أَزرق

Her smallest blossom could not bear the dew's chill;

Its smallness did not withstand the cold of the dew

so do you not see her blue mouth?

Does it not have a bluish lip that you see?

وترى عناقيدَ البراعمِ تنضوي

وترى عناقيدَ البراعمِ تنضوي

متلازماتٍ في عناقٍ ضيِّق

متلازماتٍ في عناقٍ ضيِّق

And you see the clusters of buds huddling,

And you see the bunches of buds folding

clinging together in a tight embrace,

Embracing closely in a narrow space

من طيِّبِ الأَنفاسِ والأَردانِ ذي

من طيِّبِ الأَنفاسِ والأَردانِ ذي

جفْنٍ عَلَى حلمِ التعانقِ مطبق

جفْنٍ عَلَى حلمِ التعانقِ مطبق

of one whose breath and sleeves are fragrant, whose

With the scent of breaths and myrtle

eyelid is closed upon a dream of embracing.

An eyelid closed over the dream of embrace

عذراءُ تستهوي العيونَ بطلْعةٍ

عذراءُ تستهوي العيونَ بطلْعةٍ

وضَّاءَةٍ بيضاءَ كالعرْضِ النقي

وضَّاءَةٍ بيضاءَ كالعرْضِ النقي

A virgin, captivating eyes with a countenance

A maiden who captures eyes with an emergence

radiant and white as unsullied honor.

Dazzlingly white like a pure page

تختالُ من زهوِ الصبا في ميْعةٍ

تختالُ من زهوِ الصبا في ميْعةٍ

ومن الشبابِ وَحسنِه في ريّق

ومن الشبابِ وَحسنِه في ريّق

She sways proudly in the exuberant prime of youth,

She sways with the narcissism of youth in a gentle way

and in the first freshness of youth and its beauty.

And from youth and its beauty weakly

فكأنها ببياضِها وسنائها

فكأنها ببياضِها وسنائها

برزتْ إليك من الضحى في روْنقِ

برزتْ إليك من الضحى في روْنقِ

So it is as though, in her whiteness and radiance,

So it seems with her whiteness and brightness

she had emerged before you, resplendent, from morning light.

She came out to you from the morning in grace

وتسربلتْ بغلالةٍ وبِرَبْطَةٍ

وتسربلتْ بغلالةٍ وبِرَبْطَةٍ

من سندسٍ خضرٍ ومن استبرق

من سندسٍ خضرٍ ومن استبرق

And she robed herself in a sheer gown and a sash

And was clad in a gown and sash

of green fine silk and rich brocade,

Of green silk and of fine silk

خفّاقة الإقراطِ زهراء الحلى

خفّاقة الإقراطِ زهراء الحلى

معقودة الإكليلِ فوقَ المفرق

معقودة الإكليلِ فوقَ المفرق

her earrings fluttering, her ornaments radiant,

Fluttering earrings, flower-like jewelry

a wreath fastened above the parting of her hair.

Crowned with a wreath above the parting

ما أقبلتْ إلاّ بثغرٍ باسم

ما أقبلتْ إلاّ بثغرٍ باسم

وبمقلةٍ وَسنى ووجهٍ مشرق

وبمقلةٍ وَسنى ووجهٍ مشرق

She never approached except with a smiling mouth,

She came only with a smiling mouth

and with a drowsy eye and a radiant face.

And a blinking, sleepy face and shining cheek

وكأنها سكرى تمايَلَ عنقُها

وكأنها سكرى تمايَلَ عنقُها

ورنتْ بجفْنٍ بالنعاسِ مرنَّق

ورنتْ بجفْنٍ بالنعاسِ مرنَّق

And as though she were drunk, her neck swayed,

As if she were drunk, her neck swaying

and she gazed with an eyelid clouded by drowsiness.

And she rang with an eyelid sleepy and weak

مرَّ النسيمُ عَلَى الندى بجفونِها

مرَّ النسيمُ عَلَى الندى بجفونِها

فترجرجتْ قطراتُه كالزئبق

فترجرجتْ قطراتُه كالزئبق

The breeze passed over the dew upon her eyelids,

The breeze passed over the dew of her eyes

and its droplets quivered like quicksilver.

So its drops rippled like quicksilver

إني ليشجيني الندى متعلقاً

إني ليشجيني الندى متعلقاً

بجفونها كالمدمعِ المترقرق

بجفونها كالمدمعِ المترقرق

Indeed, the dew stirs my sorrow as it clings

It makes me passionate, the dew, clinging

to her eyelids like a welling tear.

To her eyes like weeping, flowing

تُغني بريَّاها وطيبِ شميمِها

تُغني بريَّاها وطيبِ شميمِها

عن بابليٍّ بالدّنانِ معتّق

عن بابليٍّ بالدّنانِ معتّق

Her fragrance and the sweetness of her scent suffice

She sings with her basil and good scent

in place of Babylonian wine aged in casks.

Of Babel set free from fetters

أَنفاسُها تُحيي النفوسَ وريحُها

أَنفاسُها تُحيي النفوسَ وريحُها

روحٌ تشيع بسائفٍ متنشِّق

روحٌ تشيع بسائفٍ متنشِّق

Her breaths revive souls, and her fragrance

Her breaths give life to souls and her air

is a breath of life suffusing whoever smells and inhales it.

Is a spirit waving through slit nostrils

هيفاءُ إِن رفّتْ أَعاليها بَدَتْ

هيفاءُ إِن رفّتْ أَعاليها بَدَتْ

في الحوْضِ شروى رايةٍ في زورق

في الحوْضِ شروى رايةٍ في زورق

Slender-waisted, when her upper parts flutter, she seems

Delicate, if her tops swayed

in the pool like a banner in a boat.

In the pond an awning on a boat appeared

ما شئت في زهراتِها من كوكبٍ

ما شئت في زهراتِها من كوكبٍ

متألق بشعاعِه متمنطق

متألق بشعاعِه متمنطق

Her blossoms hold as many stars as you could wish,

Whatever planet you desired in its flowers

each radiant, girdled with its rays.

Shining with its rays, folded

كم زهرةٍ رفّتْ فخلت فراشةً

كم زهرةٍ رفّتْ فخلت فراشةً

بيضاءَ رفَّ جناحُها بترفق

بيضاءَ رفَّ جناحُها بترفق

How many a blossom fluttered, and you thought it a butterfly,

How many flowers swayed leaving butterflies

white, its wing fluttering gently.

White of wing fluttering gently

أَطباقُها مثل الأناملِ شُبّكتْ

أَطباقُها مثل الأناملِ شُبّكتْ

في كل كمٍّ تلتقي في مأْزق

في كل كمٍّ تلتقي في مأْزق

Her petal layers, like fingertips, are interlaced;

Its petals are like fingers interwoven

in each calyx they meet in a narrow space.

In every sleeve meeting in a predicament

أو كالجفون طويلةٌ أهدابها

أو كالجفون طويلةٌ أهدابها

من ناعسِ ومغمّضٍ ومحدق

من ناعسِ ومغمّضٍ ومحدق

Or like eyelids, their lashes long,

Or like long eyelids, their lashes

of one dozing, one closing his eyes, and one staring.

Of a sleepy, closed, staring one

أو لؤلؤ رطب تشظّى حولَه

أو لؤلؤ رطب تشظّى حولَه

صدفٌ أنافَ عَلَى بياضِ المُهْرَقِ

صدفٌ أنافَ عَلَى بياضِ المُهْرَقِ

Or a moist pearl, around which has splintered

Or moist pearls round which shards

a shell surpassing parchment in whiteness.

Clung to the whiteness of satin

إنَّ الذي خَلَقَ الأزاهرَ خصَّها

إنَّ الذي خَلَقَ الأزاهرَ خصَّها

بقضيبها وبناجِها (والبيرق)

بقضيبها وبناجِها (والبيرق)

Indeed, the One who created the blossoms singled her out

Indeed, He who created the flowers privileged it

with her scepter, her crown (reading uncertain), and the banner.

With its rod and its tool and the lightning

الحورُ في جنات عَدْنٍ تجتلى

الحورُ في جنات عَدْنٍ تجتلى

والبيضُ تُجلى في خمائلِ (جِلّق)

والبيضُ تُجلى في خمائلِ (جِلّق)

The houris are beheld in the gardens of Eden,

The houris in the gardens of Eden are revealed

and the white beauties are unveiled in the groves of Jilliq.

And the white is revealed in the posies of Galley