رَنَت بِفواترِ الأجفانِ سَكرى

رَنَت بِفواترِ الأجفانِ سَكرى

فَخِلنا نَجلها بالغضّ خزرا

فَخِلنا نَجلها بالغضّ خزرا

She gazed with languid eyelids, intoxicated.

The cups of the eyelids rang intoxicated,

So we thought her wide eyes narrowed by their downcast gaze.

So we made them sober with frowning disapproval,

وَما خِلنا الفتورَ له فتونٌ

وَما خِلنا الفتورَ له فتونٌ

تُغالُ به النهى سكراً وسحرا

تُغالُ به النهى سكراً وسحرا

We never thought languor held such enchantment,

And we were not remiss in censuring them, for censure

By which reason is undone in intoxication and sorcery.

Has magic to temper such tipsiness and sorcery.

دَهَتنا وهيَ تلحظُ بِاِنكسارٍ

دَهَتنا وهيَ تلحظُ بِاِنكسارٍ

وَلَن نُدهى بلحظِ الأسدِ شَزرا

وَلَن نُدهى بلحظِ الأسدِ شَزرا

She overwhelmed us while casting a meek glance,

They enticed us while languishing with downcast eyes,

Yet a lion's angry sidelong glare shall never overwhelm us.

But the lion’s glance will never make us pliant.

قَسيمةُ ظبيةٍ جيداً وطرفاً

قَسيمةُ ظبيةٍ جيداً وطرفاً

وَخوطةُ بانةٍ قدّاً وَحِصرا

وَخوطةُ بانةٍ قدّاً وَحِصرا

A gazelle's equal in neck and eyes,

The cheek of a gazelle, slender and graceful,

And a bān-tree shoot in stature and slenderness.

The figure of a fawn, slim and delicate,

نَفورُ الدلّ آنسةُ السجايا

نَفورُ الدلّ آنسةُ السجايا

لَعوبُ الحسنِ بِالألبابِ قَسرا

لَعوبُ الحسنِ بِالألبابِ قَسرا

Aloof in coquetry, affable in disposition,

Aloof yet endearing, bewitching yet coy,

Playful in beauty, she toys with minds against their will.

Beauty ensnares hearts and takes them captive,

يَجولُ بِخدّها ماءٌ وراحٌ

يَجولُ بِخدّها ماءٌ وراحٌ

عَلى خفرٍ أَبى أَن يستقرّا

عَلى خفرٍ أَبى أَن يستقرّا

Water and wine ripple across her cheek,

On her cheek water and breeze wander aimlessly

Amid a modesty that refuses to let them settle.

Over a camp that refused to settle,

وَيَجلو وَجهُها روضاً نضيراً

وَيَجلو وَجهُها روضاً نضيراً

وَيَحمي الوردَ والوِرد المقرّا

وَيَحمي الوردَ والوِرد المقرّا

And her face reveals a fresh, verdant garden,

And make her face a fresh, verdant meadow

And shelters the rose and water in their resting-place.

That protects the roses and binds them close.

فَلا أَدري أَرِقراقاً وزهراً

فَلا أَدري أَرِقراقاً وزهراً

تليحُ حلاهُ أَم بدراً وزهرا

تليحُ حلاهُ أَم بدراً وزهرا

So I cannot tell: is it shimmering water and blossoms

So I know not whether the meadows and flowers

That its beauties reveal, or a full moon and bright stars?

Suit her beauty better, or the round lustrous moon.

إِذا قرّت بهِ الألحاظُ لَمحاً

إِذا قرّت بهِ الألحاظُ لَمحاً

غَدت دهراً بِه الأكبادُ حرّى

غَدت دهراً بِه الأكبادُ حرّى

When gazes find cool delight in it for an instant,

When eyes glance at her they kindle a flame,

The livers are left burning because of it for an age.

And livers burn for ages with yearning so keen.

أَما وَعُيونُها الدعجُ اللّواتي

أَما وَعُيونُها الدعجُ اللّواتي

أَقامَت لِلهَوى العذريِّ عذرا

أَقامَت لِلهَوى العذريِّ عذرا

Ah, by her large, dark eyes, which

As for her eyes - those languorous deadly charmers -

Gave chaste love its excuse,

They make lover’s madness reasonable and right!

وَخالٌ بينَ قَوسَي حاجِبيها

وَخالٌ بينَ قَوسَي حاجِبيها

بِحيثُ يكونُ قطبُ الحسنِ قرّا

بِحيثُ يكونُ قطبُ الحسنِ قرّا

And by a mole between her eyebrows' two bows,

A mole lies midway the bow of her eyebrows,

Where beauty's axis has come to rest,

Making her beauty’s pole-star clear and bright,

وَفرعٌ ليلُهُ فرقٌ لفرقٍ

وَفرعٌ ليلُهُ فرقٌ لفرقٍ

بِهِ صبحُ الجبيِن أَبانَ فَجرا

بِهِ صبحُ الجبيِن أَبانَ فَجرا

And by hair whose night dreads a parting

A branchlet, her night is sundered by a gap

Through which the forehead's morning revealed a dawn—

Through which morn peeps out radiant at first light.

لَقَد غطّت عَلى بَصري وسَمعي

لَقَد غطّت عَلى بَصري وسَمعي

بِملثومٍ جَلا حَبباً ودرّا

بِملثومٍ جَلا حَبباً ودرّا

She has indeed cast a veil over my sight and hearing

She covered my sight and hearing altogether

With a kissed mouth revealing bubbles and pearls.

With her heavy hair, knots that allure and excite;

فَبِالثغرِ النظيمِ تديرُ كأساً

فَبِالثغرِ النظيمِ تديرُ كأساً

وَبِالنطقِ الرخيمِ تُديرُ أخرى

وَبِالنطقِ الرخيمِ تُديرُ أخرى

With her pearl-strung mouth she passes a cup,

With her slender mouth she hands me a cup

And with her mellow speech she passes another.

And speaks to me sweetly, making me drunk with delight.

شُغلتُ بِحبّها عَنها فَقلبي

شُغلتُ بِحبّها عَنها فَقلبي

لِصورَتها هُيولى لَيس يَعرى

لِصورَتها هُيولى لَيس يَعرى

My love for her distracts me from her; my heart

Bewitched by her beauty, my heart can do naught

Is the matter for her image, never stripped of it.

But conjure and dream of her image both day and night

أَهيمُ بِها وَلا يدري رقيبٌ

أَهيمُ بِها وَلا يدري رقيبٌ

وَلا أَخشى لَها صدّاً وَهَجرا

وَلا أَخشى لَها صدّاً وَهَجرا

I pine for her, and no watcher knows,

I wander about, crazed by love, none’s the wiser,

Nor do I fear rejection or abandonment from her.

Having no fear of censure or estrangement in sight.

وَربّتما يَخالُ الغرّ أنّي

وَربّتما يَخالُ الغرّ أنّي

صَحوتُ وَسمتُ إِقصاراً وصبرا

صَحوتُ وَسمتُ إِقصاراً وصبرا

And at times the naive man imagines that I

And yet, at times conceit makes absence seem real,

Have sobered and sought restraint and patience.

As though I were awake, self-possessed and upright!

وَكيفَ يفيقُ مَن يُسقى بكأسٍ

وَكيفَ يفيقُ مَن يُسقى بكأسٍ

يكرّرها التصوّرُ مُستمرّا

يكرّرها التصوّرُ مُستمرّا

How can one recover who is given a cup

How could one awaken who is made to drink

That imagination keeps serving anew, unceasingly?

A cup refilled constantly in imagination’s sight?

فَيا سرعانَ ما وطّنتُ نَفسي

فَيا سرعانَ ما وطّنتُ نَفسي

عَلى ما غيرهُ بالحرّ أَحرى

عَلى ما غيرهُ بالحرّ أَحرى

How quickly I accustomed myself

How soon, my soul, you at home here did feel,

To something whose opposite better befits a free man!

Far more than all others whose lives are a blight!

عَصيتُ تجمّلي وَأطعتُ وجداً

عَصيتُ تجمّلي وَأطعتُ وجداً

يُسخّرني لَها سرّاً وجهرا

يُسخّرني لَها سرّاً وجهرا

I defied my composure and obeyed a passion

I disobeyed my qualms and obeyed my passion

That enslaves me to her, in secret and openly.

Which cunningly made me her captive outright,

وَلَم أُعطِ الهوادةَ عَن هوانٍ

وَلَم أُعطِ الهوادةَ عَن هوانٍ

وَلا جَزعٍ لأن حمّلتُ إِصرا

وَلا جَزعٍ لأن حمّلتُ إِصرا

I did not yield out of humiliation,

I never gave in to my rivals from spite or fear

Nor from dismay at being made to bear a burden;

Even when my load grew heavy and my steps lost their spright.

وَلكنّي خَطَبتُ ظباءَ إنسٍ

وَلكنّي خَطَبتُ ظباءَ إنسٍ

جَعلتُ رِضاءهنّ عليّ مَهرا

جَعلتُ رِضاءهنّ عليّ مَهرا

But I courted gazelles of humankind,

Instead, I sought to marry the fairest of houris,

I made their contentment the dowry I must pay.

To please them I made my dowry my might!

أَفاطمُ هَل علمتِ مضاءَ عَزمي

أَفاطمُ هَل علمتِ مضاءَ عَزمي

وَمطمحَ همّتي نخواً وَكِبرا

وَمطمحَ همّتي نخواً وَكِبرا

O Fatim, do you know the keenness of my resolve,

O Fatima, know you my firm resolve?

And my ambition's reach in pride and grandeur,

My towering ambition and pride in my fight?

وجودَ يديَّ وَإِقدامي وَبَأسي

وجودَ يديَّ وَإِقدامي وَبَأسي

وَصِدقي كلّما اِستسهَلت وَعرا

وَصِدقي كلّما اِستسهَلت وَعرا

The generosity of my hands, my daring and my might,

My valiance, derring-do and prowess in war?

And my truthfulness whenever I deem rough ground easy?

My truthfulness, be the fray tricky or slight?

وَإنّي لا أسامُ الدهرَ ضيماً

وَإنّي لا أسامُ الدهرَ ضيماً

وَلا أَعصي لِباغي العرفِ أَمرا

وَلا أَعصي لِباغي العرفِ أَمرا

And never in my life am I made to suffer injustice,

I never complain of the times as unjust,

Nor do I refuse a request from one seeking kindness.

Nor disobey the convention my peers think is right.

تَلينُ لِمَن يُسالِمُني قَناتي

تَلينُ لِمَن يُسالِمُني قَناتي

وَتصلبُ إِن يرم ذو الغمزِ هصرا

وَتصلبُ إِن يرم ذو الغمزِ هصرا

My spearshaft softens for whoever makes peace with me,

My swords bend docile for those who make peace,

And hardens if a detractor seeks to bend it.

And stiffen at once if sly predators bite.

وَإنّي لا أعدّ الوفرَ ذخراً

وَإنّي لا أعدّ الوفرَ ذخراً

وَلكنّي أعدّ الذكرَ ذُخرا

وَلكنّي أعدّ الذكرَ ذُخرا

I do not count wealth a treasure,

I reckon not plenty a thing to be hoarded,

But I count renown a treasure.

But good repute I count my best might.

وَما كلُّ الخلالِ تُذاع بأواً

وَما كلُّ الخلالِ تُذاع بأواً

وَما كلّ المذاعِ يصحّ سبرا

وَما كلّ المذاعِ يصحّ سبرا

Not every quality is broadcast in boasting,

Not all whispered is fit to be spread,

Nor does everything broadcast prove true under testing.

Nor all thus spread can survive the test of hindsight.

وَفي التجريبِ ما ينفي اِرتِياباً

وَفي التجريبِ ما ينفي اِرتِياباً

وَيصدقُ سنّ بكرٍ عنه فرّا

وَيصدقُ سنّ بكرٍ عنه فرّا

In testing lies what dispels doubt,

Trial alone removes doubt,

And a young camel's tooth tells the truth when bared.

And experience confirms what is right.