كتابها قد جاءني حاملا

كتابها قد جاءني حاملا

لقلبي الخفاق قلبا خفق

لقلبي الخفاق قلبا خفق

Her letter has come to me, bearing

Her letter has come to me, carrying

for my throbbing heart a heart that beat.

To my fluttering heart a fluttering heart

والتمعت فيه نجوم المنى

والتمعت فيه نجوم المنى

في أسطر مثل سواد الغسق

في أسطر مثل سواد الغسق

And in it sparkled the stars of hope,

And stars of wishes have glittered in it

in lines like the blackness of dusk.

In lines like the blackness of dusk

وأعرف القبلة في موضع

وأعرف القبلة في موضع

يلوح لي كالزهر لا كالورق

يلوح لي كالزهر لا كالورق

And I recognize the kiss in a spot

And I know the kiss in a place

that gleams to me like blossoms, not like paper.

That appears to me like a flower, not like a leaf

وكم به سطر إلى آخر

وكم به سطر إلى آخر

كالصدر للصدر دنا فاغتنق

كالصدر للصدر دنا فاغتنق

And many a line in it, toward another,

And how many a line to another

like breast to breast, drew near and embraced.

Like chest to chest drew near and embraced

وكم به معنى أنام الجوى

وكم به معنى أنام الجوى

وكم به معنى أتى بالأرق

وكم به معنى أتى بالأرق

And many a meaning in it lulled love's anguish to sleep,

And how much meaning in it I slept

and many a meaning in it brought sleeplessness.

And how much meaning in it came with insomnia

سالته كيف رأى وجهها

سالته كيف رأى وجهها

فقال جل اللَه فيما خلق

فقال جل اللَه فيما خلق

I asked it how her face had looked to it.

I asked him how he saw her face

And it said: 'Exalted is God in what He has created!'

He said, "God be glorified in what He created"

قلت وذاك الخد لما استحى

قلت وذاك الخد لما استحى

فقال مثل الفجر فيه الشفق

فقال مثل الفجر فيه الشفق

I said: 'And that cheek, when it blushed?'

I said, "And that cheek when it was shy"

And it said: 'Like dawn, with twilight's glow within it.'

He said, "Like the dawn in it is the glow"

قلت وذاك الثغر ما أمره

قلت وذاك الثغر ما أمره

فقال لما ذكرتك انطبق

فقال لما ذكرتك انطبق

I said: 'And that mouth—what of it?'

I said, "And that mouth, what is its matter?"

And it said: 'When she remembered you, it closed.'

He said, "When I mentioned you, it closed"

يا ثغرها فيك نسيم الندى

يا ثغرها فيك نسيم الندى

فكيف قلبي في نداك احترق

فكيف قلبي في نداك احترق

O her mouth, in you is the breeze of dew—

Oh her mouth, in you is the breeze of dew

how, then, did my heart burn in your dew?

So how can my heart not burn in your breath