بدتْ قمراً لهُ حظي ليالي

بدتْ قمراً لهُ حظي ليالي

وجسمي في هواها كالهلالِ

وجسمي في هواها كالهلالِ

She appeared a moon, with my lot as its nights,

She appeared like a moon, my nights were blessed by her

And my body, in love with her, was like the crescent.

And my body in her love is like a crescent

ولاحتْ في المرآةِ فقلْ سماءٌ

ولاحتْ في المرآةِ فقلْ سماءٌ

تولتْها الملائِكُ بالصقالِ

تولتْها الملائِكُ بالصقالِ

She shone in the mirror—say: a sky

When she appeared in the mirror, it said "This is a heaven"

That the angels had tended and polished.

Adorned by angels with polishing

ترقرقَ حسنها فيها فقالتْ

ترقرقَ حسنها فيها فقالتْ

وفي الطاووسِ طبعُ الاختيالِ

وفي الطاووسِ طبعُ الاختيالِ

Her beauty rippled within it, and she spoke,

Her beauty sparkled in it, so it said

And strutting is the peacock's nature.

"The peacock has the nature of pretentiousness"

وكانتْ كالغصونِ أصبنَ نهراً

وكانتْ كالغصونِ أصبنَ نهراً

فداعبْنَ الظِّلالَ على الزلالِ

فداعبْنَ الظِّلالَ على الزلالِ

She was like branches that had found a river,

She was like branches where a river flowed

And played with shadows upon the clear water.

So shadows played upon the smooth surface

وكنتُ لها بواحدةٍ قتيلاً

وكنتُ لها بواحدةٍ قتيلاً

فكيفَ بها اثنتينِ على قتالي

فكيفَ بها اثنتينِ على قتالي

And I was slain by her when she was but one;

And I was killed by her with one glance

What then of her as two, bent on slaying me?

So how about two of her glances in battle?

دعوها تدرِ منها ما درينا

دعوها تدرِ منها ما درينا

وتنظر ما نظرنا من جمالِ

وتنظر ما نظرنا من جمالِ

Let her learn of herself what we have learned,

Leave her unleash what we have unleashed

And see the beauty we have seen.

And see what we have seen of her beauty

فما مرآتها إلا كتابٌ

فما مرآتها إلا كتابٌ

يعدُّ لها جناياتُ الدلالِ

يعدُّ لها جناياتُ الدلالِ

For her mirror is nothing but a book

Her mirror is but a book

That counts for her the crimes of coquetry.

That counts her coquetries for her

وما اتهمتْ محاسنها ولكنْ

وما اتهمتْ محاسنها ولكنْ

يكونُ سجيةً مرحُ الغزالِ

يكونُ سجيةً مرحُ الغزالِ

And she did not mistrust her charms, but

And I did not accuse her beauty, but

The gazelle's playfulness is an inborn trait.

The playfulness of a gazelle is its nature

عساها صدَّقتْ ما أخبروها

عساها صدَّقتْ ما أخبروها

بأن الطيفَ يسمحُ بالوصالِ

بأن الطيفَ يسمحُ بالوصالِ

Perhaps she believed what they told her:

May she has believed what they told her

That the phantom allows union.

That an apparition allows union

فلازمتِ المرآةَ كما أراها

فلازمتِ المرآةَ كما أراها

تحاولُ أنْ تُظَّفرَ بالخيالِ

تحاولُ أنْ تُظَّفرَ بالخيالِ

So she clung to the mirror, as I see her,

So she kept staring in the mirror as I saw her

Trying to lay hold of the image.

Trying to get hold of an illusion

وللحسناءِ آمالٌ وماذا

وللحسناءِ آمالٌ وماذا

يؤملُ في السما غيرُ المحالِ

يؤملُ في السما غيرُ المحالِ

And the fair one has hopes—and what

The beautiful one has hopes, but what

Can be hoped for in the sky but the impossible?

Can be hoped for in the sky except the impossible?

فيا مرآتها وصفاءَ قلبي

فيا مرآتها وصفاءَ قلبي

وعصرَ طفولتي وخلوَّ بالي

وعصرَ طفولتي وخلوَّ بالي

O her mirror, and my heart's purity,

Oh, her mirror and my heart's purity

And my childhood days, and my carefree mind!

And the prime of my youth and my pure thoughts

ويا حظّي وحاجبها ودهري

ويا حظّي وحاجبها ودهري

وطرتَها وعينها وحالي

وطرتَها وعينها وحالي

And O my fortune, and her eyebrow, and my days,

Oh my luck, her eyebrow, my fate

And her forelock, and her eye, and my state!

Her flightiness, her eye and my state

تقلبتِ الليالي بي ولما

تقلبتِ الليالي بي ولما

يرعني إن تقلبتِ الليالي

يرعني إن تقلبتِ الليالي

The nights have tossed me about, yet never

The nights have changed with me, but when

Have I been daunted when the nights turned.

Have I cared if the nights changed?

كأني صرتُ مرآةً لدهري

كأني صرتُ مرآةً لدهري

يرى يها محاسنهُ البوالي

يرى يها محاسنهُ البوالي

As though I had become a mirror for my days,

It is as if I have become a mirror to my fate

In which they see their faded charms.

Where it sees its excellent trials

فلم ينظرْ جبيني قَطُّ إلا

فلم ينظرْ جبيني قَطُّ إلا

تنفسَ فيهِ بالهمِّ العُضالِ

تنفسَ فيهِ بالهمِّ العُضالِ

They never looked upon my brow without

So my forehead has never looked

Breathing into it with incurable sorrow.

Except it breathed worries and difficulties in it

فدَيتُكِ ساعةَ المرآةِ طولي

فدَيتُكِ ساعةَ المرآةِ طولي

أمدكِ من لياليَّ الطوالِ

أمدكِ من لياليَّ الطوالِ

My life for you, hour at the mirror—linger!

I ransom the moment of standing before the mirror

I shall prolong you with my long nights.

May it prolong my long nights for you

فما أحلى إذا وقفتْ إليها

فما أحلى إذا وقفتْ إليها

تبالي بالجمالِ ولا تبالي

تبالي بالجمالِ ولا تبالي

How lovely she is when she stands before it,

How beautiful when she stood before it

Caring for beauty, yet carefree.

Indifferent to beauty or indifference

وبانتْ في الحليِّ طريقَ سبقٍ

وبانتْ في الحليِّ طريقَ سبقٍ

لتستبقَ اليمينَ معَ الشمالِ

لتستبقَ اليمينَ معَ الشمالِ

And amid the jewels she seemed a racing course,

In her jewelry appeared a way of precedence

For the right hand to race against the left.

So the right competes with the left

وأعيى كفها الشعرُ اختلافاً

وأعيى كفها الشعرُ اختلافاً

كما تعيى الهدايةُ بالضلالِ

كما تعيى الهدايةُ بالضلالِ

And her hair, in its disorder, baffled her hand,

Her wrist grew tired of the differing hair

As guidance is baffled by error.

As guidance grows tired of misguidance

ولاحتْ في لواحظها سِمَاةٌ

ولاحتْ في لواحظها سِمَاةٌ

كا تجري المنيةُ في النّصالِ

كا تجري المنيةُ في النّصالِ

And a sign appeared within her glances,

In her glances shone a sharpness

As death courses through the blade-points.

As death flows through the blades

فلو نطقتْ لنا المرآةُ عنها

فلو نطقتْ لنا المرآةُ عنها

إذاً قالتْ تباركَ ذو الجلالِ

إذاً قالتْ تباركَ ذو الجلالِ

So, had the mirror spoken to us of her,

If only the mirror would speak of her

It would have said: 'Blessed is the Lord of Majesty!'

It would say "Blessed is He of Majesty"