مدادُكِ في ثغرِ الزمانِ رضابُ

مدادُكِ في ثغرِ الزمانِ رضابُ

وخطكِ في كلتا يديهِ خضابُ

وخطكِ في كلتا يديهِ خضابُ

Your ink is sweet saliva in Time's mouth;

Your ink in the mouth of time is delight

And your script is dye upon both his hands.

And your script on both his hands is henna

وكفُّكِ في مثلِ البدرِ قد لاحَ نصفهُ

وكفُّكِ في مثلِ البدرِ قد لاحَ نصفهُ

فلا بدعَ في أنّ اليراعَ شهابُ

فلا بدعَ في أنّ اليراعَ شهابُ

And your hand is like a full moon with half of it revealed;

And your palm in the likeness of the full moon has appeared, half of it

So no wonder that the reed pen is a shooting star.

So it is no wonder that the wristband is a meteor

كلحظكِ أو أمضى وإن كانَ آسيا

كلحظكِ أو أمضى وإن كانَ آسيا

جراحَ اللواتي ما لهنَّ قرابُ

جراحَ اللواتي ما لهنَّ قرابُ

Like your glance, or sharper, though it heals

Each of your glances, whether fleeting or lingering, though hurtful

The wounds of those women who have no kin.

Are wounds to those who have no kinship to you

يمجُّ كمثلِ الشهدِ مجتهُ نحلةٌ

يمجُّ كمثلِ الشهدِ مجتهُ نحلةٌ

وإن لم يكن فيما يمجُّ شرابُ

وإن لم يكن فيما يمجُّ شرابُ

It exudes the like of honey disgorged by a bee,

It pours as honey bees pour in their hive

Though there is nothing to drink in what it exudes.

Even if that which pours contains no drink

ويكتبُ ما يحكي العيونَ ملاحةً

ويكتبُ ما يحكي العيونَ ملاحةً

وما السحرُ إلا مقلةٌ وكتابُ

وما السحرُ إلا مقلةٌ وكتابُ

And it writes what resembles eyes in loveliness;

And it writes what eyes convey in a wink

And enchantment is nothing but an eye and a book.

What but an eyelash and writing is sorcery

فدونكِ عيني فاستمدي سوادها

فدونكِ عيني فاستمدي سوادها

وهذا فؤادٌ طاهرٌ وشبابُ

وهذا فؤادٌ طاهرٌ وشبابُ

So take my eye, and draw your ink from its blackness;

So before you my eyes take their blackness

And here are a pure heart and youth.

And this is a pure heart and youth

أرى الكفَّ من فوقِ اليراعِ حمامةً

أرى الكفَّ من فوقِ اليراعِ حمامةً

وتحتَ جناحيها يطيرُ غرابُ

وتحتَ جناحيها يطيرُ غرابُ

I see the hand above the reed pen as a dove,

I see the wrist above the bracelet as a dove

And beneath its two wings a raven flies.

And beneath its wings a crow takes flight

كأنَّ أديمَ الليل طرسٌ كتبتهِ

كأنَّ أديمَ الليل طرسٌ كتبتهِ

وفيهِ تباشيرُ الصباحِ عتابُ

وفيهِ تباشيرُ الصباحِ عتابُ

As though night's skin were a parchment you had written on,

As if the pelt of night were a scroll you penned

And in it the first signs of morning were a reproach.

And in it the harbingers of dawn are reproach

كأنَّ جبينَ الفجرِ كانَ صحيفةً

كأنَّ جبينَ الفجرِ كانَ صحيفةً

كأنَّ سطورَ الخطِّ فيهِ ضبابُ

كأنَّ سطورَ الخطِّ فيهِ ضبابُ

As though dawn's brow were a page,

As if the brow of dawn were a parchment

As though the lines of script upon it were mist.

As if the lines of script on it were mist

كأنَّ وميضَ البرقِ معنىً قدحتهِ

كأنَّ وميضَ البرقِ معنىً قدحتهِ

كأنَ التماعَ الأفقِ فيهِ صوابُ

كأنَ التماعَ الأفقِ فيهِ صوابُ

As though lightning's flash were a thought you had sparked,

As if the lightning's glow were meaning you evoked

As though the horizon's gleam within it were truth.

As if the horizon's glimmer contained correctness

كأنكِ إما تنظري في كتابةٍ

كأنكِ إما تنظري في كتابةٍ

ذكاءٌ وأوراقُ الكتابِ سحابُ

ذكاءٌ وأوراقُ الكتابِ سحابُ

As though, whenever you look upon writing,

As if you are either looking in a book

You were Dhukāʾ, the sun, and the book's pages were clouds.

Intelligence, and the book's pages, clouds

أراكِ ترجينَ الذي لستِ أهلهُ

أراكِ ترجينَ الذي لستِ أهلهُ

وما كلُّ علمٍ إبرةٌ وثيابُ

وما كلُّ علمٍ إبرةٌ وثيابُ

I see you hoping for what you are not suited to;

I see you hoping for what you don't deserve

And not all learning is a needle and garments.

And not all knowledge is a needle and clothes

كفى الزهرَ ما تندَّى بهِ راحةُ الصبا

كفى الزهرَ ما تندَّى بهِ راحةُ الصبا

وهل للندى بينَ السيولِ حسابُ

وهل للندى بينَ السيولِ حسابُ

The dew that moistens the east wind's palm suffices the flowers;

Enough of flowers that morning's breeze caressed

And does dew count for anything amid torrents?

Does the dew between the torrents reckon?

وما أحمقَ الشاةَ استغرتْ بظلفها

وما أحمقَ الشاةَ استغرتْ بظلفها

إذا حسبتْ أنّ الشياهَ ذئابُ

إذا حسبتْ أنّ الشياهَ ذئابُ

And how foolish the ewe, deluded by her hoof,

How foolish is the sheep, fooled by her fleece

When she supposes that sheep are wolves!

If she thought the shepherd wolves

فحسبكِ نبلاً قالة الناسِ أنجبتْ

فحسبكِ نبلاً قالة الناسِ أنجبتْ

وحسبكِ فخراً أن يصونكِ بابُ

وحسبكِ فخراً أن يصونكِ بابُ

So enough nobility for you is that people say, 'She bore worthy children';

It's enough honor that people's elite bore you

And enough pride for you, that a door protects you.

And enough pride that a door guards you

لكِ القلبُ من زوجٍ ووُلدٍ ووالدٍ

لكِ القلبُ من زوجٍ ووُلدٍ ووالدٍ

وملكُ جميع العالمينَ رقابُ

وملكُ جميع العالمينَ رقابُ

The hearts of husband, children, and father are yours;

For you the heart instead of husband, children, father

Yet all the world's dominion is over necks.

And reign over all humanity's necks

ولم تخلقي إلا نعيماً لبائسٍ

ولم تخلقي إلا نعيماً لبائسٍ

فمن ذا رأى أن النعيمَ عذابُ

فمن ذا رأى أن النعيمَ عذابُ

And you were created only as bliss for one in misery;

And you weren't created but as bliss for a wretch

Who, then, has ever regarded bliss as torment?

So who has seen bliss as torment?

دعي عنكِ قوماً زاحمتهم نساءُهم

دعي عنكِ قوماً زاحمتهم نساءُهم

فكانوا كما حفَّ الشرابُ ذبابُ

فكانوا كما حفَّ الشرابُ ذبابُ

Leave aside a people whose women jostled them;

Let be, people their women crowded out

So they were as when flies crowd around a drink.

They became like how foam did flies

تساووا فهذا بينهم مثلَ هذهِ

تساووا فهذا بينهم مثلَ هذهِ

وسيَانَ معنىً يافعٌ وكعابُ

وسيَانَ معنىً يافعٌ وكعابُ

They became equal: this man among them is like this woman;

They're equal, so this is the same as that

And a youth and a nubile maiden are alike in essence.

And similar in meaning, youngster and hag

وما عجبي أنَّ النساءَ ترجّلتْ

وما عجبي أنَّ النساءَ ترجّلتْ

ولكنَّ تأنيثَ الرجالِ عجابُ

ولكنَّ تأنيثَ الرجالِ عجابُ

I am not amazed that women have become masculine;

And I'm not surprised women have masculinized

But the feminization of men is astonishing.

But men's feminization is strange