لُحْ كوكباً وإمشِ غُصناً والتفِتْ ريما

لُحْ كوكباً وإمشِ غُصناً والتفِتْ ريما

فأن عداكَ آسمها لم تعدك السيما

فأن عداكَ آسمها لم تعدك السيما

Shine like a star, walk like a bough, and turn like a gazelle.

Shine like a star, walk like a branch, and glance back like a gazelle.

For though their names fall short of you, their distinguishing traits do not.

For though their names are not yours, their likeness is.

وجه اغرّ وجيدٌ زانه جِيدُ

وجه اغرّ وجيدٌ زانه جِيدُ

وقامة ٌ تخجل الخطيّ تقويما

وقامة ٌ تخجل الخطيّ تقويما

A radiant face, and a lovely neck finely adorned;

A radiant face, a neck graced with lovely length,

a figure whose straightness shames the lances of al-Khaṭṭ.

And a stature whose straightness shames the Khatti spear.

يامن تجلّ عن التمثيل صورته

يامن تجلّ عن التمثيل صورته

أأنتَ مثَّلتَ روح الحسن تجسيما

أأنتَ مثَّلتَ روح الحسن تجسيما

O you whose form transcends all representation,

O you whose form transcends all portrayal,

are you beauty’s very spirit embodied?

Have you given beauty’s spirit bodily form?

نطقت بالشعر سحراً فيك حين بدا

نطقت بالشعر سحراً فيك حين بدا

هاروت طرفُكَ يُنشي السحر تعليما

هاروت طرفُكَ يُنشي السحر تعليما

Your twin enchantments spoke poetry the instant they appeared;

I uttered enchantment in verse about you, when there appeared

your glance is Hārūt, fashioning magic as though teaching it.

Harut—your gaze—creating spells as instruction.

فلو رأتك النصارى في كنائسها

فلو رأتك النصارى في كنائسها

مصوراً رّبعت فيكَ الأقانيما

مصوراً رّبعت فيكَ الأقانيما

Had Christians seen you in their churches,

Had the Christians seen you in their churches,

portrayed there, the Hypostases would have bowed before you.

Portrayed, they would have made their divine Persons four with you.

إذا سفرتَ تولىَّ المتقيّ صنَماً

إذا سفرتَ تولىَّ المتقيّ صنَماً

وإن نظرتَ توقى ٌ الضيغمُ الريما

وإن نظرتَ توقى ٌ الضيغمُ الريما

When you unveil, the devout man falls in love with an idol;

When you unveil, the devout man turns to an idol;

and when you look, the lion grows wary of the gazelle.

And when you glance, the lion is wary of the gazelle.

مَن لي بألمي نعيمي بالعذاب به

مَن لي بألمي نعيمي بالعذاب به

والحبّ ان تجد التعذيب تنعيما

والحبّ ان تجد التعذيب تنعيما

Who will grant me my pain—my bliss within its torment?

Who will bring me the dark-lipped one, in whose torment lies my bliss?

For love is finding torture itself a delight.

And love is to find torment a delight.

لو لم تكن جنة الفردوس وجنته

لو لم تكن جنة الفردوس وجنته

لم يسقني الريق سلسالا وتنسيما

لم يسقني الريق سلسالا وتنسيما

Had the Garden of Paradise not been his cheek,

Were his cheek not the Garden of Paradise,

his mouth would never have given me Salsabīl and Tasnīm to drink.

His saliva would not have offered me sweet flowing water and a gentle breeze.

ألقى الوشاحَ على خِصر ٍ توهمٌه

ألقى الوشاحَ على خِصر ٍ توهمٌه

فكيف وشٌحَ بالمرئيُ موهوما

فكيف وشٌحَ بالمرئيُ موهوما

The sash was cast about a waist merely imagined;

He cast the sash around a waist he merely imagined—

how, then, was an imagined thing girdled with the visible?

How did he gird the imagined with the visible?

ورجَّ احقاف رمل ٍ في غلائلِهِ

ورجَّ احقاف رمل ٍ في غلائلِهِ

يكاد ينقدّ عنها الكشح مهضوما

يكاد ينقدّ عنها الكشح مهضوما

It set dunes of sand swaying within his sheer robes,

And he set dunes of sand swaying within his sheer robes,

while the slender waist almost burst free of them.

His slender waist almost tearing away from them.

ان ألٌم َالحِجل ساقيه فلا عجبٌ

ان ألٌم َالحِجل ساقيه فلا عجبٌ

فقد شكى من دقيق الدرز تأليما

فقد شكى من دقيق الدرز تأليما

If anklets press upon his shins, there is no wonder:

If the anklet pains his shins, it is no wonder,

they have complained of the tiny pearls that pain them.

For he has complained of pain from fine stitching.

الردف والساق رداً مشَيِهِ بهرا

الردف والساق رداً مشَيِهِ بهرا

والدرع منقدّة والحجل مفصوما

والدرع منقدّة والحجل مفصوما

Haunch and leg checked his gait, dazzling all,

His hips and calves left him breathless as he walked,

while the shift split and the anklet burst.

His gown split and his anklet snapped.

في وجهه رُسمت آيات مصحفه

في وجهه رُسمت آيات مصحفه

تُتلى ولم يخش قاريهن تأثيما

تُتلى ولم يخش قاريهن تأثيما

Upon his face the verses of his scripture are inscribed,

On his face were inscribed the verses of his Qur’an,

recited without their reader fearing sin.

Recited, their reader fearing no charge of sin.

ذي نون حاجبه لو حاؤه آتصلت

ذي نون حاجبه لو حاؤه آتصلت

في ميم مبسمه لم تعدُ حاميما

في ميم مبسمه لم تعدُ حاميما

His eyebrow bears the curve of nūn; if its ḥāʾ were joined

Here is his eyebrow’s nūn; were its ḥāʾ joined

to the mīm of his smiling mouth, it would spell only Ḥā-Mīm.

To the mīm of his smiling mouth, it would yield only Ḥā-Mīm.

ولحن معبد يجري في تكلٌمِهِ

ولحن معبد يجري في تكلٌمِهِ

إنْ أدمجَ اللفظ ترقيقاً وتَرخيما

إنْ أدمجَ اللفظ ترقيقاً وتَرخيما

And the melody of Maʿbad flows through his speech

And Ma‘bad’s melody flows through his speech,

when he blends his words in softness and melodious coquetry.

When he blends his words with softness and a mellow tone.

يانازلي الرمل من نجد احبكم

يانازلي الرمل من نجد احبكم

وان هجرتم ففيما هجركم فيما

وان هجرتم ففيما هجركم فيما

O dwellers upon the sands of Najd, I love you;

O dwellers in Najd’s sands, I love you,

and if you forsake me—why this forsaking, why?

And if you turn away, why this estrangement—why?

ألستُمُ انتُمُ رَيحانَ أنفسُنا

ألستُمُ انتُمُ رَيحانَ أنفسُنا

دون َ الرياحينَ مَجنيٌاً ومَشموما

دون َ الرياحينَ مَجنيٌاً ومَشموما

Are you not the sweet basil of our souls,

Are you not, you yourselves, the sweet basil of our souls,

to be plucked and breathed above all fragrant herbs?

Plucked and inhaled in place of all other fragrant herbs?

إن ينأ شخصكم فليدنو طيفكمُ

إن ينأ شخصكم فليدنو طيفكمُ

لو أن للعين إغفاءً وتَهويما

لو أن للعين إغفاءً وتَهويما

If your persons remain afar, your phantoms would draw near—

If you are far away in person, let your dream-image draw near—

if only the eye could drowse or drift to sleep.

If only the eye could find a little sleep and drowsing.

هل توردون ظمآءً عذب منهلِكُم

هل توردون ظمآءً عذب منهلِكُم

أمْ تصدرون الاماني حِوٌماً هِيما

أمْ تصدرون الاماني حِوٌماً هِيما

Will you admit the thirsty to the sweet water of your spring,

Will you bring the thirsty to your sweet watering place,

or send hopes away, circling and mad with thirst?

Or send hopes away, circling and mad with thirst?

لي بينكم لا أطال الله بينكمُ

لي بينكم لا أطال الله بينكمُ

غضيض طرفٍ يردّ الطرف مسجوما

غضيض طرفٍ يردّ الطرف مسجوما

Among you I have—may God never prolong our separation—

Among you I have—may God not prolong your absence—

one of lowered gaze, whose glance sends mine back streaming tears.

One of downcast gaze, who sends the eye back streaming with tears.

انا رضيع هواه منذ نشأتِهِ

انا رضيع هواه منذ نشأتِهِ

ونشأتي لم تردني عنه مفطوما

ونشأتي لم تردني عنه مفطوما

I have suckled his love from the moment of its birth,

I have nursed on love for him since his earliest days;

and growing up has never left me weaned from him.

And my growing up has not left me weaned from him.

ما حلتُ عنه ولا عن عهد صبوته

ما حلتُ عنه ولا عن عهد صبوته

وان أطال الجفا عزماً وتَصميما

وان أطال الجفا عزماً وتَصميما

I have neither turned from him nor from the covenant of his youthful love,

I have not turned from him, nor from the pledge of youthful love for him,

though he prolongs estrangement with resolve and determination.

Even if he prolongs estrangement with resolve and determination.

حرمَّت وصلي كما حللتَ سفكَ دَمي

حرمَّت وصلي كما حللتَ سفكَ دَمي

صدقتُ شرعك تحليلا وتَحريما

صدقتُ شرعك تحليلا وتَحريما

You forbade me union, just as you made the shedding of my blood lawful;

You forbade union with me, just as you allowed my blood to be shed;

I accepted your law in both its permitting and forbidding.

I accepted your law, in its permissions and prohibitions.

ياجائراً وعلى عَمْدٍ أحَكُمٌهُ

ياجائراً وعلى عَمْدٍ أحَكُمٌهُ

أعدِلْ وجرْ بالذي ولاّك تحكيما

أعدِلْ وجرْ بالذي ولاّك تحكيما

O unjust one, whom knowingly I appoint as judge,

O unjust one, whom I deliberately appoint as judge,

be just—or be cruel—by Him who invested you with judgment.

Be just or unjust to the one who entrusted you with judgment.

لك الصبا والجوى لي والعُلى لعَلي

لك الصبا والجوى لي والعُلى لعَلي

وقل (لهادي) الهدى طرداً وتقسيما

وقل (لهادي) الهدى طرداً وتقسيما

Youth is yours, passion’s anguish mine, and lofty glory is ʿAlī’s;

Yours is youth, mine love’s anguish, and Ali’s exalted glory;

and allot guidance to Hādī, completing the orderly division.

And say, 'Guidance is Hadi’s,' in consistent apportionment.