تَحَمَّلتُ هَجرَ الشادِنِ المُتَدَلِّلِ

تَحَمَّلتُ هَجرَ الشادِنِ المُتَدَلِّلِ

وَعاصَيتُ في حُبِّ الغَرايَةِ عُذَّلي

وَعاصَيتُ في حُبِّ الغَرايَةِ عُذَّلي

I endured the estrangement of the coy young gazelle,

I endured the separation of the languid charmer

And defied my reproachers in my infatuated love [uncertain reading].

And disobeyed in my love of coquetry and flirtation

وَما أَبقَتِ الأَيّامُ مِنّي وَلا الصِبا

وَما أَبقَتِ الأَيّامُ مِنّي وَلا الصِبا

سِوى كَبِدٍ حَرّى وَقَلبٍ مُقَتَّلِ

سِوى كَبِدٍ حَرّى وَقَلبٍ مُقَتَّلِ

And the days and youth have left nothing of me

Neither the days nor my youth left in me

But a burning liver and a heart slain again and again.

Except a burning liver and a slain heart

وَيَومٌ مِنَ اللَذّاتِ خالَستُ عَيشَهُ

وَيَومٌ مِنَ اللَذّاتِ خالَستُ عَيشَهُ

رَقيباً عَلى اللَذّاتِ غَيرَ مُغَفَّلِ

رَقيباً عَلى اللَذّاتِ غَيرَ مُغَفَّلِ

And a day of delights—I stole its joys

And a day of pleasures whose life I deceived

From a watchman over pleasures who was not heedless.

A watcher over pleasures, not neglectful

فَكُنتُ نَديمَ الكَأسِ حَتّى إِذا اِنقَضَت

فَكُنتُ نَديمَ الكَأسِ حَتّى إِذا اِنقَضَت

تَعَوَّضتُ عَنها ريقَ حَوراءَ عَيطَلِ

تَعَوَّضتُ عَنها ريقَ حَوراءَ عَيطَلِ

So I kept the winecup company until it was spent;

So I was a drinking companion until when

I took instead the saliva of a tall, dark-eyed beauty.

Their time ran out, I made do with the spittle of maidens

نَهاني عَنها حُبُّها أَن أَسوءَها

نَهاني عَنها حُبُّها أَن أَسوءَها

بِلَمسٍ فَلَم أَفتُك وَلَم أَتَبَتَّلِ

بِلَمسٍ فَلَم أَفتُك وَلَم أَتَبَتَّلِ

My love for her held me back from her, lest I distress her

Her love forbade me from marring them

With a touch; so I neither acted wantonly nor turned ascetic.

So I did not deflower or force myself on them

أَخَذتُ لِطَرفِ العَينِ مِنها نَصيبَهُ

أَخَذتُ لِطَرفِ العَينِ مِنها نَصيبَهُ

وَأَخلَيتُ مِن كَفّي مَكانَ المُخَلخَلِ

وَأَخلَيتُ مِن كَفّي مَكانَ المُخَلخَلِ

I took for the eye's gaze its share of her,

I took from their eyes their share

And kept my palm away from the place of her anklet.

And emptied my palms of coins

سَقَتني بِعَينَيها الهَوى وَسَقَيتُها

سَقَتني بِعَينَيها الهَوى وَسَقَيتُها

فَدَبَّ دَبيبُ الراحِ في كُلِّ مَفصَلِ

فَدَبَّ دَبيبُ الراحِ في كُلِّ مَفصَلِ

With her eyes she gave me love to drink, and I gave it to her;

Her eyes intoxicated me with love and I intoxicated her

So wine crept slowly through every joint.

So desire crept into all my joints

وَإِن شِئتُ أَن أَلتَذَّ نازَلتُ جيدَها

وَإِن شِئتُ أَن أَلتَذَّ نازَلتُ جيدَها

فَعانَقتُ دونَ الجيدِ نَظمَ القَرَنفُلِ

فَعانَقتُ دونَ الجيدِ نَظمَ القَرَنفُلِ

And if I wished for pleasure, I assailed her neck,

And if I wished to delight, I pressed her neck

So I embraced the string of cloves, stopping short of her neck.

And hugged below the neck a string of carnations

أُنازِعُها سِرَّ الحَديثِ وَتارَةً

أُنازِعُها سِرَّ الحَديثِ وَتارَةً

رُضاباً لَذيذَ الطَعمِ عَذبَ المُقَبَّلِ

رُضاباً لَذيذَ الطَعمِ عَذبَ المُقَبَّلِ

I exchange with her whispered talk, and at times

I whisper with her the secret of discourse and at times

Saliva delicious to taste, from a mouth sweet to kiss.

A delicious, sweet kiss, gentle and savory

وَما العَيشُ إِلا أَن أَبيتَ مُوَسَّداً

وَما العَيشُ إِلا أَن أَبيتَ مُوَسَّداً

صَريعَ مُدامٍ كَفَّ أَحوَرَ أَكحَلِ

صَريعَ مُدامٍ كَفَّ أَحوَرَ أَكحَلِ

And life is only this: I spend the night pillowed,

Life is but to spend the night resting your head

Felled by wine, on the palm of a dark-eyed beauty with kohl-dark lids,

On a drunk's palm, blacker than kohl

وَمَمكورَةٍ رَودِ الشَبابِ كَأَنَّها

وَمَمكورَةٍ رَودِ الشَبابِ كَأَنَّها

قَضيبٌ عَلى دِعصٍ مِنَ الرَملِ أَهيَلِ

قَضيبٌ عَلى دِعصٍ مِنَ الرَملِ أَهيَلِ

And of a shapely woman, tender with youth, as though she were

And a young maiden whose cheek is like

A slender bough upon a mound of loose sand.

A rod on a sand dune, bent

خَلَوتُ بِها وَاللَيلُ يَقظانُ قائِمٌ

خَلَوتُ بِها وَاللَيلُ يَقظانُ قائِمٌ

عَلى قَدَمٍ كَالراهِبِ المُتَبَتِّلِ

عَلى قَدَمٍ كَالراهِبِ المُتَبَتِّلِ

I was alone with her, while the night stood wakeful,

I was alone with her while the night kept vigil

On one foot, like an ascetic monk.

Standing on one foot like an ascetic devotee

فَلَمّا اِستَمَرَّت مِن دَجا اللَيلِ دَولَةٌ

فَلَمّا اِستَمَرَّت مِن دَجا اللَيلِ دَولَةٌ

وَكادَ عَمودُ الصُبحِ بِالصُبحِ يَنجَلي

وَكادَ عَمودُ الصُبحِ بِالصُبحِ يَنجَلي

Then, when the reign of night's darkness had worn on,

When the darkness of night persisted

And dawn's pillar was about to appear with daybreak,

And the pillar of dawn nearly shone through

تَراءى الهَوى بِالشَوقِ فَاِستَحدَثَ البُكا

تَراءى الهَوى بِالشَوقِ فَاِستَحدَثَ البُكا

وَقالَ لِلَذَّاتِ اللِقاءِ تَرَحَّلي

وَقالَ لِلَذَّاتِ اللِقاءِ تَرَحَّلي

Love appeared with longing and brought on fresh weeping,

Love appeared full of longing so it renewed weeping

And said to the delights of meeting, 'Depart!'

And said to the self of meeting, "Set out!"

فَلَم تَرَ إِلّا عَبرَةً بَعدَ زَفرَةٍ

فَلَم تَرَ إِلّا عَبرَةً بَعدَ زَفرَةٍ

مُوَدِّعَةٍ أَو نَظرَةً بِتَأَمُّلِ

مُوَدِّعَةٍ أَو نَظرَةً بِتَأَمُّلِ

So you saw only a tear after a sigh

But it did not see, after a parting sigh

Bidding farewell, or a contemplative glance.

Except a tear or a look full of contemplation