أشكو لهيب الأسى لموقده

أشكو لهيب الأسى لموقده

وأشكر القلب في تجلده

وأشكر القلب في تجلده

I complain of sorrow's blaze to the one who kindled it.

I lament the flame of sorrow in its hearth,

And I thank the heart for its endurance.

And thank the heart in its endurance,

وأنظر إلى الفكر في تحيله

وأنظر إلى الفكر في تحيله

يدنو بآماله لمبعده

يدنو بآماله لمبعده

And I watch the mind in its stratagems,

And look to the mind in its evasions,

drawing near, with its hopes, to the one who drives it away.

Drawing near with its hopes to the distant one.

مهفهف تسجد الغصون له

مهفهف تسجد الغصون له

ويخجل الورد من مورده

ويخجل الورد من مورده

A slender one, before whom the boughs prostrate themselves,

The branches prostrate themselves before it, fluttering,

and the rose blushes at his rosy hue.

And the rose is shy of its stream.

أودّ لو تسرع المسير بنا

أودّ لو تسرع المسير بنا

ساعات عمري لوقت موعده

ساعات عمري لوقت موعده

I wish our journey could be hastened

I wish the journey would hasten with us

by the hours of my life, to the time of his tryst.

To the hours of my life at the time of its tryst.

يجرد البيض من لواحظه

يجرد البيض من لواحظه

وفتنة اللحظ من مجرده

وفتنة اللحظ من مجرده

He unsheathes gleaming swords from his glances,

It strips the egg of its glaze,

and the glance's enchantment comes from his drawn blade.

And the temptation of the glance of its purity.

ولست أرجو الخلاص من شغفي

ولست أرجو الخلاص من شغفي

به وقيد الفؤاد في يده

به وقيد الفؤاد في يده

And I hope for no release from my passion

Nor do I hope for salvation from my passion for it

for him, while the heart's fetter is in his hand,

With the heart enchained in its hand.

إلا بتقريض در حاشية

إلا بتقريض در حاشية

ينسبها عصرنا لأمجده

ينسبها عصرنا لأمجده

save by praising the pearls of a marginal commentary

Except by versifying a pearl

which our age ascribes to its most illustrious one.

That our age attributes to its most skilled,

لا يعجب الدهر من فرائدها

لا يعجب الدهر من فرائدها

لأنها من صنيع مفرده

لأنها من صنيع مفرده

Time does not marvel at its peerless gems,

The times are not impressed by its gems

for they are the handiwork of Time's incomparable one.

Because it is the making of a singular one.

كأنها الراح في شمائلها

كأنها الراح في شمائلها

وصفوها غصة لحسده

وصفوها غصة لحسده

It is like wine in its qualities,

It is like the breeze in its features,

and its clarity chokes his enviers.

And they described it as sorrow for its envy.

ونثرها في العقود منتظم

ونثرها في العقود منتظم

ونظمها فتنة لمنشده

ونظمها فتنة لمنشده

And its prose is strung in necklaces,

And scattered it in necklaces arranged

and its verse enchants its reciter.

And composed it as temptation for its reciter.

تختال بين الطروس خردها

تختال بين الطروس خردها

فتطرب اللحظ في تسهُّده

فتطرب اللحظ في تسهُّده

Its maidens sway proudly among the pages,

It struts among the peacocks its tail

and so delight the eye in its sleepless vigil.

Causing the glance in its sleepiness to tremble.

أكرم به من مصنف جمعت

أكرم به من مصنف جمعت

نفائس الدر في مقلده

نفائس الدر في مقلده

How noble a compilation it is! Gathered

I was honored by the author who collected

upon its neck are the choicest pearls.

The rarities of pearl in its necklace.

وإن أتى آخر الزمان فقد

وإن أتى آخر الزمان فقد

تقدمت بينات مسنده

تقدمت بينات مسنده

And though it came at the end of time, already

And if the end of time comes, indeed,

its transmitter's clear proofs had gone before.

Its proofs have gone before, well-documented.

وإن أتى مفرداً ومختصراً

وإن أتى مفرداً ومختصراً

في فضله طال عن معدده

في فضله طال عن معدده

And though it came as a single, concise work,

And if it comes singly and concisely,

in excellence it outstripped the one who counts its merits.

In its merit, long from its enumerator.

يروي عن الجوهري مسنده

يروي عن الجوهري مسنده

عن ناقد الدر عن منضده

عن ناقد الدر عن منضده

Its transmitter relates from al-Jawhari,

It narrates on the authority of al-Jawhari its support,

from the appraiser of pearls, from their arranger.

From the appraiser of pearl from its inscriber.

ورقَّ معناه في بلاغته

ورقَّ معناه في بلاغته

فكاد يخفى على مردده

فكاد يخفى على مردده

And its meaning grew so subtle in its eloquence

And its meaning thrived in its eloquence,

that it almost eluded the one repeating it.

That it nearly hid from its editor.

يقول في وصفه مؤرخه

يقول في وصفه مؤرخه

عقد يريح النهى بخرّده

عقد يريح النهى بخرّده

The one who dates it says in describing it:

Its biographer says in describing it

A necklace that soothes minds with its maidens.

A necklace that pleases the prohibition with its tinkling.