لِعينِكَ يا غزالَ الرَّقَمتينِ

لِعينِكَ يا غزالَ الرَّقَمتينِ

غليلُ صبابتي وسُهادُ عيني

غليلُ صبابتي وسُهادُ عيني

To your eye, O gazelle of al-Raqmatayn,

For your eyes, oh gazelle with the two dark pools,

I owe my longing's burning thirst and my eye's sleeplessness.

I pine and yearn through the long night.

هجرتُ لأجلِها وطني فأمسَى

هجرتُ لأجلِها وطني فأمسَى

عليَّ سوادُها كغُرابِ بَينِ

عليَّ سوادُها كغُرابِ بَينِ

I forsook my homeland for its sake, and so

I left my homeland for love of you,

its blackness became to me like a raven of parting.

And their darkness covered me like the raven's wing.

ألا يا مُقلةً رشَقَت فُؤَادي

ألا يا مُقلةً رشَقَت فُؤَادي

بسهمٍ عن قِسِيِّ الحاجبَينِ

بسهمٍ عن قِسِيِّ الحاجبَينِ

Ah, O eye that pierced my heart

Oh glance that pierced my heart

with an arrow from the bows of the two eyebrows!

With an arrow from beneath lowered lids!

سوادُكِ قد أصابَ سوادَ قلبي

سوادُكِ قد أصابَ سوادَ قلبي

فكان الحربُ بينَ الأسَودَينِ

فكان الحربُ بينَ الأسَودَينِ

Your black pupil has struck my heart's black core,

Your blackness struck the blackness of my heart;

and war broke out between the two black ones.

War raged between the two darks.

بَرَيتُ إليكِ أخفافَ المَطايا

بَرَيتُ إليكِ أخفافَ المَطايا

فلم أُدرِكْ ولا خُفَّيْ حُنينِ

فلم أُدرِكْ ولا خُفَّيْ حُنينِ

I wore down my mounts' footpads journeying to you,

I raced to you on the swift feet of desire,

yet I did not obtain even Hunayn's two boots.

But found not even a trace or sigh of longing.

فعُدتُ وقد لَهَوتُ عنِ التَّصابي

فعُدتُ وقد لَهَوتُ عنِ التَّصابي

بوصفِ محمَّدٍ نجلِ الحُسَينِ

بوصفِ محمَّدٍ نجلِ الحُسَينِ

So I returned, having turned from youthful dalliance,

So I returned, distracted from all reason

by praising Muhammad, son of al-Husayn.

By talk of Muhammad, Hussein's son.

كريمٌ من كريمِ أبٍ وأُمٍّ

كريمٌ من كريمِ أبٍ وأُمٍّ

إلى سَلَفٍ كِرامِ النَّبَعتينِ

إلى سَلَفٍ كِرامِ النَّبَعتينِ

Noble, born of a noble father and mother,

Noble, from a noble father and mother,

back to forebears of noble stock on both sides.

His lineage extending to the noble past.

لهم في أرضِنا شَرَفٌ قديمٌ

لهم في أرضِنا شَرَفٌ قديمٌ

تناوَلَهُ الفَتى بالراحَتينِ

تناوَلَهُ الفَتى بالراحَتينِ

Theirs is ancient honor in our land,

In our land his family has long repute

which the young man has grasped with both palms.

That this youth now upholds in his two hands.

جميلُ الوجهِ محمودُ السَّجايا

جميلُ الوجهِ محمودُ السَّجايا

رحيبُ الصَّدرِ مُنبسِطُ اليدَينِ

رحيبُ الصَّدرِ مُنبسِطُ اليدَينِ

Handsome of face, praised for his character,

Handsome of face, praiseworthy in character,

broad of chest, with both hands outstretched.

Open of chest and open-handed.

يَرَى صُنْعَ المكارمِ كلَّ يومٍ

يَرَى صُنْعَ المكارمِ كلَّ يومٍ

كفَرْضِ الدِّينِ أو كوَفاءِ دَينِ

كفَرْضِ الدِّينِ أو كوَفاءِ دَينِ

He regards doing noble deeds each day

Each day he does generous deeds

as a religious duty, or as repayment of a debt.

As if a religious duty or debt repaid.

أرانا ليلةً فيها زِفافٌ

أرانا ليلةً فيها زِفافٌ

تَجلَّى باقترانِ النَّيّرَينِ

تَجلَّى باقترانِ النَّيّرَينِ

He showed us a night in which a wedding

One night he revealed to us a wedding

shone forth through the conjunction of the two luminaries.

In the pairing of two brilliant lights.

هما كالفرقَدينِ على اجتماعٍ

هما كالفرقَدينِ على اجتماعٍ

نَرومُ لهُ دَوامَ الفرقدَينِ

نَرومُ لهُ دَوامَ الفرقدَينِ

They are like the two Farqad stars in union;

Like two pearls joined together,

we wish their union the permanence of the two Farqad stars.

We wish the pair an unfading union.