وثبت تستقـرب النجـم مجـالا

وثبت تستقـرب النجـم مجـالا

وتهادت تسحب الذيـل اختيـالا

وتهادت تسحب الذيـل اختيـالا

It sprang aloft, deeming the stars a nearby realm,

She gracefully approached, the star illuminating her beauty,

And glided gracefully, trailing its tail in pride.

Swaying, she dragged her train coquettishly.

وحيالـي غـادة تلعـب فــي

وحيالـي غـادة تلعـب فــي

شعرهـا المائـج غنجـا ودلالا

شعرهـا المائـج غنجـا ودلالا

And before me, a graceful maiden toyed with

Before me was Ghada, playing with

Her rippling hair, coquettishly and coyly.

Her wavy hair, flirtatious and alluring.

طلعـة ريـا وشــيء بـاهـر

طلعـة ريـا وشــيء بـاهـر

أجمال جـل ان يسمـى جمـالا

أجمال جـل ان يسمـى جمـالا

A blooming face, and something dazzling—

A vision of paradise, a splendid sight,

Was it beauty, too sublime to be called beauty?

Too beautiful to simply be called beautiful.

فتبسـمـت لـهـا فابتسـمـت

فتبسـمـت لـهـا فابتسـمـت

وأجالـت فـي ألحاظـا كسالـى

وأجالـت فـي ألحاظـا كسالـى

So I smiled at her, and she smiled.

I smiled at her, she smiled back,

And she let her languid glances roam over me.

Casting languid glances my way.

وتجاذبـنـا الأحـاديـث فـمـا

وتجاذبـنـا الأحـاديـث فـمـا

انخفضت حسا ولا سفـت خيـالا

انخفضت حسا ولا سفـت خيـالا

And we exchanged words; they never

We exchanged words, I did not waver,

Sank in feeling, nor stooped in imagination.

Nor did my imagination run wild.

كل حـرف زل عـن مرشفهـا

كل حـرف زل عـن مرشفهـا

نثـر الطيـب يمينـا وشـمـالا

نثـر الطيـب يمينـا وشـمـالا

Every letter that slipped from her lips

With each letter her lips let fall,

Scattered perfume to the right and left.

She sprinkled sweetness left and right.

قلـت يـا حسنـاء مـن أنـت

قلـت يـا حسنـاء مـن أنـت

ومن أي دوح أفرع الغصن وطالا

ومن أي دوح أفرع الغصن وطالا

I said, “O beautiful one, who are you,

I said "O beauty, who are you?

And from which spreading tree did this branch sprout and grow tall?”

From which oasis did this branch grow so tall?"

فـرنـت شامـخـة احسبـهـا

فـرنـت شامـخـة احسبـهـا

فـوق انسـاب البرايـا تتعالـى

فـوق انسـاب البرايـا تتعالـى

Then she gazed proudly; I thought she was

Proudly she replied, I imagined her

Rising above the lineages of humankind.

Rising above the plains gloriously.

وأجابـت أنـا مــن أنـدلـس

وأجابـت أنـا مــن أنـدلـس

جنـة الدنيـا سهـولا وجـبـالا

جنـة الدنيـا سهـولا وجـبـالا

And she answered, “I am from Andalusia,

"I am from Andalusia," she said,

The world's paradise, in plains and mountains.

"That paradise of plains and mountains.

وجـدودي المـح الدهـر علـى

وجـدودي المـح الدهـر علـى

ذكرهم يطـوي جناحيـه جـلالا

ذكرهم يطـوي جناحيـه جـلالا

And my forebears—I see Time, at

Time has erased all trace of my ancestors,

Their mention, folding its wings in reverence.

Though their glory still evokes awe.

بوركت صحراؤهم كم زخـرت

بوركت صحراؤهم كم زخـرت

بالمـروءات رياحـا ورمــالا

بالمـروءات رياحـا ورمــالا

Blessed be their desert! How it teemed

Blessed was their desert, so full

With noble virtues, in winds and sands!

Of gallant souls, winds, and sands.

حملـوا الشـرق سنـاء وسنـى

حملـوا الشـرق سنـاء وسنـى

وتخطوا ملعب الغـرب نضـالا

وتخطوا ملعب الغـرب نضـالا

They bore the East in glory and radiance,

They carried the East's brilliance and glory,

And strode across the West's arena in struggle.

And struggled across the West's arenas.

فنمـا المجـد علـى آثـارهـم

فنمـا المجـد علـى آثـارهـم

وتخطى بعدمـا زالـوا الـزوالا

وتخطى بعدمـا زالـوا الـزوالا

So glory grew in their footsteps,

Glory flourished in their footsteps,

And, after they were gone, transcended extinction.

Vanquishing even vanishing time.

هؤلاء الصيـد قومـي فانتسـب

هؤلاء الصيـد قومـي فانتسـب

إن تجد أكرم من قومـي رجـالا

إن تجد أكرم من قومـي رجـالا

These proud nobles are my people; name your lineage,

They were the noblest of hunters, my people,

If you find men nobler than my people.”

Find, if you can, men nobler than they."

أطرق الطرف و غامت أعينـي

أطرق الطرف و غامت أعينـي

برؤاهـا وتجاهلـت الـسـؤالا

برؤاهـا وتجاهلـت الـسـؤالا

My gaze fell, and my eyes clouded

I lowered my gaze, my eyes clouded

With their visions, and I ignored the question.

At the sight of her, ignoring the question.