كعوبٌ تردّت ببرد الجمالْ

كعوبٌ تردّت ببرد الجمالْ

ومن فَرقِها هلّ فينا الهلالْ

ومن فَرقِها هلّ فينا الهلالْ

A buxom maiden clothed herself in beauty's mantle,

Her anklets slipped with the coolness of beauty,

and from her hair's parting the crescent appeared among us.

And the new moon rose because of their jingling.

فلله شمسٌ من الحسن قد

فلله شمسٌ من الحسن قد

تسامت به لم يشبها زوال

تسامت به لم يشبها زوال

God be praised—a sun of beauty has

For God has a sun of beauty that

soared through that beauty, untouched by decline.

Has risen above, never to set.

حوتٌ في الخدود نعيم الخلود

حوتٌ في الخدود نعيم الخلود

وذات الوقود بجمع المحال

وذات الوقود بجمع المحال

She held within her cheeks the bliss of eternity,

Her cheeks contain eternal paradise,

and the fuel-fed fire, joining the irreconcilable.

The essence of fire with the impossible gathered.

وفي ليل شعر وإصباح وجه

وفي ليل شعر وإصباح وجه

تبدى لدينا الهدى والضلال

تبدى لدينا الهدى والضلال

And in the night of her hair and the dawn of her face,

In the night of her hair and the morning of her face

guidance and error appeared before us.

Guidance and misguidance appeared to us.

يميناً بمن زان تلك العيون

يميناً بمن زان تلك العيون

وجمّلها بسواد الجلال

وجمّلها بسواد الجلال

I swear by Him who adorned those eyes

With an oath to the one who adorned those eyes

and beautified them with the blackness of majesty,

And beautified them with the majesty of darkness,

بأن لديها عيون المها

بأن لديها عيون المها

جنود المنايا وجيد الغزال

جنود المنايا وجيد الغزال

that she has the eyes of an oryx—

That she has the eyes of deer,

death's armies—and the neck of a gazelle.

The soldiers of death and the neck of a gazelle.

ألفت الشجون بها والفتون

ألفت الشجون بها والفتون

وذقت المنون وما لا يقال

وذقت المنون وما لا يقال

I grew accustomed through her to sorrows and temptation,

I am accustomed to passion and temptation through her,

and tasted death and what cannot be spoken.

And have tasted death though that cannot be uttered.

وكم أعين من عيوني جرت

وكم أعين من عيوني جرت

يقصّر عنها السحاب الثقال

يقصّر عنها السحاب الثقال

And how many springs have flowed from my eyes—

And how many glances of my eyes flowed,

the rain-laden clouds fall short of them!

Too heavy for the clouds to carry.

وعمّرت عمري أقاسي النوى

وعمّرت عمري أقاسي النوى

بعَمرو الهوى مع زيد المنال

بعَمرو الهوى مع زيد المنال

And I lived out my life enduring separation,

And she made my life live the most bitter sorrows,

with ʿAmr of passion alongside Zayd of attainment.

With the life of passion and the attainment of wishes.

ولو سال دمعي بها جدولاً

ولو سال دمعي بها جدولاً

فما أنا عنها لعمري بسال

فما أنا عنها لعمري بسال

And even if my tears flowed for her as a stream,

If my tears streamed before her into a valley,

still, by my life, I would not forget her.

By my life, I am not tired of her.

فكم بتّ فيها أعاني العنا

فكم بتّ فيها أعاني العنا

بطيّ الرمال وقطع الجبال

بطيّ الرمال وقطع الجبال

So often, for her, I spent the night enduring hardship,

So I have spent the nights suffering from love,

by traversing the sands and crossing the mountains.

Crossing the sands and climbing the mountains.

هو الحبّ إن رمت سلمى يقل

هو الحبّ إن رمت سلمى يقل

ليَ اصبر تجدني فحربي سجال

ليَ اصبر تجدني فحربي سجال

It is love: if I seek Salma, it says

Love, if she shoots me with an arrow, says

to me, “Be patient; you will find me, for my war has turns of fortune.

Be patient, and you will find me warring and dueling.

وعد عن دعاوي البقا ثمّ دع

وعد عن دعاوي البقا ثمّ دع

وجودك عنك وشدّ الرحال

وجودك عنك وشدّ الرحال

And turn away from claims to permanence; then leave

And stop claiming eternity, then leave

your existence behind you, and ready your saddles for departure;

Your existence behind you, and depart.

وأثمار جنّات حبّي اجتنى

وأثمار جنّات حبّي اجتنى

بذات اليمين وذات الشمال

بذات اليمين وذات الشمال

and pluck the fruits of the gardens of my love

And I have plucked the fruits of the gardens of my love

on the right side and on the left.”

With the right hand, and the left.