وافَت تَتيه فَما رَنت لَكَ جذرا

وافَت تَتيه فَما رَنت لَكَ جذرا

إِلّا أرتك مِن اللحاظِ غَضَنفَرا

إِلّا أرتك مِن اللحاظِ غَضَنفَرا

She came, swaying proudly; never did she gaze at you as a gazelle

She came, strutting proudly; never did she gaze at you like a fawn

without showing you a lion in her glances.

without showing you a lion in her glances.

هَيفاء رَنّحها الصبا فَكَأَنَّما

هَيفاء رَنّحها الصبا فَكَأَنَّما

سقيت مَعاطفها العَواطف مكسرا

سقيت مَعاطفها العَواطف مكسرا

A slender-waisted beauty whom the east wind made sway, as though

Slender-waisted, the east wind swayed her, as though

her supple curves had been given tender passions to drink as intoxicating wine.

her swaying curves had been plied with mixed wine.

وَأمالها عزُّ الدَلال فَخلتها

وَأمالها عزُّ الدَلال فَخلتها

غُصناً ثَنَتهُ لِيَ الشَمائل مُثمِرا

غُصناً ثَنَتهُ لِيَ الشَمائل مُثمِرا

The pride of coyness bent her, and I imagined her

And the pride of coquetry inclined her, so I fancied her

a fruit-laden bough that gentle breezes had inclined toward me.

a fruit-laden bough, bent toward me by the north winds.

وَتَبسّمَت فَجَلت عَوارض أَغيدٍ

وَتَبسّمَت فَجَلت عَوارض أَغيدٍ

أَحوى حَوى كلّ المَحاسن أَحوَرا

أَحوى حَوى كلّ المَحاسن أَحوَرا

She smiled, revealing the side-teeth of a languid beauty,

And she smiled, revealing the teeth of a lissome beauty—

dark-lipped, gathering every charm, with wide, deep-black eyes.

dark-lipped and dark-eyed, possessed of every charm.

فَنَظرت ما بَين العذيب وَبارق

فَنَظرت ما بَين العذيب وَبارق

دَمعي وَصَبري منجداً وَمغورا

دَمعي وَصَبري منجداً وَمغورا

Then I beheld what lay between al-ʿUdhayb and Bāriq:

Then, between al-Udhayb and Bariq, I saw

my tears and my patience—one Najd-bound, the other descending to the lowlands.

my tears and my patience, one upland-bound, the other lowland-bound.

ما رحت ياقوت المَدامع ناثِراً

ما رحت ياقوت المَدامع ناثِراً

إِلّا رَأَيت الثَغر يَنظم جَوهَرا

إِلّا رَأَيت الثَغر يَنظم جَوهَرا

Never did I go on scattering the rubies of my tears

Never did I scatter the rubies of my tears

without seeing the smiling mouth string pearls.

without seeing her mouth string pearls.

فَكَأَنَّما هُوَ مِن نِظام مُهذَّبٍ

فَكَأَنَّما هُوَ مِن نِظام مُهذَّبٍ

حُرٍّ برقّته سَما أَسمى ذرى

حُرٍّ برقّته سَما أَسمى ذرى

It seemed as though he were, by the ordered canon of my creed,

As though it were the composition of a refined man,

a nobleman who through his refinement rose to the loftiest peaks—

noble, whose delicacy raised him to the loftiest summits.

فطن تسمّى بِالخَليل لِأَنَّهُ

فطن تسمّى بِالخَليل لِأَنَّهُ

يروي الوَفاء عَن الَّذي سَنّ القرى

يروي الوَفاء عَن الَّذي سَنّ القرى

an astute man named al-Khalīl, because he

Keen-witted, he was called al-Khalil, because he

transmits fidelity from the one who instituted hospitality.

transmits fidelity from the one who established hospitality.

هُوّ ذَلِكَ الخلّ الوَفيّ فَلا خَلا

هُوّ ذَلِكَ الخلّ الوَفيّ فَلا خَلا

مِنهُ حِمىً بِاللطفِ أَصبَح مُزهرا

مِنهُ حِمىً بِاللطفِ أَصبَح مُزهرا

He is that faithful friend; may my sanctuary never be

He is that faithful friend; may there never be

bereft of him—through his kindness it has blossomed.

a sanctuary bereft of him, blossoming through his kindness.

أَمسى يَصوغ حلى القَريض بِفكرةٍ

أَمسى يَصوغ حلى القَريض بِفكرةٍ

لا تُخطئُ المَعنى البَديع تَدبّرا

لا تُخطئُ المَعنى البَديع تَدبّرا

At evening he fashions the ornaments of verse with a mind

He now fashions the ornaments of verse with thought

whose reflection never misses an exquisite meaning,

that never misses an exquisite meaning in reflection,

وَنَباهة بِصَفاءِ ذهنٍ رائِقٍ

وَنَباهة بِصَفاءِ ذهنٍ رائِقٍ

لَم يَغدُ منهلهُ الشَهيُّ مكدّرا

لَم يَغدُ منهلهُ الشَهيُّ مكدّرا

and with acuity born of the clarity of a limpid intellect,

and with discernment, through the purity of a lucid mind,

whose delightful spring has never grown turbid.

whose sweet spring has never grown turbid.

أَهدى لَنا عَذراء شَمس فَصاحَةٍ

أَهدى لَنا عَذراء شَمس فَصاحَةٍ

عَن وَجهِها صُبح البَلاغة أَسفَرا

عَن وَجهِها صُبح البَلاغة أَسفَرا

He bestowed on us a maiden, a sun of eloquence;

He gifted us a maiden, a sun of eloquence,

from her face the dawn of rhetoric broke forth unveiled.

whose face the dawn of eloquence unveiled.

ما إِن أَرى ثَمَناً لَها فَأجيدهُ

ما إِن أَرى ثَمَناً لَها فَأجيدهُ

أَو حرّةٍ مِنّا تُباع فَتُشتَرى

أَو حرّةٍ مِنّا تُباع فَتُشتَرى

I can see no price for her that I could ever furnish,

I see no price at all for her that I could pay—

nor is a freeborn woman among us sold and then bought.

or is a freeborn woman among us to be sold and bought?

كَلّا وَلَيسَ لِمثلها مَهر فَقَد

كَلّا وَلَيسَ لِمثلها مَهر فَقَد

عَزَّت بِباهر حُسنِها أن تمهرا

عَزَّت بِباهر حُسنِها أن تمهرا

No indeed! Nor is there a dowry for one like her, for

No! There is no dower for her like, for she has

her dazzling beauty has made her too precious to be dowered.

grown too precious in her dazzling beauty to receive a dower.

لا زالَ ناسج برد لُطف جَمالها

لا زالَ ناسج برد لُطف جَمالها

مُتَحلّياً بِحلى النَجابة في الوَرى

مُتَحلّياً بِحلى النَجابة في الوَرى

May the weaver of the mantle of her beauty’s grace ever remain

May the weaver of the mantle of her graceful beauty ever remain

adorned with the ornaments of nobility among humankind.

adorned with the ornaments of excellence among humankind,

ما فاحَ مِن تِلكَ الشَمائل شَمأل

ما فاحَ مِن تِلكَ الشَمائل شَمأل

بِعَبيره أَرج العَباهر عُطّرا

بِعَبيره أَرج العَباهر عُطّرا

Whenever a north wind breathes perfume from those gracious traits,

as long as a north wind wafts fragrance from those virtues,

its fragrance makes even the fragrant blossoms exhale perfume;

its perfume scenting the fragrance of narcissi;

أَو ما صَفا ودُّ الخَليل فَأنشدت

أَو ما صَفا ودُّ الخَليل فَأنشدت

لا زالَ هَذا الودّ متّثق العُرى

لا زالَ هَذا الودّ متّثق العُرى

or whenever al-Khalīl’s affection runs pure, I recite:

or as long as al-Khalil's affection stays pure—so I recited:

May this affection never cease, its bonds firmly knit.

“May this affection ever remain firm in its bonds.”