دَع الأَجفان تَسلب مِنكَ جِسماً

دَع الأَجفان تَسلب مِنكَ جِسماً

فَحَسبُكَ أَن تُغادر مِنكَ رَسما

فَحَسبُكَ أَن تُغادر مِنكَ رَسما

Let the eyelids rob you of your flesh;

Let your eyelids steal from you a body

for it is enough that they leave an outline of you.

It is enough that an image departs from you

وَطب نَفساً بِما قسمت إِذا ما

وَطب نَفساً بِما قسمت إِذا ما

حَبتك لَدى اِقتِسام السقم سَهما

حَبتك لَدى اِقتِسام السقم سَهما

And be content with what they allot, whenever

And console a soul with what fate has apportioned if

they grant you a share as sickness is apportioned.

Your love draws for me in dividing pain an arrow

إِذا اِحتَكَم الهَوى العُذريُّ فينا

إِذا اِحتَكَم الهَوى العُذريُّ فينا

يُنفِّذُ مِن مواضيهنَّ حُكما

يُنفِّذُ مِن مواضيهنَّ حُكما

When chaste love sits in judgment over us,

If passion, my excuse, arbitrates between us

it enforces a sentence with their keen blades.

It executes its judgments from their beds

أَقول لِمَن يُردّد أدعجيه

أَقول لِمَن يُردّد أدعجيه

وَقَد جَعَل القُلوب لِذاكَ مَرمى

وَقَد جَعَل القُلوب لِذاكَ مَرمى

I say to him who turns his two dark eyes,

I say to those who repeat their censure

having already made hearts a target for that gaze:

And who have made hearts for that a target

غَزالٌ قَد غَزا العُشّاق طُرّاً

غَزالٌ قَد غَزا العُشّاق طُرّاً

بِباهر طرَّة كاللَيل دهما

بِباهر طرَّة كاللَيل دهما

A gazelle has assailed all lovers

A gazelle who has raided the lovers wantonly

with a dazzling forelock, black as night.

With a dazzling wantonness like the night, impetuously

وَفاتِكُ طَرفِهِ كَم راش نبلاً

وَفاتِكُ طَرفِهِ كَم راش نبلاً

وَفاتر جفنه ما طاشَ سَهما

وَفاتر جفنه ما طاشَ سَهما

And his deadly glance—how many arrows it has feathered!

And how many arrows did its glances miss

And his languid eyelid has sent no arrow astray.

And languid was its eyelid that no arrow went astray

وَظلمُ رضابِهِ المَعسول عَنّا

وَظلمُ رضابِهِ المَعسول عَنّا

حماه بِقدّهِ العسّال ظُلما

حماه بِقدّهِ العسّال ظُلما

And the gleam of his honeyed saliva—from us

And the injustice of its sweet refusal toward us

he shields it unjustly with his swaying form.

Its tallness protected it, unjustly

رُويدك أَيُّها الرَشأُ المُفَدّى

رُويدك أَيُّها الرَشأُ المُفَدّى

تَرَفَّق بِالشجي كَرَماً وَحلما

تَرَفَّق بِالشجي كَرَماً وَحلما

Gently, O fawn for whom I would give my life;

Restrain yourself, O scattered blossoms

be gentle with the sorrowing, in generosity and forbearance.

Be gentle to the lover out of generosity and clemency

يُناجي الطرف طَيفك وَهوَ ناءٍ

يُناجي الطرف طَيفك وَهوَ ناءٍ

فَأَحسَب أَنّ شَخصَك بي أَلمّا

فَأَحسَب أَنّ شَخصَك بي أَلمّا

The eye communes with your phantom, though it is far away,

My eyes converse with your specter and it wails

so I imagine that you yourself have visited me.

So I reckon your person hurts me

وَأرغب كتم سَرّي في التَصابي

وَأرغب كتم سَرّي في التَصابي

لَدى النَجوى وَيَأبى الدَمع كَتما

لَدى النَجوى وَيَأبى الدَمع كَتما

And I wish to conceal my secret of youthful dalliance

And I yearn to conceal my secret in pretense

in whispered confidences, but tears refuse concealment.

When whispering, but tears refuse concealing

وَما هَجَعت جُفوني قطُّ إِلّا

وَما هَجَعت جُفوني قطُّ إِلّا

عَلى طَمعٍ بِطَيفك أَن يُلمّا

عَلى طَمعٍ بِطَيفك أَن يُلمّا

And my eyelids have never slept except

And my eyelids have not slept a wink

in the hope that your phantom might visit.

Except in hope that your specter will gather me up

أَلا قُل لِلعَواذل كُلّ أَعمى

أَلا قُل لِلعَواذل كُلّ أَعمى

أراني عَن نَصيحته أَصمّا

أراني عَن نَصيحته أَصمّا

Now tell the reproachful women: as for every blind person,

Come, say to the censurers, every blind one:

I find myself deaf to his counsel.

"Do you see me, because of his advice, deaf?"

أَرَدتُم طفءَ نور أَخي التَصابي

أَرَدتُم طفءَ نور أَخي التَصابي

وَيَأبى اللَه إِلّا أَن يُتمّا

وَيَأبى اللَه إِلّا أَن يُتمّا

You wished to extinguish the light of youthful dalliance's brother,

You wanted to extinguish the light of my brotherly passion

but God insists on bringing it to perfection.

But God refuses anything but to perfect it

وَحَسبي أَن وَجدي لَيسَ إِلّا

وَحَسبي أَن وَجدي لَيسَ إِلّا

بِأَحمَد لا بهندٍ أَو بِسَلمى

بِأَحمَد لا بهندٍ أَو بِسَلمى

And it is enough for me that my passion is only

And it suffices me that my love is only

for Ahmad, not for Hind or Salma.

For Ahmad, not for Hind or Salma.