بَريقٌ لاحَ مُؤتلِقا

وَجنحُ الليلِ قَد غسقا

A flash gleamed radiantly,

And the wings of night had fallen dark.

فَبتُّ لهُ كئيباً سا

هراً في مَضجَعي أَرِقا

So I spent the night miserable and sleepless,

Tossing and turning in my bed.

وشهبُ سمائهِ قد زي

ينت بِضيائِها الأفُقا

The stars of its sky shone

With their brilliance on the horizon.

وذكّرني فريقاً قد

غَدوا لِفراقهم فرقا

And they reminded me of a band

Who at their parting were torn apart.

وَلي قلبٌ كئيبٌ في ال

هَوى قد ذابَ واِحتَرقا

My heart is miserable with passion,

Melted and set ablaze.

عليلٌ كلَّما خَفقت

لهُ ريحُ الصبا خَفقا

Infirm, whenever the morning breeze stirs,

It stirs and flutters.

أسيرُ الوجدِ باب الصبر

عليهِ اِنسدّ واِنغَلَقا

I am love's captive; the door of patience upon it

Is shut and bolted.

ومرهفة توشّح بال

خلاخلِ خصرها القلقا

A gazelle, clad in the anklets’ tinkling,

Appeared by night over a moon-like tent pole and a branch above a lofty dune.

بَدَت ليلاً على قمرٍ

وَغُصناً فوق دعص نقا

Sipping from its spittle as if from wine,

Tasting it in draughts and sips.

مجاجةُ ريقِها كالنح

لِ مرتشفاُ ومَلتعقا

With true devotion my love I gave her,

Never tasting it or sipping.

لها أَخلصتُ في ودّي

وما مازجتهُ مذقا

I know not whether a bud she planted

In my heart, or a piercing glance.

وَما أَدري أنبلاً أر

سَلَت في القلبِ أَم حدقا

She is coy with me, yet shows me

Gentleness, charm, and favor.

تُجافيني وتُظهر لي الد

دَلال العذبَ والملقا

In beauty she surpasses the full moon of heaven,

Should it be full and perfectly round.

تفوقُ بِحُسنها بدرَ الس

سَما إِن تمّ واِتّسَقا

When she appears, you see

A cheek, soft, white, pure.

تريكَ إِذا بَدت خدّاً

أَسيلاً أبيضاً يققا

And, like musk, verses in order strewn,

Their fragrance wafting.

وَنظماً مُحكماً كالمس

كِ فاحَ أريجهُ عبقا

When you speak to them about what they contain,

They speak back to you in rhyme.

إِذا اِستَنطقتهُ عمّا

تضمّنَ واِحتوى نطقا

I sought, trying to make them come to me,

And they flowed to me smooth and slick.

طلبتُ مُحاولاًمنه ال

مجيءَ فجاءَ مُندلقا

Praise for the king - may the singer

Of his subtle generosity pour music in the East.

مديحٌ في المليك فلا

ح مغني لطفه شرقا

Scion of the benefactor, the king

Who has arranged the honor of superiority.

سليلُ المحسنِ الملك ال

لَذي رتبَ الفخارِ رَقا

A brother of generosity - if you seek

A gift from him, it flows freely.

أَخو كرمٍ إٍذا اِستعفف

ت شعراً عندهُ نَفَقا