لاحَ مَرْأى فَقُلتُ بَدْرُ الدُّجونِ
وتثَنَّى فَقُلتُ بَعْضُ الغُصونِ
The new moon appeared so I called it, “Full moon of dark nights,”
It bent so I called it, “A bending branch,”
ورَنا لِي فقُلتُ ظَبْيُ كِناسٍ
فَسَطا بي فَقُلت لَيْثُ عَرِينِ
It glanced at me so I called it, “A gazelle of Kinas,”
It bared its teeth at me so I called it, “The lion of the lair,”
أيْنَ لا أيْنَ مِثْلُ ذاكَ المُحَيَّا
أيْنَ لا أيْنَ مِثلُ تِلْكَ الجُفونِ
Where, oh where can you find one with such beauty as that face?
Where, oh where can you find one with eyes like those?
مَنْ لِغُصنٍ بِلِينِ ذاكَ التَّثَنِّي
مَنْ لِبَدْرٍ بنُورِ ذَاكَ الجَبينِ
Who has a branch with such soft bending as that one?
Who has a full moon with radiance like that forehead?
مَنْ لأُسْدِ الشَّرى بذاكَ التَّعدِّي
مَنْ لِظَبْيِ النَّقا بتِلْكَ العُيون
Who has a lion with daring like that one?
Who has a gazelle with eyes like those?
ما أظُنُّ الإلهَ أبْدعَ شخْصاً
مِنْكَ أحلى حالَيْ جَفَاءٍ ولِيْنِ
I don’t think God has created
Anyone with your charm, coldness and gentleness
يا طوِيلَ المِطالِ مِنْ غَيْرِ عُذْرٍ
معَ فَقْري خَفْ دَعْوَةَ المِسْكِينِ
You who are long-gone without an excuse,
Have mercy on me in my poverty, answer the call of the wretched
لِيْ عَلى مُقْلَتَيْكَ قِدْماَ دُيونٌ
سَوفَ أقْضِي ولا أُقَضَّى دُيُوني
For I have great debts to your eyelashes,
I shall repay though my debts are never repaid
بينَ عَيْنِيْ وَوَجْنَتَيكَ حَديثٌ
مُقْتَضاه شَرْحُ الهَوى والفُتُونِ
Between my eyes and your cheeks there is a tale
That speaks of declaring love and temptations
مَنْ نَصِيْرُ الفؤادِ مِنْ صَدِّ ظَبْيٍ
دائِمِ التِّيهِ مُستمرِّ المُجونِ
Who will help my heart against the blow of an absent gazelle
Ever wandering and continuously playful?
لامَ فِيْهِ اللُّحاةُ حَتَّى إذا ما
حَسِبُوا أنَّهُمْ قَدِ اسْتَخْلصُوني
With no plain Arabic in it, so the critics thought
They had managed to strip me bare
لَمْ يَكُنْ غَيْرُ أنْ لَمحناهُ يَبْدُو
فَعَشِقناهُ كُلُّنا في الحِيْنِ
But then it appeared unexpectedly
And we all fell in love with it in an instant
فَتَنَاسَوا مَلامَتِيْ بِشَجاهُمْ
وتَناسَيْتُ لَومَهُمْ بشُجوني
They forgot to blame me in their ecstasy
And I forgot their blame in my own passion
