ما بَينَ مُنكسرِ الأجفانِ والدّعَجِ

ما بَينَ مُنكسرِ الأجفانِ والدّعَجِ

سَيفٌ مِنَ القضبِ ماضي الفَتكِ في المُهَجِ

سَيفٌ مِنَ القضبِ ماضي الفَتكِ في المُهَجِ

What lies between drooping eyelids and the eyes' deep blackness

Between the drooping eyelids and the sleepy fog,

Is a sword among blades, unerring in its slaughter of souls.

A sword of cane, intense in slaying lives,

يُدمي وَيَقتُل عَمداً دونَ ما قَوَدٍ

يُدمي وَيَقتُل عَمداً دونَ ما قَوَدٍ

وَدونَ مالٍ وَلا إِثمٍ ولا حرَجِ

وَدونَ مالٍ وَلا إِثمٍ ولا حرَجِ

It draws blood and kills deliberately, without any retaliation,

It sheds blood and kills intentionally without fire,

And without blood money, sin, or blame.

Without wealth or sin or burden.

السّحرُ صَنعَتُه وَالقتلُ شيمَتُهُ

السّحرُ صَنعَتُه وَالقتلُ شيمَتُهُ

وَالفتكُ عادَتُه بِالكحلِ والدَّعَجِ

وَالفتكُ عادَتُه بِالكحلِ والدَّعَجِ

Magic is its craft, and killing its nature;

Magic is its making, murder is its trait,

And slaughter is its habit, with kohl and deep blackness.

Slaying is its habit with kohl and sleepy fog.

ما أَغربَ الفتكَ مِنهُ وَهوَ نَرجسةٌ

ما أَغربَ الفتكَ مِنهُ وَهوَ نَرجسةٌ

فَهَلْ تَقاوَى عَلى الأرواحِ بِالغنَجِ

فَهَلْ تَقاوَى عَلى الأرواحِ بِالغنَجِ

How strange its slaughter, though it is a narcissus flower!

How strange is its slaying, and it being narcissus,

Has it, then, overpowered souls through coyness?

As if it rivals souls with pride.

يَقضي عَلى الخَلوِ مِن عِشقٍ وَمِن ولهٍ

يَقضي عَلى الخَلوِ مِن عِشقٍ وَمِن ولهٍ

في حبّهِ لَو رَآهُ أَن يَكونَ شَجي

في حبّهِ لَو رَآهُ أَن يَكونَ شَجي

It dooms one free of passion and yearning

It ends the emptiness of passion and infatuation,

To be lovesick for it, should he see it.

If it saw that it would be jealous in its love.

ما غَمزُهُ حينما يَرنو سِوى شرَكٍ

ما غَمزُهُ حينما يَرنو سِوى شرَكٍ

لِصيدنا مِن خُيوطِ السّحرِ مُنتَسِجِ

لِصيدنا مِن خُيوطِ السّحرِ مُنتَسِجِ

Its wink, when it gazes, is nothing but a snare

Its wink when it desires nothing but our ruin,

To catch us, woven from the threads of magic.

To hunt us in the threads of magic fully rigged.

يَسقي الطُّلى وَهوَ مَخمورٌ بِغَيرِ طُلىً

يَسقي الطُّلى وَهوَ مَخمورٌ بِغَيرِ طُلىً

وحُرِّمَ الخمرُ من صرفٍ وممتزجِ

وحُرِّمَ الخمرُ من صرفٍ وممتزجِ

It drenches necks, though drunk without wine;

It serves wine though intoxicated without wine,

And wine has been forbidden, pure and mixed alike.

And wine is forbidden from wholesomeness and mixture.

فَدَيتُه لا شَفاه اللَّه مِن مَرَضٍ

فَدَيتُه لا شَفاه اللَّه مِن مَرَضٍ

فَالحسنُ وَهوَ مَريضٌ فيه ذو بَلجٍ

فَالحسنُ وَهوَ مَريضٌ فيه ذو بَلجٍ

I would be its ransom—may God not cure it of its sickness!

I sacrifice it - may Allah heal it from illness,

For, though it is ailing, beauty in it shines bright.

For beauty while sick has splendor.

يُعدي الفُؤادَ بِما يَحويهِ مِن مَرضٍ

يُعدي الفُؤادَ بِما يَحويهِ مِن مَرضٍ

حتَّى يَذوبَ بِجَمرِ العِشقِ ذي الوهَجِ

حتَّى يَذوبَ بِجَمرِ العِشقِ ذي الوهَجِ

It infects the heart with the sickness it holds,

It infects the heart with the sickness it contains,

Until it melts in the glowing embers of passion.

Until it melts with the embers of burning love.

ما كُنت مِمّن يَرى العَدوى يَقولُ بِها

ما كُنت مِمّن يَرى العَدوى يَقولُ بِها

وَلا سَلَكتُ بِذاكَ القَولِ في نهَجِ

وَلا سَلَكتُ بِذاكَ القَولِ في نهَجِ

I was not one who acknowledged contagion and professed belief in it,

I was not of those who believed contagion,

Nor did I follow a path guided by that belief.

Nor took to that saying as my path.

وَمُذْ رَأَيت الّذي أَبدَيت قُلت بِها

وَمُذْ رَأَيت الّذي أَبدَيت قُلت بِها

إِذْ كانَ لي حِجّةً مِن أَوضَحِ الحججِ

إِذْ كانَ لي حِجّةً مِن أَوضَحِ الحججِ

And since I saw what you revealed, I have believed in it,

But since I saw what I have shown, I said it,

For it was, to me, one of the clearest proofs.

For I had clear proof among proofs.