مَا سُلَّ فِي الجَفْنِ سَيْفُ النَّاظَرِ الشَّاكي

إلاَّ وَصَالَ بِبَتَّارٍ وفَتَّاكِ

No glance has pierced the eyelids drawing a rueful blade

Except it met a slaughterer and lethal assailant.

أبَتْ لِحَاظُكِ إلاَّ أنْ تُرِيقَ دَمِي

فَعَنْ إرَاقَتِهِ مَا كَانَ أغنَاكِ

Your gaze insisted to shed my blood,

Though shedding it would not profit you.

وَلَيْسَ ثَأرِي عَلَى عَيْنَيْكِ إنْ فَتَكَتْ

بَلْ يَهْنِنِي أنَّنِي مِنْ بَعْضِ قَتْلاَكِ

My vengeance for your eyes, if they prove fatal,

Is that I'm honored to be one of your victims.

فِي كُلّ حَيّ صَرِيعٌ فِي هَوَاكِ فَلِمْ

أكْثَرْتِ يَا هند فِي الأحْيَاءِ صَرْعَاكِ

In every quarter someone lies slain by your love, so why,

O Hind, have you strewn so many corpses in the living?

خَرَجْتِ بَيْتَ فُؤَادٍ قَدْ ثَوَيْتِ بِهِ

هَلاَّ عَمَرْتِ عَدَاكِ اللَّوْمُ مَثْوَاكِ

You left a heart in which you once took shelter -

Wouldn't blame have better housed you than that abode?

وَرُمْتِ إبْعَادَ مَرْمَى سَهْمِ مُقْلَتِكِ ال

وَسْنَى فَمَا ضَرَّ لَوْ قَرَّبْتِ مَرْمَاكِ

You shot your eyelash arrow beyond range,

Though bringing the target nearer wouldn't have harmed.

وَقَدْ قَضَيْتِ بِمُرّ الصَّدّ عَنْ غَرَضٍ

وَشَاهِدُ الحُسْنِ بِالإحْسَانِ حَلاَّكِ

You determined to repel gently from your purpose,

Though the witness of beauty is kindness toward you.

فِي فِيكِ رَاحٌ وَشَهْدٌ ألْهَبَا كَبِدِي

واحرَّ قَلْبَاهُ إنْ لَمْ أرْتَشِفْ فَاكِ

In you are rest and sweetness that inflamed my liver

And seared the heart, if I don't drink from your mouth.

وَفِي الجُفُونِ ظُبَاتٌ وَالعُيُونِ ظِبًا

وَاحَيْرَتِي بَيْنَ فَتَّانٍ وَفَتَّاكِ

In the eyelids are gazelles, in the eyes, does,

And I'm confused between charmer and slayer.

حَذَّرْتُ نَاظِرَكِ المُغْرِي بِسَفْكِ دَمِي

لِمَا اقْتَضَى الحَالُ مِنْ تَحْذِيرِ إغْرَاكِ

I warned your tempting glance against shedding my blood

As circumstances required warning your temptation.

فَنَكَّرَ الهَجْرُ تَمْيِيزِي بِمَعْرِفَةٍ

وَأعْرَبَ الوَجْدُ أفْعَالِي بِأسْمَاكِ

Estrangement then confused my discernment through knowledge

And passion conjugated my deeds through your names.

كَيْفَ السُّلُوُّ وَدَاعِي مُقْلَتَيْكِ دَعَا

وَقْدَ الغَرَامِ بِقَلْبِي حِينَ لَبَّاكِ

How can I be patient, when the summoner of your glances called

And the passion for you seized my heart when you winked?

يَا كَعْبَةً حَجَّهَا قَلْبِي وَطَافَ بِهَا

هَلاَّ جَعَلْتِ صَفَا خَدَّيَّ مَسْعَاكِ

O object of my heart's pilgrimage, I've circled you -

If only you'd made my cheek your place of ritual circumambulation!

وَفِي مَحَارِيبِ صُدْغَيْكِ التِي انْعَقَدَتْ

أمْسَى تَهَجُّدُ طَرْفِي الخَاشِعِ البَاكِي

In the prayer niches of your cheeks that have folded together

My tearful, reverent gaze ends up worshipping at night.

أنْهِي إلَى خَصْرِكِ الوَاهِي ضَنَى جَسَدِي

عَسَى بِرِقَّتِهِ يَرْثِي لِمُضْنَاكِ

I join my wasted body to your supple waist -

May its delicacy lament your emaciation!

وَأرْتَجِي أنْ تَجُودِي لِي وَلَوْ بِكَرًى

لِيَشْهَدَ الطَّرْفُ في الأحْلاَمِ مَرْآكِ

And I hope you'll generously grant me, if only briefly,

So sight might behold you in my dreams.

زُورِي اكْتِتَاماً بِلَيْلِ الشَّعْرِ وَاسْتَتِرِي

كَيْ لاَ يُبِينَ صَبَاحُ الثَّغْرِ مَسْرَاكِ

Visit me veiled by the night of hair and take cover

Lest morning's light reveal your path.

وَإنْ دَهَاكِ ظَلاَمُ الشَّعْرِ فَارْتَقِبِي

بُزُوغَ أنْوَارِ صُبْح مِنْ ثَنَايَاكِ

If the dark of hair obscures you, then wait

For daylight's gleams to dawn from your folds.

وَلاَ يَرُوعُكِ وَسْوَاسُ الحُلِيّ إذا

أخْفَيْتِ عَنْ وَحْيِهِ آثَارَ مَمْشَاكِ

Don't let the goldsmith's whisper frighten you when

You've hidden your tracks from his revelation.

وَلاَ يَهُولُكِ نَمَّامُ العَبِيرِ فَمَا

أخْفَاهُ مَسْرَاكِ إلا كَتْمُ لُقْيَاكِ

Don't let the perfumer's gossip appall you -

What your path concealed, only meeting you reveals.

فَمَا أضَا الصُّبْحُ لَوْلاَكِ ابْتَسَمْتِ لَهُ

وَلا دَجَا اللَّيْلُ حَتَّى جَنَّ صُدْغَاكِ

Neither dawn smiled until you did,

Nor night crept in before it brushed your cheek.

ولا وشَى بِاللقَا وحْيُ الحُلِيّ سِوى

أنَّ الحُلِيّ حَكَى تَرْجِيع مَغْنَاكِ

Nor did the goldsmith's whisper spread but that

He related your singing's melody.

ولا روَى عَنْبَرِيُّ الصُّدْغِ مُسْنَدهُ

إلا لِيَنْقُلَهُ عَنْ طِيبِ رَيَّاكِ

Nor did the cheek's amber pass on its pillow

Unless to transmit its scent from your fresh meadow.

وَعَاذِلٍ رَامَ تَشْبِيهًا فَأفْحَمَهُ

دَلِيلُ حُسْنٍ أقَامَاهُ دَلِيلاَكِ

No reproacher hoping for a likeness could refute

Beauty's proof which your proof established.

وَقُلْتَ تَرْجو شَبِيهًا وَهْوَ مُمْتَنِعٌ

وَلَوْ تُصَوِّرَ حُسْنٌ مَا تَعَدَّاكِ

You wished for a peer, but that's impossible -

If beauty imagined, it wouldn't exceed you.

فَإنْ حَكَى البَدْرُ زَاهِي وَجْنَتَيْكِ سَنًى

فَالْحُسْنُ يَشْهَدُ لِلْمَحْكِيَ لاَ الحاكِي

If the full moon related your radiant cheeks' beauty,

Loveliness would witness to the speaker, not the speech.

وَإنْ رَنَا الظَّبْيُ عَنْ جَفْنَيْكِ مُلْتَفِتًا

فَالسِّحْرُ يُوهِمُ أنَّ الظَّبْيَ جَفْنَاكِ

If the gazelle glanced back at your eyes enchanted,

Magic would delude that the gazelle is your eyes.

مِنْ أيْنَ لِلظَّبْيِ أصْدَاغٌ مُعَقْرَبَةٌ

تَحْمِي الشَّقِيقَ الَّذِي أبْدَاهُ خَدَّاكِ

Whence would the gazelle have curved cheeks

That protect the moles its blush revealed?

وَكَيْفَ لِلظَّبْيِ أحْدَاقٌ مُلَوَّزَةٌ

تَعْلُو الوَشِيجَ الذِي هَزَّتْهُ عِطْفَاكِ

How would the gazelle have languid eyes

Topping the down its glances stirred?

مَا البدرُ مَا الشَّمْسُ ما الظَّبْيُ الغَرِيرُ ومَا

زَهْرُ الرُّبَى وَغُصُونُ البَانِ لَوْلاَكِ

What are the moon, sun, the coy gazelle and what

The flowers' prime and the banana's boughs without you?

وَهَلْ سُعَادٌ وَسَلْمَى والرَّبَابُ إذَا

عُدَّتْ مَحَاسِنُ حُسْنَاهُنَّ إلاَكِ

Are bliss and Salma and Rabab, if counted,

Among beauties other than you?

تيهِي عَلَى الغِيدِ وَاسْبِي الزَّهْرَ بَهْجَتَهُ

فَالْغِيدُ وَالزَّهْرُ مِنْ أسْرَارِ مَغْنَاكِ

Wander drunk on the branches and steal the flowers' joy -

The branches and flowers are from your singing's secrets.

أعِيذُ بِالنَّجْمِ صَادَ اللَّحْظِ مِنْكِ كمَا

بِالنُّورِ وَالْفَجْرِ عَوَّذْنَا مُحَيَّاكِ

I seek refuge from your deadly glance with the star

As with light and dawn we've guarded your life.

نَبَّتْ يَدَا زُمَرِ الْعُذَّالِ فِي قَمَرٍ

كَالشَّمْسِ مَا ضَرَّهَا خَنَّاسُ أفَّاكِ

The slanderers' hands have pulled up a moon like the sun -

Unharmed by the slyness of such impugners as you!

تُرْكِيَّةُ اللَّحْظِ لَوْلاَ عُرْبُ مَنْطِقِهَا

مَا هِمْتُ وَجْداً بِأعْرَابٍ وَأتْرَاكِ

Turkish of glance, were it not for her eloquence's Arabness

I'd not have inclined to non-Arabs' passion and you.

هَارُوتُ أجْفَانِهَا ألْقَى حَبَائِلَهُ

فَأوْقَعَ الْقَلْبَ فِي مَهْوَاةِ أشْرَاكِ

Her eyelash's Harut has cast its ropes

And dropped the heart in the abyss of your snares.

شَكَوْتُ سُقْمِي لِشَاكِي لَحْظِهَا فَرَنَا

شَزْراً وَقَالَ أنَا الْمَشْكُوُّ لاَ الشَّاكِي

I complained of my sickness to her glance's complainant, but it winked

Mockingly and said, "I'm the one complained of, not the complainer."

وَصَالَ إذْ سَلَّ فِي الأجْفَانِ نَاظِرُهُ

مُهَنَّداً لِفُؤَادِي غَيْرَ تَرَّاكِ

When its viewer peered from the eyelids, undrawn,

It skewered my heart unsheathed, without you.

مَلِيكَةَ الحُسْنِ رِفْقاً بِالفؤَادِ وَلاَ

تبغي عَلَيَّ فَإنِّي مِنْ رَعَايَاكِ

Be gentle, o queen of beauty, with my heart, and do not

Seek vengeance on me, for I'm one of your subjects.

أنَزّهُ الطَّرْفَ عَنْ رُؤْيَا سِوَاكِ كَمَا

أوَحِّدُ القَلْبَ عَنْ تَثْلِيثِ إشْرَاكِ

I refrain my gaze from seeing any but you, just as

I purify my heart from associating others with you.