هِيَ زَهْرَةٌ لِلْمُجْتَنِي المُتَنَشِّقِ

أوْ زُهْرَةٌ لِلْمُجْتَلِي المُتَعَشِّقِ

She is a flower for the lovesick smitten

Or a flower for the madly infatuated

أمْ جَنَّةُ المَأوَى وَفِرْدَوْسُ المُنَى

أوْ دَارَةُ العَلْيَا وَشَمْسُ المَشْرِقِ

Is she the garden of refuge and paradise of wishes

Or the sublime realm and the rising sun

أمْ ظَبْيَةُ الوادِي المُقَدَّسِ تَرْتَعِي

ريْحَانَةَ الرَّوْضِ الأرِيضِ المُونِقِ

Is she the gazelle of the sacred valley grazing

On the basil of the soft, plush meadow

لا شَيْءَ يُشْبِهُهَا وكَيْفَ وَذاتُهَا

قَامَتْ بِأوْصَافِ الجَمَالِ المُطْلَقِ

Nothing resembles her, so how can

Her essence be compared when she embodies the attributes of absolute beauty

أمْ كَيْفَ يُمْكِنُ أنْ تُشَبَّهَ مَنْ غَدتْ

شَرَكَ العُقُولِ وَحَيْرَةَ المُتَأنِّقِ

Or how can she who has become

The confusion of minds and the perplexity of the elegant

وَعَلَى التَنَزُّهِ إنْ أرَدْتَ مُشَابِهًا

مَنْ ذا يَقُولُ الدُّرُّ مِثْلُ الزِّئْبَقِ

And if you want to compare her to the Most High

Who can say a pearl is like mercury

فَإنِ ادَّعَيْتَ بِأنَّ أقْمَارَ الدُّجَى

تَحْكِي سَنَاهَا كُنْتَ عَيْنَ الأحْمَقِ

If you claim that the moons of nightfall

Describe her radiance, you are a fool

أوْ قُلْتَ أشْبَهَهَا المَهَا قُلْتُ اتَّئِدْ

فِي الذَّاتِ أوْ ِفي اللُّطْفِ أوْ فِي الرَّوْنَقِ

Or if you said she resembles the moon I would say: cease

In essence, subtlety or grace

أوْ قُلْت يَحْكِيهَا الصَّبَاحُ صبَاحَةً

نَادَيْتُ لاَ عَاشَ الصَّبَاحُ وَلاَ بَقِي

Or if you said the dawn describes her dawn

I would cry out: may the dawn never live or remain

مِنْ أيْنَ لِلأقْمَارِ بَارِقُ مَبْسَمٍ

عَذْبِ اللَّمَى وَالرِّيقِ حُلْوِ المَنْطِقِ

Whence for the moons comes a smiling brilliance

Sweet saliva and eloquent endearing rhetoric

أوْ كَيْفَ لِلإصْبَاحِ شَمْسٌ أشْرَقَتْ

مِنْ فَوْقِ غُصْنٍ بِاللَحَاظِ مُمَنْطَقِ

Or how can the dawn have a sun risen

Above a branch with soft leaves adorned

فَارْغَبْ وَدَعْ عَنْكَ الجَهَالَةَ كَيْ تَفُزْ

بِالسَّعْدِ مِنْهَا أوْ فَكُنْ عَيْنَ الشَّقِي

So desist and leave behind you ignorance that you may win

Bliss from her or else be wretched

وَالْثِم ثَرَى الوَادِي المُقَدَّس وَاخْلَعَنْ

نَعْلَيْكَ وَالبَسْ ثَوْبَ ذُلِّكَ وَاطْرُقِ

The sin is the soil of the sacred valley, so take off

Your shoes and don the garb of humility and bow

وَبِمُهْجَتِي خَوْدٌ لَوَ أنَّ جَبِيَنَهَا

لِلْبَدْرِ لم يَخْسِفْ وَلَمْ يَتَمَحَّقِ

With my love I have a cheek that if

It belonged to the full moon, it would not eclipse or crumble

مَاسَتْ وَقَدْ أرْخَتْ ذَوَائِبَهَا فَهَلْ

يَزْهُو قضيبُ البَانِ إنْ لَمْ يُورِقِ

It has become inebriated, having let down its tresses, so will

The rod of the resolute man blossom if it does not give fruit?

وَرَنَتْ فَلاَ وَأبِيك مَا تُغْنِي الرُّقَى

عَنْ سِحْرِ نَاظِرَهَا المُبِيدِ المُمْحِقِ

It has rung out, no - by your father - the charms do not avail

Against the sorcery of her annihilating and destructive gaze

لَمْ أنْسَ إذْ قَالَتْ وَقَدْ عَاتَبْتُهَا

يَا مَا لَقِينَا مِنْهُ أوْ يَامَا لَقِي

I cannot forget when she chided me saying:

"Oh, the hardships we have suffered!" or "Oh, the hardships we have endured!"

تَخْتَالُ مَا بَيْنَ الدِّجِنَّةِ وَالضّبَا

منْ شَعْرِهَا وَجَبِينِهَا المُتَألِّقِ

Strutting between alluring and supple

Is her hair and her radiant forehead

فَتُرِيكَ مَهْمَا رُمْتَ تَشْهَدُ ذَاتَهَا

بدراً مُنِيراً فَوْقَ غُصْنٍ مُورِقِ

Showing you whatever you seek witnessing itself

A shining full moon above a leafy branch

قَالَتْ وَقَدْ غَرَقَ الشَّقِيقُ بِخَدّهَا

لَوْلاَ تَرَقْرُقُ مَائِهِ لَمْ يغرِقِ

She said, while the red anemones drowned in her cheek

"If not for the sparkling of its water, it would not have drowned"

وَدَعَا عُطَارِدُ خَالِهَا فِي خَدّهَا

لَوْلاَ اقْتِرَانُ الشَّمْسِ بِي لَمْ أُحْرَقِ

And the mole near her cheek called out:

"If not for my proximity to the sun, I would not have burned"

زَارَتْ فَنَمَّ بِهَا الحُلِيُّ وَلَمْ يَفُهْ

وَلَقَدْ عجبتُ لمخبرٍ لَمْ ينطقِ

She came visiting, so the jewelry slumbered and did not understand

And I indeed wonder at an informant who did not speak

وَوَشَى العبيرُ بِطِيبِ مَسْرَاهَا وَلَمْ

أسمعْ بحسنٍ لِلْجَمَادِ وَمَنْطِقِ

The fragrance permeated with the good scent of her veil, but

I never heard of beauty belonging to an inanimate object, nor it speaking

هَامَ الوِشَاحُ بِعِطْفِهَا ولطالمَا

غَنِيَتْ رَوَادِفُهَا بِخصرٍ مُمْلِقِ

Her scarf fluttered from her charm, and for so long

Her hips had sung the praises of a yielding waist

وَصَبَتْ لوردة خَدّهَا أقراطُهَا

حَتَّى الجَمَادُ يهيمُ بِالخَدّ النَّقِي

The earrings of her rosy cheek poured forth roses

Until even the inanimate is infatuated with the pure cheek