سَقى اللَهُ ظَبياً مُبدِيَ الغُنجِ في الخَطرِ

يَميسُ كَغِصنِ البانِ مِن رِقَّةِ الخَصرِ

Allah watered a gazelle, bending its neck in peril,

May God water a gazelle who displays such coyness in his strut,

Swaying like a frail branch, so delicate of waist.

Swaying like a willow branch, so slender at the waist.

بِعَينَيهِ سِحرٌ ظاهِرٌ في جُفونِهِ

وَفي نَشرِهِ طيبٌ كَفائِحَةِ العِطرِ

In its eyes is evident magic, on its eyelids,

Within his eyes a potent magic dwells upon the lids,

And in its gaze, a fragrance like the first scent of musk.

And in his presence, a fragrance lingers like the spread of perfume.

هُوَ البَدرُ إِلّا أَنَّ فيهِ مَلاحَةً

بِتَفتيرِ لَحظٍ لَيسَ لِلشَمسِ وَالبَدرِ

It is the full moon, except it has a coquettish glance

He is the full moon, yet he holds a captivating charm,

With the winking of an eye that belongs neither to sun nor moon.

With a languid glance denied to both the sun and shining moon.

وَيَضحَكُ عَن ثَغرٍ مَليحٍ كَأَنَّهُ

حُبابُ عُقارٍ أَو نَقِيٌّ مِنَ الدُرِّ

And it laughs from a pretty mouth as though it were

He smiles to show a mouth so lovely, gleaming bright as if

Bubbles of wine or pearls of pure white.

It held the bubbles of old wine or pearls of purest white.

جَفاني بِلا جُرمٍ إِلَيهِ اجتَرَمتُهُ

وَخَلَّفَني نِضواً خَلِيّاً مِنَ الصَبرِ

Without cause it was harsh to me, though I adored it,

He shunned me for no crime that I committed against him,

And left me with no patience, empty of all endurance.

And left me worn and wasted, completely void of patience now.

وَلَو باتَ وَالهُجرانُ يَصدُعُ قَلبَهُ

لَجادَ بِوَصلٍ دائِمٍ آخَرَ الدَهرِ

Had he spent the night with separation cleaving his heart,

If he but spent a night with separation cleaving through his heart,

He would be kind again with lasting union till the end of time,

He would bestow a lasting union until the end of time,

مَخافَةَ أَن يُبلى بِهَجرٍ وَفُرقَةٍ

فَيَلقى مِنَ الهِجرانِ جَمراً عَلى جَمرِ

Fearing that estrangement and parting would wear him out

For fear that he might suffer from such distance and such loss,

So he would suffer ember upon ember from separation.

And face the burning coals of absence piled on burning coals.

سَقى اللَهُ أَيّاماً وَلا هَجرَ بَينَنا

وَعودُ الصِبا يَهتَزُّ بِالوَرَقِ النَضرِ

Allah watered days when there was no estrangement between us,

May God rain blessings on those days when no estrangement stood between us,

And the willow branch sways with green, tender leaves.

When the branch of youth was shaking with its verdant, fresh green leaves.

يُباكِرُنا النَوروزُ في غَلَسِ الدُجى

بِنَورٍ عَلى الأَغصانِ كَالأَنجُمِ الزُهرِ

Nawruz greets us in the darkness of the gloaming

When Nowruz came to greet us early in the darkness of the dawn,

With light upon the branches like glistening stars.

With blossoms on the branches shining like the radiant stars.

يَلوحُ كَأَعلامِ المَطارِفِ وَشيُهُ

مِنَ الصِفرِ فَوقَ البيضِ وَالخُضرِ وَالحُمرِ

It appears like waving flags, its apple

Its embroidery appears just like the patterns on fine cloaks,

Yellow, white, green, red, on the bough.

With yellow woven over white, and green, and vibrant red.

إِذا قابَلَتهُ الريحُ أَوما بِرَأسِهِ

إِلى الشَربِ أَن سُرّوا وَمالَ إِلى السُكرِ

Whenever the wind meets it, it bows its head to the drinking

And when the wind confronts the branch, it nods its head to say:

As though intoxicated, inclining toward sweetness.

"Be joyful!" to the drinkers, as it leans in drunken sway.

وَمَسمَعَةٍ جاءَت بِأَخرَسَ ناطِقٍ

بِغَيرِ لِسانٍ ظَلَّ يَنطُقُ بِالسِحرِ

It came with a mute speaker, one who listens,

And a songstress came bearing a mute thing that yet speaks,

Who, without a tongue, continues to speak sorcery.

Without a tongue, it continues to pronounce its magic spells.

لِتُبدِيَ سِرَّ العاشِقينَ بِصَوتِهِ

كَما تَنطِقُ الأَقلامُ تَجهُرُ بِالسِرِّ

To reveal the secret of lovers in his voice

To reveal the hidden secrets of the lovers with its voice,

As pens speak, loudly proclaiming a secret.

Just as the pens speak out, declaring secrets on the page.

تَرى فَخِذَ الأَلواحِ فيها كَأَنَّها

إِلى قَدَمٍ نيطَت تَضُجُّ إِلى الزَمرِ

You’d think its thighs were tablets which

You see its wooden thigh, appearing there as though

Are tied to a leg, clamoring with buzzing.

Attached unto a foot, crying out to join the tune.

أَصابِعُها مَخضوبَةٌ وَهيَ خَمسَةٌ

تَخَتَّمنَ بِالأَوتارِ في العُسرِ وَاليُسرِ

Its fingers are dyed, five of them,

Her fingers, dyed with henna, number five upon the strings,

Sealed by strings in good times and bad.

Wearing the chords like rings through hardships and through ease.

إِذا لَحِقَت يَوماً لُوي إِصبَعٍ لَها

فَتَحكي أَنينَ الصَبِّ مِن حُرقَةِ الهَجرِ

If, one day, the finger of a lutenist joins them,

And if the twisting of her finger touches on a note,

It tells the lament of passion from the burning of separation.

It mimics the lover's moan from the burning sting of loss.

تَقولُ وَقَد دَبَّت عُقارٌ كَأَنَّها

دَمٌ وَدُموعٌ فَوقَ خَدٍّ إِذا تَجري

It says, as if spilling blood and tears atop a cheek when they flow,

She sings, while the vintage wine creeps slowly through the veins,

“Greetings to one I mention whose secret I guard from spies.

Like blood and tears flowing down a cheek in streams.

سَلامٌ عَلى شَخصٍ إِذا ما ذَكَرتُهُ

حَذِرتُ مِنَ الواشينَ أَن يَهتِكوا سِرّي

Some revel in joy and delight while others suffer;

Peace be upon a person whom, whenever I recall,

Some revel in wine while others ache in prison.

I fear the slanderers will come to tear away my secret veil.

فَبَعضُ النَدامى في سُرورٍ وَغِبطَةٍ

وَبَعضُ النَدامى لِلمُدامَةِ في أَسرِ

Some weep for others until their tears flow

So some companions sit in joy and utter bliss,

Down their cheeks like pearls spilling into the breast.”

While others are held captive by the power of the wine.

وَبَعضٌ بَكى بَعضاً فَفاضَت دُموعُهُ

عَلى الخَدِّ كَالمَرجانِ سالَ إِلى النَحرِ

I helped them, knowing what love begets

And some wept for each other, till their tears began to flood,

And that the madness of love burns for the free.

Like coral rolling down the cheek onto the chest.

فَساعَدتُهُم عِلماً بِما يورِثُ الهَوى

وَأَنَّ جُنونَ الحُبِّ يولَعُ بِالحُرِّ

Allah watered days now gone yet still green.

I joined them in their state, knowing what passion brings,

Oh, would that they’d return and last until the resurrection!

And how the madness of deep love ignites the noble heart.

فَسَقياً لِأَيّامٍ مَضَت وَهيَ غَضَّةٌ

أَلا لَيتَها عادَت وَدامَت إِلى الحَشرِ

So blessings on those days that passed when life was fresh and green,

Oh, would that they returned and lasted till the end of time.