سَمّاهُ مَولاهُ لَاِستِملاحِهِ السَمِجا

فَاِختالَ عُجباً لِما سَمّاهُ وَاِبتَهَجا

His Master named him Lāstimlāḥ for his cheekiness,

His master named him "The Plain" to relish his charm,

So he strutted proudly at the name and was delighted.

So he strutted in vanity at the name, and rejoiced.

ظَبيٌ كَأَنَّ الثُرَيّا فَوقَ جَبهَتِهِ

وَالمُشتَري في بُيوتِ السَعدِ وَالسُرُجا

A gazelle whose forehead seems decorated with a Pleiades,

A gazelle—as though the Pleiades shone upon his brow,

While the buyer is in the houses of Sa'd and Suruj.

With Jupiter in the houses of fortune, amidst the stars.

مُحَكَّمُ الطَرفِ يُدمي سَيفُ ناظِرِهِ

إِذا لَحاهُ لِقَلبٍ قالَ لا حَرَجا

A decisive glance whose sword wounds the onlooker's heart

A tyrant of the eye—the sword of his gaze spills blood;

If it glances at a heart, it says no shame.

If he draws it on a heart, he says, "No blame lies here."

ما زالَ يُعمِلُهُ في الناسِ شاهِرُهُ

حَتّى يُباعِدَ عَن أَوطانِها المُهَجا

His unsheather kept wielding it against people

He ceases not to wield it among the people, bared,

Until it drove the emigrant from their homelands.

Until he exiles souls far from their native lands.

لا فَرَّجَ اللَهُ عَنّي إِن مَدَدتُ يَدي

إِلَيهِ أَسأَلُهُ مِن حُبِّكَ الفَرَجا

May Allah grant me relief if I extend my hand to him

May God not relieve me if I should stretch my hand

To ask him for your love, relief.

To Him, asking for relief from this love of yours.

وَلا طَعِمتُ بِكَ السُلوانَ يا أَمَلي

وَحَلَّ حُبُّكَ في قَلبي وَما خَرَجا

Nor did I taste tranquility with you, O my hope!

Nor let me taste of solace over you, O my hope,

And your love took root in my heart and did not depart.

For your love has settled in my heart and never left.