بِتُّ أَرعى في الظَلامِ الأَنجُما

لَيسَ لِلعُشّاقِ حَظٌّ في الكَرى

A lover wanders in the dark, the stars his guide,

I spent the night keeping watch over the stars in the darkness,

Lovers have no luck in this world.

For lovers have no fortune when it comes to sleep.

صَرَعَتني نَظرَةٌ حَتّى لَقَد

كُدتُ أَن أَحسُدَ مَن لا يُبصَرُ

A glance struck me down, I almost

A single glance struck me down, until truly

Envied those who cannot see.

I nearly came to envy the one who cannot see.

نَظرَةٌ قَد أَورَثَت قَلبي الكَمَد

ما بَلاءُ القَلبِ إِلّا النَظَرُ

A glance that saddened my heart,

A glance that bequeathed deep anguish to my heart;

A heart's affliction is but a glance.

The heart’s affliction comes from nothing but the eyes.

لا رَعاكَ اللَهُ يا يَومَ الأَحَدِ

لا وَلا حَيّاكَ عَنّي المَطَرَ

May God not bless you, O Sunday,

May God grant you no care, O day of Sunday,

Nor greet you, O rain.

Nor may the rain greet you on my behalf.

أَنتَ مَن أَطلَعتَ هاتيكَ الدُمى

سافِراتٍ فِتنَةً لِلشُعَرا

You who revealed those tearful eyes -

You are the one who brought forth those beautiful effigies,

Travelers, seducing poetry.

Unveiled, a pure temptation for the poets.

هِمتَ فيمَن حَسُنَت صورَتُها

مِثلَما قَد حَسُنَت مِنها الخِصال

You tempted me, perfect in form

I fell deeply for one whose form is exquisite,

As in nature, or more.

Just as her inner nature is full of grace.

أَخجَلَت شَمسَ الضُحى طُلعَتُها

وَاِستَحى مِن لَحظِها لَحظُ الغَزال

Your dawning outshone the morning sun,

Her rising appearance put the morning sun to shame,

A gazelle startled by your gaze.

And the gazelle’s glance shied away before her gaze.

كُلُّ ما فيها جَميلٌ يُشتَهى

ما بِها عَيبٌ سِوى فَرطِ الجَمال

All about you is beautiful, desirable,

All within her is beautiful and to be desired;

Flawless but for excess beauty.

She holds no flaw save for the excess of her beauty.

لَو رَآها لائِمي فيها لَما

لامَني في هُبِّها بَل عَذَرا

Had those who blame seen you,

Had my blamer seen her, he would never

They would not blame me, but excuse.

Have rebuked my love for her, but would have excused me.

ذاتُ حُسنٍ خَدُّها كَالوَردِ في

لَونِه وَالطيبِ في نَكهَتِهِ

A cheek like a rose in color

A beauty whose cheek is like the rose in

And scent, in taste.

Its color, and like perfume in its scent.

زَهرَةٌ لَكِنَّها لَم تُقطَفِ

وَجَمالُ الزَهرِ في رَوضَتَيهِ

A flower, though unplucked,

A blossom she is, yet one never plucked,

A garden's beauty in its place.

For the flower's beauty lies within its gardens.

دُرَّةٌ ما خَرَجَت مِن صَدَفٍ

تُرخِصُ الدَرَّ عَلى قيمَتِهِ

An unmatched pearl, priceless,

A pearl that never emerged from a shell

Though shut inside its shell.

That cheapens all other pearls despite their worth.

بَضَّةُ الخَدَّين وَالنَهدَينِ ما

سَفَرَت إِلّا رَأَيتُ القَمَرا

Cheeks and breasts like the moon,

Soft of cheeks and bosom; she never

Only when sighted is she full.

Unveiled her face but that I beheld the moon.

ذاتُ شَعرٍ مُسبَلٍ كَالأُفعُوان

يَتهادى فَوقَ رِدفٍ كَالكَئيب

Hair cascading like black snakes

She possesses hair cascading like a serpent,

Over hips gracefully swaying.

Swaying above her hips with heavy grace.

وَقَوامٌ لَو رَآهُ الغُصنُ بان

خَجِلاً مِن ذَلِكَ الغُصنِ الرَطيب

A figure the branch would be shy to see,

A stature that, were the willow branch to see it,

Outshone by that supple bough.

It would shy away from that tender bough.

كادَ لَولا مابِهِ مِن عُنفُوان

يَقِفُ الوِرقُ بِه وَالعَندَليب

Stopped in its swaying only by its pride,

It almost—were it not for its youthful vigor—

Else leaves and birds would swoon.

Have the dove and nightingale perch upon it.

وَجُفونٌ أَشبَهَتني سَقَماً

كَمَنَ السِحرُ بِها وَاِستَتَرا

Lids that made me look lovesick,

And eyelids that resemble me in their languor,

As if by magic, or some secret sign.

Wherein magic lies hidden and concealed.

تَبعَثُ الحُبَّ إِلى قَلبِ الخَلي

وَهوَ لا يَدري وَلا يَستَشعِرُ

Waking passion in the heedless heart

She sends love into the heart of the carefree,

That feels nothing, understands nothing.

While he neither knows nor perceives it.

وَالهَوى في بَدَنِهِ عَذبٌ شَهِيُّ

كُلُّ شَيءٍ بَعدَهُ مُحتَقَرُ

Ecstasy so sweet in flesh

And passion within his body feels sweet and delectable;

After it all else seems petty.

All things beside it become worthless.

كُلُّ مَن لا يَعرِفُ الحُبَّ شَقِيُّ

لا يَرى في دَهرِهِ ما يُشكَرُ

He who knows not love is wretched,

Whoever knows not love is truly wretched,

Sees no joy in all his years.

Seeing nothing in his life worthy of gratitude.

يَصرُفُ العُمر وَلَكِن سَأَماً

عَبَثاً يَطلُبُ أَن لا يَضجُرا

Life passes fruitless, endlessly

He spends his life in mere weariness,

Seeking what cannot be found.

Vainly seeking to escape his own ennui.

لَم أَكُن أَعرِفُ ما مَعنى الهَنا

قَبَ أَن أَعرِفَ ما مَعنى الغَرام

I knew not joy before love

I never knew the meaning of delight

Shot me with his arrow.

Before I learned the meaning of deep passion.

يَضحَكُ الناسُ سُرورا وَأَنا

عابِسٌ حَتّى كَأَنّي في خِصام

People laugh, I frown

People laugh in their joy, while I

As if locked in some feud.

Am frowning, as if locked in a dispute.

عَجَبوا مِنّي وَقالوا عَلَناً

قَد رَأَينا الصَخرَ في زَيِّ الأَنام

They remarked on me

They marveled at me and openly declared:

And said publicly: we saw

"We have seen a rock in the guise of a man."

أَوشَكوا أَن يَحسِبوني صَنَماً

لَو رَأَوا الأَصنامَ تَخفي كَدَرا

A rock dressed as a man!

They nearly took me for a lifeless statue,

Had they seen even statues hide sorrow,

Were statues known to harbor secret grief.

لَم أَزَل في رَبقَةِ اليَأسِ إِلى

أَن أَعادَ الحُبُّ لي بَعضَ الرَجا

They'd think me human, not an idol of stone.

I remained bound in the yoke of despair, until

I lingered in the gloom of despair

Love restored to me a glimmer of hope.

كُنتُ قَبلَ الحُبِّ أَسري في ظَلامٍ

وَلا أَلقى لِنَفسِيَ مَخرَجا

Until love revived some hope.

Before love, I wandered through the dark,

Before love I wandered in darkness,

Finding no way of escape for my soul.

فَجَلاهُ الحُبُّ عَنّي فَاِنجَلى

مِثلَما يَجلو سَنا الشَمسُ الدُجى

No escape for my soul in sight.

Then love unveiled the darkness, and it cleared,

Love dispelled it, light shone through,

Just as sunlight dispels the gloom of night.

باتَ قَلبِيَ بِالأَماني مُفعَما

وَهوَ قَبلاً كانَ مِنها مَقفَرا

As the sun banishes darkest night.

My heart became brimming with desires,

My heart swelled with dreams

Where once it had been a barren wasteland.

رَوَّعَتني بِالنَوى بَعدَ اللِقاء

وَكَذا الدُنيا دُنُو وَاِفتِراق

Where once nothing stirred.

She terrified me with separation after our meeting;

After we met she threatened to leave,

Such is the world: a drawing near, then a parting.

غَضِبَ الدَهرُ عَلى كَأسِ الصَفاء

مُذ رَآها فَأَبى أَلّا تُراق

Such is life, coming and going.

Fate grew angry at our cup of pure joy

Fate grew angry seeing our cup of joy

The moment it saw it, and insisted it be spilled.

وَلَو أَنَّ الدَهرَ يَدري بِالشَقاء

ساعَدَ الصَبَّ عَلى نَيلِ التَلاق

And refused it be tasted.

And if Fate understood the depth of misery,

If fate knew the pain

It would have helped the lover attain reunion.

لَم أَجِد لي مُشبِهاً تَحتَ السَما

في شَقائي لا وَلا فَوقَ الثَرى

It would help unite the lovers.

I have found no likeness of myself beneath the sky,

Under the vast sky I found

In my misery, nor anywhere upon the earth.

وَأَبي لَو أَنَّ ما بي بِالجِبال

أَصبَحَت تَهتَزُّ مِن مُرِّ النَسيم

No equal in misery on earth or beyond.

I swear, if the burden I bear were placed on mountains,

Had my sorrows been mountains

They would tremble at the passing of a breeze.

فَاِعذُروني إِن أَكُن مِثلَ الخَيال

وَاِعذُلوني إِن أَكُن غَيرَ سَقيم

They would shake in the gentlest breeze.

So excuse me if I have become like a spectre,

Forgive me if like a specter

And blame me only if I am not truly lovestruck.

إِنَّ دائِيَ جاءَ مِن صاد وَدال

وَدَواءُ القَلبِ في ضاد وَميم

Or invalid I seem.

My illness came from the letter 'Sadd'—her rejection,

My sickness comes from the letters Saad and Daal*

And the heart's cure lies in 'Damm'—her embrace.

باتَ صَبِيَ مِثلُ جِسمي عَدَما

إِنَّما يَصبُرُ مَن قَد قَدِرا

And only Meem and Daal can cure.

My patience has become, like my body, nonexistent;

My body wasted away

For only he who has the strength can bear to wait.

رُبَّ لَيلٍ عادَني فيهِ السُهاد

وَنَأى عَن مُقلَتي طيبُ الكَرى

Only the destined endure.

Many a night has sleeplessness returned to visit me,

Many a night oblivion found me

And the sweetness of slumber deserted my eyes.

هاجَتِ الذِكرى شُجوناً في الفُؤاد

فَبَكى طَرفي عَقيقاً أَحمَرا

And the cup of joy passed me by.

Memory stirred up deep sorrows in my heart,

Memories stirred sorrow and my heart cried red pearls

And my eyes wept tears like red agate.

نَبَّهَ الأَهلَ بُكائِي وَالعِباد

فَأَتوا يَستَطلِعونَ الخَبَرا

Waking my family and servants.

My weeping roused my family and the neighbors,

They came to see what was the matter.

And they came, seeking to know the news.

قُلتُ داءٌ في الفُؤادِ اِستَحكَما

كادَ قَلبِيَ مِنهُ أَن يَنفَطِرا

I said: an illness consumes my heart,

I said, "A malady has taken hold within the heart,

Nearly rupturing it inside of me.

From which my heart is nigh to bursting."

صَدَّقوا ما قُلتُهُ ثُمَّ مَضى

واحِدٌ مِنهُم يَستَدعي الطَبيب

They believed me, then one left

They believed my words, and then one of them

To summon the doctor in haste.

Went forth to summon a physician.

سار وَالكُلُّ عَلى جَمرِ الغَضا

وَأَنا بَينَ أَنين وَنَحيب

He arrived in a flash.

He went, while all remained on burning embers,

The people gathered around.

And I lay between groaning and loud lament.

لَم يَكُن إِلّا كَبَرقٍ وَمَضا

وَإِذا الدُكتورُ مِن مَهدي قَريب

He said: Why crowd him?

It was no longer than the flash of lightning,

You only increase the danger.

Before the doctor stood beside my bed.

قالَ لِلجُمهورِ ماذا الاِجتِماع

أُخرُجوا أَو زِدتُموهُ خَطَرا

All left and my room

He said to the crowd, "Why this gathering?"

Became empty as a poor poet's purse.

"Leave now, or you will put him in grave danger."

خَرَجَ الكُلُّ فَأَمسَت غُرفَتي

مِثلُ قَلبِ الطِفلِ أَو جَيبِ الأَديب

He came to ask my symptoms

Everyone departed, and my room became

But I would not respond.

Silent as a child’s heart, empty as a poet’s pocket.

فَدَنا يَسأَلُني عَن عِلَّتي

وَأَنا أَسمَعُ لَكِن لا أُجيب

He uncovered me and what he saw

He drew near to ask me of my ailment,

Had nearly been my undoing.

And though I heard, I gave him no reply.

فَنَضا الثَوبَ فَأَبصَرتُ الَّتي

كادَ جِسمِيَ في هَواها أَن يَغيب

The veil of professionalism fell away

Then he cast off his cloak, and I beheld the one

And I saw the radiant full moon.

For whose love my body had nearly withered away.

خَلَعَت عَنها لِباسَ الحُكَما

فَرَأَت عَينايَ بَدراً نَيِّرا

I was shocked but also delighted,

She stripped away the physician’s garb,

Threatening to forget all propriety

And my eyes beheld a shining full moon.

وَاِعتَرَتني دَهشَةٌ لَكِنَّها

دَهشَةٌ مَمزوجَةٌ بِالفَرَحِ

In that intoxicating moment

I was seized by astonishment, yet it was

I wished would last forever.

An astonishment mingled with pure joy.

كدتُ أَن أَخرُجَ عَن طَورِ النُهى

رُبَّ سُكرٍ لَم يَكُن مِن قَدَحِ

She embraced me as I wept blood

I nearly lost my grasp on reason;

And cried pearls for my crying.

For many an intoxication comes not from the cup.

يا لَها مِن ساعَةٍ لَو أَنَّها

بَقِيَت كَالدَهرِ لَم تُستَقبَحِ

After that long embrace

Oh, what a distinct hour! If only it

We whispered the language of hearts.

Had lasted an eternity, it would never be deplored.

عانَقَتني وَأَنا أَبكي دَماً

وَهيَ تَبكي لِبُكائِيَ دُرَرا

Just then, a knock, and we nearly melted,

She embraced me while I wept tears of blood,

The moment of parting had come.

And she wept pearls in response to my grief.

وَجَعَلنا بَعدَ أَن طالَ العِناق

تَتَناجى بِأَحاديثِ القُلوب

She resumed the doctor's clothes

And after our embrace had lingered long, we began

While the people reentered.

To whisper the secret conversations of the heart.

بَينَما نَحنُ عَلى هَذا الوِفاق

قُرِعَ البابُ فَأَوشَكنا نَذوب

She said all my complaints

Yet, while we were in this state of harmony,

Had vanished and I was healed.

A knock came at the door, and we nearly dissolved in fear.

فَأَشارَت لِيَ قَد حانَ الفُراق

فَاِنقَطَعنا وَاِرتَدَت ثَوبَ الطَبيب

*Saad and Daal form the root letters for the Arabic word for "starvation". Meem and Daal form the root letters for the word "repast".

She signaled to me that the time for parting had come,

So we pulled apart, and she donned the doctor’s cloak.

أَقبَلَ القَومُ فَقالَت كُلُّ ما

كانَ يَشكو مِنهُ عَنهُ قَد سَرى

The people entered, and she proclaimed: "All that

He suffered from has now departed from him."