عَينُ الظِباءِ تَجَنّيها

لِصَبِّ مُبيد

The gazelle's eye, slain

By a lethal arrow—

أَرسَلَت تُسَدِّدُ لِلسالي

سَهمَها السَديد

She aimed it true at the hunter

And let the arrow fly.

فاتِنُ الحَلي أَثمَرَ البَدرا

غُصنُ قَدِّه

The radiant one with the necklace gave birth to a full moon,

A branch of his neck.

وَمُذ جَهِلَ جَعَلَ الهَجرا

بَعضَ وَعدِه

Yet since he was ignorant he made estrangement

Some of his promise.

هَل يَنالُ بِالشِعرِ وَالشُعَرى

فَوقَ خَدِّه

Can he attain with poetry and verse

Above his forehead?

كَيفَ بِالكَواكِبِ يَجنيها

مَن عَلى الصَعيد

How can he pluck the stars

He who is on the ground?

ذَهَبَت لَعَمرِكَ آمالي

مَذهَباً بَعيد

For your life, my hopes have gone

On a distant course.

قَد بَلَغتَ موسى مِنَ الهَجرِ

كُلَّ مُلتَمَس

You have reached with estrangement, Moses,

Every goal.

لَو شَقَقتَ دَمعي عَلى البَرِّ

لَم يَعُد يَبَس

If you had split my tears over innocence

It would not have dried.

خَلِّ طورَ سيناءَ في صَدري

لِلهَوى قَبَس

Instill Mount Sinai in my breast

For love, a spark.

تَطلُبُ الشُجون فَأُعطيها

فَوقَ ما تُريد

It seeks sorrows, so I give it

More than it wants.

هَل أَصابَ قَبلي عِذالي

عاشِقاً رَشيد

Did my torment strike before me

A reasonable lover?

كَم تُقابِلُ العاشِقَ الزُوّار

مِنكَ بِاِزوِرار

How you meet the passionate visitor

With bolts!

سَوفَ تَنسَخُ التيهَ وَالأَعذار

آيَةُ العِذار

Soon the excuses and confusion

Will undo the excuse.

إِنَّ حَلكَةَ الخال كَالإِنذار

كُن عَلى اِنتِظار

Indeed the mole's dot is like a warning—

Be on guard.

شاقَهُ نَسيمُ المُنى فيها

نَجمُها السَعيد

The breeze of wishes turned her

Happy star toward it.

كَم لِذَلِكَ الخالِ مِن خالِ

رَدَّهُ عَميد

How much that mole has of moles—

Its pillar rebutted it.

قَسَماً بِهَجرِكَ وَالسُنَّه

حَيثُ ذا اليَمين

I swear by your estrangement and gray hair

Wherever it may be.

ما كانَ حُبُّكَ يا فِتنَه

في الحَشا مَكين

Your love, O temptation,

Was not rooted in shame.

لَولا مُحَيّاكَ لي جَنَّه

وَهَواكَ دين

Were it not for your life being my paradise

And your love my faith,

أُحيِ مُهجَةً أَنتَ فيها

مُبدِئُ مُعيد

I would revive a love in which

You were creator and restorer.

لَو رَزَقتَ مِن وَصلِكَ الغالي

جَنَّةَ الشَهيد

If you gained from your precious union

The martyr’s paradise,

قُل لِلبائِعِ الطيبَ في الدُكّان

هَل سِواكَ طيب

Say to the perfume seller in his shop

Is there any but you as perfume?

إِن حَضَرتُ ظَنَّ بي الجيران

أَنَّني مُريب

If the neighbors suspected

I was up to no good,

أَنا سَوفَ أَحسُمُ بِالهَوان

تُهمَةَ القَريب

I will settle with disgrace

The accusation of kin.

نَفتَحُ العِطرَ في ذاكَ الجِيها

عَلى مَن يُريد

I will open perfume in that body—

Let whoever wants have access.

يَشعُرُ لي إِنُّ الرَقيب بالي

وَالحانوتُ جَديد

I feel that the watchman is indifferent to me

And the shop is new.