تُرى سَكِرَت عِطفاهُ مِن خَمرِ ريقِهِ

تُرى سَكِرَت عِطفاهُ مِن خَمرِ ريقِهِ

فَماسَت بِهِ أَم مِن كُؤوسِ رَحيقِهِ

فَماسَت بِهِ أَم مِن كُؤوسِ رَحيقِهِ

Could his supple sides be drunk on the wine of his saliva,

I wonder: did his flanks grow drunk on the wine of his saliva,

and make him sway—or was it from cups of his nectar?

and sway with him—or was it from cups of his nectar?

مَليحٌ يُغيرُ الغُصنَ عِندَ اِهتِزازِهِ

مَليحٌ يُغيرُ الغُصنَ عِندَ اِهتِزازِهِ

وَيُخجِلُ بَدرَ التَمِّ عِندَ شُروقِهِ

وَيُخجِلُ بَدرَ التَمِّ عِندَ شُروقِهِ

A beauty who makes the bough jealous whenever he sways,

A beauty who makes the bough jealous when he sways,

and puts the full moon to shame whenever he rises.

and puts the full moon to shame when he rises.

فَما فيهِ شَيءٌ ناقِصٌ غَيرَ خَصرِهِ

فَما فيهِ شَيءٌ ناقِصٌ غَيرَ خَصرِهِ

وَلا فيهِ شَيءٌ بارِدٌ غَيرَ ريقِهِ

وَلا فيهِ شَيءٌ بارِدٌ غَيرَ ريقِهِ

Nothing in him is wanting, save his waist;

So nothing in him is lacking except his waist,

nothing in him is cold, save his saliva;

and nothing in him is cool except his saliva.

وَلا ما يَسوءُ النَفسَ غَيرُ نِفارِهِ

وَلا ما يَسوءُ النَفسَ غَيرُ نِفارِهِ

وَلا ما يَروعُ القَلبَ غَيرُ عُقوقِهِ

وَلا ما يَروعُ القَلبَ غَيرُ عُقوقِهِ

nothing troubles the soul, save his aloofness;

And nothing distresses the soul except his shying away,

nothing terrifies the heart, save his heartlessness.

and nothing frightens the heart except his unkindness.

عَجِبتُ لَهُ يُبدي القَساوَةَ عِندَما

عَجِبتُ لَهُ يُبدي القَساوَةَ عِندَما

يُقابِلُني مِن خَدِّهِ بِرَقيقِهِ

يُقابِلُني مِن خَدِّهِ بِرَقيقِهِ

I marvel at him: he shows hardness whenever

I marvel at him: he shows hardness when

he faces me with the tender surface of his cheek.

he faces me with the tenderness of his cheek.

وَيَلطُفُ بي مِن بَعدِ إِعمالِ لَحظِهِ

وَيَلطُفُ بي مِن بَعدِ إِعمالِ لَحظِهِ

وَكَيفَ يُرَدُّ السَهمُ بَعدَ مُروقِهِ

وَكَيفَ يُرَدُّ السَهمُ بَعدَ مُروقِهِ

Then he is gentle with me, after setting his glance to work—

And he treats me gently after wielding his glance—

but how can he call back the arrow once it has flown?

yet how can an arrow be recalled once it has passed through?

يَقولونَ لي وَالبَدرُ في الأُفقِ مُشرِقٌ

يَقولونَ لي وَالبَدرُ في الأُفقِ مُشرِقٌ

بَذا أَنتَ صَبٌّ قُلتُ بَل بِشَقيقِهِ

بَذا أَنتَ صَبٌّ قُلتُ بَل بِشَقيقِهِ

They ask me, as the moon shines on the horizon,

They say to me, while the full moon shines on the horizon:

“Is it this you pine for?” I say, “No—its twin.”

"Are you in love with this one?" I reply, "Rather, with its brother."

فَلا تُنكِروا قَتلي بِدِقَّةِ خَصرِهِ

فَلا تُنكِروا قَتلي بِدِقَّةِ خَصرِهِ

فَإِنَّ جَليلَ الخَطبِ دونَ دَقيقِهِ

فَإِنَّ جَليلَ الخَطبِ دونَ دَقيقِهِ

Do not deny that the fineness of his waist has killed me:

So do not deny that his slender waist has slain me,

even the gravest calamity falls short of its subtlety.

for a great calamity falls short of a slight one.

وَلَيلَةَ عاطاني المُدامَ وَوَجهُهُ

وَلَيلَةَ عاطاني المُدامَ وَوَجهُهُ

يُرينا صَبوحَ الشُربِ حالَ غَبوقِهِ

يُرينا صَبوحَ الشُربِ حالَ غَبوقِهِ

One night he served me wine, while his face

And one night he passed me wine, while his face

showed us the morning cup at the hour of evening drink,

showed us a morning draught at the hour of his evening cup,

بِكَأسٍ حَكاها ثَغرُهُ في اِبتِسامَةٍ

بِكَأسٍ حَكاها ثَغرُهُ في اِبتِسامَةٍ

بِما ضَمَّهُ مِن دُرِّهِ وَعَقيقِهِ

بِما ضَمَّهُ مِن دُرِّهِ وَعَقيقِهِ

in a cup his smiling mouth resembled,

in a cup his mouth resembled when he smiled,

with the pearls and carnelian it held.

with the pearls and carnelian it held.

لَقَد نِلتُ إِذ نادَمتُهُ مِن حَديثِهِ

لَقَد نِلتُ إِذ نادَمتُهُ مِن حَديثِهِ

مِنَ السُكرِ ما لا نُلتُهُ مِن عَقيقِهِ

مِنَ السُكرِ ما لا نُلتُهُ مِن عَقيقِهِ

From his conversation, while I drank with him, I attained

Indeed, drinking with him, I gained from his conversation

an intoxication I had never gained from his carnelian.

an intoxication I had not gained from his carnelian.

فَلَم أَدرِ مَن أَيَّ الثَلاثَةِ سَكرَتي

فَلَم أَدرِ مَن أَيَّ الثَلاثَةِ سَكرَتي

أَمِن لَحظِهِ أَم لَفظِهِ أَم رَحيقِهِ

أَمِن لَحظِهِ أَم لَفظِهِ أَم رَحيقِهِ

I could not tell which of the three had made me drunk:

So I could not tell which of the three had made me drunk:

was it his glance, his speech, or his nectar?

his glance, his speech, or his nectar?

لَقَد بِعتُهُ قَلبي بِخَلوَةِ ساعَةٍ

لَقَد بِعتُهُ قَلبي بِخَلوَةِ ساعَةٍ

فَأَصبَحَ حَقّاً ثابِتاً مِن حُقوقِهِ

فَأَصبَحَ حَقّاً ثابِتاً مِن حُقوقِهِ

I sold him my heart during one hour alone,

I sold him my heart for an hour alone with him,

and it became an established right among his rights.

so it became one of his firmly established rights.

وَأَصبَحتُ نَدماناً عَلى خُسرِ صَفقَتي

وَأَصبَحتُ نَدماناً عَلى خُسرِ صَفقَتي

كَذا مَن يَبيعُ الشَيءَ في غَيرِ سوقِهِ

كَذا مَن يَبيعُ الشَيءَ في غَيرِ سوقِهِ

I came to rue the loss I took in my bargain:

And I came to regret the loss in my bargain—

so fares one who sells a thing outside its proper market.

so fares whoever sells a thing outside its proper market.