يا قَمَراً مَطلَعُهُ أَضلُعِي

يا قَمَراً مَطلَعُهُ أَضلُعِي

لَهُ سَوَادُ القَلبِ فِيهَا غَسَق

لَهُ سَوَادُ القَلبِ فِيهَا غَسَق

O moon whose rising-place is my ribs,

O moon whose rising is my ribs,

for whom the heart’s darkness within them is nightfall.

In it the darkness of my heart is obscured,

وَرُبَّما استَوقَدَ نَارَ الهَوى

وَرُبَّما استَوقَدَ نَارَ الهَوى

فَنَابَ فِيهَا لَونُهَا عَن شَفَق

فَنَابَ فِيهَا لَونُهَا عَن شَفَق

And at times it kindles the fire of passion,

And sometimes the fire of love is ignited

so there its hue takes the place of twilight’s glow.

So its color turns away from the sunset,

مَلَكتَنِي فِي دَولَةٍ مِن صِباً

مَلَكتَنِي فِي دَولَةٍ مِن صِباً

وَصِدتَنِي فِي شَرَكٍ مِن حَدَق

وَصِدتَنِي فِي شَرَكٍ مِن حَدَق

You ruled me in a reign of youthful passion,

You possessed me in a period of youth

and caught me in a snare of eyes.

And resisted me in a partnership of eyelids,

عِندِيَ مِن حُبِّكَ مَا لَو سَرَت

عِندِيَ مِن حُبِّكَ مَا لَو سَرَت

فِي البَحرِ مِنهُ شُعلَةٌ لاحتَرَق

فِي البَحرِ مِنهُ شُعلَةٌ لاحتَرَق

I bear such love for you that, were there to pass

I have from your love something that if it flowed

through the sea a flame of it, the sea would burn.

In the sea, a flame from it would have burned