يَاO حُسنَهُhis beauty وَالحُسنُand beauty بَعضُpart of صِفَاتِهِhis qualities
يَا حُسنَهُ وَالحُسنُ بَعضُ صِفَاتِهِ
وَالسِّحرُand enchantment مَقصُورٌconfined عَلَىto حَرَكَاتِهِhis movements
وَالسِّحرُ مَقصُورٌ عَلَى حَرَكَاتِهِ
Oh, his beauty—and beauty is but part of his qualities!
O beauty, and beauty is but one of his traits
And enchantment is confined to his movements.
And magic confined to his movements
بَدراًa full moon لَوَif انَّthat البَدرَthe full moon قِيلَwas told لَهto it اقتَرِحpropose
بَدراً لَوَ انَّ البَدرَ قِيلَ لَه اقتَرِح
أمَلاًa wish لَقَالَit would surely say أَكُونُI would be مِنamong هَالاتِهِhis halos
أمَلاً لَقَالَ أَكُونُ مِن هَالاتِهِ
A full moon—were the full moon told, 'Name
Were the full moon told, propose a wish
A wish,' it would say, 'I would be one of his halos.'
It would say, let me be one of his adornments
يعطيhe gives ارتِياحlively swaying الغُصنِthe bough غُصناًa bough أملَداًsupple
يعطي ارتِياح الغُصنِ غُصناً أملَداً
حملhe bore الصباحthe morning فَكَانَand so it became مِنamong زَهَرَاتِهِhis blossoms
حمل الصباح فَكَانَ مِن زَهَرَاتِهِ
He lends the bough its sway, himself a supple bough,
He gives the branch ease, a bending branch
He bore the morning, and it became one of his blossoms.
Carrying the dawn, thus becoming one of its blossoms
وَالخَالُand the mole يَنقُطُadds dots فِيon صَفيحَةِthe tablet of خَدِّهِhis cheek
وَالخَالُ يَنقُطُ فِي صَفيحَةِ خَدِّهِ
مَاwhat خَطَّtraced حبرُthe ink of الصُّدغِthe temple-lock مِنof نوناتِهِhis nūn letters
مَا خَطَّ حبرُ الصُّدغِ مِن نوناتِهِ
And his mole dots, upon the tablet of his cheek,
And the moles speckle the dish of his cheek
The nūn letters traced by the ink of his temple-lock.
With what the pen lined not among his letters
وَإِذاand when هِلالُthe crescent of الأُفقِthe horizon قَابَلَfaced وَجهَهُhis face
وَإِذا هِلالُ الأُفقِ قَابَلَ وَجهَهُ
أَبصَرتَهُyou see it كَالشَّخصِlike a person فِيin مِرآتِهِhis mirror
أَبصَرتَهُ كَالشَّخصِ فِي مِرآتِهِ
And when the horizon's crescent meets his face,
And if the crescent of the horizon met his face
You see it like a person in his mirror.
You'd see it as a person in their reflection
عَبَثَتtoyed بِقَلبِwith the heart of عَمِيدِهِhis love-stricken admirer لَحَظَاتُهُhis glances
عَبَثَت بِقَلبِ عَمِيدِهِ لَحَظَاتُهُ
يَاO رَبِّmy Lord لاdo not تَعتبreproach عَلَىconcerning لَحَظَاتِهِhis glances
يَا رَبِّ لا تَعتب عَلَى لَحَظَاتِهِ
His glances toyed with the heart of his love-stricken admirer.
His glances toyed with the heart of his admirer
O my Lord, do not reproach his glances.
O Lord, blame not his glances
رَكِبَhe committed المَآثِمَsins فيin انتِهَابِplundering نُفُوسِنَاour souls
رَكِبَ المَآثِمَ في انتِهَابِ نُفُوسِنَا
فَاللَّهُso God يَجعَلهُنَّmay make them مِنamong حَسَناتِهِhis good deeds
فَاللَّهُ يَجعَلهُنَّ مِن حَسَناتِهِ
He committed sins in plundering our souls;
He rode sins in plundering our souls
So may God count them among his good deeds.
So may God make them among his virtues
مَازِلتُI continued أَخطُبُI petition لِلزَّمَانِfrom Time وِصَالَهُunion with him
مَازِلتُ أَخطُبُ لِلزَّمَانِ وِصَالَهُ
حَتَّىuntil دَنَاhe drew near والبُعدُand distance مِنamong عَادَاتِهِhis habits
حَتَّى دَنَا والبُعدُ مِن عَادَاتِهِ
I kept petitioning Time for union with him,
I continued to seek the era's union
Until he drew near, though distance was his habit.
Until it came close though distance is of its norms
فَغَفَرتُso I forgave ذَنبَthe offense of الدَّهرِTime فِيهِconcerning him لِلَيلَةٍfor a night
فَغَفَرتُ ذَنبَ الدَّهرِ فِيهِ لِلَيلَةٍ
سَتَرَتcovered عَلَىover مَاwhat كَانَthere had been مِنof زَلاتِهِits lapses
سَتَرَت عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِن زَلاتِهِ
So I forgave Time its wrong concerning him, because of a night
I forgave the era's sin in it for a night
That covered over its former lapses.
That veiled what wrong had been among its stumbles
غَفَلَgrew heedless الزَّمَانُTime فَنِلتُso I gained مِنهُfrom it نَدرَةًa rare chance
غَفَلَ الزَّمَانُ فَنِلتُ مِنهُ نَدرَةً
يَاO لَيتَهُif only it لَوif دَامَremained فيin غَفَلاتِهِits heedless moments
يَا لَيتَهُ لَو دَامَ في غَفَلاتِهِ
Time grew heedless, and I gained a rare chance from it;
The days were heedless so I attained rarely from it
Oh, if only it had remained in its heedlessness!
Oh, if only it stayed in its heedlessness
ضَاجَعتُهُI lay beside him وَاللَّيلُand the night يُذكِيkindles تَحتَهُbeneath it
ضَاجَعتُهُ وَاللَّيلُ يُذكِي تَحتَهُ
نَارَينِtwo fires مِنfrom نَفسِيmy soul وَمِنand from وَجَنَاتِهِhis cheeks
نَارَينِ مِن نَفسِي وَمِن وَجَنَاتِهِ
I lay beside him, while night kindled beneath itself
I lay with him while the night kindled beneath him
Two fires, from my soul and from his cheeks.
Two fires, from my soul and his cheeks
بِتنَاwe spent the night نُشَعشِعُwe dilute wine وَالعَفَافُand chastity نَدِيمُنَاour drinking companion
بِتنَا نُشَعشِعُ وَالعَفَافُ نَدِيمُنَا
خَمرَينِtwo wines مِنfrom غَزَلِيmy love poetry وَمِنand from كَلِمَاتِهِhis words
خَمرَينِ مِن غَزَلِي وَمِن كَلِمَاتِهِ
We spent the night diluting—chastity our drinking companion—
We stayed awake, and chastity our company
Two wines, from my love poetry and from his words.
Two wines, from my amorousness and his words
فَضَمَمتُهُso I clasped him ضَمَّthe embrace of البَخِيلِthe miser لِمَالِهِof his wealth
فَضَمَمتُهُ ضَمَّ البَخِيلِ لِمَالِهِ
أَحنُوI bend tenderly عَلَيهِover him مِنfrom جَمِيعِall جِهَاتِهِhis sides
أَحنُو عَلَيهِ مِن جَمِيعِ جِهَاتِهِ
Then I clasped him as a miser clasps his wealth,
So I embraced him in a miser's embrace
Bending tenderly over him from every side.
I pity him from all his sides
أَوثَقتُهُI bound him فِيin سَاعِدَيَّmy two forearms لأنَّهُbecause he
أَوثَقتُهُ فِي سَاعِدَيَّ لأنَّهُ
ظَبيٌa gazelle خَشِيتُI feared عَلَيهِfor him مِنfrom فَلَتَاتِهِhis sudden escapes
ظَبيٌ خَشِيتُ عَلَيهِ مِن فَلَتَاتِهِ
I held him fast within my forearms, for he was
I bound him in my arms for he
A gazelle whose sudden escapes made me fear for him.
Is a gazelle I feared would escape me
وَالقَلبُand the heart يَدعُوprays أَنto يُصَيّرَbe made سَاعِداًa forearm
وَالقَلبُ يَدعُو أَن يُصَيّرَ سَاعِداً
لِيَفُوزَso it may attain بِالآمَالِthe hoped-for things فِيin ضَمَّاتِهِhis embraces
لِيَفُوزَ بِالآمَالِ فِي ضَمَّاتِهِ
And my heart prayed to be made a forearm,
And the heart invokes to make an arm
To fulfill its hopes within his embraces.
To succeed in hopes during its embraces
حَتَّىuntil إِذَاwhen هَامَwas smitten الكَرَىslumber بِجُفُونِهِwith his eyelids
حَتَّى إِذَا هَامَ الكَرَى بِجُفُونِهِ
وَامتَدَّand he stretched out فِيin عَضُدَيّmy two upper arms طَوعَyielding to سِنَاتِهِhis bouts of drowsiness
وَامتَدَّ فِي عَضُدَيّ طَوعَ سِنَاتِهِ
Until, when slumber was smitten with his eyelids,
Until when sleep wandered his eyelids
And he stretched out in my upper arms, yielding to his drowsiness,
And yielded in my arms following its years
عَزَمَurged firmly الغَرَامُpassion عَلَيَّupon me فِيconcerning تَقبِيلِهِkissing him
عَزَمَ الغَرَامُ عَلَيَّ فِي تَقبِيلِهِ
فرفضتُso I refused أُبدِيI show الطَّوعَobedience مِنfrom عَزَمَاتِهِits firm commands
فرفضتُ أُبدِي الطَّوعَ مِن عَزَمَاتِهِ
Passion urged me to kiss him,
Passion resolved I kiss him
But I refused to show obedience to its commands.
But I refused to show compliance from its resolves
وَأَبَىand refused عَفَافِيmy chastity أَنto أُقَبِّلَI kiss ثَغرَهُhis mouth
وَأَبَى عَفَافِي أَن أُقَبِّلَ ثَغرَهُ
وَالقَلبُand the heart مَطوِيٌّfolded عَلَىover جَمَرَاتِهِits embers
وَالقَلبُ مَطوِيٌّ عَلَى جَمَرَاتِهِ
And my chastity would not let me kiss his mouth,
And my chastity refused to kiss his lips
While my heart lay folded over its embers.
While my heart is folded over his embers
فَاعجَبso marvel لِمُلتَهِبِat one aflame الجَوَانِحِthe ribs غُلَّةًwith thirst
فَاعجَب لِمُلتَهِبِ الجَوَانِحِ غُلَّةً
يَشكُوcomplains of الظَّماthirst وَالماءُand water فيin لَهَواتِهِhis throat's recesses
يَشكُو الظَّما وَالماءُ في لَهَواتِهِ
Marvel, then, at one whose ribs burn with thirst,
How strange is the greed of flaming passions
Who complains of thirst though water is in his throat.
Complaining of thirst while water is in its distraction
Sol 6.1