لو كانَ لي يومَ استقلُّوا لِسان

لو كانَ لي يومَ استقلُّوا لِسان

ناديتُ رِفقاً بالمِلاحِ الحِسان

ناديتُ رِفقاً بالمِلاحِ الحِسان

Had I a tongue on the day they departed,

If I had a day when eloquent tongues were independent

I would have cried, “Be gentle with the fair, beautiful ones!”

I would call friends gently with fine advice

لكن شكت عنِّي الهوَى أدمُعٌ

لكن شكت عنِّي الهوَى أدمُعٌ

ما ظفِرت منهم بغير الهوان

ما ظفِرت منهم بغير الهوان

But tears complained of love on my behalf,

But desire complained about me with tears

and won from them nothing but humiliation.

I did not gain from them except humiliation

سَألتُها إِصلاحَ حالي عسى

سَألتُها إِصلاحَ حالي عسى

تجهَدُ في إصلاحهِ كيفَ كان

تجهَدُ في إصلاحهِ كيفَ كان

I asked them to mend my plight, hoping

I asked her to improve my state, perhaps

they might strive to set it right, whatever its condition.

She would strive to improve it no matter what

سفاهةً مني وإلاَّ متى

سفاهةً مني وإلاَّ متى

نالَ المنى من دمعُهُ التُّرجُمان

نالَ المنى من دمعُهُ التُّرجُمان

Folly on my part—for when

Foolishness from me, else when

has one whose interpreter is tears attained his wishes?

Did wishes gain what interpreters gained?

ما عبَّرت عبرتُها عن جوىً

ما عبَّرت عبرتُها عن جوىً

لو بتُّ أشكوهُ إلى الصَّخرِ لان

لو بتُّ أشكوهُ إلى الصَّخرِ لان

Their weeping did not express a burning grief—

Her expression did not express any passion from me

had I spent the night lamenting it to rock, the rock would have softened.

If I complained about it to a rock, it would soften

فلا رقَت من أرقٍ حيثُ لم

فلا رقَت من أرقٍ حيثُ لم

تأخُذ لجَفني من جَفاهُم أَمان

تأخُذ لجَفني من جَفاهُم أَمان

So may these tears of sleeplessness never cease, since they did not

So no tenderness for tenderness where

win my eyelid safety from their cruelty.

Their eyelids did not give safety to mine

وفي خِيامِ الحَي أحوَى حوَى

وفي خِيامِ الحَي أحوَى حوَى

رِقِّيِ لهُ كفٌّ رقيقُ البَنَان

رِقِّيِ لهُ كفٌّ رقيقُ البَنَان

And in the tribe's tents is a dark-lipped one who has won

And in the tents of the neighborhood I harbored harbored

my servitude; he has a delicate-fingered hand.

My tenderness, tender of finger gentle branch

نشوانُ عِطفٍ في لَمى ثغرِهِ

نشوانُ عِطفٍ في لَمى ثغرِهِ

وَلفظِه والطَّرفِ بنتُ الدِّنان

وَلفظِه والطَّرفِ بنتُ الدِّنان

Drunken in his bearing; in the dark hue of his lips

Delight of compassion on the edge of his mouth

and in his speech and gaze dwells the daughter of wine-jars.

And his utterance and his gentle glance

أقنى بقَدَّ مثلِ سُمرِ القَنا

أقنى بقَدَّ مثلِ سُمرِ القَنا

ليناً وخدِّ من دمِ الصَّب قان

ليناً وخدِّ من دمِ الصَّب قان

Aquiline-nosed, with a figure like tawny spear-shafts

I sufficed with a cup like reddish wine

in suppleness, and a cheek crimson with the lovesick lover's blood.

Soft and cheek of youthful red blood

إذا تجلَّى ورَنا وانثنَى

إذا تجلَّى ورَنا وانثنَى

بدرُ دُجاً ريمُ نقاً غُصنُ بان

بدرُ دُجاً ريمُ نقاً غُصنُ بان

When he shines forth, gazes, and sways,

When he appeared, desired, bent over

he is a full moon in darkness, a white gazelle on a dune, a bān-tree branch.

Full moon of darkness, gazelle of brightness, bending branch

أُسكنَ من قلبي جحيماً ومن

أُسكنَ من قلبي جحيماً ومن

يظلم يكن في النَّارِ لا في الجِنان

يظلم يكن في النَّارِ لا في الجِنان

He was lodged in a hell within my heart; and whoever

I settled in my heart an inferno and who

does wrong shall be in the Fire, not in the gardens of Paradise.

Does wrong will be in the fire, not in paradise

عنِّي تروي فيه كُتبُ الهوَى

عنِّي تروي فيه كُتبُ الهوَى

لا ما رَواهُ عن فُلانٍ فُلان

لا ما رَواهُ عن فُلانٍ فُلان

On my authority, the books of love tell of him,

Books of passion narrate about me

not what so-and-so reported on so-and-so's authority.

Not what so-and-so narrated about so-and-so