أَرى في غَزالِ الدَوَ مِنهُ شَمائِلاً

أَرى في غَزالِ الدَوَ مِنهُ شَمائِلاً

فَأَهفو إِلَيهِ كُلَّما مَرَّ سانِحَهُ

فَأَهفو إِلَيهِ كُلَّما مَرَّ سانِحَهُ

I see in the gazelle of the wilderness traits of him,

I see in the gazelle of the valley, traits

so I yearn for him whenever it passes on the right.

So I yearn for him whenever his easy goingness passes.

وَتَخطُرُ قُضبانُ العَذيبِ فَتَنثَني

وَتَخطُرُ قُضبانُ العَذيبِ فَتَنثَني

مَعاطِفُهُ في خاطِري وَجَوانِحُهُ

مَعاطِفُهُ في خاطِري وَجَوانِحُهُ

And the boughs of al-Udhayb sway, and with them bend

The twigs of the limber tree sway and so do

his curves and flanks within my mind.

His robes in my mind and his features.

أَكادَ لَمَرأى كُلِّ غُصنٍ أَراكَةٍ

أَكادَ لَمَرأى كُلِّ غُصنٍ أَراكَةٍ

أُعانِقهُ مِن أَجلِهِ وَأُصافِحُهُ

أُعانِقهُ مِن أَجلِهِ وَأُصافِحُهُ

At the sight of every arak-tree bough, I almost

I almost embrace every bending branch

embrace it for his sake and shake its hand.

For his sake, and shake its hand,

وَأَعشَقُ نورَ البَدرِ لَيلَةَ تَمِّهِ

وَأَعشَقُ نورَ البَدرِ لَيلَةَ تَمِّهِ

لِأَن قَد بَدَت مِنهُ عَلَيهِ مَلامِحَهُ

لِأَن قَد بَدَت مِنهُ عَلَيهِ مَلامِحَهُ

And I love the full moon's light on the night of its fullness,

And love the light of the full moon on the night it is complete

because his features have appeared upon it.

For his traits have appeared in it from him.

يَقولُ عَذولي شَفَّ مِسكَتَكَ الهَوى

يَقولُ عَذولي شَفَّ مِسكَتَكَ الهَوى

فَأَنتَ لَعَمري ذاهِبُ الفِكرِ سائِحُهُ

فَأَنتَ لَعَمري ذاهِبُ الفِكرِ سائِحُهُ

My reproacher says, 'Love has worn away your reason;

My companion said, your love has made you silent

so, by my life, your mind is lost and wandering.'

You are lost in thought, its wanderer.

فَقُلتُ جَميعَ الرُشدِ في سُبُلِ حُبِّهِ

فَقُلتُ جَميعَ الرُشدِ في سُبُلِ حُبِّهِ

إِذا لااحَ لي مِن ذاكَ الوَجهُ لائِحُهُ

إِذا لااحَ لي مِن ذاكَ الوَجهُ لائِحُهُ

So I said, 'All sound judgment lies in the paths of loving him,

So I said, all decency is in following his love

whenever a gleam of that face appears to me.'

If his face smiles at me, its morning light.

وَقالوا أَضَعتُ العُمرَ في حُبِّ أَغيَدَ

وَقالوا أَضَعتُ العُمرَ في حُبِّ أَغيَدَ

وَمِن عَلِقَ الغِزلانَ ضاعَت مَصالِحُهُ

وَمِن عَلِقَ الغِزلانَ ضاعَت مَصالِحُهُ

And they said I had wasted my life loving one graceful and supple,

And they said, you have wasted your life in loving the slender one

and whoever falls for gazelles finds his affairs in ruin.

And because you were occupied with the gazelles, your interests were lost.

فَقُلتُ لَهُم يا حَبَّذا ما أَضَعتُهُ

فَقُلتُ لَهُم يا حَبَّذا ما أَضَعتُهُ

بِمَن حَبَّهُ كَنزٌ تَنوءُ مَفاتِحَهُ

بِمَن حَبَّهُ كَنزٌ تَنوءُ مَفاتِحَهُ

So I said to them, 'How splendid is what I have squandered

So I said to them, how excellent is what I have spent

on one whose love is a treasure whose keys weigh heavy!'

On one whose love is a treasure whose keys are burdensome.

فِدا كُلِّ ظَبيٍ بَينَ سَلعٍ وَحاجِرٍ

فِدا كُلِّ ظَبيٍ بَينَ سَلعٍ وَحاجِرٍ

لِمُهجَةَ ظَبيٍ في الفُؤادِ مَسارِحَهُ

لِمُهجَةَ ظَبيٍ في الفُؤادِ مَسارِحَهُ

May every gazelle between Salʿ and Hajir be a ransom

I ransom every gazelle between plain and rock

for the soul of a gazelle whose pastures lie in my heart.

For the fondness of a gazelle in the heart is its playground.

وَمَهما يُعَذِّبَني فَعَذبُ مَذاقِهِ

وَمَهما يُعَذِّبَني فَعَذبُ مَذاقِهِ

وَمَهما يُؤرِقُني فَإِنّي مُسامِحُهُ

وَمَهما يُؤرِقُني فَإِنّي مُسامِحُهُ

And however much he torments me, his savor is sweet;

And no matter how he tortures me, his torture is sweet

and however much he keeps me sleepless, I forgive him.

And no matter how he deprives me of sleep, I pardon him.

وَما أَسعَدَ اللَيلُ الَّذي أَنا ساهِرُهُ

وَما أَسعَدَ اللَيلُ الَّذي أَنا ساهِرُهُ

وَما أُقَدِّسُ الدَمعَ الَّذي أَنا سافِحُهُ

وَما أُقَدِّسُ الدَمعَ الَّذي أَنا سافِحُهُ

And how happy the night I spend awake!

How joyous is the night whose vigil I keep

And how I hallow the tears I shed!

And how holy are the tears that I shed.

وَقالوا قَطَعتُ الأَربَعينَ فَما الهَوى

وَقالوا قَطَعتُ الأَربَعينَ فَما الهَوى

وَقَد صاحَ في فوديكَ لِلشَبيبِ صائِحُهُ

وَقَد صاحَ في فوديكَ لِلشَبيبِ صائِحُهُ

And they said I had passed forty: 'Why this love,

And they said, you have crossed forty years yet passion

when youth's herald has already cried out at your temples?'

Has cried out loudly inside you, to youth its caller.

وَلَم يَعلَموا أَنَّ المَهارَ وَإِن زَكَت

وَلَم يَعلَموا أَنَّ المَهارَ وَإِن زَكَت

لَتَعجَزَ عَمّا طالَ في الجَريِ قارِحُهُ

لَتَعجَزَ عَمّا طالَ في الجَريِ قارِحُهُ

And they did not know that colts, even when they thrive,

And they did not know that the expert, though aged

surely fall short of what a mature steed has reached in racing.

Is unmatched by the long traveling assailant.

بَلى أَنا سُلطانُ الغَرامِ وَهَذِهِ

بَلى أَنا سُلطانُ الغَرامِ وَهَذِهِ

صَحائِفُهُ في راحَتي وَصَفائِحُهُ

صَحائِفُهُ في راحَتي وَصَفائِحُهُ

Yes, I am the sovereign of love, and these are

Yes, I am the sultan of love, and here

its pages and its sword-blades in my palm.

Are its pages in my care and its booklets.

إِذا في كِتابِ الحُبِّ طالِعٌ مُغرَمٌ

إِذا في كِتابِ الحُبِّ طالِعٌ مُغرَمٌ

فَقَلبي مُمليهِ وَدَمعي شارِحُهُ

فَقَلبي مُمليهِ وَدَمعي شارِحُهُ

When an enamored reader looks into the book of love,

If in the book of love an enamored reader

then my heart dictates it, and my tears explain it.

My heart has dictated it and my tears have edited it.

أَنا الصَبُّ مَتبولاً بِذِكرِ حَبيبِهِ

أَنا الصَبُّ مَتبولاً بِذِكرِ حَبيبِهِ

وَشَرطَ المُعَنّى أَن تَغيبَ جَوارِحُهُ

وَشَرطَ المُعَنّى أَن تَغيبَ جَوارِحُهُ

I am the lover, love-stricken by remembrance of his beloved,

I am the youth infatuated with his beloved’s mention

and the tormented lover's condition is that his limbs fade from awareness.

And its meaning’s condition is the absence of senses.

خَلِيٌّ إِذا رامَ الصَلاةَ تَداخَلَت

خَلِيٌّ إِذا رامَ الصَلاةَ تَداخَلَت

تَحِيّاتُهُ مَعَ ذِكرِهِ وَفَواتِحُهُ

تَحِيّاتُهُ مَعَ ذِكرِهِ وَفَواتِحُهُ

When a carefree man seeks to pray, there mingle

Empty when he wanted to pray, his greetings

his salutations with remembrance of him and his opening verses.

Intermingled with his remembrance and its initiations.