كَم في الكَثيبِ وَكَم عارضته قمرٌ

كَم في الكَثيبِ وَكَم عارضته قمرٌ

يودّ أنّ له من حسنه القمرُ

يودّ أنّ له من حسنه القمرُ

How many moons upon the dune—and how many a moon has vied with him!

How many a moon upon the dune, and how often have I encountered him,

The moon itself wishes it possessed a share of his beauty.

of whose beauty the moon wishes it had a share.

يجنِي عليَّ سقاماً سقمُ مقلتِه

يجنِي عليَّ سقاماً سقمُ مقلتِه

وكلُّ جرمٍ جناه الحبُّ مُغتَفَرُ

وكلُّ جرمٍ جناه الحبُّ مُغتَفَرُ

His eye’s languor afflicts the moon with sickness;

His eye’s languor inflicts sickness upon me,

and every offense that Love commits is forgiven.

and every crime committed by love is forgiven.

قال العواذل سَرْعاً ما عشِقتَ وما

قال العواذل سَرْعاً ما عشِقتَ وما

يدرون أنّ طريق العِشقِ مختصرُ

يدرون أنّ طريق العِشقِ مختصرُ

The reproachers said, “How quickly you fell in love!”—but they

The reproachers said, “How quickly you fell in love!” Yet they do not

do not know that the path of love is short.

know that the path of love is short.

وَما الصّبابة إلّا خُلسةٌ عَرَضتْ

وَما الصّبابة إلّا خُلسةٌ عَرَضتْ

سمعٌ جناها على الأحشاء أو بصرُ

سمعٌ جناها على الأحشاء أو بصرُ

Passion is nothing but a furtive theft that arose,

And yearning is but a stolen moment that arose,

committed against the inmost heart by hearing or sight.

which hearing or sight inflicted upon the entrails.

النارُ في كَبِدي مذ غبتَ عن بصري

النارُ في كَبِدي مذ غبتَ عن بصري

ومن جفوني وقد فارقتني المطرُ

ومن جفوني وقد فارقتني المطرُ

Fire burns in my liver since you vanished from my sight,

There has been fire in my liver since you vanished from my sight,

and from my eyelids, now that you have left me, comes rain.

and from my eyelids, now that you have left me, falls the rain.