عَبَثَ الدَّلاَلُ بِصُدْغِهِ فَتَجَعَّداَ

عَبَثَ الدَّلاَلُ بِصُدْغِهِ فَتَجَعَّداَ

رَشَأٌ أجَالَ عَلَى العَقِيقِ زَبَرْجَداَ

رَشَأٌ أجَالَ عَلَى العَقِيقِ زَبَرْجَداَ

Coquetry played with his temple-lock, and it curled.

The guide jested with his cheek, so it wrinkled,

A young gazelle swept chrysolite over carnelian.

A sprout whose buds burst upon carnelian, emerald.

وَانْحَلَّ إكْسِيرُ الحَيَاءِ بِخَدّهِ

وَانْحَلَّ إكْسِيرُ الحَيَاءِ بِخَدّهِ

فَأحَالَ فِضَّتَهُ النَّقِيَّةَ عَسْجَداَ

فَأحَالَ فِضَّتَهُ النَّقِيَّةَ عَسْجَداَ

And modesty's elixir dissolved upon his cheek,

The elixir of modesty melted on his cheek,

So it turned its pure silver into gold.

So he turned his pure silver to unalloyed gold.

وَجَرَتْ مِيَاهُ الحُسْنِ فِي وَجَنَاتِهِ

وَجَرَتْ مِيَاهُ الحُسْنِ فِي وَجَنَاتِهِ

فَعَلِمْتُ أنَّ الوَرْدَ كَلَّلَهُ النَّدَى

فَعَلِمْتُ أنَّ الوَرْدَ كَلَّلَهُ النَّدَى

And beauty's waters flowed upon his cheeks,

The waters of beauty flowed in his gardens,

So I knew that dew had crowned the rose.

So I knew the dew had crowned the roses.

وَأقَلَّ فَرْقًا غُصْنُ بَانَةِ قَدِّهِ

وَأقَلَّ فَرْقًا غُصْنُ بَانَةِ قَدِّهِ

فَعَجِبْتُ كَيْفَ البَانُ أثْمَرَ فَرْقَداَ

فَعَجِبْتُ كَيْفَ البَانُ أثْمَرَ فَرْقَداَ

And the bān-tree bough of his stature held a crown aloft,

A bough of his nape was scarcely bent

So I marveled: how had the bān tree borne a polar star?

That I wondered how the bough bore clustered fruit.

وَجَلاَ جَبِينًا كَالصَّبَاحِ مُنَوَّراً

وَجَلاَ جَبِينًا كَالصَّبَاحِ مُنَوَّراً

فَأرَاكَ ثَغْراً كَالأقَاحِ مُنَضَّداَ

فَأرَاكَ ثَغْراً كَالأقَاحِ مُنَضَّداَ

And he unveiled a forehead radiant as dawn,

A brow shone like the dawn illumined,

Then showed you a mouth like daisies arrayed in rows.

So I saw a mouth like the crescent when it wanes.

قَمَرٌ تَجَلَّى فِي دُجُنَّةِ شَعْرِهِ

قَمَرٌ تَجَلَّى فِي دُجُنَّةِ شَعْرِهِ

فَأبَانَ مَا بَيْنَ الضَّلاَلَةِ وَالْهُدَى

فَأبَانَ مَا بَيْنَ الضَّلاَلَةِ وَالْهُدَى

A moon shone forth in the darkness of his hair,

A moon appeared in the darkness of his hair,

So it revealed the difference between error and guidance.

Revealing what lay between misguidance and guidance.

كَفَرَ العِذَارُ نَعِيمَ وَجْنَتِهِ لِذَا

كَفَرَ العِذَارُ نَعِيمَ وَجْنَتِهِ لِذَا

ألْقَاهُ فِي نَارِ الجَحِيمِ مُخَلَّداَ

ألْقَاهُ فِي نَارِ الجَحِيمِ مُخَلَّداَ

His cheek-down denied the bliss of his cheek; therefore

The denier forfeited Paradise and its bliss because of this,

He cast it into Hell's fire, to dwell there forever.

So he cast him into Hellfire, condemned forever.

ظَبْيٌ لَهُ لَحْظٌ تَهَنَّدَ جَفْنُهُ

ظَبْيٌ لَهُ لَحْظٌ تَهَنَّدَ جَفْنُهُ

أرَأيْتَ جَفْنَ اللَّحْظِ صَارَ مُهَنَّداَ

أرَأيْتَ جَفْنَ اللَّحْظِ صَارَ مُهَنَّداَ

A gazelle with a glance whose eyelid became an Indian blade.

A gazelle whose glance was languid and melting,

Have you seen a glance's eyelid become an Indian sword?

Did you see how the glance’s lid grew languid?

مُتَقَلِّدٌ لِدَمِي بِسَيْفِ لِحَاظِهِ

مُتَقَلِّدٌ لِدَمِي بِسَيْفِ لِحَاظِهِ

فَحَذَارِ يَا قَلْبِي الرَّشَا المُتَقَلِّداَ

فَحَذَارِ يَا قَلْبِي الرَّشَا المُتَقَلِّداَ

He is answerable for my blood through the sword of his glances;

One who girds my blood with the sword of his glances,

So beware, my heart, the sword-girt young gazelle.

So beware, my heart, of the glancing, sword-girding one.

مَا سَلَّ فِي الأجْفَانِ فَاتِكَ طَرْفِهِ

مَا سَلَّ فِي الأجْفَانِ فَاتِكَ طَرْفِهِ

إلاَّ وَخِلْتَ السَّيْفَ يَقْطَعُ مُغْمَداَ

إلاَّ وَخِلْتَ السَّيْفَ يَقْطَعُ مُغْمَداَ

He never unsheathed his deadly glance within his eyelids

No glance shot from his eyes but found

Without your imagining a sword cutting while still sheathed.

That you had let loose the sword from its sheath.

كَالْوَرْدِ خَدّاً وَالغَزَالَةِ بَهْجَةً

كَالْوَرْدِ خَدّاً وَالغَزَالَةِ بَهْجَةً

وَالغُصْنِ قَدّاً وَالغَزَالِ تَشَرُّداَ

وَالغُصْنِ قَدّاً وَالغَزَالِ تَشَرُّداَ

Like the rose in cheek and the sun in splendor,

With cheeks like roses, the gazelle’s radiance,

And the bough in stature and the gazelle in skittish flight.

The bough’s slenderness, the gazelle’s shyness,

لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ نَشْوَانَ منْ خَمْرِ الصِّبَا

لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ نَشْوَانَ منْ خَمْرِ الصِّبَا

مَا مَالَ مِنْ تِيهٍ وَصَالَ وَعَرْبَداَ

مَا مَالَ مِنْ تِيهٍ وَصَالَ وَعَرْبَداَ

Had he not been drunk on the wine of youth,

Had the intoxication of youth’s wine not inclined him

He would not have swayed with conceit, charged, and caroused.

To confusion and union, he had not raved.

كَلاَّ وَلَوْ لاَ أنَّهُ غُصْنٌ لَمَا

كَلاَّ وَلَوْ لاَ أنَّهُ غُصْنٌ لَمَا

غَنَّى هَزَارُ الخَالِ فِيهِ وَغَرَّداَ

غَنَّى هَزَارُ الخَالِ فِيهِ وَغَرَّداَ

Nay! And were he not a bough, never would

No indeed! Had he not been a bough, the warbling

The beauty spot's nightingale sing in him and warble.

Of the cheek’s moles on him would not have trilled.

قَسَمًا وَلَوْلاَ وَرْدُ وَجْنَتِهِ لَمَا

قَسَمًا وَلَوْلاَ وَرْدُ وَجْنَتِهِ لَمَا

أجْرَيْتُ ضَافِي الدَّمْعِ فِيهِ مُوَرَّداَ

أجْرَيْتُ ضَافِي الدَّمْعِ فِيهِ مُوَرَّداَ

I swear! And but for the rose of his cheek, I would not

By my life! Without his garden’s roses my streaming

Have let copious tears flow for him, rose-red.

Tears would not have flowed into it torrentially.

يَا كَوْكَبًا خَرَّتْ لِكَعْبَةِ حُسْنِهِ

يَا كَوْكَبًا خَرَّتْ لِكَعْبَةِ حُسْنِهِ

سُمْرُ العَوَالِي رُكَّعًا أوْ سُجَّداَ

سُمْرُ العَوَالِي رُكَّعًا أوْ سُجَّداَ

O star, before the Kaaba of whose beauty fell

O star toward whose beauty’s Kaaba

The brown lances, bowing or prostrate.

The lofty celestial bodies bow down or prostrate!

مَا كُنْتُ أحْسَبُ أنَّ حُسْنَكَ كَامِلٌ

مَا كُنْتُ أحْسَبُ أنَّ حُسْنَكَ كَامِلٌ

حَتَّى رَأيْتُ الرِّيقَ مِنْكَ مُبَرَّداَ

حَتَّى رَأيْتُ الرِّيقَ مِنْكَ مُبَرَّداَ

I did not think your beauty was complete

I did not think your beauty perfect

Until I saw that your saliva was cool.

Until I saw the spittle glistening on your lips.

نُعْمَانُ خَدّكَ قَدْ رَوَى عَنْ سَهْلِهِ

نُعْمَانُ خَدّكَ قَدْ رَوَى عَنْ سَهْلِهِ

جُمَلَ المَحَاسِنِ مُرْسَلاً أوْ مُسْنَدَا

جُمَلَ المَحَاسِنِ مُرْسَلاً أوْ مُسْنَدَا

Your cheek's Nu'man has narrated from its Sahl,

The beauty of your cheek has related, from its plain,

Accounts of beauty, in interrupted or connected transmission.

Camels of beauty, whether halted or led in train.

قَيَّدْتَ أحْشَائِي وَسَلْسَلَ أدْمُعِي

قَيَّدْتَ أحْشَائِي وَسَلْسَلَ أدْمُعِي

فَغَدَوْتُ فِيهِ مُسَلْسَاً وَمُقَيَّداَ

فَغَدَوْتُ فِيهِ مُسَلْسَاً وَمُقَيَّداَ

You fettered my inmost heart, and my tears were strung in chains;

You have fettered my heart and chained my tears,

So, through him, I became chained and fettered.

So I have become in them fettered and chained.