وورد بُسْتانِ قحابية

وورد بُسْتانِ قحابية

رَتَّبَهُ الحسن بِنَوْعَيْنِ

رَتَّبَهُ الحسن بِنَوْعَيْنِ

And a rose from a courtesan’s garden—

And the rose of Qahabiyya’s garden—

Beauty arrayed her in two forms:

beauty fashioned it in two forms:

ظَاهِرُها مِنْ قَشْرِ يَاقوتَةٍ

ظَاهِرُها مِنْ قَشْرِ يَاقوتَةٍ

بَاطِنُها مِنْ ذَهَبٍ عَيْنِ

بَاطِنُها مِنْ ذَهَبٍ عَيْنِ

her outer face fashioned from a ruby’s rind,

its outside is a ruby’s rind,

her heart of pure gold.

its inside is pure gold.

قَبَّلْتُها حُبّاً لها إِذ بِها

قَبَّلْتُها حُبّاً لها إِذ بِها

حَيّانِيَ البدْرُ على عَيْنِ

حَيّانِيَ البدْرُ على عَيْنِ

I kissed her for love of her, for through her

I kissed it out of love for it, since with it

the full moon greeted me before my very eyes—

the full moon greeted me before my eyes.

كأَنَّها خَدّي عَلى خَدِّهِ

كأَنَّها خَدّي عَلى خَدِّهِ

يَوْمَ اجْتَمَعْنا غَدْوَةَ البَيْنِ

يَوْمَ اجْتَمَعْنا غَدْوَةَ البَيْنِ

as though she were my cheek against his cheek

As though it were my cheek upon his cheek

the day we met, at the dawn of parting.

on the day we met, the morning of parting.