تبارك من براك لنا غزالاً

تبارك من براك لنا غزالاً

تفيَّأ من ذؤابته ظلالاً

تفيَّأ من ذؤابته ظلالاً

Blessed is He who fashioned you for us—a gazelle,

Blessed is He who fashioned you for us as a gazelle,

sheltering in the shadows of its forelock;

Taking shelter in the shadows of his forelock,

إذا مالت يميناً أو شمالاً

إذا مالت يميناً أو شمالاً

أرى في صدغك المعوج دالاً

أرى في صدغك المعوج دالاً

whenever it sways to the right or the left,

Whenever it sways to right or left.

I see the letter dāl in your curved temple-lock.

In your curved temple-lock I see a dāl (د),

بارها اللَه قوساً للمهالك

بارها اللَه قوساً للمهالك

تتيه على الصوارم والعوالي

تتيه على الصوارم والعوالي

God shaped it into a bow of doom;

Which God fashioned as a bow of doom.

it vaunts itself above keen swords and lofty spears,

It vaunts itself above keen swords and lofty spears,

وتفتك بالأيمَّة والموالي

وتفتك بالأيمَّة والموالي

ولما حاكت القوس الهلالي

ولما حاكت القوس الهلالي

and slays leaders and retainers.

And deals death to imams and lords.

And when it resembled the crescent-shaped bow,

And when it resembled the crescent-shaped bow,

وددنا لو تُنَقَّطُ باللآلي

وددنا لو تُنَقَّطُ باللآلي

ولكن نقطت من مسك خالك

ولكن نقطت من مسك خالك

we wished that it might be dotted with pearls;

We wished it might be dotted with pearls,

but it was dotted with musk from your mole,

But it was dotted with musk from your mole.

فلم يترك بها للصب حالاً

فلم يترك بها للصب حالاً

ينال به احتمالاً واحتيالاً

ينال به احتمالاً واحتيالاً

leaving Love no state there

Thus, through it, the lovesick one was left in no state

in which to find endurance or devise escape.

To endure or devise a stratagem.

فإن الحسن خوَّله كمالاً

فإن الحسن خوَّله كمالاً

فصارت داله بالنقط ذالاً

فصارت داله بالنقط ذالاً

For Beauty endowed it with perfection,

For beauty had endowed him with perfection,

and through the dot its dāl became a dhāl.

So his dāl (د), once dotted, became a dhāl (ذ).

فقلت لها افعلي أشهى فعالك

فقلت لها افعلي أشهى فعالك

وساوى عاشقاً أضنى وأبكى

وساوى عاشقاً أضنى وأبكى

So I said to her: Do the sweetest of your deeds—

So I said to it, 'Do what pleases you most.'

and set a lover, wasted and made to weep, on a par

And he equated a lover he had worn down and made weep

بعانٍ مات شكّاً ما تشكّى

بعانٍ مات شكّاً ما تشكّى

وصرنا كلنا للحب ملكا

وصرنا كلنا للحب ملكا

with a captive who died pierced through and never complained.

With a captive stabbed to death, who never complained.

And we all became Love’s possession;

And we all became love's property;

لذلك صارت العشاق هلكى

لذلك صارت العشاق هلكى

فها أنا هالكٌ من أجل ذلك

فها أنا هالكٌ من أجل ذلك

for that reason lovers became the slain—

For that reason, lovers perished;

and here am I, perishing for that very cause.

So here I am, perishing because of that.