تَرَى عِذارَيه ما قاما بَمَعْذِرتي

تَرَى عِذارَيه ما قاما بَمَعْذِرتي

عند العذولِ فيغدو وهو يَعذِرُني

عند العذولِ فيغدو وهو يَعذِرُني

Do you see his two cheek-locks—have they not stood in my defense

Do you see how she stood, without excusing me?

before the censurer, who then goes about excusing me?

In the morning she excuses me, being forbearing.

رِيمٌ كأنّ له في كلّ جارِحةٍ

رِيمٌ كأنّ له في كلّ جارِحةٍ

عِقداً من الحُسن أَو نوعاً مِن الفِتَنِ

عِقداً من الحُسن أَو نوعاً مِن الفِتَنِ

A white gazelle, as though in every limb he had

A gazelle whose every limb

a necklace of beauty, or a form of enchantment.

Bears a knot of beauty or some kind of charm -

أَخفَى مِن السِّرِّ لكْن حُسنُ صورتِه

أَخفَى مِن السِّرِّ لكْن حُسنُ صورتِه

إذا تأمّلتَه أَبْدَى مِن العَلَنِ

إذا تأمّلتَه أَبْدَى مِن العَلَنِ

More hidden than a secret, yet the beauty of his form,

More hidden than a secret, but when

when you contemplate him, is more evident than what is openly revealed.

You observe him, more manifest than the open.

كأنّ جوهَره من لطفِهِ عَرَضٌ

كأنّ جوهَره من لطفِهِ عَرَضٌ

فليس تَحوِيه إلا أعينُ الفَطِن

فليس تَحوِيه إلا أعينُ الفَطِن

As though his substance, through its subtlety, were an accident,

As if his essence were a manifestation of his gentleness

so only the eyes of the discerning can encompass him.

So that none can contain him but the eyes of the keen-sighted.

والله ما فَتَنَتْ عَيْني مَحاسِنُه

والله ما فَتَنَتْ عَيْني مَحاسِنُه

إلاّ وقد سَحرَتْ ألفاظه أُذني

إلاّ وقد سَحرَتْ ألفاظه أُذني

And by God, his charms never beguiled my eye

And by God, his beauties did not entrance my eye

without his words having already bewitched my ear.

Except that his words also enchanted my ear.

ما تُصْدِر العينُ عنه لحظَها مَلَلاً

ما تُصْدِر العينُ عنه لحظَها مَلَلاً

كأنّه كلّ شيءٍ مُرْتضىً حَسَنِ

كأنّه كلّ شيءٍ مُرْتضىً حَسَنِ

The eye never withdraws its gaze from him out of boredom,

My eyes do not weary of gazing on him for a moment -

as though he were all that is pleasing and beautiful.

It is as if he is everything lovable and beautiful.

يا منتهَى أملي لا تُدْنِ لي أَجَلي

يا منتهَى أملي لا تُدْنِ لي أَجَلي

ولا تُعَذِّب ظُنوني فيكَ بالظنَنِ

ولا تُعَذِّب ظُنوني فيكَ بالظنَنِ

O goal of my hope, do not bring my death closer to me,

O ultimate hope of mine, do not hasten my death

nor torment my expectations of you with suspicions.

And do not torment my thoughts about you with suspicions.

إن كان وجهُك وجهاً صِيغَ مِن قَمَرٍ

إن كان وجهُك وجهاً صِيغَ مِن قَمَرٍ

فإنّ قَدَّك قَدٌّ قُدَّ مِن غُصُنِ

فإنّ قَدَّك قَدٌّ قُدَّ مِن غُصُنِ

If your face is a face fashioned from a moon,

If your face was fashioned from a moon,

then your figure is a figure cut from a branch.

Then your stature was fashioned from a branch.