أرْخي الضَّفائرَ عَلّ الشّعْرَ يُلْهِمُني

أرْخي الضَّفائرَ عَلّ الشّعْرَ يُلْهِمُني

شِعْراً يُكَفكِفُ دمعَ الحرفِ في وَرَقي

شِعْراً يُكَفكِفُ دمعَ الحرفِ في وَرَقي

Let down your braids; perhaps your hair will inspire me

Let down your braids upon the hair to inspire me

with poetry that wipes away the letter's tears on my page.

With poetry that can restrain the tears of letters on my paper

في شعرِكِ الليلُ قد أرخى عباءتهُ

في شعرِكِ الليلُ قد أرخى عباءتهُ

فانثالَ فوق الهوى مسترسلَ النسقِ

فانثالَ فوق الهوى مسترسلَ النسقِ

In your hair, night has let fall its cloak,

In your poetry the night has let down its cloak

and cascaded over love in an unbroken flow.

So it sprawled over passion in continuous order

ولتخْفِضِي الجَفنَ مراتٍ لِتَغْمِزَني

ولتخْفِضِي الجَفنَ مراتٍ لِتَغْمِزَني

عينٌ سبَتني بلحظٍ زادَ من أرقي

عينٌ سبَتني بلحظٍ زادَ من أرقي

And lower your eyelid time and again, so I may receive a wink

And lower your eyelids several times to wink at me

from an eye that took me captive with a glance that added to my sleeplessness.

An eye that made me sleepless with a glance that increased my insomnia

ما انفكَّ رمشُكِ شيطاناً يُراودُني

ما انفكَّ رمشُكِ شيطاناً يُراودُني

يَخْتالُ في هَوَسي يُذْكي غضى نَزَقي

يَخْتالُ في هَوَسي يُذْكي غضى نَزَقي

Your lashes remain a devil that tempts me,

Your eyelash did not cease to tempt me

strutting through my obsession, stoking the ghada-wood embers of my recklessness.

Strutting in my craving, kindling the embers of my fervor

هذا جَبينكِ مِضيافٌ لأخيِلَتي

هذا جَبينكِ مِضيافٌ لأخيِلَتي

وفي لُجَيْنِهِ آياتٌ مِنَ الشَّفَقِ

وفي لُجَيْنِهِ آياتٌ مِنَ الشَّفَقِ

This brow of yours welcomes my imaginings,

This is your forehead, a guesthouse for my imagination

and in its silver are signs of twilight,

In its expanse verses of the afterglow

كأنَّهُ مِنْ ضياءِ البدرِ مُنبثق

كأنَّهُ مِنْ ضياءِ البدرِ مُنبثق

رفقاً فمنه تندّى كالرؤى فَلَقي

رفقاً فمنه تندّى كالرؤى فَلَقي

as though it springs from the radiance of the full moon.

As if it were from the moon’s radiance emanating

Be gentle—for from it my dawn grew dewy, like visions.

Gently, for from it visions have cleared like mirages I encountered

تَنشَّمي في مدارِ الرّيح مُتْعِبَتي

تَنشَّمي في مدارِ الرّيح مُتْعِبَتي

أُلملِمُ الريحَ ، فيها مِسْك مُنْتَشَقي

أُلملِمُ الريحَ ، فيها مِسْك مُنْتَشَقي

Breathe within the wind's orbit, you who weary me;

Inhale in the orbit of the wind my fatigue

I gather up the wind; in it is the musk I inhale.

I gather the wind, in it musk I have inhaled

ولْتهْمسي نغماتٍ كَيْ يُرتِّلَها

ولْتهْمسي نغماتٍ كَيْ يُرتِّلَها

قلبي الذي قد هوى من رعْشةِ الخفَقِ

قلبي الذي قد هوى من رعْشةِ الخفَقِ

And whisper melodies, so they may be chanted

And whisper melodies so my heart can chant them

by my heart, which has fallen at the tremor of its beating.

My heart which has fallen in love with the fluttering of palpitation

مقامُ همسكِ بياتي يُدَوزنني

مقامُ همسكِ بياتي يُدَوزنني

يُقصي أسى شَجَني يقْتَصُّ مِنَ قَلَقي

يُقصي أسى شَجَني يقْتَصُّ مِنَ قَلَقي

Your whisper's musical mode is Bayati; it tunes me,

The station of your whispers mends me

banishing the anguish of my sorrow, taking vengeance on my anxiety.

Dispelling the agony of my fervor, fulfilling my anxiety

فَلْتُسْعِفيني بِوصلٍ كنتُ أنْشُدُهُ

فَلْتُسْعِفيني بِوصلٍ كنتُ أنْشُدُهُ

لا تنقذيني إذا ما صِحتُ وا غَرَقي !!

لا تنقذيني إذا ما صِحتُ وا غَرَقي !!

So come to my aid with the union I have sought;

So sustain me with a connection I have sought

do not rescue me if ever I cry, “Alas, I am drowning!”

Do not save me if I cry for help, drowning!