لقد طالَ سعياً للصَبا بالرسائلِ

لقد طالَ سعياً للصَبا بالرسائلِ

ولم يأن من عهد الصِبا عهدُ آمِلِ

ولم يأن من عهد الصِبا عهدُ آمِلِ

The quest for youthful passion through letters has indeed been long;

He has long sought the youth through messages,

Nor, since the days of youth, has a hopeful one's time arrived.

Yet the era of childhood affection has not arrived hopefully,

ليالٍ بها باتَ الحبيبُ مُجالسي

ليالٍ بها باتَ الحبيبُ مُجالسي

وطير التهاني صادحٌ في المنازلِ

وطير التهاني صادحٌ في المنازلِ

Nights when the beloved kept me company,

Nights in which the beloved stayed conversing with me,

And birds of rejoicing sang in the dwellings;

And the birds of joy were clamoring in the dwellings,

وسرّ الدجى مرخىً على الأفقِ حالك

وسرّ الدجى مرخىً على الأفقِ حالك

وترديدُ ألحانٍ وصوت عنادلِ

وترديدُ ألحانٍ وصوت عنادلِ

And night's secret, pitch-black, lay draped across the horizon,

The secret of nightfall sprawling on the horizon somberly

And melodies echoed, with the sound of nightingales.

And the echo of melodies and voice of swallows,

وطاف يديرُ الكأسَ طوراً وينثني

وطاف يديرُ الكأسَ طوراً وينثني

رَشَا ما له في حُسْنِه من مُماثِلِ

رَشَا ما له في حُسْنِه من مُماثِلِ

And he went round, passing the cup at times and bending—

He went around pouring the wine intermittently

A gazelle with no equal in his beauty.

Sprinkling what he has of beauty that has no equal,

فأبصرتُ فجراً من ثناياه طالِعاً

فأبصرتُ فجراً من ثناياه طالِعاً

وشمْسَين من راع ووجه مناول

وشمْسَين من راع ووجه مناول

Then I saw a dawn rising from his front teeth,

So I saw a dawn rising from his sides,

And two suns—from a shepherd and a cupbearer's face.

And two suns from a shepherd and a serving face,

وأعطافه ما سَمْهَريّ مُنازِلٍ

وأعطافه ما سَمْهَريّ مُنازِلٍ

وألحاظه ما هندوانيُّ باسِلِ

وألحاظه ما هندوانيُّ باسِلِ

And his flanks—what is a duelist's straight spear beside them?

And his cheeks are like a fawn's grazing place,

And his glances—what is a brave warrior's Indian blade beside them?

And his glances are like Indian basil,

كأنَّ عذاراً منه جاوز خدَّه

كأنَّ عذاراً منه جاوز خدَّه

غبوق ورودٍ في الضحى والأصائل

غبوق ورودٍ في الضحى والأصائل

As though his cheek-down, extending beyond his cheek,

As if fresh pure rose in the morning and evening,

Were an evening draught of roses at forenoon and late afternoon.

Passed over his cheek youthfully,

وباتَ على نحْر الرباب وثيرها

وباتَ على نحْر الرباب وثيرها

يحكّ جلابيبَ التهاني لرافلِ

يحكّ جلابيبَ التهاني لرافلِ

And on the rabab's breast its soft part lay all night,

And he spent the night on the neck of the lute and its strings,

Rubbing the robes of rejoicing for one who trails his garments.

Relating the garment of joy to the composer,

وتستنطق العيدان طوْراً أناملٌ

وتستنطق العيدان طوْراً أناملٌ

كأفلاذِعاجٍ من خضيبٍ وناِصلِ

كأفلاذِعاجٍ من خضيبٍ وناِصلِ

And at times, fingertips made the lutes speak,

And the fingers evoke intermittently,

Like fragments of ivory, some henna-dyed and some with their dye worn off.

Like the young offspring of a meadow and sprouts