سلوا بالحمى أين الظباءُ السوانحُ

سلوا بالحمى أين الظباءُ السوانحُ

وهل طلَّ بعدي بأنهُ المتناوحُ

وهل طلَّ بعدي بأنهُ المتناوحُ

Ask in the protected pasture: where are the gazelles passing rightward?

Ask the fever where the gazelles are,

And since I left, has its swaying ben-tree been bedewed?

And if after me it called, the groaner.

وهل جاده سنٌّ من البرق ضاحك

وهل جاده سنٌّ من البرق ضاحك

يغازله جفنٌ من المزن سافح

يغازله جفنٌ من المزن سافح

And has a laughing tooth of lightning drenched it,

And if a flash of lightning smiled at it,

as a streaming eyelid of the rainclouds woos it?

Seduced by a drowsy eyelid, showerer.

جرى دمع عيني يوم كاظمةٍ دماً

جرى دمع عيني يوم كاظمةٍ دماً

فأعلمني أنَّ البروق صفائح

فأعلمني أنَّ البروق صفائح

On the day at Kazimah, tears from my eye flowed as blood,

My tears flowed one day suppressing blood,

and so showed me that lightning flashes are sword-blades.

So let the lightning inform me if they're shedders.

وقد كان دمعي عاصياً كتجلدي

وقد كان دمعي عاصياً كتجلدي

إلى أن غدا إنسانها وهو مائح

إلى أن غدا إنسانها وهو مائح

My tears had been defiant, like my stoic endurance,

My tears were rebellious as my skin,

until its pupil became a water-drawer,

Until they became her humanity, wiping.

ويصدى إلى ماء الملاحة والصّبا

ويصدى إلى ماء الملاحة والصّبا

فحدّث بصادٍ وهو في الماءِ سابح

فحدّث بصادٍ وهو في الماءِ سابح

and thirsts for the water of beauty and youth.

And echoing the water of saltiness and youth,

Tell, then, of one thirsty while swimming in water!

Speaking of a fisherman, while in the water swimming.

وهل نافعي خدٌّ من الدمعِ مخصبٌ

وهل نافعي خدٌّ من الدمعِ مخصبٌ

وقد أجدبتْ مني الحشا والجوانح

وقد أجدبتْ مني الحشا والجوانح

And can a cheek made fertile by tears help me,

And was my cheek fertile with tears' irrigation?

when the heart and ribs within me have grown barren?

While the cheeks and eyelids from me are barren.

وعنفي في حبِّ ميّة معشرٌ

وعنفي في حبِّ ميّة معشرٌ

وما منهمُ إلاّ حسودٌ وكاشحُ

وما منهمُ إلاّ حسودٌ وكاشحُ

And a band of people rebuked me for loving Mayyah,

My love for Mayya was envied by a group,

and none is anything but an envier and a spiteful foe.

Among them only envious and preventers.

وقد زعموا أنَّ الغرامَ فضيحةٌ

وقد زعموا أنَّ الغرامَ فضيحةٌ

وفي مثل ميٍّ تستطابُ الفضائح

وفي مثل ميٍّ تستطابُ الفضائح

They have claimed that passionate love is a scandal,

They claimed that passion is disgrace,

and for one like Mayy, scandals are sweet.

Yet in one like Mayya disgraces are palatable.

وقفنا على أطلالها فكأنّما

وقفنا على أطلالها فكأنّما

نوافج من آثارهنَّ نوافح

نوافج من آثارهنَّ نوافح

We stood at her dwelling's ruins, as though

We stood at her ruins, as if

musk-pods were wafting fragrance from those traces.

Repelled by traces of them, repellers.

ندافع خصمَ الشوق والشوقُ غالبٌ

ندافع خصمَ الشوق والشوقُ غالبٌ

ونثني عنانَ الدمعِ والدمعُ جامح

ونثني عنانَ الدمعِ والدمعُ جامح

We fend off longing as an adversary, but longing prevails;

We resist the adversary of longing, and longing prevails,

and draw back the reins of tears, but tears run wild.

We pull the tears' rein, and tears keep streaming.

ذكرنا بها ليلاً من الشعر كاتماً

ذكرنا بها ليلاً من الشعر كاتماً

يقارنهُ صبحٌ من الثغرِ بائح

يقارنهُ صبحٌ من الثغرِ بائح

There we recalled a concealing night of hair,

We mentioned her at night secretly in poetry,

accompanied by the mouth's revealing dawn;

Accompanied by a dawn from the mouth, wailing.

وأذيالَ معطارٍ تمسّكتِ الرّبى

وأذيالَ معطارٍ تمسّكتِ الرّبى

بهنَّ وهذا نشرها المتفاوح

بهنَّ وهذا نشرها المتفاوح

and a perfumed woman's trailing hems; the hills clung

The tails of musk, the air grabbed,

to them, and this is her fragrance, wafting abroad.

And this is its opening, wavering.

فإن كان خطبٌ فادحٌ يصدع الحشى

فإن كان خطبٌ فادحٌ يصدع الحشى

فإنَّ الهوى خطبٌ مع البينِ فادح

فإنَّ الهوى خطبٌ مع البينِ فادح

If there is a grievous calamity that splits the heart,

If there is evident adversity that splits the senses,

then love with separation is a grievous calamity.

Then passion is adversity with separation, evident.

وفي الناس جهلٌ بالقدود فربما

وفي الناس جهلٌ بالقدود فربما

إذا اهتزَّ يدعى مائساً وهو رامح

إذا اهتزَّ يدعى مائساً وهو رامح

And people are ignorant of slender figures, for sometimes,

Among people is ignorance of firmness, so sometimes

when one sways, they call it graceful, though it is a spear-wielder.

When shaken, called tottering, while steady.

وعندهمُ أنَّ العيونَ جوارحٌ

وعندهمُ أنَّ العيونَ جوارحٌ

وما هي للأكباد إلاّ جوارح

وما هي للأكباد إلاّ جوارح

And they believe that eyes are bodily organs,

To them eyes are organs,

yet they are nothing but wounders of livers.

Not for the livers except organs.

لقد أضرمتْ نارَ الهوى نفحةُ الصّبا

لقد أضرمتْ نارَ الهوى نفحةُ الصّبا

كما أضرمتْ نارَ الصليِّ المراوح

كما أضرمتْ نارَ الصليِّ المراوح

The breath of the east wind has indeed kindled love's fire,

The breeze's exhalation ignited the fire of love,

just as fans have kindled a blazing fire,

As the bellows ignited the prayer fire's flame.

بحيثُ سويداءُ الفؤادِ حراقةٌ

بحيثُ سويداءُ الفؤادِ حراقةٌ

وقلبي زنادٌ والصبابةُ قادح

وقلبي زنادٌ والصبابةُ قادح

where the heart's dark core is tinder,

So the white of the heart is scorched,

and my heart is flint, and yearning is the striker.

And my heart is flint, and youth is the striker.

وكم هزَّ من عطفيَّ في الإيكِ صادحٌ

وكم هزَّ من عطفيَّ في الإيكِ صادحٌ

ولولا الهوى ما هزَّ عطفي صادح

ولولا الهوى ما هزَّ عطفي صادح

And how many a songbird in the thickets has stirred my sides!

And how many times a supple waist in coyness pulled,

And were it not for love, no songbird would have stirred my side;

And if not for love, no supple waist of mine would have pulled.

ولولا ندى الملكِ العزيز بن يوسفٍ

ولولا ندى الملكِ العزيز بن يوسفٍ

لعزَّت عطايا جمّةٌ ومنايح

لعزَّت عطايا جمّةٌ ومنايح

and were it not for the generosity of King al-Aziz ibn Yusuf,

And if not for the Nile's magnificent king, Yusuf's dew,

abundant gifts and grants would have been hard to obtain.

Gifts of multitudes and pulleys would have weakened.