أعجبتَ من خدٍّ صفا وتلهَّبا

أعجبتَ من خدٍّ صفا وتلهَّبا

نار الحياء يشبُّها ماء الصبا

نار الحياء يشبُّها ماء الصبا

Do you marvel at a cheek that grew clear and blazed?

You were amazed at a cheek radiant and aflame

The fire of modesty is kindled by the water of youth.

With the fire of shyness that water of youth resembles

من لي بجالية الملاحة عاطلٍ

من لي بجالية الملاحة عاطلٍ

زفَّتْ ففضَّضها الجمال وذهَّبا

زفَّتْ ففضَّضها الجمال وذهَّبا

Who will bring me that unadorned revealer of loveliness,

Who will lend me a swift ship while the sailor is unemployed

Led forth as a bride, then silvered and gilded by beauty?

So it may sail and the beauty scatter it to pieces

وبمهجتي الغضبان يقتل مقبلاً

وبمهجتي الغضبان يقتل مقبلاً

برضى فكيف إذا تولَّى مغضبا

برضى فكيف إذا تولَّى مغضبا

And my lifeblood for the angry one, who kills as he draws near

And my angry eyelids kill, when in a good mood, an admirer

In contentment—how, then, when he turns away in anger?

How then when it is intent on being angry

وسنانُ يحسن في العيون وما له

وسنانُ يحسن في العيون وما له

حسنى ويعذب في القلوب معذّبا

حسنى ويعذب في القلوب معذّبا

Drowsy-eyed, he looks lovely to the eyes, though he has

A tooth that beautifies the eyes but has no charm of mine

No kindness; he is sweet to hearts while tormenting them.

That tortures hearts however much tortured

ويزين نقطُ الخال خطَّ عذاراه

ويزين نقطُ الخال خطَّ عذاراه

والخطُّ يحسنُ معجماً أو معربا

والخطُّ يحسنُ معجماً أو معربا

The beauty spot's dot adorns the line of his two sideburns,

And a mole embellishes the line of her temple

And the script is beautiful, whether dotted or inflected.

And the line beautifies compiled or explicated writing

وتفرُّدي بالحزن جلَّ لأحرفٍ

وتفرُّدي بالحزن جلَّ لأحرفٍ

في الحسن محو تجلُّدي أن تكتبا

في الحسن محو تجلُّدي أن تكتبا

And my solitary grief has grown too great for letters

My uniqueness in sorrow polished letters

In beauty to inscribe the erasure of my fortitude.

In beauty an erasure of my composure if they write

يثني سهامَ جفونه عن مقلتي

يثني سهامَ جفونه عن مقلتي

تيهاً فيحسنُ بي مسيئاً مذنبا

تيهاً فيحسنُ بي مسيئاً مذنبا

He turns his eyelids' arrows away from my eye,

The arrows of his eyelids curve away from my pupil

In pride, and so does me good while doing wrong and sinning.

Lost, yet he beautifies, wronging me, the blameworthy

ويعزُّ مطلوباً ولولا مهلك

ويعزُّ مطلوباً ولولا مهلك

من هجره لبلغتُ ذاك المطابا

من هجره لبلغتُ ذاك المطابا

He is elusive when sought; were it not for deadly ruin

He forbids the sought though were it not for the deadly

From his abandonment, I would have reached that desired delight.

I would have attained the objects of desire

صلفٌ تعجَّب من وفاةِ تجلُّدي

صلفٌ تعجَّب من وفاةِ تجلُّدي

وأرى حياتي في هواه أعجبا

وأرى حياتي في هواه أعجبا

The haughty one marveled at my fortitude's death,

Disdain surprised at the death of my composure

Yet I find my life in love for him more astonishing.

And I see my life in his love more wondrous

وأما وبرق تثيَّتيه وأنَّهُ

وأما وبرق تثيَّتيه وأنَّهُ

لولا دموعي كان برقاً خلّبا

لولا دموعي كان برقاً خلّبا

Yes, by the lightning of his two incisors—and it,

As for the glittering of his perfidy, it is as if

But for my tears, would be lightning bringing no rain—

Were it not for my tears, it would be perfidy fortified

لقد استجازَ من الخلاف طرية

لقد استجازَ من الخلاف طرية

مأثورةً ومن التجنّي مذهبا

مأثورةً ومن التجنّي مذهبا

He has indeed allowed himself a way of contrariness,

He has indeed taken the rarely trodden path of discord

Handed down, and a creed of baseless blame.

And the path of evasion a way of life

وأرى جديد السُّقم جدَّد لبسهُ

وأرى جديد السُّقم جدَّد لبسهُ

قمرٌ من الأصداغ حلَّ العقربا

قمرٌ من الأصداغ حلَّ العقربا

And I see fresh sickness, its garb renewed

And I see the newness of sickness renewed his garb

By a moon lodged in the Scorpio of his temple-locks.

A moon of temples replaced Scorpio

أتبعتهُ قلبي يسير بسيره

أتبعتهُ قلبي يسير بسيره

فلذاك شرَّق في الغرام وغرَّبا

فلذاك شرَّق في الغرام وغرَّبا

I sent my heart after him, traveling as he travels;

I followed him with my heart walking his every step

So in love it journeyed east and west.

So for that the new moon rose in love and set

أظباءَ رامةَ لا ذعرتِ أراجعٌ

أظباءَ رامةَ لا ذعرتِ أراجعٌ

زمنٌ برامة ما ألذَّ وأطيبا

زمنٌ برامة ما ألذَّ وأطيبا

O gazelles of Ramah, may you never be frightened! Will there return

The does of Ramah, no startled stags return

A time in Ramah? How delightful and sweet it was!

A time of Ramah, how sweet and gentle

وصلٌ عفا كرسومها وشبيبةٌ

وصلٌ عفا كرسومها وشبيبةٌ

ولَّت كسكانها وصبرٌ أجدبا

ولَّت كسكانها وصبرٌ أجدبا

Union has faded like its traces, and youth

Farewell visited its stations and a youth

Has departed like its inhabitants; patience has grown barren.

Turned like its dwellers, and a patience scorched

أصبحت في ليل الهموم فلو سرى

أصبحت في ليل الهموم فلو سرى

طيفُ الخيال لهاب أن يتأوَّبا

طيفُ الخيال لهاب أن يتأوَّبا

I am now in the night of cares; were it to journey by night,

I spent the night in the darkness of sorrows, so if

The dream-phantom would fear to return by night.

The specter of imagination shone it would dwell

غادرت قلبي بالغرام معرَّفاً

غادرت قلبي بالغرام معرَّفاً

وتركت خدّي بالدموع محصَّبا

وتركت خدّي بالدموع محصَّبا

You left my heart known for passionate love,

I left my heart enamored, knowing him well

And left my cheek pebbled with tears.

And left my cheek in tears accumulated

ولذكره طرب الجوانح والحشى

ولذكره طرب الجوانح والحشى

وأشدُّ ذكرى شائقٍ ما أطربا

وأشدُّ ذكرى شائقٍ ما أطربا

Remembrance of him brings rapture to the ribs and inward parts,

His memory stirred the breast and gut

And the keenest memory of one who stirs longing is what enraptures.

And the fondest memory, how stirring

والدهر يومٌ كالدموع تلوُّناً

والدهر يومٌ كالدموع تلوُّناً

بعد الفراق وكالقلوب تقلًّبا

بعد الفراق وكالقلوب تقلًّبا

And time is a day, changing color like tears

Time is a day diverse like tears

After parting, and turning like hearts.

After separation, and hearts fickle

ولطالما شمسَ الزمان وإنما

ولطالما شمسَ الزمان وإنما

بالصَّاحب المرجوّ ذلَّ واًصحبا

بالصَّاحب المرجوّ ذلَّ واًصحبا

For long has time been restive; only

And often the sun of time, but

Through the hoped-for patron has it grown tame and tractable.

With the hoped for companion it waned and accompanied