ياضرَّةَ القمرين في شرفيهما

ياضرَّةَ القمرين في شرفيهما

من أي شيء فيكِ لم أتعجَّب

من أي شيء فيكِ لم أتعجَّب

O rival of the sun and moon in their exalted stations,

O beauty of the two moons in their glory

What is there in you at which I have not marveled?

Of what in you have I not wondered?

أقبلتِ مثل الشمس في غسق الدجى

أقبلتِ مثل الشمس في غسق الدجى

وحملت برقاً ضاحكاً عن كوكب

وحملت برقاً ضاحكاً عن كوكب

You came like the sun in the gloom of night,

You came like the sun in the darkness of night

And bore lightning that smiled from a star.

Bearing laughing lightning from a planet

كتبت بخدَّيكِ المواشط فتنةً

كتبت بخدَّيكِ المواشط فتنةً

عمَّت عمومَ هواك من لم يكتب

عمَّت عمومَ هواك من لم يكتب

Upon your cheeks the hairdressers inscribed an enchantment

Your cheeks wrote temptation

That, like passion for you, encompassed those who did not write.

That spread like your love to those not destined

ولقد سمعت وما سمعت بكاتبٍ

ولقد سمعت وما سمعت بكاتبٍ

شيئاً على صفحات ماءٍ مذهب

شيئاً على صفحات ماءٍ مذهب

Indeed I have heard, yet never heard of anyone writing

And I've heard—though heard not any writer

Anything upon the pages of gilded water.

Write a thing on pages of gilded water

وكأنما رقم الجمال بكفّه

وكأنما رقم الجمال بكفّه

وجه الضحى بحريزة من غيهب

وجه الضحى بحريزة من غيهب

And it was as though Beauty, with its own hand, had inscribed

As though the creator of beauty with his hand

The face of morning with a little bead of darkness (tentative reading).

Formed the face of dawn from hidden place

جاءَ الكليم بآيةٍ من حيَّةٍ

جاءَ الكليم بآيةٍ من حيَّةٍ

ولذاك جئت بحيَّةٍ وبعقرب

ولذاك جئت بحيَّةٍ وبعقرب

Moses came with a miraculous sign in the form of a serpent,

Moses came with verses from a serpent

And so you came with a serpent and a scorpion.

So I come with serpent and scorpion