حكمتْ بلوعتك الظباءُ الغيدُ

حكمتْ بلوعتك الظباءُ الغيدُ

فإلامَ تجحد والدموع شهودُ

فإلامَ تجحد والدموع شهودُ

The graceful gazelles have passed judgment on your burning anguish;

Your cruelty has made the graceful gazelles grieve,

How long, then, will you deny it, while tears are witnesses?

Why then deny it when tears bear witness?

تهوى الغصون الهيفَ تحجبها القنا

تهوى الغصون الهيفَ تحجبها القنا

وثمارهنَّ الوجدُ والتسهيد

وثمارهنَّ الوجدُ والتسهيد

You love the slender boughs that lances conceal,

The tender branches crave it, though modesty veils them,

And their fruits are longing and sleeplessness.

And their fruit is passion and love's madness.

وتظلُّ تهتف بالعيون وإنما

وتظلُّ تهتف بالعيون وإنما

بيضُ الجفون هي الجفون السود

بيضُ الجفون هي الجفون السود

And you keep crying out about the eyes, yet in truth

Though you keep calling to them with your eyes,

The bright blades in their sheaths are the black eyelids.

Your dark lids belie the white eyes beneath.

كم صبوةٍ عطفتك عنها سلوةٌ

كم صبوةٍ عطفتك عنها سلوةٌ

وتقول لستُ أعودُ ثمَّ تعود

وتقول لستُ أعودُ ثمَّ تعود

How many a passion has forgetfulness turned you away from!

How often a saucy glance made you turn away shyly

And you say, 'I shall not return,' then you return.

Only to turn back saying, I will not return, yet you do.

ومهفهف الحركات حلَّ عزائمي

ومهفهف الحركات حلَّ عزائمي

في الصبر بندُ رقبائهِ المعقود

في الصبر بندُ رقبائهِ المعقود

And one with graceful movements—undone were my resolves

With your intoxicating movements you have fettered my resolve

To endure, by his watchers' knotted banner.

To patience, binding fast its links.

كرُّ اللّحاظ يهزُّ لدنَ قوامهِ ال

كرُّ اللّحاظ يهزُّ لدنَ قوامهِ ال

خطّي هزَّ الخوط وهو مجود

خطّي هزَّ الخوط وهو مجود

The charge of glances shakes his supple stature—a

The shining brightness of your cheeks moves gently,

Khatti spear—like a twig shaken when drenched in rain.

Though my lines shake, their maker is resolute.

عجباً له يمضي وليس تناله

عجباً له يمضي وليس تناله

كفَّ امرئٍ ويطيش وهو سديد

كفَّ امرئٍ ويطيش وهو سديد

Marvel at him: he goes forth, though he is not touched

Strange that he should walk on and no hand of man

By any man's hand, and wavers though he is straight.

Obstructs him, though he stumbles straight ahead.

ما كنت أعلم أنَّ هدبَ جفونهِ

ما كنت أعلم أنَّ هدبَ جفونهِ

شركٌ تصاد به الكماةُ الصّيد

شركٌ تصاد به الكماةُ الصّيد

I never knew that his eyelids' fringe

I did not know that the down on his cheek

Was a snare in which proud warriors are caught.

Was a partner that enables the hunters to catch their prey.

شميتْ ظباها فالقلوبُ جريحةٌ

شميتْ ظباها فالقلوبُ جريحةٌ

فعلامَ تدمى أنملٌ وخدود

فعلامَ تدمى أنملٌ وخدود

Their blades were drawn, and hearts lie wounded;

I sensed the gazelle so hearts are wounded,

Why, then, do fingertips and cheeks bleed?

Why then are fingers and cheeks bloodied?

كالفضّة البيضاءِ لكن قلبهُ

كالفضّة البيضاءِ لكن قلبهُ

فظٌ على العشَّاقِ فهو حديد

فظٌ على العشَّاقِ فهو حديد

He is like white silver, but his heart

Like pure white silver, but his heart

Is harsh to lovers—so it is iron.

Is harsh to lovers, it is of iron cast.

أعجبتَ منْ أنْ لا يجود وإنّما

أعجبتَ منْ أنْ لا يجود وإنّما

عجبُ الهوى لو بات وهو يجود

عجبُ الهوى لو بات وهو يجود

Are you amazed that he is ungenerous? Rather,

You are amazed that it is not generous, but then

The marvel in love would be if he spent the night being generous.

The wonder of love is that it spends the night yet gives nothing away.

نشوانُ لدنُ العطفِ لكن عطفهِ

نشوانُ لدنُ العطفِ لكن عطفهِ

قاسٍ فليس يلينه داوود

قاسٍ فليس يلينه داوود

Intoxicated, supple of flank, but his affection

Soft of touch, but his touch is harsh,

Is hard; not even Dawud can soften it.

Unyielding even to David's touch.

وليَ القلوبَ فسار سيرة ظالمٍ

وليَ القلوبَ فسار سيرة ظالمٍ

فيها وخطُّ عذارهِ التقليدُ

فيها وخطُّ عذارهِ التقليدُ

He ruled hearts and followed a tyrant's course

He has made off with hearts, so he acts like an oppressor,

Among them; his line of cheek-down was his writ of appointment.

And in it is the way of the evildoer and the tyrant's law.

ومن السعادة وقد دفعتُ إلى النوى

ومن السعادة وقد دفعتُ إلى النوى

نثرى لآلي الدمع وهي عقود

نثرى لآلي الدمع وهي عقود

And it is good fortune, though I have been driven to separation,

And since happiness pushed me to passion

That I scatter the pearls of tears while they are necklaces.

I strew the tears of my eye on it like pearls.

لم أبك جهلاً بالبكاءِ وإنما

لم أبك جهلاً بالبكاءِ وإنما

خطبُ الفراق كما علمتَ شديد

خطبُ الفراق كما علمتَ شديد

I did not weep out of ignorance of weeping; rather,

I did not weep in ignorance of weeping, but

The ordeal of parting, as you know, is severe.

Farewells, as you know, are hard indeed.

ما هذه يا عمرو أوّل وقفة

ما هذه يا عمرو أوّل وقفة

هان العزيز بها ولان جليد

هان العزيز بها ولان جليد

This, O Amr, is not the first halt

What is this, O Amr, my first stand

Where the mighty man was humbled and a stalwart softened.

Where the dear one is brought low and the coward bold.

أنكرتَ أدمعهُ وليس ببدعةٍ

أنكرتَ أدمعهُ وليس ببدعةٍ

بالماءِ أنْ يتفجّر الجلمود

بالماءِ أنْ يتفجّر الجلمود

You found his tears strange, yet it is nothing new

You denied his tears, but there is no wonder

For hard rock to burst forth with water.

In water bursting forth from solid ice.

ما ذاك إلاّ أنَّ قلبك سالمٌ

ما ذاك إلاّ أنَّ قلبك سالمٌ

من لوعة البرحاءِ وهو عميد

من لوعة البرحاءِ وهو عميد

That is only because your heart is free

That is only because your heart is safe

From searing torment, while he is stricken with love.

From the anguish of separation, and it is strong.

حرانُ يقلق والقلوب سواكنٌ

حرانُ يقلق والقلوب سواكنٌ

وجداً ويسهر والعيون رقود

وجداً ويسهر والعيون رقود

Parched, he frets—while hearts are still—

Haraan is wakeful though hearts are tranquil,

From longing, and stays awake while eyes are asleep.

Love sick and wakeful while eyes sleep.

وبمهجتي الغضبان يمرضِ بالهوى

وبمهجتي الغضبان يمرضِ بالهوى

والهجرُ منهُ وبالخيال يعود

والهجرُ منهُ وبالخيال يعود

And my life's blood for the angry one who sickens me with love;

With my angry soul love brings me sickness,

Estrangement comes from him, yet he visits in phantom form.

And remoteness from it, and in fantasy it returns.

يزهى بما حجب اللثامُ فنورهُ

يزهى بما حجب اللثامُ فنورهُ

كالبدر دان والمنالُ بعيد

كالبدر دان والمنالُ بعيد

He exults in what the face-veil conceals; his radiance

It prides itself on what the veil has hidden, so its light

Is like the full moon: near, yet far beyond reach.

Is like the distant, inaccessible moon.

ومن العجائب أن يدلَّ بغائب

ومن العجائب أن يدلَّ بغائب

وأذلُّ والملك العزيز شهيد

وأذلُّ والملك العزيز شهيد

And it is a wonder that he should take pride in what is unseen,

Wondrous that one who is absent should point the way,

And I am humbled while al-Malik al-Aziz looks on.

And I am abased while the proud king is slain.