لَم أَنسَ لَيلَةَ رُعتُ سِربَكَ زائِراً

لَم أَنسَ لَيلَةَ رُعتُ سِربَكَ زائِراً

فَكَأَنَّما رَوَّعتُ فيها جُؤذُرا

فَكَأَنَّما رَوَّعتُ فيها جُؤذُرا

I have not forgotten the night I startled your herd as a visitor,

I shall not forget the night I visited your flock

as though I had frightened an oryx calf that night.

As though I had startled a partridge-covey there.

فَأَقَمتُ عِطفاً أَزوَراً وَجَلَوتَ وَجهاً

فَأَقَمتُ عِطفاً أَزوَراً وَجَلَوتَ وَجهاً

أَزهَراً وَأَدَرتَ طَرفاً أَحوَرا

أَزهَراً وَأَدَرتَ طَرفاً أَحوَرا

So I set an averted flank upright, and you unveiled a face,

I stood leaning, visiting, a flowering branch,

radiant, and you turned an eye of bright white and deep black.

Your face blossoming, your glance askance.

وَضَفا رِداءٌ مِن شَبابِكَ أَبيَضٌ

وَضَفا رِداءٌ مِن شَبابِكَ أَبيَضٌ

وَلَرُبَّما اِعتَرَضَ الحَياءُ فَعَصفَرا

وَلَرُبَّما اِعتَرَضَ الحَياءُ فَعَصفَرا

And a white mantle of your youth flowed amply,

A robe of your youth's down clad you white;

and often bashfulness intervened, dyeing it with safflower.

Now and then modesty's wind whipped up pink.

وَبدا هِلالٌ في نِقابِكِ طالِعٌ

وَبدا هِلالٌ في نِقابِكِ طالِعٌ

وَلَرُبَّما اِنحَدَرَ النِقابُ فَأَقمَرا

وَلَرُبَّما اِنحَدَرَ النِقابُ فَأَقمَرا

And a rising crescent appeared within your face veil,

A crescent gleamed from your veil's horizon

and often the veil slipped down, and it became a full moon.

As down your veil drifted moonlight pure.

وَجَنَيتُ رَوضاً في قِناعِكَ أَزهَرا

وَجَنَيتُ رَوضاً في قِناعِكَ أَزهَرا

وَقَضيبَ بانٍ في وِشاحِكَ أَثمَرا

وَقَضيبَ بانٍ في وِشاحِكَ أَثمَرا

And I plucked a garden that blossomed within your veil,

From behind your veil I plucked a garden blooming,

and a bān-tree bough that bore fruit within your sash.

A fruiting branch from your mantle, clustering.

ثُمَّ اِنثَنَيتُ وَقَد لَبِستُ مُصَندَلاً

ثُمَّ اِنثَنَيتُ وَقَد لَبِستُ مُصَندَلاً

وَطَوَيتُ مِن خِلَعِ الظَلامِ مُعَنبَرا

وَطَوَيتُ مِن خِلَعِ الظَلامِ مُعَنبَرا

Then I turned back, having donned a sandalwood-dyed robe,

Then I stooped, wearing clogs, enveloped

and folded away an ambergris-scented one from darkness's robes of honor.

In the cloak of darkness, a-muffling.

وَالصُبحُ مَحطوطُ النِقابِ قَدِ اِحتَبى

وَالصُبحُ مَحطوطُ النِقابِ قَدِ اِحتَبى

في شَملَةٍ وَرسِيَّةٍ فَتَأَزَّرا

في شَملَةٍ وَرسِيَّةٍ فَتَأَزَّرا

And dawn, its veil lowered, had wrapped its drawn-up knees

Dawn of the trailing veil, swathed, lay unsleeping,

in a cloak dyed yellow with wars, then girded itself.

Embraced in a gown and mantle, self-shrouding.