تركت التغزُّل من أول

تركت التغزُّل من أول

وصيرته بعد مدح مرادِي

وصيرته بعد مدح مرادِي

I left love poetry out of the opening,

I abandoned flirtation from the start

and made it my aim after praise.

And made praising my beloved my pursuit

وقالت ليَ العين ذاك الطعام

وقالت ليَ العين ذاك الطعام

ما كان أبهجه في سوادي

ما كان أبهجه في سوادي

And the eye said to me, 'That food—

And my eyes told me that food

how delightful it was in my dark pupil!'

Was not as delightful during my gloom

أيامن أياديهِ مشهورةٌ

أيامن أياديهِ مشهورةٌ

لدى كلّ وادٍ وفي كلِّ ناد

لدى كلّ وادٍ وفي كلِّ ناد

O you whose favors are renowned

His generous hands are well-known

in every valley and in every gathering,

To every valley and in every club

وما سرق القول فيه الثنا

وما سرق القول فيه الثنا

فحاشاه من قطع تلكَ الأيادِي

فحاشاه من قطع تلكَ الأيادِي

nor has the verse about him stolen praise;

And praise did not falsely speak of him

so far be it from him to cut off those hands.

So shame on those who would cut off those hands

أذكِّر مولايَ ما قلتُ في

أذكِّر مولايَ ما قلتُ في

مقاطيع شعرٍ تجوب البوادِي

مقاطيع شعرٍ تجوب البوادِي

I remind my lord of what I said in

I remind my master what I said in

short pieces of verse that roam the deserts:

Pieces of poetry that roamed the deserts

عهدت فؤادِي ملآن من

عهدت فؤادِي ملآن من

شجونٍ ولا موضعٌ لازْدِياد

شجونٍ ولا موضعٌ لازْدِياد

I knew my heart to be full of

I pledged my heart full

sorrows, with no room for more,

Of sorrows with no room for increase

إلى أن تعشّقت حلو الكنافا

إلى أن تعشّقت حلو الكنافا

ت للحلو زاويةً في فؤادِي

ت للحلو زاويةً في فؤادِي

until I fell in love with sweet kunafa pastries—

Until I fell for the sweet kunafa

for sweetness, there was a corner in my heart.

The sweet found a corner in my heart