ريم زها جماله

ريم زها جماله

وراعني دلاله

وراعني دلاله

A gazelle whose beauty shone,

and whose coquetry awed me.

فالبدر نورا خده

فالبدر نورا خده

والليل فيه خاله

والليل فيه خاله

For his cheek is the full moon in radiance,

and his mole upon it is the night.

وطافه كم قد من

وطافه كم قد من

قلب قسا نصاله

قلب قسا نصاله

And how many have indeed circled him—

hearts whose arrowheads grew hard!

سلطان حسن والقلو

سلطان حسن والقلو

ب كلها عماله

ب كلها عماله

Sovereign of beauty—and the hearts

are all his servants.

منيتي بعاده

منيتي بعاده

ومنيتي وصاله

ومنيتي وصاله

His absence is my death,

and union with him my wish.

اسكرني ولطفه

اسكرني ولطفه

من ريقه جرياله

من ريقه جرياله

By his grace, I was intoxicated

by the wine of his saliva.

الله من جبينه

الله من جبينه

حين بدا هلاله

حين بدا هلاله

God! How wondrous his brow,

when its crescent appeared!

ووجهه اذا انجلى

ووجهه اذا انجلى

صبحا سما جلاله

صبحا سما جلاله

And when his face shone forth

as dawn, its majesty rose high.

وحين ماس قده

وحين ماس قده

مهفهفا عساله

مهفهفا عساله

And when his figure swayed—

his slender, quivering lance!

وما احيلا لفظه

وما احيلا لفظه

كلامه كماله

كلامه كماله

And how sweet his utterance!

His speech is his perfection.

غاب وفي قلبي وعي

غاب وفي قلبي وعي

ني حاضر خياله

ني حاضر خياله

He is absent, yet in my heart and my

eye his image is present.

كم اخفق القلب الشج

كم اخفق القلب الشج

ي دهش خلال

ي دهش خلال

How often the sorrowful heart has fluttered,

bewildered by his qualities!

كم اخفق القلب الشج

كم اخفق القلب الشج

ي دهشا خلخاله

ي دهشا خلخاله

How often the sorrowful heart has fluttered,

in wonder at his anklet!

يا ريم رفقا بالذي

يا ريم رفقا بالذي

عاث به عذاله

عاث به عذاله

O gazelle, be gentle with the one

his reproachers have ravaged.

اليك يا حلو اللمى

اليك يا حلو اللمى

راجعة آماله

راجعة آماله

To you, O sweet, dark-lipped one,

his hopes return.

وبلسان حاله

وبلسان حاله

يشكي اليك حاله

يشكي اليك حاله

And in the language of his state,

he laments his plight to you.

يمشي ومن نحوله

يمشي ومن نحوله

فلا يرى ظلاله

فلا يرى ظلاله

He walks, and so thin is he

that no shadow of him can be seen.

فيك ولوه قلبه

فيك ولوه قلبه

ومستهام باله

ومستهام باله

His heart is distraught with love for you,

and his mind is love-bewildered.

قال العذول والتش

قال العذول والتش

في حاله وقاله

في حاله وقاله

The reproacher spoke, with gloating

in his manner and his words:

انت امروءٌ حب غزا

انت امروءٌ حب غزا

ل لعلع خباله

ل لعلع خباله

You are a man whose love for a gazelle

has made his madness ring out.

قلت نعم اني امروءٌ

قلت نعم اني امروءٌ

تيمه غزاله

تيمه غزاله

I said: Yes, I am a man

whom his gazelle has enslaved.

ريم رعا بمهجتي

ريم رعا بمهجتي

ومدمعي زلاله

ومدمعي زلاله

A gazelle that grazed in my heart’s core,

and my tears are his pure water.

بلوح سري لم يزل

بلوح سري لم يزل

منطبعا تمثاله

منطبعا تمثاله

On the tablet of my inmost soul remains

his likeness, imprinted.

ورب ناصح لغا

ورب ناصح لغا

وعبث مقاله

وعبث مقاله

And many an adviser has spoken idly,

and his words were futile.

يقول ذبت فانتبه

يقول ذبت فانتبه

عقل الفتى عقاله

عقل الفتى عقاله

He says: You have melted away—wake up!

A youth’s reason is his tether.

واطرح غرام ظالم

واطرح غرام ظالم

قاتلة نباله

قاتلة نباله

Cast off your passion for a tyrant

whose arrows are deadly.

فقلت قولا صادقا

فقلت قولا صادقا

يعرفه رجاله

يعرفه رجاله

So I uttered a truthful saying,

recognized by those who know:

روحي له فليحتكم

روحي له فليحتكم

هذا دمي حلاله

هذا دمي حلاله

My soul is his; let him rule.

This is my blood, lawful for him to shed.