وَبِالقَلبِand in the heart ريمٌa gazelle لاnot يَريمُdeparts وِدادُهُlove for him
وَبِالقَلبِ ريمٌ لا يَريمُ وِدادُهُ
وَلَوand even if أَنَّهُthat he ماas long as عِشتُI live يَجفوhe shuns وَيَهجُرُand he forsakes
وَلَو أَنَّهُ ما عِشتُ يَجفو وَيَهجُرُ
And in my heart is a gazelle; my love for him never departs,
Even if he shuns and forsakes me as long as I live.
مِنfrom among التُركِthe Turks إِنif قابَلتَyou face فَالبَدرُthen the full moon طالِعٌrising
مِن التُركِ إِن قابَلتَ فَالبَدرُ طالِعٌ
لِنِصفٍat mid-month وَإِنand if قاتَلتَyou fight فَاللَيثُthen the lion مخدَرُin its lair
لِنِصفٍ وَإِن قاتَلتَ فَاللَيثُ مخدَرُ
He is of the Turks: if you face him, the full moon is rising
At mid-month; and if you fight him, he is the lion in its lair.
تناسَبَwas well-proportioned مِنهُin him الخَلقُthe bodily form أَمّاas for قِوامُهُhis stature
تناسَبَ مِنهُ الخَلقُ أَمّا قِوامُهُ
فَغُصنٌthen a bough وَلَكنand yet بِالأَهِلَّةِwith crescent moons يُثمِرُbears fruit
فَغُصنٌ وَلَكن بِالأَهِلَّةِ يُثمِرُ
His form is well-proportioned; as for his stature,
It is a bough, yet it bears crescent moons as fruit.
وَيُشرِعُand he levels ليat me مِنfrom قَدِّهِhis figure سَمهَرِيَّةًa straight, sturdy spear
وَيُشرِعُ لي مِن قَدِّهِ سَمهَرِيَّةً
وَلَكنand yet سِنانُthe point السَمهَرِيَّةِof the sturdy spear أَحوَرُdark-eyed, with bright whites
وَلَكن سِنانُ السَمهَرِيَّةِ أَحوَرُ
And from his figure he levels a straight, sturdy spear at me,
Yet that spear’s point is dark-eyed.