وُعِدتُ عَصيدَةً شَقراءَ تَحكي

وُعِدتُ عَصيدَةً شَقراءَ تَحكي

طِرارَ الصُبحِ في ثَوبِ الظَلامِ

طِرارَ الصُبحِ في ثَوبِ الظَلامِ

I was promised golden porridge resembling

I was promised a golden porridge that tells

The fringes of dawn in the robe of darkness.

Of dawn's fragrance in the garb of darkness

تَراها حينَ تَبرُزُ في ظَلامٍ

تَراها حينَ تَبرُزُ في ظَلامٍ

كَعُرفِ الطَرفِ في زَمَنٍ قِتامِ

كَعُرفِ الطَرفِ في زَمَنٍ قِتامِ

You see it, when it appears in darkness,

You see it when it emerges in the dark

Like a steed's mane in a dust-dark hour;

Like the eyelid's edge in a gloomy time

كَذي دَلٍّ عَلَيهِ مُعَصفَراتٌ

كَذي دَلٍّ عَلَيهِ مُعَصفَراتٌ

يُدِلُّ عَلى المَشوقِ المُستَهامِ

يُدِلُّ عَلى المَشوقِ المُستَهامِ

Like a coy beloved wearing safflower-dyed robes,

Like a guide dressed in yellow

Who plays coy with the yearning, love-besotted lover.

Guiding towards the yearned destination

فَلَمّا أَن صَبا قَلبي إِلَيها

فَلَمّا أَن صَبا قَلبي إِلَيها

وَمُدَّت نَحوَها عَينُ اِهتِمامي

وَمُدَّت نَحوَها عَينُ اِهتِمامي

So when my heart yearned for it,

So when my heart inclined towards it

And the eye of my attention reached toward it,

And my eye of interest extended to it

تَقاصَرَ دونَها كَفّايَ حَتّى

تَقاصَرَ دونَها كَفّايَ حَتّى

كَأَنَّ الدِبسَ عُلِّقَ بِالغَمامِ

كَأَنَّ الدِبسَ عُلِّقَ بِالغَمامِ

My hands fell so far short of it that

My capacities fell short of reaching it

The syrup seemed suspended in the clouds.

As if the honey got stuck to the clouds

فَدونَ السَمنِ أَطرافُ العَوالي

فَدونَ السَمنِ أَطرافُ العَوالي

وَدونَ النارِ بادِرَةُ الحُسامِ

وَدونَ النارِ بادِرَةُ الحُسامِ

For tall spearpoints bar the way to the ghee,

So beyond ghee are the hilltops

And the sword's edge bars the way to the fire.

And beyond fire is the sword's edge

أَتِلكَ عَصيدَةٌ أَم طَيفُ سَلمى

أَتِلكَ عَصيدَةٌ أَم طَيفُ سَلمى

فَلَيسَ يَزورُ إِلّا في المَنامِ

فَلَيسَ يَزورُ إِلّا في المَنامِ

Is that porridge, or Salma's phantom?

Is that a porridge or Salma's apparition?

For it visits only in dreams.

It only visits in the dream