أَلا دارِها بِالماءِ حَتّى تُلينَها

أَلا دارِها بِالماءِ حَتّى تُلينَها

فَلَن تُكرِمَ الصَهباءَ حَتّى تَهينَها

فَلَن تُكرِمَ الصَهباءَ حَتّى تَهينَها

Come, temper her with water until you soften her.

Soften her with water lest her dryness resists you,

Mix her with water, temper her spirit until she softens,

For you will not honor tawny wine until you humble her.

And honor not the blonde till you humiliate her.

For you do not honor the vintage until you demean her.

أُغالي بِها حَتّى إِذا ما مَلَكتُها

أُغالي بِها حَتّى إِذا ما مَلَكتُها

أَهَنتُ لِإِكرامِ الخَليلِ مَصونَها

أَهَنتُ لِإِكرامِ الخَليلِ مَصونَها

I pay dearly for her until she is mine;

I insist on her till I possess and master her,

I pay a fortune to win her, yet once I possess her,

I dishonor her guarded treasure to honor my friend.

Then I humble myself to please my intimate friend.

I squander her guarded treasure to honor a friend.

وَصَفراءَ قَبلَ المَزجِ بَيضاءَ بَعدَهُ

وَصَفراءَ قَبلَ المَزجِ بَيضاءَ بَعدَهُ

كَأَنَّ شُعاعَ الشَمسِ يَلقاكَ دونَها

كَأَنَّ شُعاعَ الشَمسِ يَلقاكَ دونَها

And a wine yellow before mixing, white afterward,

Yellow before blending, white after it,

Golden before the mingling, turning pale light thereafter,

As though the sun's radiance meets you before you reach her.

As if the sun's rays meet you because of her.

As though the sun's own rays confront you from within.

تَرى العَينَ تَستَعفيكَ مِن لَمَعانِها

تَرى العَينَ تَستَعفيكَ مِن لَمَعانِها

وَتَحسِرُ حَتّى ما تُقِلَّ جُفونَها

وَتَحسِرُ حَتّى ما تُقِلَّ جُفونَها

You see the eye beg you for relief from her brilliance,

The eye begs you to spare it from her radiance,

The eye pleads for mercy from her piercing brilliance,

And it grows weary until it cannot lift its lids.

And blinks repeatedly till the eyelids can scarcely open.

And shrinks away, too weary to lift its lids.

تَروغُ بِنَفسِ المَرءِ عَمّا يَسوءُهُ

تَروغُ بِنَفسِ المَرءِ عَمّا يَسوءُهُ

وَتَجدُلُهُ أَلّا يَزالَ قَرينَها

وَتَجدُلُهُ أَلّا يَزالَ قَرينَها

She turns a man's soul away from what troubles him,

She captivates a man's soul from what harms him,

She beguiles a man's soul away from his sorrows,

And lays him low, so that he never ceases to be her companion.

And makes him her constant companion.

And binds him fast to remain her eternal mate.

كَأَنَّ يَواقيتاً عَواكِفَ حَولَها

كَأَنَّ يَواقيتاً عَواكِفَ حَولَها

وَزُرقَ سَنانيرٍ تُديرُ عُيونَها

وَزُرقَ سَنانيرٍ تُديرُ عُيونَها

As though rubies were clustered around her,

As if rubies surround her watchfully,

As if encrusted rubies were clinging around her,

And blue-eyed cats were turning their eyes.

And sapphires revolve their eyes around her.

And blue-eyed cats were rolling their gleaming gaze.

وَشَمطاءَ حَلَّ الدَهرُ عَنها بِنَجوَةٍ

وَشَمطاءَ حَلَّ الدَهرُ عَنها بِنَجوَةٍ

دَلَفتُ إِلَيها فَاستَلَلتُ جَنينَها

دَلَفتُ إِلَيها فَاستَلَلتُ جَنينَها

And a gray-haired one, with Time dwelling far from her,

And a brunette whom fate has stripped of her veil,

And a gray-haired matron whom Time has left in solitude—

I advanced slowly toward her, then drew out her unborn child.

I drew near and probed her embryo.

I crept unto her and drew forth her unborn child.

كَأَنّا حُلولٌ بَينَ أَكنافِ رَوضَةٍ

كَأَنّا حُلولٌ بَينَ أَكنافِ رَوضَةٍ

إِذا ما سَلَبناها مَعَ اللَيلِ طينَها

إِذا ما سَلَبناها مَعَ اللَيلِ طينَها

As though we were guests within a garden's bounds,

As if we are secluded in the bosom of a garden,

It seemed we dwelt amidst the folds of a garden,

When, by night, we strip her of her clay.

When we steal her at night along with her clay.

When, with the night, we stripped away her clay.