رأى بخدّيهِ منبتاً زغباً

رأى بخدّيهِ منبتاً زغباً

فضنَّ عني هناكَ بالعملِ

فضنَّ عني هناكَ بالعملِ

He saw a downy growth upon his cheeks,

He saw the down growing on his cheeks

He saw the sprouting down appear upon his cheeks,

so then he withheld the act from me.

So he turned away from me to work

And so, regarding the deed, he grew stingy toward me.

وقال قد صرتُ يا فتى رجلاً

وقال قد صرتُ يا فتى رجلاً

وذا قبيحٌ أراهُ بالرجُلِ

وذا قبيحٌ أراهُ بالرجُلِ

And he said, “Young man, I have now become a man,

And said, I have become a man, my boy

He said, 'O youth, I have now become a man,

and I deem this unseemly in a man.

And this is ugly that I see in a man

And I deem such acts unseemly for a man to bear.'

قد كان ما كان في صباي فلا

قد كان ما كان في صباي فلا

تعرض لمثلي ولجّ في عذلي

تعرض لمثلي ولجّ في عذلي

What happened in my youth has happened; so do not

What was is what was in my youth, so do not

'What passed in my boyhood days is over now,

make advances to one like me”—and persisted in rebuking me.

Reproach one like me and plunge into blaming me

So do not seek my like, nor persist in your rebuke.'

فقلتُ يا من زها بلحيتهِ

فقلتُ يا من زها بلحيتهِ

الآن واللَهِ طبتَ للعمل

الآن واللَهِ طبتَ للعمل

I said, “You who glory in your beard,

So I said, O you whose cheeks have sprouted hair

I replied, 'O you who take pride in your new-grown beard,

now, by God, you are ripe for the act!

Now, by God, you are ripe for work

Now, by God, you are truly ripe for the work.'

ذا زعفرانٌ والمسكُ تربتهُ

ذا زعفرانٌ والمسكُ تربتهُ

ينبتُ من تحت صدغِكَ الرجَل

ينبتُ من تحت صدغِكَ الرجَل

This is saffron, and musk is its soil;

This is saffron and the place of its growth is the musk

'This hair is saffron, and musk is its fertile soil,

it sprouts from beneath your wavy sidelock.

Under your beard on your cheek

Sprouting beneath your temple in curly waves.'

تراكَ لو قد خضبت من كبَرٍ

تراكَ لو قد خضبت من كبَرٍ

وسحر عينيكَ عنكَ لم يحل

وسحر عينيكَ عنكَ لم يحل

Do you suppose, had you dyed your beard in old age,

If you had dyed from old age

'Do you think, if you were dyed with the grey of age,

and your eyes’ enchantment had not left you,

And magic had removed your eyes from you

Yet the magic of your eyes had not faded away,'

صبرتَ عن عضّ وجنتيكَ وعن

صبرتَ عن عضّ وجنتيكَ وعن

مصّ رضابٍ بفيكَ كالعسلِ

مصّ رضابٍ بفيكَ كالعسلِ

you could bear to forgo the biting of your cheeks and

You would have been patient with the sting of your cheeks and the

'You could resist the biting of your cheeks,

the sucking of the honey-sweet saliva in your mouth?

Sucking of a lip like honey

Or the sucking of nectar from a mouth like honey?'

هيهاتِ هيهاتِ فانثنى حصراً

هيهاتِ هيهاتِ فانثنى حصراً

يقرع أسنانهُ من الخَجَلِ

يقرع أسنانهُ من الخَجَلِ

Never, never!” Then he turned away, tongue-tied,

Alas! Alas! Then he recoiled in embarrassment

'Far from it! Far from it!' He turned away, tongue-tied,

gnashing his teeth in shame.

Knocking his teeth from shame

Grinding his teeth in a fit of bashful shame.

وقمتُ أسعى إليه مبتدراً

وقمتُ أسعى إليه مبتدراً

والقلب من سخطهِ على وجَل

والقلب من سخطهِ على وجَل

And I rose and hurried eagerly toward him,

And I got up hastily to him

I rose and hastened toward him, taking the lead,

my heart fearful of his displeasure,

While my heart was anxious and alarmed

Though my heart was trembling, fearful of his wrath.

حتى اعتنقنا على الفراش وقد

حتى اعتنقنا على الفراش وقد

غاصَ صقري الجموحُ في الكفل

غاصَ صقري الجموحُ في الكفل

until we embraced upon the bed, and already

Until we embraced on the mattress and my

Until we embraced upon the bed, and there

my unruly falcon had plunged into his rump.

Ardent falcon plunged into the armpit

My unruly hawk plunged deep into the rump.