سَقى اللَهُ ظَبياً مُبدِيَ الغُنجِ في الخَطرِ

سَقى اللَهُ ظَبياً مُبدِيَ الغُنجِ في الخَطرِ

يَميسُ كَغِصنِ البانِ مِن رِقَّةِ الخَصرِ

يَميسُ كَغِصنِ البانِ مِن رِقَّةِ الخَصرِ

May God bless with rain a gazelle whose swaying gait reveals his coquetry.

Allah watered a gazelle, bending its neck in peril,

May God water a gazelle who displays such coyness in his strut,

He sways like a ban-tree branch, so slender is his waist.

Swaying like a frail branch, so delicate of waist.

Swaying like a willow branch, so slender at the waist.

بِعَينَيهِ سِحرٌ ظاهِرٌ في جُفونِهِ

بِعَينَيهِ سِحرٌ ظاهِرٌ في جُفونِهِ

وَفي نَشرِهِ طيبٌ كَفائِحَةِ العِطرِ

وَفي نَشرِهِ طيبٌ كَفائِحَةِ العِطرِ

His eyes hold magic, manifest in his eyelids.

In its eyes is evident magic, on its eyelids,

Within his eyes a potent magic dwells upon the lids,

And his scent is fragrant, like the waft of perfume.

And in its gaze, a fragrance like the first scent of musk.

And in his presence, a fragrance lingers like the spread of perfume.

هُوَ البَدرُ إِلّا أَنَّ فيهِ مَلاحَةً

هُوَ البَدرُ إِلّا أَنَّ فيهِ مَلاحَةً

بِتَفتيرِ لَحظٍ لَيسَ لِلشَمسِ وَالبَدرِ

بِتَفتيرِ لَحظٍ لَيسَ لِلشَمسِ وَالبَدرِ

He is the full moon, yet he has a loveliness

It is the full moon, except it has a coquettish glance

He is the full moon, yet he holds a captivating charm,

In his languid glance that neither sun nor full moon possesses.

With the winking of an eye that belongs neither to sun nor moon.

With a languid glance denied to both the sun and shining moon.

وَيَضحَكُ عَن ثَغرٍ مَليحٍ كَأَنَّهُ

وَيَضحَكُ عَن ثَغرٍ مَليحٍ كَأَنَّهُ

حُبابُ عُقارٍ أَو نَقِيٌّ مِنَ الدُرِّ

حُبابُ عُقارٍ أَو نَقِيٌّ مِنَ الدُرِّ

And he smiles, revealing a lovely mouth, as though it were

And it laughs from a pretty mouth as though it were

He smiles to show a mouth so lovely, gleaming bright as if

The bubbles of wine, or pure pearls.

Bubbles of wine or pearls of pure white.

It held the bubbles of old wine or pearls of purest white.

جَفاني بِلا جُرمٍ إِلَيهِ اجتَرَمتُهُ

جَفاني بِلا جُرمٍ إِلَيهِ اجتَرَمتُهُ

وَخَلَّفَني نِضواً خَلِيّاً مِنَ الصَبرِ

وَخَلَّفَني نِضواً خَلِيّاً مِنَ الصَبرِ

He spurned me, though I had committed no offense against him,

Without cause it was harsh to me, though I adored it,

He shunned me for no crime that I committed against him,

And left me wasted, bereft of patience.

And left me with no patience, empty of all endurance.

And left me worn and wasted, completely void of patience now.

وَلَو باتَ وَالهُجرانُ يَصدُعُ قَلبَهُ

وَلَو باتَ وَالهُجرانُ يَصدُعُ قَلبَهُ

لَجادَ بِوَصلٍ دائِمٍ آخَرَ الدَهرِ

لَجادَ بِوَصلٍ دائِمٍ آخَرَ الدَهرِ

And had he spent a night with estrangement cleaving his heart,

Had he spent the night with separation cleaving his heart,

If he but spent a night with separation cleaving through his heart,

He would have bestowed lasting union to the end of time,

He would be kind again with lasting union till the end of time,

He would bestow a lasting union until the end of time,

مَخافَةَ أَن يُبلى بِهَجرٍ وَفُرقَةٍ

مَخافَةَ أَن يُبلى بِهَجرٍ وَفُرقَةٍ

فَيَلقى مِنَ الهِجرانِ جَمراً عَلى جَمرِ

فَيَلقى مِنَ الهِجرانِ جَمراً عَلى جَمرِ

For fear of being afflicted with abandonment and parting,

Fearing that estrangement and parting would wear him out

For fear that he might suffer from such distance and such loss,

And meeting, through estrangement, ember upon ember.

So he would suffer ember upon ember from separation.

And face the burning coals of absence piled on burning coals.

سَقى اللَهُ أَيّاماً وَلا هَجرَ بَينَنا

سَقى اللَهُ أَيّاماً وَلا هَجرَ بَينَنا

وَعودُ الصِبا يَهتَزُّ بِالوَرَقِ النَضرِ

وَعودُ الصِبا يَهتَزُّ بِالوَرَقِ النَضرِ

May God bless with rain the days when no estrangement lay between us,

Allah watered days when there was no estrangement between us,

May God rain blessings on those days when no estrangement stood between us,

And youth's bough swayed with fresh leaves.

And the willow branch sways with green, tender leaves.

When the branch of youth was shaking with its verdant, fresh green leaves.

يُباكِرُنا النَوروزُ في غَلَسِ الدُجى

يُباكِرُنا النَوروزُ في غَلَسِ الدُجى

بِنَورٍ عَلى الأَغصانِ كَالأَنجُمِ الزُهرِ

بِنَورٍ عَلى الأَغصانِ كَالأَنجُمِ الزُهرِ

Nowruz came to us early, in the predawn darkness,

Nawruz greets us in the darkness of the gloaming

When Nowruz came to greet us early in the darkness of the dawn,

With blossoms on the branches like shining stars.

With light upon the branches like glistening stars.

With blossoms on the branches shining like the radiant stars.

يَلوحُ كَأَعلامِ المَطارِفِ وَشيُهُ

يَلوحُ كَأَعلامِ المَطارِفِ وَشيُهُ

مِنَ الصِفرِ فَوقَ البيضِ وَالخُضرِ وَالحُمرِ

مِنَ الصِفرِ فَوقَ البيضِ وَالخُضرِ وَالحُمرِ

Its embroidery gleamed like the border-stripes of cloaks,

It appears like waving flags, its apple

Its embroidery appears just like the patterns on fine cloaks,

Of yellow over white, green, and red.

Yellow, white, green, red, on the bough.

With yellow woven over white, and green, and vibrant red.

إِذا قابَلَتهُ الريحُ أَوما بِرَأسِهِ

إِذا قابَلَتهُ الريحُ أَوما بِرَأسِهِ

إِلى الشَربِ أَن سُرّوا وَمالَ إِلى السُكرِ

إِلى الشَربِ أَن سُرّوا وَمالَ إِلى السُكرِ

When the wind met it, it nodded its head

Whenever the wind meets it, it bows its head to the drinking

And when the wind confronts the branch, it nods its head to say:

Toward the drinkers, saying, “Rejoice!”—and inclined toward drunkenness.

As though intoxicated, inclining toward sweetness.

"Be joyful!" to the drinkers, as it leans in drunken sway.

وَمَسمَعَةٍ جاءَت بِأَخرَسَ ناطِقٍ

وَمَسمَعَةٍ جاءَت بِأَخرَسَ ناطِقٍ

بِغَيرِ لِسانٍ ظَلَّ يَنطُقُ بِالسِحرِ

بِغَيرِ لِسانٍ ظَلَّ يَنطُقُ بِالسِحرِ

And a songstress came with a speaking mute,

It came with a mute speaker, one who listens,

And a songstress came bearing a mute thing that yet speaks,

Which, tongueless, kept speaking enchantment,

Who, without a tongue, continues to speak sorcery.

Without a tongue, it continues to pronounce its magic spells.

لِتُبدِيَ سِرَّ العاشِقينَ بِصَوتِهِ

لِتُبدِيَ سِرَّ العاشِقينَ بِصَوتِهِ

كَما تَنطِقُ الأَقلامُ تَجهُرُ بِالسِرِّ

كَما تَنطِقُ الأَقلامُ تَجهُرُ بِالسِرِّ

That she might reveal the lovers' secret through its voice,

To reveal the secret of lovers in his voice

To reveal the hidden secrets of the lovers with its voice,

As pens speak, declaring the secret aloud.

As pens speak, loudly proclaiming a secret.

Just as the pens speak out, declaring secrets on the page.

تَرى فَخِذَ الأَلواحِ فيها كَأَنَّها

تَرى فَخِذَ الأَلواحِ فيها كَأَنَّها

إِلى قَدَمٍ نيطَت تَضُجُّ إِلى الزَمرِ

إِلى قَدَمٍ نيطَت تَضُجُّ إِلى الزَمرِ

You see in it a thigh of planks, as though it were

You’d think its thighs were tablets which

You see its wooden thigh, appearing there as though

Fastened to a foot, clamoring to the piping.

Are tied to a leg, clamoring with buzzing.

Attached unto a foot, crying out to join the tune.

أَصابِعُها مَخضوبَةٌ وَهيَ خَمسَةٌ

أَصابِعُها مَخضوبَةٌ وَهيَ خَمسَةٌ

تَخَتَّمنَ بِالأَوتارِ في العُسرِ وَاليُسرِ

تَخَتَّمنَ بِالأَوتارِ في العُسرِ وَاليُسرِ

Her fingers are dyed, all five of them,

Its fingers are dyed, five of them,

Her fingers, dyed with henna, number five upon the strings,

Ringed with strings in hardship and ease.

Sealed by strings in good times and bad.

Wearing the chords like rings through hardships and through ease.

إِذا لَحِقَت يَوماً لُوي إِصبَعٍ لَها

إِذا لَحِقَت يَوماً لُوي إِصبَعٍ لَها

فَتَحكي أَنينَ الصَبِّ مِن حُرقَةِ الهَجرِ

فَتَحكي أَنينَ الصَبِّ مِن حُرقَةِ الهَجرِ

When one day it follows the bend of a finger of hers,

If, one day, the finger of a lutenist joins them,

And if the twisting of her finger touches on a note,

It echoes the lovesick man's moan from the burning pain of abandonment.

It tells the lament of passion from the burning of separation.

It mimics the lover's moan from the burning sting of loss.

تَقولُ وَقَد دَبَّت عُقارٌ كَأَنَّها

تَقولُ وَقَد دَبَّت عُقارٌ كَأَنَّها

دَمٌ وَدُموعٌ فَوقَ خَدٍّ إِذا تَجري

دَمٌ وَدُموعٌ فَوقَ خَدٍّ إِذا تَجري

She says, while wine has crept through us, as though it were

It says, as if spilling blood and tears atop a cheek when they flow,

She sings, while the vintage wine creeps slowly through the veins,

Blood and tears as they run across a cheek:

“Greetings to one I mention whose secret I guard from spies.

Like blood and tears flowing down a cheek in streams.

سَلامٌ عَلى شَخصٍ إِذا ما ذَكَرتُهُ

سَلامٌ عَلى شَخصٍ إِذا ما ذَكَرتُهُ

حَذِرتُ مِنَ الواشينَ أَن يَهتِكوا سِرّي

حَذِرتُ مِنَ الواشينَ أَن يَهتِكوا سِرّي

“Peace upon one whom, whenever I mention him,

Some revel in joy and delight while others suffer;

Peace be upon a person whom, whenever I recall,

I fear the tale-bearers may lay my secret bare.”

Some revel in wine while others ache in prison.

I fear the slanderers will come to tear away my secret veil.

فَبَعضُ النَدامى في سُرورٍ وَغِبطَةٍ

فَبَعضُ النَدامى في سُرورٍ وَغِبطَةٍ

وَبَعضُ النَدامى لِلمُدامَةِ في أَسرِ

وَبَعضُ النَدامى لِلمُدامَةِ في أَسرِ

So some drinking companions are in joy and bliss,

Some weep for others until their tears flow

So some companions sit in joy and utter bliss,

And some drinking companions are held captive by wine.

Down their cheeks like pearls spilling into the breast.”

While others are held captive by the power of the wine.

وَبَعضٌ بَكى بَعضاً فَفاضَت دُموعُهُ

وَبَعضٌ بَكى بَعضاً فَفاضَت دُموعُهُ

عَلى الخَدِّ كَالمَرجانِ سالَ إِلى النَحرِ

عَلى الخَدِّ كَالمَرجانِ سالَ إِلى النَحرِ

And one wept for another, and his tears overflowed

I helped them, knowing what love begets

And some wept for each other, till their tears began to flood,

Over his cheek, like coral flowing down to his breast.

And that the madness of love burns for the free.

Like coral rolling down the cheek onto the chest.

فَساعَدتُهُم عِلماً بِما يورِثُ الهَوى

فَساعَدتُهُم عِلماً بِما يورِثُ الهَوى

وَأَنَّ جُنونَ الحُبِّ يولَعُ بِالحُرِّ

وَأَنَّ جُنونَ الحُبِّ يولَعُ بِالحُرِّ

So I joined them, knowing what passion brings,

Allah watered days now gone yet still green.

I joined them in their state, knowing what passion brings,

And that love's madness is enamored of the freeborn.

Oh, would that they’d return and last until the resurrection!

And how the madness of deep love ignites the noble heart.

فَسَقياً لِأَيّامٍ مَضَت وَهيَ غَضَّةٌ

فَسَقياً لِأَيّامٍ مَضَت وَهيَ غَضَّةٌ

أَلا لَيتَها عادَت وَدامَت إِلى الحَشرِ

أَلا لَيتَها عادَت وَدامَت إِلى الحَشرِ

So may rain bless the days that passed in their freshness;

So blessings on those days that passed when life was fresh and green,

Ah, would that they returned and lasted until the Gathering!

Oh, would that they returned and lasted till the end of time.