يا نَظرَةً ساقَت إِلى ناظِرٍ

يا نَظرَةً ساقَت إِلى ناظِرٍ

أَسبابَ ما تَدعو إِلى حَتفِهِ

أَسبابَ ما تَدعو إِلى حَتفِهِ

O glance that brought to a beholder

O glance that led a beholder

O glance that drove the beholder

the causes of what leads to his death,

To the causes of his demise

To the very causes of his own destruction,

مِن حُبِّ ظَبيٍ حَسَنٍ دَلُّهُ

مِن حُبِّ ظَبيٍ حَسَنٍ دَلُّهُ

يُقَصِّرُ الواصِفُ عَن وَصفِهِ

يُقَصِّرُ الواصِفُ عَن وَصفِهِ

through love of a gazelle whose coy charm is lovely—

From love of a fair gazelle whose charm

For the love of a gazelle, beautiful in his coquetry,

the describer falls short of describing him.

Eludes the describer’s enterprise

Whose description exceeds the power of the describer,

في البَدرِ مِن صَفحَتِهِ لَمحَةٌ

في البَدرِ مِن صَفحَتِهِ لَمحَةٌ

وَلَمحَةٌ في الظَبيِ مِن طَرفِهِ

وَلَمحَةٌ في الظَبيِ مِن طَرفِهِ

In the full moon is a glimpse of his cheek,

The moon’s orb glimpsed in his cheek

In the full moon, there is but a glimpse of his cheek,

and in the gazelle a glimpse of his gaze.

A glimpse in the gazelle’s eye

And in the wild gazelle, but a trace of his eye,

إِذا مَشى جاذَبَهُ رِدفُهُ

إِذا مَشى جاذَبَهُ رِدفُهُ

كَأَنَّما يَمشي إِلى خَلفِهِ

كَأَنَّما يَمشي إِلى خَلفِهِ

When he walks, his haunches tug at him,

When he walks, pulled by his rump

When he walks, the weight of his hips tugs at him,

as though he were walking backward.

As if walking backwards awry

As though he were walking backwards,

مَواقِعُ الأَنفاسِ في ثَغرِهِ

مَواقِعُ الأَنفاسِ في ثَغرِهِ

وَفي ثَناياهُ وَفي كَفِّهِ

وَفي ثَناياهُ وَفي كَفِّهِ

The resting places of breaths are in his mouth,

Where breaths alight on his mouth

The resting places of sweet breaths lie in his mouth,

and in his front teeth, and in his palm.

And in his curves and palm—descry!

And within his front teeth, and in his palm,

اِبنُ ثَمانٍ بَعدَها أَربَعٌ

اِبنُ ثَمانٍ بَعدَها أَربَعٌ

طِفلٌ وَكَهلُ السِنِّ في ظُرفِهِ

طِفلٌ وَكَهلُ السِنِّ في ظُرفِهِ

A boy of eight years, with four more added—

A son of eight, and four more years:

A son of eight years, followed by four,

a child, yet in his wit a man of mature years.

A boy yet ripe in his prime

A child, yet possessing a mature man's wit in his charm.