ووردand the rose بُسْتانِgarden of قحابيةQahabiyya
وورد بُسْتانِ قحابية
رَتَّبَهُarranged it الحسنbeauty بِنَوْعَيْنِin two forms
رَتَّبَهُ الحسن بِنَوْعَيْنِ
And a rose from a courtesan’s garden—
And the rose of Qahabiyya’s garden—
Beauty arrayed her in two forms:
beauty fashioned it in two forms:
ظَاهِرُهاits exterior مِنْof قَشْرِrind يَاقوتَةٍa ruby
ظَاهِرُها مِنْ قَشْرِ يَاقوتَةٍ
بَاطِنُهاits interior مِنْof ذَهَبٍgold عَيْنِpure
بَاطِنُها مِنْ ذَهَبٍ عَيْنِ
her outer face fashioned from a ruby’s rind,
its outside is a ruby’s rind,
her heart of pure gold.
its inside is pure gold.
قَبَّلْتُهاI kissed it حُبّاًout of love لهاfor it إِذsince بِهاwith it
قَبَّلْتُها حُبّاً لها إِذ بِها
حَيّانِيَgreeted me البدْرُthe full moon علىbefore عَيْنِan eye; sight
حَيّانِيَ البدْرُ على عَيْنِ
I kissed her for love of her, for through her
I kissed it out of love for it, since with it
the full moon greeted me before my very eyes—
the full moon greeted me before my eyes.
كأَنَّهاas though it were خَدّيmy cheek عَلىupon خَدِّهِhis cheek
كأَنَّها خَدّي عَلى خَدِّهِ
يَوْمَthe day اجْتَمَعْناwe met غَدْوَةَthe morning of البَيْنِparting
يَوْمَ اجْتَمَعْنا غَدْوَةَ البَيْنِ
as though she were my cheek against his cheek
As though it were my cheek upon his cheek
the day we met, at the dawn of parting.
on the day we met, the morning of parting.
