قَلبٌ بِوادي الحِمى خَلَّفتِهِ رَمِقاً

قَلبٌ بِوادي الحِمى خَلَّفتِهِ رَمِقاً

ماذا صَنَعتِ بِهِ يا ظَبيَةَ البانِ

ماذا صَنَعتِ بِهِ يا ظَبيَةَ البانِ

A heart in the sanctuary's valley—you left it barely alive.

A heart I left in the valley of love, barely alive,

What have you done to it, O gazelle of the bān trees?

What have you done to it, O gazelle of the dunes?

أَحنى عَلَيكِ مِنَ الكُثبانِ فَاِتَّخِذي

أَحنى عَلَيكِ مِنَ الكُثبانِ فَاِتَّخِذي

عَلَيهِ مَرعاكِ مِن قاعٍ وَكُثبانِ

عَلَيهِ مَرعاكِ مِن قاعٍ وَكُثبانِ

It is gentler toward you than the dunes, so make

It bent over you more than the sand dunes, so make

Your pasture upon it, of flat ground and dunes.

Your pasture on it, in hollow and dune.

غَرَّبتِهِ فَوَهى جَنبي لِفُرقَتِهِ

غَرَّبتِهِ فَوَهى جَنبي لِفُرقَتِهِ

وَحَنَّ لِلنازِحِ المَأسورِ جُثماني

وَحَنَّ لِلنازِحِ المَأسورِ جُثماني

You banished it, and my side grew weak from parting with it.

You made it a stranger, so my side grew weak with its loss,

And my body yearned for the captive far away.

And my body yearned for the captive driven away.

لا رَدَّهُ اللَهُ مِن أَسرٍ وَمِن خَبَلٍ

لا رَدَّهُ اللَهُ مِن أَسرٍ وَمِن خَبَلٍ

إِن كانَ في رَدِّهِ صَحوي وَسُلواني

إِن كانَ في رَدِّهِ صَحوي وَسُلواني

May God not bring it back from captivity and madness,

May God not return it from captivity and madness

If its return would bring me sobriety and solace.

If in its return are not my sanity and delight.

دَلَّهتِهِ بِعَزيزٍ في مَحاجِرِهِ

دَلَّهتِهِ بِعَزيزٍ في مَحاجِرِهِ

ماضٍ لَهُ مِن مُبينِ السِحرِ جَفنانِ

ماضٍ لَهُ مِن مُبينِ السِحرِ جَفنانِ

You maddened it with a mighty gaze within its sockets,

You seduced it with a proud one in his castles,

Piercing, with two eyelids of manifest magic.

A sorcerer whose eyelids poured magic.

رَمى فَضَجَّت عَلى قَلبي جَوانِحُهُ

رَمى فَضَجَّت عَلى قَلبي جَوانِحُهُ

وَقُلنَ سَهمٌ فَقالَ القَلبُ سَهمانِ

وَقُلنَ سَهمٌ فَقالَ القَلبُ سَهمانِ

It shot, and the ribs around my heart cried out,

He shot, and his claws clamored against my heart,

And said, 'One arrow!' The heart said, 'Two arrows!'

And it said “One arrow,” but my heart said “Two arrows.”

يا صورَةَ الحورِ في جِلبابِ فانِيَةٍ

يا صورَةَ الحورِ في جِلبابِ فانِيَةٍ

وَكَوكَبَ الصُبحِ في أَطافِ إِنسانِ

وَكَوكَبَ الصُبحِ في أَطافِ إِنسانِ

O image of the houris in a mortal woman's robe,

O image of maidens in a vanishing gown,

And morning star in human guise,

And morning star in human orbits!

مُري عَصِيَّ الكَرى يَغشى مُجامَلَةً

مُري عَصِيَّ الكَرى يَغشى مُجامَلَةً

وَسامِحي في عِناقِ الطَيفِ أَجفانِ

وَسامِحي في عِناقِ الطَيفِ أَجفانِ

Bid defiant sleep descend as a courtesy,

Pass by the stubbornness of fate, covering gracefully,

And permit my eyelids to embrace the dream-phantom.

And forgive, in embracing the ghost, my eyelids.

فَحَسبُ خَدّي مِن عَينَيَّ ما شَرِبا

فَحَسبُ خَدّي مِن عَينَيَّ ما شَرِبا

فَمِثلُ ما قَد جَرى لَم تَلقَ عَينانِ

فَمِثلُ ما قَد جَرى لَم تَلقَ عَينانِ

Enough for my cheeks is what they have drunk from my eyes;

It is enough that my cheeks drank from my eyes

For no two eyes have ever known the like of what has flowed.

What no two eyes have drunk before.