قَد كانَ ما بِيَ قَبلَ رُؤيَتِكُم

قَد كانَ ما بِيَ قَبلَ رُؤيَتِكُم

يا عُثمَ مِن وَجدٍ بِكُم يَكفي

يا عُثمَ مِن وَجدٍ بِكُم يَكفي

What afflicted me before ever seeing you,

What I had already suffered before seeing you

O ʿUthm—the delirium of passion for you—was enough.

From longing for you, O ʿUthm, was enough.

حَتّى أَتيتُكِ يا عُثَيمَةُ زائِراً

حَتّى أَتيتُكِ يا عُثَيمَةُ زائِراً

أَمشي عَلى عَمدٍ إِلى حَتفي

أَمشي عَلى عَمدٍ إِلى حَتفي

Until I came to you, O ʿUthayma, as a visitor,

Until I came to visit you, O ʿUthayma,

walking deliberately toward my death.

Walking deliberately toward my death.

فَازددتُ أَحزاناً عَلى حَزنٍ

فَازددتُ أَحزاناً عَلى حَزنٍ

مِنكُم مُنِيتُ بِهِ عَلى ضَعفي

مِنكُم مُنِيتُ بِهِ عَلى ضَعفي

Then sorrow upon sorrow increased within me—

So I gained sorrows upon a sorrow

an affliction dealt me by you while I was weak.

From you, with which I was afflicted despite my weakness.

فَالدَمعُ مِنّي وَاكِفٌ سَرِبٌ

فَالدَمعُ مِنّي وَاكِفٌ سَرِبٌ

كَالغَربِ يُنزَعُ دائِمَ الوَكفِ

كَالغَربِ يُنزَعُ دائِمَ الوَكفِ

My tears pour from me in a streaming fall,

So my tears drip and stream,

like a great well-bucket, forever drawn up dripping.

Like a great well-bucket hauled up, ever dripping.

في الخَدِّ تُحدِرُهُ الشُؤُونُ

في الخَدِّ تُحدِرُهُ الشُؤُونُ

لَهُ سَيلٌ تَبادِرُ سَكبُهُ كَفّى

لَهُ سَيلٌ تَبادِرُ سَكبُهُ كَفّى

Down the cheek the tear-ducts send them tumbling;

The tear ducts send them down the cheek;

theirs is a torrent whose outpouring my palm hastens to catch.

They flow in a torrent my palm hastens to catch,

مِن نَظرَةٍ خالَستُها بَلَغَت

مِن نَظرَةٍ خالَستُها بَلَغَت

ما زادَ مِن نَعتٍ عَلى وَصفي

ما زادَ مِن نَعتٍ عَلى وَصفي

All from one glance I stole at her: it attained

From a glance I stole, which went

a beauty beyond whatever praise my words could add.

Beyond anything my words could describe.

تَرنُو بِعَينَي جُؤذَرٍ خَرِقٍ

تَرنُو بِعَينَي جُؤذَرٍ خَرِقٍ

أَحوى المَدامشعِ فاتِرِ الطَرفِ

أَحوى المَدامشعِ فاتِرِ الطَرفِ

She gazes with the eyes of a startled gazelle-fawn,

She gazes with the eyes of a startled wild-cow calf,

dark-rimmed at the tear-wells, languid of gaze.

Dark at the tear ducts, languid of gaze.

فَخَرَجتُ لَم أَبثُتكُمُ حَزَني

فَخَرَجتُ لَم أَبثُتكُمُ حَزَني

وَدَعَوتُ بِالحَسَراتِ وَاللَهفِ

وَدَعَوتُ بِالحَسَراتِ وَاللَهفِ

So I left without confiding my sorrow to you,

So I left without telling you my sorrow,

and cried out in heartbreak and anguish.

And prayed in regret and anguish:

يا رَبِّ إِني قَد شَقِيتُ بِها

يا رَبِّ إِني قَد شَقِيتُ بِها

فَالطُف فَإِنَّكَ رَبِّ ذُو لُطفِ

فَالطُف فَإِنَّكَ رَبِّ ذُو لُطفِ

My Lord, I have indeed been made wretched through her;

O my Lord, I have indeed suffered because of her;

be gentle—for You, my Lord, are possessed of gentleness.

So be kind, for You, my Lord, are full of kindness.

عُلِّقتُها خَوداً بَرَهرَهَةً

عُلِّقتُها خَوداً بَرَهرَهَةً

رابٍ مُؤَزَّرُها مِنَ اللَفِّ

رابٍ مُؤَزَّرُها مِنَ اللَفِّ

I became enamored of her—a tender, full-bodied maiden,

I was smitten with her, a tender, soft-fleshed young woman,

her girdled form swelling with rounded fullness.

Her girdled hips swelling with fullness.

تَلوي النَصِيفَ إِذا لَوَتهُ عَلى

تَلوي النَصِيفَ إِذا لَوَتهُ عَلى

جَثلِ النَباتِ مُعَثكَلٍ وَحفِ

جَثلِ النَباتِ مُعَثكَلٍ وَحفِ

She winds the veil, when she draws it over

She winds her veil, when she winds it, over

a thick growth of hair, clustered and luxuriant.

Thick-growing hair, clustered and luxuriant.