أناI فيin وحشتيmy loneliness غريبa stranger بحبيbecause of my love
أنا في وحشتي غريب بحبي
لغزالٍfor a gazelle فيin حُسنهhis beauty كالغريبِlike a rarity
لغزالٍ في حُسنه كالغريبِ
I am a stranger in my loneliness because of my love
In my loneliness, I'm a stranger, lovesick
for a gazelle, like a rarity in his beauty.
For a deer whose beauty is strange
ليI have حبيبa beloved أضحىbecame حبيباًdear إلىto الناthe peo- (start of 'the people')
لي حبيب أضحى حبيباً إلى النا
سple (completion of 'the people') بحُسنٍwith a beauty مُقلِّبٍan overturner للقلوبof hearts
س بحُسنٍ مُقلِّبٍ للقلوب
I have a beloved who has become dear to the peo-
I have a lover who has become to people a lover
ple, with a beauty that overturns hearts.
Of fickle beauty overturning hearts
صرتُI became مثلlike القضيبthe branch يبساًdry لوجديbecause of my longing
صرتُ مثل القضيب يبساً لوجدي
برشيقٍfor a slender one فيin قدِّهhis stature كالقضيبِlike the branch
برشيقٍ في قدِّه كالقضيبِ
I have become like a branch, dried by my longing
I've become like a dried up rod in my love
for a slender one whose stature is like a branch.
For a fawn with a form like a rod
فكأنّاso it is as though we إذاwhen اعتنقناwe embrace قضيبٌa branch
فكأنّا إذا اعتنقنا قضيبٌ
جفَّdried فالتفَّthen twined itself فيaround قضيبٍa branch رطيبِmoist
جفَّ فالتفَّ في قضيبٍ رطيبِ
So, when we embrace, it is as though we are a branch
So it's as if when we embrace, it's a rod
that dried, then twined around a moist branch.
Dry, rubbing against a moist rod