حبيبيَ ذاك البدر إذ وافَقَ النِّصفا

حبيبيَ ذاك البدر إذ وافَقَ النِّصفا

فألبستَه ثوباً من الذلِّ فاستخفى

فألبستَه ثوباً من الذلِّ فاستخفى

My beloved, when that full moon reached midmonth,

My love, that full moon when it rose to oppose the half

You clothed it in a robe of humiliation, so it hid.

You clothed him in a garment of humility, so he was eclipsed

وظنوا به خَسفاً وكان احوراره

وظنوا به خَسفاً وكان احوراره

تخلِّيه من تنوير وجهك لا كسفا

تخلِّيه من تنوير وجهك لا كسفا

They thought it eclipsed, but its pallor

And they thought him waning, yet he was still full

Was its loss of your face's light, not an eclipse.

Deprived of your face's illumination, not veiled

وظَنَّكَ بدراً قد أتيتَ بعَزله

وظَنَّكَ بدراً قد أتيتَ بعَزله

فذلَّ لكي يدعو له الناسُ أن يُكفى

فذلَّ لكي يدعو له الناسُ أن يُكفى

It thought you a full moon come to depose it,

And they mistook you for a full moon that came without its pair

So it humbled itself, that people might pray for it to be spared.

So he humbled himself that people might spare him

ولمّا صرفتَ الوجهَ عنه تكبُّراً

ولمّا صرفتَ الوجهَ عنه تكبُّراً

رأينا لذاك اللون عن وجهه صرفا

رأينا لذاك اللون عن وجهه صرفا

And when you proudly turned your face away from it,

When you turned your face from him disdainfully

We saw that color leave its face.

We saw that hue leave his face, a diversion

فيا قمراً أزرى على قمر الدجى

فيا قمراً أزرى على قمر الدجى

برعتَ بحسنٍ ما نطيق له وصفا

برعتَ بحسنٍ ما نطيق له وصفا

O moon who puts the moon of the dark night to shame,

O you, a resentful moon over the moon of nightfall

You have excelled in a beauty beyond our power to describe.

Excelling in beauty beyond any description

ملاحة شكلٍ فوق تقويم حاجبٍ

ملاحة شكلٍ فوق تقويم حاجبٍ

تَرى بين هذين الملاحةَ والظَّرفا

تَرى بين هذين الملاحةَ والظَّرفا

Beauty of form, together with a finely shaped brow—

The sprightliness of a form above refined eyebrows

Between these two you see charm and grace.

You see between these two sprightliness and grace

فلو كانت الدنيا عروساً وحُلِّيَت

فلو كانت الدنيا عروساً وحُلِّيَت

لتُجلى عليها كنتَ أنتَ لها شفّا

لتُجلى عليها كنتَ أنتَ لها شفّا

Were the world a bride, adorned

If this world were a bride adorned in finery

For her unveiling, you yourself would be her gossamer veil.

You would have been her unveiling, you her delight

تدلّ علينا في الملاحة بالهوى

تدلّ علينا في الملاحة بالهوى

فتعصي ولا تُعصَى وتجفو ولا تُجفى

فتعصي ولا تُعصَى وتجفو ولا تُجفى

In your loveliness, you lord it over us through love,

Winking at us in coquetry with love

So you disobey, but are not disobeyed; you shun, but are not shunned.

Disobeying yet unchastised, frowning yet undetested

فبي سَقَمٌ من سُقم عينيك لا يُشفى

فبي سَقَمٌ من سُقم عينيك لا يُشفى

على حَرَقٍ من نار خدَّيك لا يُطفى

على حَرَقٍ من نار خدَّيك لا يُطفى

I have an incurable sickness from the languor of your eyes,

In me is sickness from the illness of your eyes, incurable

Along with an unquenchable burning from the fire of your cheeks.

On burns from the fire of your cheeks, inextinguishable

ومن أين يخفى عنك عشقٌ لعاشقٍ

ومن أين يخفى عنك عشقٌ لعاشقٍ

وعينُك عينٌ تعرف السرَّ والأخفى

وعينُك عينٌ تعرف السرَّ والأخفى

How could a lover's love be hidden from you,

How can love for a lover be hidden from you

When your eye is a spy that knows the secret and what is still more hidden?

When your eye is an eye that knows the secret and hidden?

فواعجباً من لحظ طرفك إنه

فواعجباً من لحظ طرفك إنه

إذا زاد ضعفاً زاد قوتنا ضعفا

إذا زاد ضعفاً زاد قوتنا ضعفا

How wondrous is the glance of your eye! Indeed,

Astounding is the glance of your eyelid

The more languid it grows, the more it weakens our strength.

For if it grows weaker, it strengthens our weakness further

وأعجب من هذين ردفك كلّما

وأعجب من هذين ردفك كلّما

ترجرج زاد الخصر من فوقه لطفا

ترجرج زاد الخصر من فوقه لطفا

And more wondrous than these two are your buttocks: whenever

And astounding are these two plump parts

They sway, the waist above them grows more slender.

For the fuller they become, the slenderer grows the waist between

فيا شكل ذا خصراً ويا ثقل ذا ردفاً

فيا شكل ذا خصراً ويا ثقل ذا ردفاً

ويا حسن ذا خدّاً ويا نَبل ذا طرفا

ويا حسن ذا خدّاً ويا نَبل ذا طرفا

Oh, the shapeliness of this waist; oh, the heaviness of these buttocks!

O shape with a slender waist, O heaviness with plumpness

Oh, the beauty of this cheek; oh, the arrows of this gaze!

O beauty with cheek, O grace with eyelid

ويا طيبَ أنفاسٍ على حسن مَضحكٍ

ويا طيبَ أنفاسٍ على حسن مَضحكٍ

فذا المسك بل أذكى وذا الدرُّ بل أصفى

فذا المسك بل أذكى وذا الدرُّ بل أصفى

Oh, the sweetness of breath above a lovely smile!

O sweetness of breath above a laughing beauty

This is musk—nay, more fragrant; and these are pearls—nay, purer.

This is musk, no, it is more fragrant, this is pearl, no, it is purer

ويا خمر ريقٍ فوقه ورد وجنةٍ

ويا خمر ريقٍ فوقه ورد وجنةٍ

فمَن لي بذا رشفاً ومن لي بذا قطفا

فمَن لي بذا رشفاً ومن لي بذا قطفا

Oh, the wine of saliva, with the rose of a cheek above it!

O wine of saliva above which is a rose garden

So who will let me sip this, and who will let me pluck that?

Who can offer me a sip of it, who a pluck?

بدأتَ بإحسان فجُد بتمامه

بدأتَ بإحسان فجُد بتمامه

وإن الفتى من لا يكدِّرُ ما صَفّى

وإن الفتى من لا يكدِّرُ ما صَفّى

You began with kindness, so generously see it through.

You began with kindness, so persist to its completion

And a true young man does not cloud what he has made clear.

For the gentleman is one who does not taint what he refines

فهذا الهوى عيش المحبِّ إذا صَفا

فهذا الهوى عيش المحبِّ إذا صَفا

ولكن إذا لم يصفُ كان له حتفا

ولكن إذا لم يصفُ كان له حتفا

For this love is the lover's life when it is unclouded,

This love is the livelihood of the lover when pure

But when it is not, it becomes his death.

But if impure, it will be his demise