أَلا لا تَلُمهُ اليَوم أَن يَتبَلدا

أَلا لا تَلُمهُ اليَوم أَن يَتبَلدا

فَقَد غُلِبَ المَحزونُ أَن يَتَجلَّدا

فَقَد غُلِبَ المَحزونُ أَن يَتَجلَّدا

Ah, do not blame him today for growing numb.

Do not blame him today if he acts numb,

For the sorrowful man has been overcome and cannot steel himself.

For the grieved is overpowered to act strong.

بَكَيتُ الصِّبا جُهدي فَمَن شاءَ لامَنِي

بَكَيتُ الصِّبا جُهدي فَمَن شاءَ لامَنِي

وَمَن شاءَ آسَى فِي البُكاءِ وَأَسعدا

وَمَن شاءَ آسَى فِي البُكاءِ وَأَسعدا

I wept for youth with all my strength; whoever wishes may blame me.

I cried my youth away, so let him who wishes blame me,

And whoever wishes may console me in my weeping and weep with me.

And let him who wishes grieve in crying and be joyous.

وَإِنِّي وَإِن فُنِّدتُ فِي طَلَبِ الصِّبا

وَإِنِّي وَإِن فُنِّدتُ فِي طَلَبِ الصِّبا

لأَعلَمُ أَنِّي لَستُ فِي الحُبِّ أَحدَا

لأَعلَمُ أَنِّي لَستُ فِي الحُبِّ أَحدَا

And I, though called foolish for pursuing youth,

And if I am spurned in pursuing my youth,

Know full well that I am not alone in love.

I know that in love I am not the only one.

فَحَالَت لِطَرفِ العَينِ مِن دونِ أَرضِها

فَحَالَت لِطَرفِ العَينِ مِن دونِ أَرضِها

وَما أأتَلي بِالطرفِ حَتَّى تَرَدَّدا

وَما أأتَلي بِالطرفِ حَتَّى تَرَدَّدا

Then she appeared before my gaze, this side of her land,

So it has slipped from the edge of my eye without its ground,

And I spared no effort in looking until my gaze roamed to and fro.

And I do not try with my eyes until they wander.

إذا أَنتَ لَم تَعشَق وَلَم تَدرِ مَا الهَوى

إذا أَنتَ لَم تَعشَق وَلَم تَدرِ مَا الهَوى

فَكُن حَجَراً مِن يابِس الصَّخر جَلمَدا

فَكُن حَجَراً مِن يابِس الصَّخر جَلمَدا

If you have never loved and do not know what passion is,

If you have not fallen in love and do not know what passion is,

Then be a stone of dry rock, hard and solid.

Then be a stone from the dry solid rock.

فَمَا العَيشُ إِلا ما تَلَذُّ وَتَشتَهي

فَمَا العَيشُ إِلا ما تَلَذُّ وَتَشتَهي

وَإِن لامَ فيهِ ذُو الشَّنان وَفَنَّدا

وَإِن لامَ فيهِ ذُو الشَّنان وَفَنَّدا

For life is nothing but what you enjoy and desire,

For life is not but what you desire and covet,

Even if a spiteful man blames you for it and calls you foolish.

Even if the ill-natured berates and chides.

وَعَهدِي بِها صَفراءَ رُوداً كَأَنَّما

وَعَهدِي بِها صَفراءَ رُوداً كَأَنَّما

نَضَا عَرَقٌ مِنها عَلَى اللَّونِ عَسجَدا

نَضَا عَرَقٌ مِنها عَلَى اللَّونِ عَسجَدا

I remember her golden-hued and supple, as though

And my pact with her, blond, pale, as if

Her sweat had unveiled pure gold upon her complexion.

Sweat from her trickled onto the color intensely yellow.

مُهَفهَفَةُ الأَعلَى وَأَسفَلُ خَلقِها

مُهَفهَفَةُ الأَعلَى وَأَسفَلُ خَلقِها

جَرَى لَحمُهُ مِن دونِ أَن يَتَخَدَّدا

جَرَى لَحمُهُ مِن دونِ أَن يَتَخَدَّدا

Slender in her upper body, while the lower part of her frame

The upper and lower parts of her creation

Had flesh flowing smoothly, without hollows or furrows.

Her flesh flowed without creasing.

وَكَيفَ وَقَد لاحَ المَشيبُ وَقطعَت

وَكَيفَ وَقَد لاحَ المَشيبُ وَقطعَت

مَدى الدَّهرِ حَبلاً كانَ لِلوَصلِ مُحصِدا

مَدى الدَّهرِ حَبلاً كانَ لِلوَصلِ مُحصِدا

And how, when gray hair has appeared and she has severed

And how when gray hair has appeared and cut

Forever a cord once firmly twisted for our union?

The lifetime into a rope that was for union reaped.

لِكُلِّ مُحِبٍّ عِندهَا مِن شِفائِهِ

لِكُلِّ مُحِبٍّ عِندهَا مِن شِفائِهِ

مَشارِع تَحميها الظّمان المُصَرَّدا

مَشارِع تَحميها الظّمان المُصَرَّدا

For every lover she holds, for his healing,

For every lover she has from his cure

Watering places she withholds from the thirsty man denied his fill.

Ways that protecting shadows watch over.

أَتَحسَبُ أَسماء الفُؤاد كَعَهِدِه

أَتَحسَبُ أَسماء الفُؤاد كَعَهِدِه

وَأَيامه أَم تَحسَب الرأس أَسوَدا

وَأَيامه أَم تَحسَب الرأس أَسوَدا

Do you think, Asma, my heart is as it once was,

Do you reckon the names of the heart like its era

And its days too—or do you think my head still black-haired?

Or its days, or do you reckon the head blackened?

لَيالِي لا نَلقَى وَلِلعَيشِ لَذَّة

لَيالِي لا نَلقَى وَلِلعَيشِ لَذَّة

مِنَ الدَّهرِ إِلا صائِداً أَو مصيدا

مِنَ الدَّهرِ إِلا صائِداً أَو مصيدا

Those nights, when life was sweet, we met no one

Nights we do not meet in, yet living has

In all that time but a hunter or one hunted,

No pleasures from fate but hunting or hunted.

مِنَ المُدمَجاتِ اللَّحمِ جَدلاً كأنَّها

مِنَ المُدمَجاتِ اللَّحمِ جَدلاً كأنَّها

عِنانُ صَناعٍ مُدمَجُ الفَتلِ مُحصَدا

عِنانُ صَناعٍ مُدمَجُ الفَتلِ مُحصَدا

Among firm-fleshed, tightly knit women, as though each were

From the conjoined flesh, plaits as if they are

A skilled craftswoman's rein, tightly twisted and strong.

The bridle of a craftsman, conjoined, reaped.

كَأَنَّ ذَكِيَ المِسكِ مِنها وَقَد بَدَت

كَأَنَّ ذَكِيَ المِسكِ مِنها وَقَد بَدَت

وَريح الخُزامَى عَرفُهُ ينفحُ النَّدا

وَريح الخُزامَى عَرفُهُ ينفحُ النَّدا

As though from her, when she appeared, came heady musk

As if the pure musk from her has appeared

And lavender's scent, its fragrance wafting through the dew.

And the scent of musk, its fragrance exudes moisture.