خُذُوا خَبَراً عَنْ نَظْمِ دَمْعِي وَنَثْرِهِ

خُذُوا خَبَراً عَنْ نَظْمِ دَمْعِي وَنَثْرِهِ

عَنِ الحُبِّ يُنْبِيكُم بِغَامِضِ سِرِّهِ

عَنِ الحُبِّ يُنْبِيكُم بِغَامِضِ سِرِّهِ

Hear the tale of my tears, strung and scattered;

Hear the tale of the rhythm of my tears and prose,

it tells you of love's hidden secret.

Of love that gives you hints of its obscure secret.

وَلا تَسْأَلوا عَمَّنْ هَويْتُ فإِنَّني

وَلا تَسْأَلوا عَمَّنْ هَويْتُ فإِنَّني

أَغارُ عَليْهِ أَنْ أَبُوحَ بِذكرِهِ

أَغارُ عَليْهِ أَنْ أَبُوحَ بِذكرِهِ

And do not ask whom I have loved, for I

Ask not who I love, for I

guard him jealously and will not disclose his name.

Am jealous to confess his name.

وَإِنْ رُمْتُمُ وَصْفِي بَدِيعَ جَمالِهِ

وَإِنْ رُمْتُمُ وَصْفِي بَدِيعَ جَمالِهِ

فَأَيْسَرُ مَا فِيهِ الجمالُ بِأَسْرِهِ

فَأَيْسَرُ مَا فِيهِ الجمالُ بِأَسْرِهِ

And if you wish me to describe his wondrous beauty,

And if you guess the beauty of his perfection,

then all beauty is the least of his qualities.

The easiest of him is beauty in its captivity.

مَليحٌ جَلا لِي ضَوْء بَدرٍ كمالُهُ

مَليحٌ جَلا لِي ضَوْء بَدرٍ كمالُهُ

وَلكِنْ أَراني يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ بِهَجْرِهِ

وَلكِنْ أَراني يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ بِهَجْرِهِ

A fair one whose perfection revealed a full moon's light to me;

A bright full moon has shone its perfect light on me,

yet by forsaking me he showed me the day of Badr.

Yet I see myself in a moonless night without him.

أَميرُ جَمالٍ ما انْتَضَى سَيْفَ ناظرٍ

أَميرُ جَمالٍ ما انْتَضَى سَيْفَ ناظرٍ

على عاشِقٍ إِلَّا وقامَ بِنَصْرِهِ

على عاشِقٍ إِلَّا وقامَ بِنَصْرِهِ

A prince of beauty who never drew the sword of his gaze

That prince of beauty whose sword no gazer can withstand

against a lover without that lover rising to his aid.

Except to help a lover at his need.

غَزالٌ غَزا قَلْبِي بِفاتِرِ طَرْفِهِ

غَزالٌ غَزا قَلْبِي بِفاتِرِ طَرْفِهِ

وَأَحْرَق أَحْشائِي بِبَارِدِ ثَغْرِهِ

وَأَحْرَق أَحْشائِي بِبَارِدِ ثَغْرِهِ

A gazelle who raided my heart with his languid gaze

A gazelle has raided my heart with his languid glance,

and burned my entrails with his cool mouth.

And burned my insides with his cool mouth.

وَقَدْ كانَ عَهْدِي الدُّرُّ في البَحْرِ قَبْلَما

وَقَدْ كانَ عَهْدِي الدُّرُّ في البَحْرِ قَبْلَما

رَأَيْتُ رِضَاباً مِنْهُ يَجْرِي بِدُرِّهِ

رَأَيْتُ رِضَاباً مِنْهُ يَجْرِي بِدُرِّهِ

And I had known pearls to be in the sea, before

Once to me pearls were in the sea before I saw

I saw his saliva flowing with its pearls.

The pleasure of them streaming in his radiance.