نَعَم هي الدارُ مَنْ يُنادِيهَا

نَعَم هي الدارُ مَنْ يُنادِيهَا

وَقَدْ حَمَتْ عِنْدَ حَيّ نادِيها

وَقَدْ حَمَتْ عِنْدَ حَيّ نادِيها

Yes, it is the dwelling—who calls to it?

Yes, it is the abode, whoever calls it,

And it has guarded its assembly among a clan.

And it has become passionate at the living place of its caller,

أُجِلِّها في الهَوَى وأُكْرِمُهَا

أُجِلِّها في الهَوَى وأُكْرِمُهَا

أَنْ أَمْنَحَ الوُدَّ غَيْرَ نَادِيهَا

أَنْ أَمْنَحَ الوُدَّ غَيْرَ نَادِيهَا

In love I revere and honor it too much

Exalt it in passion, and honor it,

to grant affection to any assembly but its own.

That I bestow affection on other than its caller.

كَمْ راقني مِنْ رَبيعِ أَرْبُعِها

كَمْ راقني مِنْ رَبيعِ أَرْبُعِها

زَاهِرهَا بَهْجَةً وَزَاهِيها

زَاهِرهَا بَهْجَةً وَزَاهِيها

How often, in the springtime of its precincts, I was charmed

How much of its flourishing spring has elated me,

by its joyful blossoms and its radiant beauty.

Its blooming delighted me with its glow and bloom,

تَهْدِي بِنَوَّارِ نَيِّرِها

تَهْدِي بِنَوَّارِ نَيِّرِها

سَائِر عُشَّاقِهَا وَسارِيهَا

سَائِر عُشَّاقِهَا وَسارِيهَا

With the blossoms of its radiance, it guides

It brought joy to all its lovers and companions,

all its lovers and its nighttime traveler.

With the light of its lamp.

وَكَمْ بِهَا مِنْ مَصُونةٍ صُلْنا

وَكَمْ بِهَا مِنْ مَصُونةٍ صُلْنا

يَحْجبها غَيْرهَا ويَحْمِيها

يَحْجبها غَيْرهَا ويَحْمِيها

And many a guarded maiden there we assailed,

And how many beauties we have secretly gotten together in it,

whom another veils and protects.

Which its walls and guards protect.

نَمَّ بِهَا حُلْيها ومَبْسَمُهَا

نَمَّ بِهَا حُلْيها ومَبْسَمُهَا

وَطِيبُ أَنفاسِهَا وَوَانِيها

وَطِيبُ أَنفاسِهَا وَوَانِيها

Her jewelry and her smiling mouth betrayed her,

In it her jewelry glistened, and her smile,

as did her sweet breath and her languor.

And the fragrance of her breath and her friendship.

نَقَصَ صَبْرُ المُحبّ مِنْ ثَمدٍ

نَقَصَ صَبْرُ المُحبّ مِنْ ثَمدٍ

مَا كَحَّل الحُسْنُ مِنْ مَعانيها

مَا كَحَّل الحُسْنُ مِنْ مَعانيها

The lover's patience ebbed at the scant pool

The patience of the lover has diminished from firmness,

of her charms that beauty had lined with kohl.

As beauty lined her with meanings.

رَوْضَةُ حُسْنٍ يُذيب مِنْ وَلهٍ

رَوْضَةُ حُسْنٍ يُذيب مِنْ وَلهٍ

شادن قَلْبِ المُحبّ راعيها

شادن قَلْبِ المُحبّ راعيها

A garden of beauty, where, through yearning, is melted

A garden of beauty that melts the firmly resolved,

the heart of its keeper, the lover, by a young gazelle.

Reviving the heart of the lovesick, her herdsman.

وَدَوْحَةٌ لَمْ تَضُعْ رَوائِحُهَا

وَدَوْحَةٌ لَمْ تَضُعْ رَوائِحُهَا

إِلَّا سَقَتْهَا عُيُونُ غَادِيهَا

إِلَّا سَقَتْهَا عُيُونُ غَادِيهَا

And a spreading tree whose fragrances never wafted

An orchard whose fragrances were only watered,

unless watered by the eyes of its morning visitor.

By the tears of those who came to it.

فَمَنْ يُجِيرُ المُحِبَّ مِنْ مُقَلٍ

فَمَنْ يُجِيرُ المُحِبَّ مِنْ مُقَلٍ

عَرْبَدَ نَشْوانُهَا وَصَاحِيها

عَرْبَدَ نَشْوانُهَا وَصَاحِيها

Who, then, will shelter the lover from eyes

So who will protect the lover from distress,

whose drunken and sober alike run riot,

Which her exuberance and awakening have aroused?

وَمِنْ ثُغورٍ دَمْعي الطّليقُ بِهَا

وَمِنْ ثُغورٍ دَمْعي الطّليقُ بِهَا

شَقيقُ ما افْتَرَّ مِنْ أَقاحيها

شَقيقُ ما افْتَرَّ مِنْ أَقاحيها

and from mouths, beside which my freely flowing tears

And from tears my eyes freely shed,

are twins to the daisies that their smiles reveal,

Matching what her thorns have ripped.

وَمِنْ خدودٍ بالوردِ يانعةً

وَمِنْ خدودٍ بالوردِ يانعةً

إن لاحَ جَانِيهِ حَالَ جَانيها

إن لاحَ جَانِيهِ حَالَ جَانيها

and from cheeks ripe with roses—

And from cheeks that are blooming with roses,

if the rose's gatherer appears, their despoiler intervenes—

If her beloved's state turned against her beloved.

وَمِنْ قُدودٍ إذا انْثَنَتْ هَيَفاً

وَمِنْ قُدودٍ إذا انْثَنَتْ هَيَفاً

أَفْردَهَا الحسنُ في تَثنِّيها

أَفْردَهَا الحسنُ في تَثنِّيها

and from forms that, when they bend in slender grace,

And from slender waists, which if they bend languidly,

beauty makes peerless in their swaying?

Beauty distinguishes in its bending.

كانَتْ تهابُ الخُدودَ أَدْمعُه

كانَتْ تهابُ الخُدودَ أَدْمعُه

لَكِنْ عَلَيْهَا الهَوى يُجرِّيها

لَكِنْ عَلَيْهَا الهَوى يُجرِّيها

His tears used to fear the cheeks,

Her tears would turn away the cheeks,

but love sends them streaming upon them.

But passion makes them flow.

صَبٌّ رَعَى نَفْسَهُ الغرامُ فما

صَبٌّ رَعَى نَفْسَهُ الغرامُ فما

حَجَّبه دُونها تَنائِيهَا

حَجَّبه دُونها تَنائِيهَا

A lovesick man—passion grazed upon his soul, so

A difficult love, which passion has shepherded,

her distance did not keep him from her.

Nothing has veiled it from her.

حَيْثُ نِياقُ السُّرورِ سَاريةٌ

حَيْثُ نِياقُ السُّرورِ سَاريةٌ

بِهِ وَشَرْخُ الشبابِ حادِيها

بِهِ وَشَرْخُ الشبابِ حادِيها

Where the she-camels of joy journey by night,

Where the trappings of joy are lofty,

bearing him, with youth's prime as their chanting driver.

Taking him along, and the prime of youth guides it.

وَأَطلقَ العَيْنَ حَيْثُما سَرَحَ ال

وَأَطلقَ العَيْنَ حَيْثُما سَرَحَ ال

حُسْنُ فَيَحْويه وَهْوَ يَحْويها

حُسْنُ فَيَحْويه وَهْوَ يَحْويها

And he set his gaze free wherever the

And the eye roams wherever beauty has wandered,

beauty roamed; he took it in as it captured his gaze.

Embracing it, while it embraces her.

وَرَاحَ في الحُبِّ مِنْ تَعَشُّقها

وَرَاحَ في الحُبِّ مِنْ تَعَشُّقها

يُسْخِطُ أَحْشاءَهُ وَيُرْضِيها

يُسْخِطُ أَحْشاءَهُ وَيُرْضِيها

And through adoring her he went on in love,

And it has indulged in love from its passion for her,

vexing his heart and pleasing it.

Angering its innards, and pleasing her.

ما شابَ فَرْعٌ له فَيرْدَعُهَا

ما شابَ فَرْعٌ له فَيرْدَعُهَا

أَوْ شَانَ فَقْرٌ بِهِ فَيُثْنيها

أَوْ شَانَ فَقْرٌ بِهِ فَيُثْنيها

No lock of his had grayed to restrain his heart,

No branch shadows it, so it holds her back,

nor had poverty marred him to turn it back.

Or poverty challenges it, so it restrains her.

وَالنَّفْسُ مَا كَذَّبَ البعادُ لها

وَالنَّفْسُ مَا كَذَّبَ البعادُ لها

ما صَدَّق القُرْبُ مِنْ أمانيها

ما صَدَّق القُرْبُ مِنْ أمانيها

And distance did not belie for the soul

And the soul, separation has not denied for it,

the hopes that nearness had confirmed.

What nearness has affirmed of her hopes.

فَلا هَجيرَ لِلْهَجْرِ يَحْذَرُهُ

فَلا هَجيرَ لِلْهَجْرِ يَحْذَرُهُ

كَلَّا وَلا قَسْوةً يُقاسِيها

كَلَّا وَلا قَسْوةً يُقاسِيها

So he has no scorching heat of separation to fear,

So there is no estrangement to fear,

no indeed, nor any harshness to endure.

No, nor any harshness to endure.

فَيا لَهُ عَصْرُ لَذّةٍ بَعُدَتْ

فَيا لَهُ عَصْرُ لَذّةٍ بَعُدَتْ

مِنْهُ لَيالٍ لَوْ كَانَ يُدنِيهَا

مِنْهُ لَيالٍ لَوْ كَانَ يُدنِيهَا

Ah, what an age of delight! How distant

Oh, what an era of sweetness has been distant,

its nights have grown from him—if only he could bring them near!

Nights, if only he could bring it closer.

فَدَعْ وَداعاً لأَهْلِ دارِ حِمىً

فَدَعْ وَداعاً لأَهْلِ دارِ حِمىً

وَاغْنَ بِدُنْياك عَنْ مَغَانِيهَا

وَاغْنَ بِدُنْياك عَنْ مَغَانِيهَا

So leave off farewells to the folk of a guarded dwelling,

So bid farewell to the people of the protected sanctuary,

and let your own world suffice, without its haunts.

And be content with your world, apart from its wishes.

واسْتَحْلِهَا مِنْ رِضَابِ سَائِغها

واسْتَحْلِهَا مِنْ رِضَابِ سَائِغها

وَاسْتَجْلِهَا مِنْ رِضَابِ سَاقيها

وَاسْتَجْلِهَا مِنْ رِضَابِ سَاقيها

And savor its sweetness in the saliva of its drinker,

And make it lawful with drafts of her delicious wine,

and see it revealed in the saliva of its cupbearer.

And make it pleasant with drafts of her cupbearer.

فَهيَ مُدامٌ كالتِّبْرِ إِنْ مُزِجَتْ

فَهيَ مُدامٌ كالتِّبْرِ إِنْ مُزِجَتْ

أَتتْ بِآلائِها لآلِيها

أَتتْ بِآلائِها لآلِيها

For it is wine like gold dust; when mixed,

For it is a wine like amber, if mixed,

its pearls come forth bearing its blessings.

It has brought its wonders to its drinker.