أرقُ للخصر مهما يشكُ من كفل

أرقُ للخصر مهما يشكُ من كفل

يا من إذا سلّ سيف اللحّظ منك فلي

يا من إذا سلّ سيف اللحّظ منك فلي

I pity the waist whenever it complains of the hips.

I remain awake though my waist complains of sleeplessness,

O you—when the sword of your glance is drawn, it is for me.

O you whom if the sword of a glance were to be unsheathed from you, then for me,

سموت حُسنا على من في الأنام سما

سموت حُسنا على من في الأنام سما

على الأواخر في الأيّام والأول

على الأواخر في الأيّام والأول

In beauty you have risen above whoever rose among mankind,

You have transcended in beauty those among mankind transcendent,

above those of later days and those of the earliest.

The last of eras and the first.

أرى بوجهك جنّات النعيم بدت

أرى بوجهك جنّات النعيم بدت

لكن بها القلبُ في نار الجحيم صُلي

لكن بها القلبُ في نار الجحيم صُلي

I see the gardens of bliss revealed in your face,

I see in your face gardens of bliss manifested,

yet because of them the heart is scorched in the fire of hell.

But in them my heart is set ablaze in hellfire.

برد الثنايا وثقل الرّدف منك حلت

برد الثنايا وثقل الرّدف منك حلت

فيا حلاوة ذاك البرد والثّقل

فيا حلاوة ذاك البرد والثّقل

The coolness of your teeth and the weight of your hips are sweet;

The coolness of the cheeks and weight of the hips from you have descended,

O the sweetness of that coolness and that weight!

What sweetness is that coolness and weight!

بدُرّ ثغرك شهدُ الرّيق مُمتزجٌ

بدُرّ ثغرك شهدُ الرّيق مُمتزجٌ

ما حكمة الدُّرّ ممزُوجا مع العسل

ما حكمة الدُّرّ ممزُوجا مع العسل

The honey of your saliva is mingled with the pearls of your mouth;

The full moon of your mouth, its saliva is blended honey,

what wisdom lies in mixing pearls with honey?

What is the wisdom of pearls blended with honey?

يا قلب كم يحمي عنك طيب مورده

يا قلب كم يحمي عنك طيب مورده

وأنت يكفيك منه مصّة الوشل

وأنت يكفيك منه مصّة الوشل

O heart, how often he withholds his sweet spring from you,

O heart, how much his sweet spring protects you,

though one sip of its scant trickle would suffice you.

And you find sufficiency in a mouthful of it unstrained.

من دُرّ لفظك أو من دُرّ نظمك أو

من دُرّ لفظك أو من دُرّ نظمك أو

من دُرّ تغرك درّ الدّمعُ من مُقلي

من دُرّ تغرك درّ الدّمعُ من مُقلي

From the pearls of your speech, or the pearls of your verse, or

Either from the pearls of your words or pearls of your poetry,

from the pearls of your mouth, tears streamed from my eyes.

Or from the pearls of your smile, the pearls of tears from an inflamed passion flow.

وقال سائقهُ للبرق سيرك ذا

وقال سائقهُ للبرق سيرك ذا

وراء خطوي ولو أمشي على مهل

وراء خطوي ولو أمشي على مهل

And its driver told the lightning: 'This pace of yours

And his driver said to lightning, go ahead of my pace

falls behind my steps, even if I walk at leisure.'

Even if I walk with leisure.

رام العواذل من جفني تكفكفه

رام العواذل من جفني تكفكفه

ومن يسدّ طريق العارض الهطل

ومن يسدّ طريق العارض الهطل

The reproachers sought to stem its flow from my eyelids;

The flirts tried to restrain themselves from my eyelids,

and who can block the path of a cloud pouring rain?

And who can block the path of pouring rain?

بمقلتيك سيوفُ الهند قد سُقيت

بمقلتيك سيوفُ الهند قد سُقيت

حدودُها بمياه الموت لا الكحل

حدودُها بمياه الموت لا الكحل

In your eyes, the swords of India have been quenched,

With your eyelashes, the swords of India were irrigated,

their edges in the waters of death, not kohl.

Their edges with the water of death, not kohl.

بيضٌ من ا لسّود فيها حُمرأُدُ معنا

بيضٌ من ا لسّود فيها حُمرأُدُ معنا

تجري وأجسامنا صُفرٌ من العلل

تجري وأجسامنا صُفرٌ من العلل

White swords from black eyes: within them our red tears

Whiteness among the blackness in them, redness of meaning flows,

stream, while our bodies are yellow from ailments.

And our bodies are yellow from illnesses.

يا من يظنّ نجاة من مهالكها

يا من يظنّ نجاة من مهالكها

فظنّ شرّا وكنّ منها على وجل

فظنّ شرّا وكنّ منها على وجل

O you who expect escape from their deadly perils,

O you who thinks to be saved from their calamities,

then expect the worst, and remain in fear of them.

Your assumption is evil, so be wary and anxious of them.

إن قُلتُ هب لي سهما من محاسنه

إن قُلتُ هب لي سهما من محاسنه

أهدى من اللّحظ لي سهمين عن عجل

أهدى من اللّحظ لي سهمين عن عجل

If I say, 'Grant me a share of his charms,'

If I say grant me an arrow from your charms,

he hastily gives me two arrows from his glance.

More guiding than a glance, grant me two arrows in haste!

يا من إذا ما رآه الطّرف قارنهُ

يا من إذا ما رآه الطّرف قارنهُ

نجم المريّخ وحلّ الجسم في زُحل

نجم المريّخ وحلّ الجسم في زُحل

O you—whenever the eye sees you, it comes into conjunction

O you whom if the eyes see and look upon,

with the star of Mars, while the body lodges in Saturn.

They match the star of Mars and mix with Saturn.

وجهي ووجهك يوما قّط ما نقلا

وجهي ووجهك يوما قّط ما نقلا

عن صُفرة السّقم أو عن حمرة الخجل

عن صُفرة السّقم أو عن حمرة الخجل

My face and yours have never once shifted

Never once did my face and your face

from the yellow of sickness or the red of shame.

Change from the yellowness of illness or the redness of shyness.

لئن تلونّ في لبس تلون ما

لئن تلونّ في لبس تلون ما

عليه يُخلع من حلي ومن حُلل

عليه يُخلع من حلي ومن حُلل

If he changes hue in dress, it is the hue of whatever

If you change in your clothing’s changing, you do not change

is bestowed upon him, of jewels and robes.

From the adornment and garments you shed off.

فأنت باللّطف أولى واللطّيفُ بما

فأنت باللّطف أولى واللطّيفُ بما

يحوي كحاويه نحو الماء في المثل

يحوي كحاويه نحو الماء في المثل

For you have the greater claim to delicacy; a delicate thing, in what

You are foremost in gentleness, and the Gentle One corresponds to

contains it, resembles its container—water, for example.

That which contains it, like water in the example.

قٌل للذّي راح يغزُو بالرّماح أما

قٌل للذّي راح يغزُو بالرّماح أما

أغنتك قامته الهيفاء عن الأسل

أغنتك قامته الهيفاء عن الأسل

Tell him who goes to war with spears: 'Has not

Say to the one who went to raid with spears, have not

his slender stature spared you the need for lances?'

His tall frame sufficed you against using weapons?

قُل للذي في الورى يهوى سواه أما

قُل للذي في الورى يهوى سواه أما

في طلعة الشمس ما يغنيك عن زُحل

في طلعة الشمس ما يغنيك عن زُحل

Tell him who loves another among mankind: 'Is there not

Say to the one who in existence loves another, have not

in the sun's countenance enough to spare you Saturn?'

The rising of the sun sufficed you against Saturn?

قل للذي قاس بالأغصان قامته

قل للذي قاس بالأغصان قامته

وهل يُطابقُ مُعوجٌّ بمعتدل

وهل يُطابقُ مُعوجٌّ بمعتدل

Tell him who compared his stature to branches:

Say to the one who compared your stature to branches,

and can something crooked match something straight?

Can that which is crooked equate to one upright?

يا من تكحل كي يحكي لواحظه

يا من تكحل كي يحكي لواحظه

ليس التكحلّ في العينين كالكحل

ليس التكحلّ في العينين كالكحل

O you who apply kohl to imitate his glances,

O you who use kohl so that the one who beholds you may narrate,

applying kohl to the eyes is not like their natural darkness.

Kohl is not in the eyes as it is in the application.

بالنّظم أشغلهُ داعي الفراغ فما

بالنّظم أشغلهُ داعي الفراغ فما

أحلاهُ من فارغ في النّاس مُشتغل

أحلاهُ من فارغ في النّاس مُشتغل

Leisure's call set him to composing verse—how

I busy him with poetry, called by leisure, but he

charming he is, idle yet busy among mankind!

Did not make permissible that leisure among busy people.

لم ندر دُرّ الذّي قد راح ينظمه

لم ندر دُرّ الذّي قد راح ينظمه

ممّا حوى الثغر أو مما عليه حُلي

ممّا حوى الثغر أو مما عليه حُلي

We could not tell whether the pearls he was stringing

We do not know which pearl it was that went and strung together

came from what his mouth held or from the jewels upon him.

Either what his mouth contained or what adorned him.

كانت جواهرُ نظمي في محاسنه

كانت جواهرُ نظمي في محاسنه

تعلو على أنجم الجوزاء والحمل

تعلو على أنجم الجوزاء والحمل

The jewels of my verse on his charms

The gems of my poetry were in his charms,

rose above the stars of Gemini and Aries.

Ascending above the stars of Gemini and Aries.

فلم يزل يحتوي دُرّ البيان وما

فلم يزل يحتوي دُرّ البيان وما

يحوي يُرصّعهُ دُرّا عليه جلي

يحوي يُرصّعهُ دُرّا عليه جلي

He never ceased gathering the pearls of eloquence, and whatever

So it did not cease to contain the pearls of rhetoric while

he gathered he set as pearls displayed upon him,

It contains, it strings them like bright pearls upon it.

حتّى إذا ما علا في ما يُرصّعه

حتّى إذا ما علا في ما يُرصّعه

خفضتُ قدري للرصّاع وهو علي

خفضتُ قدري للرصّاع وهو علي

until, when he rose high in what he was setting,

Until when it rose in what it strings together,

I lowered my standing before al-Raṣṣāʿ, though it was lofty.

I lowered my worth to the stringer while he was atop me.