سَرَتْ بين أعينهم كالخيالْ

سَرَتْ بين أعينهم كالخيالْ

تعانقُ آلهةً في الخيالْ

تعانقُ آلهةً في الخيالْ

She glided before their eyes like a vision,

She glided between them like an apparition

embracing deities in her imagination.

Embracing goddesses in her imagination

مُجَرَّدَةً حَسِبَتْ أَنها

مُجَرَّدَةً حَسِبَتْ أَنها

من الفنِّ في حَرَمٍ لا يُنالْ

من الفنِّ في حَرَمٍ لا يُنالْ

Unclad, she believed herself

Thinking herself stripped

within an unreachable sanctuary of art.

Of art within an unreachable sanctuary

فليستْ تُحسُّ اشتهاءَ النفوسِ

فليستْ تُحسُّ اشتهاءَ النفوسِ

وليستْ تُحسُّ عيونَ الرجالْ

وليستْ تُحسُّ عيونَ الرجالْ

So she does not sense the longing of souls,

She cannot feel the yearning of souls

nor does she sense the eyes of men;

Nor the eyes of men upon her

وليستْ تَرَى غير معبُودها

وليستْ تَرَى غير معبُودها

على عرشِهِ العبقريِّ الجلالْ

على عرشِهِ العبقريِّ الجلالْ

nor does she see anything but her deity,

She sees none but her idol

upon his throne of wondrous majesty.

On his throne of majestic glory

دَعَاها الهوى عِنْدَهُ للمُثُول

دَعَاها الهوى عِنْدَهُ للمُثُول

وما الفنُّ إلَّا هوًى وامتثالْ

وما الفنُّ إلَّا هوًى وامتثالْ

Passion summoned her into his presence,

Passion called her to stand before him

and art is nothing but passion and obedience.

For art is but passion and compliance

فَخَفَّتْ له شِبْهَ مسحورةٍ

فَخَفَّتْ له شِبْهَ مسحورةٍ

عَلَتْ وجهَها مَسْحَةٌ من خبَالْ

عَلَتْ وجهَها مَسْحَةٌ من خبَالْ

So she hastened to him, as though bewitched;

So she trembled like one enchanted

a touch of madness overspread her face.

A touch of coyness overspread her face

وفي روحها نشوةٌ حلوةٌ

وفي روحها نشوةٌ حلوةٌ

كمهجورةٍ مُنِّيَتْ بالوصالْ

كمهجورةٍ مُنِّيَتْ بالوصالْ

And in her soul was a sweet rapture,

And in her soul was sweet delight

like a forsaken woman given hope of reunion.

Like an outcast granted union at last

تَراها وقد طوَّفَتْ حولَهُ

تَراها وقد طوَّفَتْ حولَهُ

جلالها الصِّبَا، وزهاها الدلالْ

جلالها الصِّبَا، وزهاها الدلالْ

You see her as she circles around him:

You'd see her circling around him

youth is her splendor, and coquetry has adorned her.

Her youthful splendor, her alluring charm

تَضُمُّ الوشاحَ وتُلْقِي بهِ

تَضُمُّ الوشاحَ وتُلْقِي بهِ

وفي خطوها عِزَّةٌ واختيالْ

وفي خطوها عِزَّةٌ واختيالْ

She gathers her sash and casts it aside,

Clasping her wrap, casting it aside

and in her steps are pride and swagger.

With pride and grace in every step

كفارسةٍ حَضَنَتْ سيفَها

كفارسةٍ حَضَنَتْ سيفَها

وألقتْ به بَعْدَ طول النِّضالْ

وألقتْ به بَعْدَ طول النِّضالْ

Like a horsewoman who clasped her sword,

Like a horsewoman embracing her sword

and cast it aside after a long struggle.

Having cast it down after long strife

تَمُدُّ يديْهَا وتَثْنيهِما

تَمُدُّ يديْهَا وتَثْنيهِما

وترتدُّ في عِوَجٍ واعْتدالْ

وترتدُّ في عِوَجٍ واعْتدالْ

She stretches out her hands and bends them back,

She stretches out her arms and folds them

and draws back, bending and straightening.

Turning in curves and composure

كحوريَّة النَّبعِ تطوي الرِّشَاءَ

كحوريَّة النَّبعِ تطوي الرِّشَاءَ

وتجذبُ ممتلئاتِ السِّجالْ

وتجذبُ ممتلئاتِ السِّجالْ

Like a spring-nymph winding up the rope,

Like a naiad folding her tresses

and drawing up the brimming buckets.

And drawing fully adorned rivals near

مُحَيَّرَةَ الطيفِ في مائجٍ

مُحَيَّرَةَ الطيفِ في مائجٍ

من النُّور يَغْمُرُهَا حَيْثُ جالْ

من النُّور يَغْمُرُهَا حَيْثُ جالْ

Her spectral form elusive amid a surge

Perplexing the gaze in rippling

of light that engulfs her wherever it roams.

Floods of light envelop wherever she goes

تُخَيَّلُ للعينِ فيما تَرَى

تُخَيَّلُ للعينِ فيما تَرَى

فراشةَ روضٍ جَفَتْها الظلالْ

فراشةَ روضٍ جَفَتْها الظلالْ

She seems, to the eye beholding her,

Seeming to the eye wherever it lands

a garden butterfly whom the shadows have shunned,

A meadow butterfly dried of shade

وزَنْبَقَةً وَسْطَ بِلُّورةٍ

وزَنْبَقَةً وَسْطَ بِلُّورةٍ

على رفرفِ الشمسِ عند الزوَّالْ

على رفرفِ الشمسِ عند الزوَّالْ

and a lily at the heart of a crystal,

Or a lily amid crystal

upon the sun’s fluttering fringe at noon.

In the sun's fluttering at sunset

تَنَقَّلُ كالْحُلْمِ بَيْنَ الجفونِ

تَنَقَّلُ كالْحُلْمِ بَيْنَ الجفونِ

وكالبرقِ بَيْنَ رُءوسِ الِجبالْ

وكالبرقِ بَيْنَ رُءوسِ الِجبالْ

She flits like a dream between eyelids,

She moves like a dream between lids

and like lightning between mountain peaks,

And like lightening between mountain heads

على إصْبعَيْ قَدَمٍ أُلْهِمَتْ

على إصْبعَيْ قَدَمٍ أُلْهِمَتْ

هبوبَ الصَّبَا ووثوبَ الغَزَالْ

هبوبَ الصَّبَا ووثوبَ الغَزَالْ

on two toes of a foot inspired

Poised on toe tips, inspired

with the east wind’s rush and the gazelle’s leap.

By the blowing wind and bounding gazelle

وتُجْرِي ذِراعينِ منسابتينِ

وتُجْرِي ذِراعينِ منسابتينِ

كفرعينِ من جدولٍ في انثيالْ

كفرعينِ من جدولٍ في انثيالْ

And she lets her two arms flow,

And runs two flowing arms

like two branches of a stream pouring forth.

Like streams in a valley cascading downhill

كأنَّهما حولها تَرْسُمانِ

كأنَّهما حولها تَرْسُمانِ

تقاطيعَ جسمٍ فريدِ المثالْ

تقاطيعَ جسمٍ فريدِ المثالْ

As though they trace around her

As if around her they draw

the contours of a body of matchless form.

The figure of a uniquely molded form

أَبَتْ أن تَمَسَّاهُ بالراحتينِ

أَبَتْ أن تَمَسَّاهُ بالراحتينِ

ويرضَى الهوى، ويريدُ الجمالْ!

ويرضَى الهوى، ويريدُ الجمالْ!

She would not let them touch it with both palms,

They refused to touch him with her palms

while passion approves and beauty desires it!

Though passion wished it, and beauty desired it!

ومن عَجَبٍ، وهي مفتونةٌ

ومن عَجَبٍ، وهي مفتونةٌ

تُريكَ الهدَى، وتُرِيكَ الضلالْ

تُريكَ الهدَى، وتُرِيكَ الضلالْ

And how strange—though she is spellbound,

And strangely, as she is enthralled

she shows you guidance, and shows you going astray.

She shows you guidance, and shows you misguidance

تَلَوَّى وتسهو كَلُهَّابةٍ

تَلَوَّى وتسهو كَلُهَّابةٍ

تَراقصُ، قبل فناءِ الذُّبالْ

تَراقصُ، قبل فناءِ الذُّبالْ

She writhes and forgets herself, like a flame

She twists and wanders like a wisp

dancing before the wicks burn out.

Dancing, before the melting of ice

وتعلو وتهبطُ مثل الشراع

وتعلو وتهبطُ مثل الشراع

تَرامَى الجنوبُ بهِ والشمالْ

تَرامَى الجنوبُ بهِ والشمالْ

And she rises and falls like a sail

She rises and falls like a sail

the south wind and the north toss to and fro.

Billowing south wind and north wind gust at her

وتعدو كأنَّ يدًا خلفها

وتعدو كأنَّ يدًا خلفها

تُعَذِّبُها بسياطٍ طوالْ

تُعَذِّبُها بسياطٍ طوالْ

And she runs, as though a hand behind her

She dashes as if a hand behind her

were tormenting her with long whips.

Torments her with whips long and sore

وتزحفُ رافعةً وجهَها

وتزحفُ رافعةً وجهَها

ضراعةَ مستغفرٍ في ابتهالْ

ضراعةَ مستغفرٍ في ابتهالْ

And she crawls, raising her face

And she crawls, raising her face

with a penitent’s humility in fervent prayer.

Pleading forgiveness in supplication

وتسقط عانيةً للجبينِ

وتسقط عانيةً للجبينِ

كقُمْرِيَّةٍ وَقَعَتْ في الحبالْ

كقُمْرِيَّةٍ وَقَعَتْ في الحبالْ

And she falls submissively upon her brow,

And drops suffering, forehead to the ground

like a turtledove fallen into snares.

Like a drunkard fallen from her rope

تَبِضُّ ترائبُها لوعةً

تَبِضُّ ترائبُها لوعةً

وتخفقُ لا عن ضنًى أو كلالْ

وتخفقُ لا عن ضنًى أو كلالْ

Her breast exudes anguish,

Her lips tremble with agony

and throbs—not from sickness or fatigue.

Yet not from sorrow or weariness at all

ولكنَّهُ بعضُ أشواقها

ولكنَّهُ بعضُ أشواقها

وبعضُ الذي استودَعَتْهَا الليالْ!!

وبعضُ الذي استودَعَتْهَا الليالْ!!

But it is part of her longing,

But it is some of her longing

and part of what the nights have entrusted to her!

And some of what the nights entrusted her with!