ولرب يوم ظللت ألثم ورده

ولرب يوم ظللت ألثم ورده

والأرض قد نسجت حدائق بردهِ

والأرض قد نسجت حدائق بردهِ

And many a day I spent kissing its roses,

For there was a day when I kissed its rose,

While earth had woven gardens into that day’s mantle.

And the earth had woven its gardens with coldness.

ورباه حالية يكلل رأسها

ورباه حالية يكلل رأسها

زهر الربيع بلؤلؤ من عقدهِ

زهر الربيع بلؤلؤ من عقدهِ

And its hills were adorned, their heads crowned

And she looked after it until her youth crowned its head,

By spring’s blossoms with pearls from its necklace.

With the spring's blossoms of pearls in her necklace.

ومليحة تسبى العقول اذا شدت

ومليحة تسبى العقول اذا شدت

ومهفهف يحكي القضيب بقدهِ

ومهفهف يحكي القضيب بقدهِ

And a beautiful girl who captivated minds whenever she sang,

And it pleases minds when she pulls,

And a slender youth whose stature resembled a branch.

And its rod tells of its straightness.

هذاك منتقش العذار كأنما

هذاك منتقش العذار كأنما

غرس البنفسج في منابت وردهِ

غرس البنفسج في منابت وردهِ

That youth’s cheek-down was patterned, as though

That exhilarated one is as if

Violets had been planted where his roses grew.

The violet was planted in the rose's path.

ويد الفتاة خضيبة فكأنما

ويد الفتاة خضيبة فكأنما

غمست أنامل كفها في خدهِ

غمست أنامل كفها في خدهِ

And the girl’s hand was dye-stained, as though

And the girl's hand is reddened, as if

She had dipped her fingertips into his cheek.

She dipped her fingers' tips in his cheek.

غنت فأطربت الغلام بشدوها

غنت فأطربت الغلام بشدوها

وبشدوها عبث الغلام ببندهِ

وبشدوها عبث الغلام ببندهِ

She sang and enraptured the youth with her singing,

She sang, and made the boy ecstatic with her chant,

And to her song the youth toyed with his lute-string.

And with her chant, the boy toyed with his tail.

متلاحظين يلوح من نظريهما

متلاحظين يلوح من نظريهما

شوق يبوح بوجدها وبوجدهِ

شوق يبوح بوجدها وبوجدهِ

As they exchanged glances, there shone from their looks

Gazing at each other, the longing in their eyes,

A longing that gave voice to her passion and his.

Tells of her passion and of his.

وبدا يقبلها فمن رقبائها

وبدا يقبلها فمن رقبائها

سخطت عليه وأفرطت في ردهِ

سخطت عليه وأفرطت في ردهِ

And he began to kiss her; because of her watchers,

And he started kissing her neck, so she

She grew angry with him and went too far in rebuffing him.

Rebuked him and exaggerated in rejecting him.

لطمت عوارضه بغير جناية

لطمت عوارضه بغير جناية

منه فأثر نقشها في خدهِ

منه فأثر نقشها في خدهِ

She slapped the sides of his face, though no offense

She slapped his cheeks without any crime from him,

Had come from him; her pattern left its mark on his cheek.

So its tattoo remained on his cheek.

فاخضر سالف خده من كفها

فاخضر سالف خده من كفها

واحمر باطن كفها من خدهِ

واحمر باطن كفها من خدهِ

So the side of his cheek turned green from her palm,

Thus the beginning of his cheek turned green from her palm,

And the inside of her palm turned red from his cheek.

And the inside of her palm turned red from his cheek.