إن هي تاهتْ فمثلها تاها

إن هي تاهتْ فمثلها تاها

لم يجر خلقٌ في الحسن مجراها

لم يجر خلقٌ في الحسن مجراها

If she is proud, one like her may well be proud;

If she gets lost, who can match her being lost?

No creature has kept pace with her in beauty.

No creature was created with her beauty and grace.

للغصن أعطافها وقامتها

للغصن أعطافها وقامتها

وللرشا جيدُها وعيناها

وللرشا جيدُها وعيناها

Her curves and stature are a bough's,

Her branches and stature for the twig,

And her neck and eyes are a fawn's.

Her smooth neck and eyes for the fawn.

فُضِّضَ بالياسمين عارضُها

فُضِّضَ بالياسمين عارضُها

ذُهِّبَ بالجلّنار خداها

ذُهِّبَ بالجلّنار خداها

Her cheek was silvered with jasmine;

Her cheeks were tinged with jasmine,

Her two cheeks were gilded with pomegranate blossom.

Her cheeks made golden by carnation.

تلك الثنايا من عقدها نُظمت

تلك الثنايا من عقدها نُظمت

أم نُظِمَ العقد من ثناياها

أم نُظِمَ العقد من ثناياها

Were those front teeth strung from her necklace,

Were those undulations from her necklace composed,

Or was the necklace strung from her front teeth?

Or was the necklace composed from her undulations?

وغارتِ القُمْصُ حين أسفلها

وغارتِ القُمْصُ حين أسفلها

يمسُّ ما لا يمسُّ أعلاها

يمسُّ ما لا يمسُّ أعلاها

And the tunics grew jealous when their lower parts

And the shirt gaped when her lower part

Touched what their upper parts did not touch.

Touched what her top did not touch.

جاعلةٌ ريقَها مدامتنا

جاعلةٌ ريقَها مدامتنا

إذا سقتنا وكأسنا فاها

إذا سقتنا وكأسنا فاها

She makes her saliva our wine

Making her saliva our wine

When she gives us drink, and her mouth our cup.

When she gave us to drink and her cup was empty.

لئن كفاني التفاحَ وجنتها

لئن كفاني التفاحَ وجنتها

لقد كفاني الرمانَ ثدياها

لقد كفاني الرمانَ ثدياها

If her cheek has spared me the need for apples,

If an apple and its orchard were enough for me,

Her two breasts have surely spared me the need for pomegranates.

A pomegranate and its fruits were enough for me.

تملكني بالهوى وأملكها

تملكني بالهوى وأملكها

فها أنا عبدها ومولاها

فها أنا عبدها ومولاها

She possesses me through love, and I possess her;

She possesses me with love and I possess her,

So here I am, her slave and her master.

So here I am, her slave and her master.