أوْدِعِ العذلَ كفَّةَ المنجنيقِ

أوْدِعِ العذلَ كفَّةَ المنجنيقِ

والقَ وجهَ اللاحي بوجهٍ صفيقِ

والقَ وجهَ اللاحي بوجهٍ صفيقِ

Put reproach in the catapult's cup,

Load reproach into the sling,

And meet the censurer's face with a brazen face.

And turn your fiery face to one serene,

ذا طريقُ السلوِّ قد قَطَعَتْهُ

ذا طريقُ السلوِّ قد قَطَعَتْهُ

مقلةٌ تستحلُّ قَطْعَ الطريق

مقلةٌ تستحلُّ قَطْعَ الطريق

This road to forgetting has been cut off

If the smooth path is blocked

By an eye that deems highway robbery lawful.

By a coquette who makes blocking the road lawful,

بأبي مطفئٌ حريقي بوصلٍ

بأبي مطفئٌ حريقي بوصلٍ

لا يزيدُ الحريقَ غيرَ حريق

لا يزيدُ الحريقَ غيرَ حريق

My father be ransom for one who quenches my fire with union

With my father a fire quencher if reproached,

That adds to the fire nothing but fire.

Reproach only fuels the blaze,

شادنٌ موثقٌ عقودَ المواثي

شادنٌ موثقٌ عقودَ المواثي

ق وما عقدُ خَصْرِهِ بوثيق

ق وما عقدُ خَصْرِهِ بوثيق

A young gazelle who makes the bonds of covenants firm,

Firmly tied are the knotted ropes of calm,

Yet the knot of his waist is not firm.

And what a knot is his cinched waist.

صاغه صائغُ الملاحةِ من ما

صاغه صائغُ الملاحةِ من ما

ءٍ ولكنَّ خدَّهُ من رحيق

ءٍ ولكنَّ خدَّهُ من رحيق

The goldsmith of beauty fashioned him from water,

Cast by the caster of amiability from water,

But his cheek is made of pure wine.

But his cheek from wine,

حقَّ خلعُ العذار فيه لم كا

حقَّ خلعُ العذار فيه لم كا

ن بخلع العذارِ غيرَ حقيق

ن بخلع العذارِ غيرَ حقيق

Casting off the bridle for him is fitting—why was he

It is right to take off finery from it, for there was

Unworthy of having the bridle cast off?

No sincerity in taking off finery,

لو رآه الزنديقُ ما شكَّ فيه

لو رآه الزنديقُ ما شكَّ فيه

أنه حُجَّةٌ على الزنديق

أنه حُجَّةٌ على الزنديق

If the heretic saw him, he would have no doubt

Had the skeptic seen it, he would not have doubted

That he is a proof against the heretic.

It is evidence against the skeptic,

زار إذ زار في نقاب شقيقٍ

زار إذ زار في نقاب شقيقٍ

أنا أَفدي مُنقَّباً بالشقيق

أنا أَفدي مُنقَّباً بالشقيق

He came, when he came, in an anemone-red veil;

When visiting, wearing the veil of a dear one,

I would ransom one veiled in anemone-red cloth.

I ransom the veiled with the dear one,

كاسياً من رشاقةِ القدِّ ما لا

كاسياً من رشاقةِ القدِّ ما لا

يكتسيه قدُّ القضيب الرشيق

يكتسيه قدُّ القضيب الرشيق

Clad in a grace of form that

Wearing such slenderness of waist, he cannot

Even the graceful bough's form cannot wear;

Wear the slenderness of the erect rod,

ساحباً حُلَّةَ الدبيقيِّ لكن

ساحباً حُلَّةَ الدبيقيِّ لكن

في الدبيقيِّ منه جسمُ دبيقي

في الدبيقيِّ منه جسمُ دبيقي

Trailing a robe of Dabiqi cloth—but

Dragging the raiment of silk, but

Within the Dabiqi cloth lies his Dabiqi-fine body.

In the silk, a thickset body,

فدنونا دُنَوَّ نِضْوٍ عليلٍ

فدنونا دُنَوَّ نِضْوٍ عليلٍ

حين يدنو إلى طبيبٍ رفيق

حين يدنو إلى طبيبٍ رفيق

Then we drew near like a wasted invalid

We drew near, the approach of an ailing, faint one,

When he approaches a gentle physician.

When he approaches a gentle doctor,

واعتلقنا مثلَ اعتلاق الغريقي

واعتلقنا مثلَ اعتلاق الغريقي

ن غريقٍ مُعلَّقٍ بغريق

ن غريقٍ مُعلَّقٍ بغريق

And we clung together like two drowning men,

And clung like the clinging of a drowning one

One drowning man hanging onto another.

To another drowning, clinging creature,

وتأملته وقد دقَّ معنى ال

وتأملته وقد دقَّ معنى ال

حسن فيه عن كلِّ معنى دقيق

حسن فيه عن كلِّ معنى دقيق

And I contemplated him: subtler was the meaning of

And I observed him, and the meaning of beauty

Beauty in him than every subtle meaning.

Had surpassed in him every subtle meaning,

فإذا وجهه ربيعٌ أنيقٌ

فإذا وجهه ربيعٌ أنيقٌ

حين يصبو إلى الربيع الأنيق

حين يصبو إلى الربيع الأنيق

Then behold, his face is a lovely spring,

His face was a graceful springtime,

When he yearns for the lovely spring.

When spring inclines to the graceful,

وإذا جسمه نسيمٌ رقيقٌ

وإذا جسمه نسيمٌ رقيقٌ

رقَّ عن رقَّةِ النسيم الرقيق

رقَّ عن رقَّةِ النسيم الرقيق

And behold, his body is a delicate breeze,

His body a gentle breeze,

More delicate than the delicacy of the delicate breeze.

Softer than the softness of a gentle breeze,

وإذا شاربُ الزبرجدِ منه

وإذا شاربُ الزبرجدِ منه

واقفٌ بين لؤلؤٍ وعقيق

واقفٌ بين لؤلؤٍ وعقيق

And behold, his mustache of chrysolite

The wearer of aquamarine, he paused

Stands between pearls and carnelian.

Between pearl and ruby,

ابنُ عشرٍ وبعضِ عشرٍ خليقٌ

ابنُ عشرٍ وبعضِ عشرٍ خليقٌ

بارتداءِ البلوغ غيرَ حَليق

بارتداءِ البلوغ غيرَ حَليق

Ten years old and part of another ten, fit

A son of ten and some ten, seemly

To don the mantle of puberty, not yet shaven.

In wearing puberty without being ripe,

حين أعدى خَفْتَانَه صدأ الدر

حين أعدى خَفْتَانَه صدأ الدر

ع وما إِن عداهُ رَدْعُ الخلوق

ع وما إِن عداهُ رَدْعُ الخلوق

When armor's rust stained his kaftan,

When his rashness transcended the rust of money, and not

Though the stain of saffron perfume had not left him.

Transcended did it the restraint of mankind,

فهو طفلٌ بل يافعٌ في محلٍّ

فهو طفلٌ بل يافعٌ في محلٍّ

حلَّ بين الدبّوس والدَبُّوق

حلَّ بين الدبّوس والدَبُّوق

For he is a child—rather, an adolescent at a stage

He is a child, or rather an adolescent in a state

Set between the mace and the dabbuq plaything.

Between button and duck,

ذو بنانٍ تُراضُ للخطِّ والعَقْ

ذو بنانٍ تُراضُ للخطِّ والعَقْ

د وطوراً للكاسِ والإِبريق

د وطوراً للكاسِ والإِبريق

With fingers trained for writing and finger-counting,

With a creation that entices the line and knot

And at times for the cup and the ewer.

And for a time the cup and jug,

يستقيد التجميشُ منه عناناً

يستقيد التجميشُ منه عناناً

ليس تقتادُهُ يَدُ التحقيق

ليس تقتادُهُ يَدُ التحقيق

Playful caresses win from him a rein

Free-reined does he lead caprice,

That the hand of earnestness cannot guide.

Not led by the hand of realization,

يا صديقي علامَ صرتَ عدوِّي

يا صديقي علامَ صرتَ عدوِّي

وعدوّي عليه غيرُ صديق

وعدوّي عليه غيرُ صديق

O my friend, why have you become my enemy?

My friend why have you become my enemy,

And my enemy on his account is no friend.

And one who is not my enemy, not a friend?

ما شفيقٌ مَنْ لامَ فيه وما مَن

ما شفيقٌ مَنْ لامَ فيه وما مَن

لم يلمني في حبِّه بشفيق

لم يلمني في حبِّه بشفيق

No one who blames me for him is compassionate, nor is one

No amender is he who blamed me, and no protector

Who does not blame me for loving him compassionate.

He who did not blame me in his love,

شَرقَت من دمٍ مدامعُ عينٍ

شَرقَت من دمٍ مدامعُ عينٍ

ما رَثَت لي وقد شرقتُ بريقي

ما رَثَت لي وقد شرقتُ بريقي

An eye's tear ducts choked with blood—

Tears streamed from blood, an eye

An eye that showed me no pity as I choked on my saliva.

Did not weep for me when I shone bright,