وَبابِلِيِّ اللَحظِ حُلوِ اللَمى

وَبابِلِيِّ اللَحظِ حُلوِ اللَمى

في خَدِّهِ الوَردُ الَّذي لا يَحول

في خَدِّهِ الوَردُ الَّذي لا يَحول

And one with a Babylonian gaze and sweet, dusky lips,

With a Babylonian glance, sweet of glance,

On his cheek is the rose that never fades.

In his cheek the rose that does not fade,

بِرِدفِهِ ثقلُ غَرامي بِهِ

بِرِدفِهِ ثقلُ غَرامي بِهِ

وَخَصرُهُ مِثلي براهُ النُحول

وَخَصرُهُ مِثلي براهُ النُحول

In his haunches lies the weight of my passion for him,

With his thin waist, my love for him weighs heavy,

And his waist, like me, has been worn thin by wasting.

And his waist is like mine, slender,

أَحالَني طَرفي عَلى خَدِّهِ

أَحالَني طَرفي عَلى خَدِّهِ

بِقُبلَةٍ فيهِ وَكَيفَ الوُصول

بِقُبلَةٍ فيهِ وَكَيفَ الوُصول

My gaze referred me to his cheek

My eyes invite me to his cheek,

For a kiss upon it—but how to reach it?

With a kiss, though how to reach it,

فَقالَ لا أَقبَلُ وَالشَرعُ لا

فَقالَ لا أَقبَلُ وَالشَرعُ لا

يُحكَمُ فيهِ بِاِشتِراطِ القَبول

يُحكَمُ فيهِ بِاِشتِراطِ القَبول

He said, “I do not accept”; yet religious law does not

He said, "I won't kiss, for the law does not

Require acceptance as a condition here.

Judge in it if the acceptance is conditioned."

وَهوَ عَلى ذا التيهِ لا أَنثَني

وَهوَ عَلى ذا التيهِ لا أَنثَني

عَنهُ بِما فيهِ يَقولُ العَذول

عَنهُ بِما فيهِ يَقولُ العَذول

And despite this haughtiness of his, I will not turn

And he in this wandering, I do not dissuade

Away from him because of what the reproacher says about him.

Myself from him with what he says in refusal.