تَعَطُّفاً قَدَّ فُؤادي الأَسَفُ

تَعَطُّفاً قَدَّ فُؤادي الأَسَفُ

لَمّا تَثَنّى قَدُّكَ المُهَفهَفُ

لَمّا تَثَنّى قَدُّكَ المُهَفهَفُ

Have pity! Sorrow has torn my heart

My heart is overwhelmed with sorrow

when your slender figure swayed.

When your slender figure sways

في كُلِّ عُضوٍ فِيَّ يَعقوبُ أَسىً

في كُلِّ عُضوٍ فِيَّ يَعقوبُ أَسىً

إِذ كُلَّ عُضوٍ مِنكَ فيهِ يوسُفُ

إِذ كُلَّ عُضوٍ مِنكَ فيهِ يوسُفُ

In every limb of mine is a Jacob in sorrow,

In every part of me there is agony

for in every limb of yours there is a Joseph.

For each part of you is Joseph

لَحظُكَ وَالقَوامُ يَفعَلانِ ما

لَحظُكَ وَالقَوامُ يَفعَلانِ ما

يَفعَلُهُ المُرهَفُ وَالمُثَقَّفُ

يَفعَلُهُ المُرهَفُ وَالمُثَقَّفُ

Your glance and your figure do what

Your glances and your posture do

the keen sword and the straightened spear do.

What the gentle and the cultured do

وَثَغرُكَ اللُؤلُؤُ مَنظوماً إِذا اب

وَثَغرُكَ اللُؤلُؤُ مَنظوماً إِذا اب

تَسَمتَ لا ما فُضَّ عَنهُ الصَدَفُ

تَسَمتَ لا ما فُضَّ عَنهُ الصَدَفُ

And your mouth is pearls strung together when you

Your lips like lustrous pearls

smile—not pearls whose shells have been split open.

When you smile reveal what shells don’t tell

أَضعَفَ صَبري إِذ بَدَوتَ مُقبِلاً

أَضعَفَ صَبري إِذ بَدَوتَ مُقبِلاً

وَردٌ بِخَدَّيكَ جَنىً مُضَعَّفُ

وَردٌ بِخَدَّيكَ جَنىً مُضَعَّفُ

My patience was weakened when you appeared, approaching,

My patience weakened when you appeared

by a rose on your cheeks—a doubled harvest.

Your cheeks brought a doubled rose

وَردٌ بَديعٌ حُسنُهُ لَكِنَّهُ

وَردٌ بَديعٌ حُسنُهُ لَكِنَّهُ

لَيسَ بِغَيرِ اللَّحظِ يَوماً يُقطَفُ

لَيسَ بِغَيرِ اللَّحظِ يَوماً يُقطَفُ

A rose of wondrous beauty, yet it

A lovely rose whose beauty though

is never plucked except with a glance.

Is not apart from your glance ever plucked

ما ضَرَّ مَن أَحبَبتهُ لَو أَنَّني

ما ضَرَّ مَن أَحبَبتهُ لَو أَنَّني

قَبَّلتُهُ فَزالَ عَنّي اللَّهفُ

قَبَّلتُهُ فَزالَ عَنّي اللَّهفُ

What harm would it do the one I love if I

Who ever loved was not harmed if I

kissed him, and my yearning left me?

Kissed him and so my yearning fled

لَحظُكَ يا تُركِيُّ يَبري أَسهُماً

لَحظُكَ يا تُركِيُّ يَبري أَسهُماً

لَيسَ لَها إِلّا فُؤادي هَدَفُ

لَيسَ لَها إِلّا فُؤادي هَدَفُ

Your glance, O Turk, whittles arrows

Your glance, O Turk, makes arrows fly

that have no target but my heart.

That find no target but my heart

واعَجَباً كَيفَ تَكون صاحِياً

واعَجَباً كَيفَ تَكون صاحِياً

وَمن جَنى ريقَكَ يُجنى القَرقَفُ

وَمن جَنى ريقَكَ يُجنى القَرقَفُ

O wonder! How can you be sober

How strange that you stay sober still

when strong wine is gathered from the harvest of your saliva?

When he who tastes your saliva gets tipsy

لَو قابَلَت وَجهَكَ عَينُ الشَمسِ في

لَو قابَلَت وَجهَكَ عَينُ الشَمسِ في

رَأدِ الضُحى كانَت بِهِ تَنكَسِفُ

رَأدِ الضُحى كانَت بِهِ تَنكَسِفُ

If the sun's eye met your face in

Had your face met the sun at dawn

the early forenoon, it would be eclipsed by it.

It would at it have darkened and eclipsed

يَبدو لَنا مِن رِدفِكَ اِرتِجاجُهُ

يَبدو لَنا مِن رِدفِكَ اِرتِجاجُهُ

يَرهَبُ مِنها خَصرُكَ المُستَضعَفُ

يَرهَبُ مِنها خَصرُكَ المُستَضعَفُ

The quivering of your buttocks is plain to us;

The quaking of your hips appears to us

your frail waist is afraid of it.

Frightening your weak slender waist

شَغَفتَني حُبّاً وَما أَسعَفتَني

شَغَفتَني حُبّاً وَما أَسعَفتَني

قُرباً وَمِن أَينَ الحَبيبُ المُنصِفُ

قُرباً وَمِن أَينَ الحَبيبُ المُنصِفُ

You have enthralled me with love, yet have not granted me

You made me love but did not favor me

nearness—and where is a fair beloved to be found?

Where is the lover who is equitable?

تَلافَ مِن قَبلِ التَلافِ مُهجَتي

تَلافَ مِن قَبلِ التَلافِ مُهجَتي

أَو لا فَإِنّي بِالغَرامِ أَتلَفُ

أَو لا فَإِنّي بِالغَرامِ أَتلَفُ

Save my soul before its destruction,

My mind was destroyed before being destroyed

or do not—for I am perishing of love.

Else I am with love itself destroyed

لا بُدَّ لي مِن زَورَةٍ وَلَو دَنَت

لا بُدَّ لي مِن زَورَةٍ وَلَو دَنَت

إِلَيَّ أَطرافُ الرِماحِ تَرعُفُ

إِلَيَّ أَطرافُ الرِماحِ تَرعُفُ

I must pay a visit, even if there draw near

I needs must pay you a visit

to me the tips of spears, dripping blood.

Though spear points bristle and flap

لَو زُرتُكُم أَسعى عَلى جَمرِ الغَضا

لَو زُرتُكُم أَسعى عَلى جَمرِ الغَضا

لَم يَهَبِ الحَريقَ قَلبي المُدنَفُ

لَم يَهَبِ الحَريقَ قَلبي المُدنَفُ

If I visited you, hastening over embers of ghada wood,

Had I visited you walking on embers’ heat

my lovesick heart would not fear the blaze.

My ardent heart would not take fright