لي عاذِلٌ في الحُبِّ ما أَعذَلَه

لي عاذِلٌ في الحُبِّ ما أَعذَلَه

وَعَن طَريقِ العَدلِ ما أَعدَلَه

وَعَن طَريقِ العَدلِ ما أَعدَلَه

I have a reproacher in love—how reproachful he is!

I have a critic in love, how unfair his criticism!

And how far he strays from the path of justice!

And how far from the path of justice his judgment strays!

يَطمَعُ جَهلاً أَن يُرى طارِداً

يَطمَعُ جَهلاً أَن يُرى طارِداً

عُطارِداً عَن طالِعِ السَّنبُلَه

عُطارِداً عَن طالِعِ السَّنبُلَه

He ignorantly hopes to be seen driving

He foolishly hopes to be seen as one who chases away,

Mercury away from Virgo's ascendant.

Venus away from the rising ear of wheat.

جارِيَةٌ جائِرَةٌ في الهَوى

جارِيَةٌ جائِرَةٌ في الهَوى

وَجَنكُها المُطرِبُ ما أَعدَلَه

وَجَنكُها المُطرِبُ ما أَعدَلَه

A maiden, unjust in love;

A wayward, unjust beloved,

and her enchanting harp—how just it is!

Whose melodious lute, how fair it plays!

كَأَنَّها في جَسِّ أَوتارِهِ

كَأَنَّها في جَسِّ أَوتارِهِ

بقراطُ يَبغي نَبضَ مَن عَلَّلَه

بقراطُ يَبغي نَبضَ مَن عَلَّلَه

As though, in feeling its strings, she were

As if its strings were, in their resonant hollow,

Hippocrates, seeking the pulse of one he has nursed.

Hippocrates, seeking the pulse of one he examines.

ما أَحمَقَ العاذِلَ في رَأيِهِ

ما أَحمَقَ العاذِلَ في رَأيِهِ

فَهوَ بِلا شَكٍّ شَديدُ البَلَه

فَهوَ بِلا شَكٍّ شَديدُ البَلَه

How foolish the reproacher is in his judgment!

How foolish is the critic in his opinion!

For he is, without doubt, exceedingly witless.

He is, without doubt, exceedingly confused.

مَن مُنصِفي من حُبِّ جنكِيَّة

مَن مُنصِفي من حُبِّ جنكِيَّة

لِلقَلبِ من أَوتارِها زَلزَلَه

لِلقَلبِ من أَوتارِها زَلزَلَه

Who will give me justice against love for a harpist,

Who judges fairly the love for my melodious one?

whose strings set the heart quaking?

For the heart, her strings cause tremors.

أَوتارُها تَقتُلُ زُوارَها

أَوتارُها تَقتُلُ زُوارَها

تَجني عَلَيهِم وَلَها وَلوَلَه

تَجني عَلَيهِم وَلَها وَلوَلَه

Her strings kill her visitors;

Her strings kill her visitors,

they do them harm, and theirs is a wail.

She is unfair to them, to her the blame lays.

مَريضَةُ الأَجفانِ فَتّانَةٌ

مَريضَةُ الأَجفانِ فَتّانَةٌ

وَطَرفُها الوَسنانُ ما أَقتَلَه

وَطَرفُها الوَسنانُ ما أَقتَلَه

Languid-eyed and bewitching,

Sickly-eyed seductress,

and her drowsy gaze—how deadly it is!

Her glancing eyelash, how murderous its ways!

وَوَجهُها لَو قابَلَ البَدرَ في

وَوَجهُها لَو قابَلَ البَدرَ في

تمامِهِ عادَ وَقَد أَخجَلَه

تمامِهِ عادَ وَقَد أَخجَلَه

And if her face met the full moon in

Her face, if it met the full moon,

its fullness, it would return having shamed the moon.

Would send it back shamed and abashed.

وَقَدُّها مُعتَدِلٌ مِثلُ غُص

وَقَدُّها مُعتَدِلٌ مِثلُ غُص

نِ البانِ سُبحانَ الَّذي عَدَّلَه

نِ البانِ سُبحانَ الَّذي عَدَّلَه

And her figure is well proportioned, like a branch

Her stature is perfectly proportioned, like a delicate

of the moringa—glory to Him who shaped it!

Branch of sweet basil. Glory to Him who created it!

تَهُزُّ غُصناً في كَثيبِ النَقا

تَهُزُّ غُصناً في كَثيبِ النَقا

دَلالُها في رَقصِها مَيَّلَه

دَلالُها في رَقصِها مَيَّلَه

She sways a branch upon a sand dune;

She sways a bough on a sand dune.

her coy grace, as she dances, has made it bend.

Her coquetry in her dance has inclined it.

فَمَن يَقُل أَنَّ لَها مُشبِهاً

فَمَن يَقُل أَنَّ لَها مُشبِهاً

في الحُسنِ في العالَمِ ما أَجهَلَه

في الحُسنِ في العالَمِ ما أَجهَلَه

So whoever says that she has an equal

Who can say that she has a equal

in beauty in the world—how ignorant he is!

In beauty in all the world? How ignorant his claim!

في القَلبِ نيرانُ الهَوى كُلَّما

في القَلبِ نيرانُ الهَوى كُلَّما

ذَكَرتُها مُوقَدَةٌ مُشعَلَه

ذَكَرتُها مُوقَدَةٌ مُشعَلَه

In the heart, the fires of passion, whenever

In my heart, the fires of passion, whenever

I recall her, are kindled and set ablaze.

I remember her, blaze in flames.

فَمَن رَآها مِن جَميعِ الوَرى

فَمَن رَآها مِن جَميعِ الوَرى

في مَجلِسٍ أَدرَكَ ما أَمَّلَه

في مَجلِسٍ أَدرَكَ ما أَمَّلَه

So whoever among all humankind has seen her

Whoever saw her among all creation

at a gathering has attained what he hoped for.

In a gathering, attained what he hoped.

كَأَنَّها الوَردُ وَأَيّامُهُ

كَأَنَّها الوَردُ وَأَيّامُهُ

ما أَحسَنَ الوَردَ وَما أَفضَلَه

ما أَحسَنَ الوَردَ وَما أَفضَلَه

She is like the rose and its days;

She is like the rose in its season,

how beautiful the rose is, and how excellent!

How excellent is the bloom of a rose, how sublime!

في خَدِّها الوَردُ جَنياً بِلا

في خَدِّها الوَردُ جَنياً بِلا

رَيبٍ فَيا طوبى لِمَن قَبَّلَه

رَيبٍ فَيا طوبى لِمَن قَبَّلَه

On her cheek the rose is ripe for plucking, without

In her cheek, the rose is picked, undoubtedly,

a doubt—oh, blessed is whoever kisses it!

So blessings to him who kissed it!

وَريقُها الراحُ وَلَكِنَّ مَن

وَريقُها الراحُ وَلَكِنَّ مَن

حَرَّمَها في كَأسِها حَلَّلَه

حَرَّمَها في كَأسِها حَلَّلَه

And her saliva is wine, yet the one who

Her saliva is wine, but he who

forbade it in its cup has made her saliva lawful.

Deprived her of it in her cup, made it lawful.

وَالوَردُ ما أَقصَرَ أَيّامَهُ

وَالوَردُ ما أَقصَرَ أَيّامَهُ

وَعُمرُهُ في الهَجرِ ما أَطوَلَه

وَعُمرُهُ في الهَجرِ ما أَطوَلَه

And the rose—how short its days!

How brief are the days of a rose!

Yet its life in separation—how long it is!

And its lifetime in estrangement, how long!