يا حُسنَ بَعضِ الناسِ مَهلا

يا حُسنَ بَعضِ الناسِ مَهلا

صَيَّرتَ كُلَّ الناسِ قَتلى

صَيَّرتَ كُلَّ الناسِ قَتلى

O beauty of a certain someone, be gentle!

O beauty, wait, some people

You have left everyone slain.

You made all people dead

أَمَرَت جُفونُكَ بِالهَوى

أَمَرَت جُفونُكَ بِالهَوى

مَن كانَ يَعرِفُهُ وَمَن لا

مَن كانَ يَعرِفُهُ وَمَن لا

Your eyelids enjoined love

Your eyelids are commanded by love

on those who knew it and those who did not.

Whoever knows it and whoever doesn’t

يا هاجِري لا عَن قِلىً

يا هاجِري لا عَن قِلىً

هَجرَ اِبنَةِ المَهدِيُّ طَلّا

هَجرَ اِبنَةِ المَهدِيُّ طَلّا

O you who shun me, not out of hatred,

O you who migrate not because of misery

as al-Mahdi's daughter shunned Tall.

The daughter of Al-Mahdi migrated out of yearning

لَم يَبقَ غَيرُ حُشاشَةٍ

لَم يَبقَ غَيرُ حُشاشَةٍ

مِن مُهجَتي وَأَخافُ أَن لا

مِن مُهجَتي وَأَخافُ أَن لا

Nothing remains but a faint remnant

Nothing remained but some whispers

of my lifeblood—and I fear even that may not last—

From my love, and I fear it won’t

وَرُسومِ جِسمٍ لَم يَدَع

وَرُسومِ جِسمٍ لَم يَدَع

مِنهُ الهَوى إِلّا الأَقَلّا

مِنهُ الهَوى إِلّا الأَقَلّا

and the traces of a body, of which

And the features of a body that love

love has left only the merest remnant.

Left nothing of it but the least

وَبِمُهجَتي مَن لا أُسَمّي

وَبِمُهجَتي مَن لا أُسَمّي

هِ وَأَكتُمُهُ لِئَلّا

هِ وَأَكتُمُهُ لِئَلّا

And I would ransom with my lifeblood the one I do not name,

And by my love someone I won’t name

and whom I conceal, lest...

And I conceal him so that

عانَقتُ مِنهُ الغُصنَ في

عانَقتُ مِنهُ الغُصنَ في

حَرَكاتِهِ قَدّاً وَشَكلا

حَرَكاتِهِ قَدّاً وَشَكلا

I embraced him—a bough in

I embraced the branch in

his movements, his stature, and his form.

Its moves, leading and forming

وَكَشَفتُ فَضلَ قِناعِهِ

وَكَشَفتُ فَضلَ قِناعِهِ

بِيَدِيَّ عَن قَمَرٍ تَجَلّى

بِيَدِيَّ عَن قَمَرٍ تَجَلّى

And I lifted the loose end of his veil

And I uncovered the excess of his mask

with my two hands, revealing a moon that shone forth.

By my hand, over a moon that appeared

فَلَثَمتُهُ في خَدِّهِ

فَلَثَمتُهُ في خَدِّهِ

تِسعينَ أَو تِسعينَ إِلّا

تِسعينَ أَو تِسعينَ إِلّا

Then I kissed him on his cheek,

So I kissed him on his cheek

ninety times—or ninety minus...

Ninety or ninety minus one

واهاً لَها مِن ساعَةٍ

واهاً لَها مِن ساعَةٍ

ما كانَ أَطيَبَها وَأَحلى

ما كانَ أَطيَبَها وَأَحلى

Ah, what an hour it was!

Oh what an hour it was

How delightful and sweet it was!

If only it was the sweetest and most beautiful