من الغيب أسرى إليها الولهْ

من الغيب أسرى إليها الولهْ

فكانت لوجد الهوى أولهْ

فكانت لوجد الهوى أولهْ

From the unseen, longing journeyed by night to her.

With longing from afar, I came to her

So she was the beginning of love's rapture.

And found, if passion had a first, 'twas her

تنام على رقصة الأغنيات

تنام على رقصة الأغنيات

صلاة على سرنا منزلةْ

صلاة على سرنا منزلةْ

She sleeps upon the dance of songs,

She sleeps to rhythms of melodies

A prayer sent down upon our secret.

A prayer for our secret trysting place

لحاراتها الدفء أنَّا نراهْ

لحاراتها الدفء أنَّا نراهْ

تحار به مهجة مشعلهْ

تحار به مهجة مشعلهْ

Her alleys have the warmth that we behold;

In her lanes, warmth we see it there

A heart aflame is bewildered by it.

Bewitching the core of its flame’s flare

يعانقها الظل بوحا وعشقا

يعانقها الظل بوحا وعشقا

كأن الندى ظلَّها بللهْ

كأن الندى ظلَّها بللهْ

The shadow embraces her in confession and passion,

Embraced by shadows, ardently, lovingly

As though the dew had moistened her shadow.

As if the dew had soaked it thoroughly

كأني بها جنة من هيام

كأني بها جنة من هيام

مطارحها بالهوى مثقلةْ

مطارحها بالهوى مثقلةْ

To me she seems a paradise of ardor,

She seems a garden of daydreams to me

Her places laden with love.

Her pillows heavy with love’s reverie

وأزهارها قد تدلت كما

وأزهارها قد تدلت كما

مصابيح من سحرها مسدلهْ

مصابيح من سحرها مسدلهْ

And her flowers have hung down like

Her flowers dangling as though they were

Lamps hanging down from her enchantment.

Lanterns from her magic hanging there

وأبوابها نام فيها الرحيقُ

وأبوابها نام فيها الرحيقُ

تراها على بعضها مقبلهْ

تراها على بعضها مقبلهْ

And her doors—nectar has fallen asleep within them;

Her doors where perfume had fallen asleep

You see them turning toward one another.

You'd think some leaning towards others in a heap

تشف كما غيمة من عبير

تشف كما غيمة من عبير

بعطر مساءاتها مثقلهْ

بعطر مساءاتها مثقلهْ

She is translucent, like a cloud of fragrance,

She sips like a cloud of fragrant air

Laden with the perfume of her evenings.

With the scent of her evenings rich and rare

لشهباء أرجوزة العاشقين

لشهباء أرجوزة العاشقين

وآهاتهم في المدى مرسلهْ

وآهاتهم في المدى مرسلهْ

To Shahba belong the lovers' rajaz poem

To the starry-eyed, the lover's ode

And their sighs, sent forth into the distance.

And their sighs through the horizon's breadth flowed

لها ما يخبئ سحر الصباح

لها ما يخبئ سحر الصباح

وما ينطوي في الرؤى من ولهْ

وما ينطوي في الرؤى من ولهْ

Hers is what morning's enchantment conceals,

In her is all the charm of dawn kept hid

And whatever longing lies enfolded in visions.

And what stirs wrapped in visions, from the first glance did