1. وَذاتُ دَلٍّ كَأَنَّ البَدرَ صورَتُها

    باتَت تُغَنّي عَميدَ القَلبِ سَكرانا

    And a woman of coy charm, as though the full moon were her likeness,

    spent the night singing to a drunken, lovesick man:

  2. إِنَّ العُيونَ الَّتي في طَرفِها حَوَرٌ

    قَتَلنَنا ثُمَّ لَم يُحيينَ قَتلانا

    Indeed, those eyes with their deep black and brilliant white

    slew us, then did not bring our slain back to life.

  3. فَقُلتُ أَحسَنتِ يا سُؤلي وَيا أَمَلي

    فَأَسمِعيني جَزاكِ اللَهُ إِحسانا

    So I said: Well done, O my desire and my hope!

    So let me hear more; may God reward you with goodness.

  4. يا حَبَّذا جَبلُ الرَيّانِ مِن جَبَلٍ

    وَحَبَّذا ساكِنُ الرَيّانِ مَن كانا

    Oh, how lovely a mountain is Mount al-Rayyan!

    And how lovely is al-Rayyan's dweller, whoever they may be!

  5. قالَت فَهَلّا فَدَتكَ النَفسُ أَحسَنَ مِن

    هَذا لِمَن كانَ صَبَّ القَلبِ حَيرانا

    She said: Then how about—may my soul be your ransom—something better than

    this, for one lovesick at heart and bewildered?

  6. يا قَومُ أُذني لِبعَضِ الحَيِّ عاشِقَةٌ

    وَالأُذنُ تَعشَقُ قَبلَ العَينِ أَحيانا

    O people, my ear is in love with someone of the tribe;

    and the ear sometimes falls in love before the eye.

  7. فَقُلتُ أَحسَنتِ أَنتِ الشَمسُ طالِعَةٌ

    أَضرَمتِ في القَلبِ وَالأَحشاءِ نيرانا

    So I said: Well done! You are the rising sun;

    you have kindled fires in my heart and entrails.

  8. فَأَسمِعينِيَ صَوتاً مُطرِباً هَزَجاً

    يَزيدُ صَبّاً مُحِبّاً فيكِ أَشجانا

    So let me hear a delightful, lilting song

    that deepens a lovesick lover's sorrows over you.

  9. يا لَيتَني كُنتُ تُفّاحاً مُفَلَّجَةً

    أَو كُنتُ مِن قُضَبِ الرَيحانِ رَيحانا

    Oh, if only I were sliced apples,

    or were a sprig of basil among the basil shoots,

  10. حَتّى إِذا وَجَدَت ريحي فَأَعجَبَها

    وَنَحنُ في خَلوَةٍ مُثِّلتُ إِنسانا

    so that, when she caught my scent and it pleased her,

    while we were alone, I would be given human form.

  11. فَحَرَّكَت عودَها ثُمَّ اِنثَنَت طَرَباً

    تَشدو بِهِ ثُمَّ لا تُخفيهِ كِتمانا

    Then she strummed her lute, then swayed in delight,

    singing to its accompaniment, then keeping none of the song concealed:

  12. أَصبحتُ أَطوَعَ خَلقِ اللَهِ كُلِّهِمِ

    لأَكثَرِ الخَلقِ لي في الحُبِّ عِصيانا

    I have become the most obedient of all God's creatures

    to the one who defies me most of all in love.

  13. فَقُلتُ أَطرَبتِنا يا زَينَ مِجلِسِنا

    فَهاتِ إِنَّكِ بِالإِحسانِ أَولانا

    So I said: You have delighted us, O adornment of our gathering!

    So give us more, for you are foremost among us in kindness.

  14. لَو كُنتُ أَعلَمُ أَنَّ الحُبَّ يَقتُلُني

    أَعدَدتُ لي قَبلَ أَن أَلقاكِ أَكفانا

    Had I known that love would kill me,

    I would have prepared shrouds for myself before meeting you.

  15. فَغَنَّتِ الشَربَ صَوتاً مُؤنِقاً رَمَلاً

    يُذكي السُرورَ وَيُبكي العَينَ أَلوانا

    Then she sang the drinking companions a delightful song in ramal rhythm,

    kindling joy and drawing tears from the eye in varied ways:

  16. لا يَقتُلُ اللَهُ مَن دامَت مَوَدَّتُهُ

    وَاللَهُ يَقتُلُ أَهلَ الغَدرِ أَحيانا

    God does not kill one whose affection remains constant,

    and God sometimes kills the treacherous.

  17. لا تَعذِلوني فَإِنّي مِن تَذَكُّرِها

    نَشوانُ هَل يَعذِلُ الصاحونَ نَشوانا

    Do not reproach me, for remembering her leaves me

    drunk—do the sober reproach a drunken man?

  18. لَم أَدرِ ما وَصفُها يَقظانَ قَد عَلِمَت

    وَقَد لَهَوتُ بِها في النَومِ أَحيانا

    I did not know what she was like while I was awake—she knew this—

    though I had sometimes dallied with her in sleep.

  19. باتَتَ تُناوِلُني فاهاً فَأَلثُمُهُ

    جِنِّيَّةٌ زُوِّجَت في النَومِ إِنسانا

    She spent the night offering me her mouth, and I kissed it—

    a female jinn wed in sleep to a human being.