قالوا وقد نبتَ العِذارُ بخدِّهِ

قالوا وقد نبتَ العِذارُ بخدِّهِ

مِل عن محبّتهِ وخالصِ ودِّهِ

مِل عن محبّتهِ وخالصِ ودِّهِ

They said, when down had sprouted on his cheek:

They said, as the down has grown on his cheek,

“Turn away from loving him and from sincere affection for him.

Turn away from loving him and his true affection.

أفما تراهُ وقد تصفَّر لونُهُ

أفما تراهُ وقد تصفَّر لونُهُ

بعد احمرارٍ يُستضاءُ بوقدِهِ

بعد احمرارٍ يُستضاءُ بوقدِهِ

Do you not see him, his complexion now grown yellow,

Yet do you not see him, his color turned saffron,

After a redness whose blaze gave light?

After redness that is illuminated by its embers?

شربَ البنفسجُ مِن حديقةِ خَدِّهِ

شربَ البنفسجُ مِن حديقةِ خَدِّهِ

ما كانَ يُسقى آنِفاً مِن وردِهِ

ما كانَ يُسقى آنِفاً مِن وردِهِ

The violet drank from the garden of his cheek

The violet drank from the garden of his cheek

What had just been given to drink from his rose.”

What it was not formerly watered with from his roses.

فأجبتُ غافلهم بقولٍ صادقٍ

فأجبتُ غافلهم بقولٍ صادقٍ

يبدو له الحقُّ المبينُ بسردِهِ

يبدو له الحقُّ المبينُ بسردِهِ

So I answered their heedless one with a truthful saying:

So I answered the heedless ones with a truthful saying,

The manifest truth appears to him through its telling:

The clear truth appears to him as he dictates it.

هذا هو البدرُ الذي قد سارَ في

هذا هو البدرُ الذي قد سارَ في

أُفُقِ الجمالِ فحلَّ موضعَ سعدِهِ

أُفُقِ الجمالِ فحلَّ موضعَ سعدِهِ

“This is the full moon that has journeyed through

This is the full moon that travelled in

Beauty’s horizon, then settled in its auspicious station.

The horizon of beauty, so it settled in its place of happiness.

نهضَ الجمالُ لِسترِ باهرِ حُسنهِ

نهضَ الجمالُ لِسترِ باهرِ حُسنهِ

خوفَ العيونِ على صحيفةِ خَدِّهِ

خوفَ العيونِ على صحيفةِ خَدِّهِ

Beauty arose to veil his dazzling loveliness,

Beauty rose to veil his dazzling beauty,

For fear of eyes upon the page of his cheek.

Fearing for the eyes from the page of his cheek.

فغطاهُ بالمبيضِّ مِن كافورِهِ ال

فغطاهُ بالمبيضِّ مِن كافورِهِ ال

زّاهي وفَروَزَهُ بأسودِ ندِّهِ

زّاهي وفَروَزَهُ بأسودِ ندِّهِ

So it covered him with the white of its camphor—

So it covered him with whiteness from its camphor,

Radiant—and framed him with the black of its nadd perfume.”

And illuminated him with the blackness of its curling tresses.