يا بدرَ تِمٍّ بالجمالِ تَبَرْقَعا

يا بدرَ تِمٍّ بالجمالِ تَبَرْقَعا

وقضيبَ بانٍ ماسَ لما أنْ سَعَى

وقضيبَ بانٍ ماسَ لما أنْ سَعَى

O full moon that veiled itself in beauty,

O full moon that shines with beauty, radiant and bright,

And bān bough that swayed as it walked!

And slender bow that shoots arrows when drawn taut and tight,

مالي دعوتُك للوصالِ فلم تُجِبْ

مالي دعوتُك للوصالِ فلم تُجِبْ

ودعوتَني لهواك لَبَّيْتُ الدُّعا

ودعوتَني لهواك لَبَّيْتُ الدُّعا

Why is it that I called you to union, yet you did not answer,

I called you to union but you did not respond,

And when you called me to love you, I answered the call?

You called me to your love and readily I went.

أتُراك حُلْتَ عن المودةِ أم تُرَى

أتُراك حُلْتَ عن المودةِ أم تُرَى

داعٍ علينا بالقَطيعِة قد دَعا

داعٍ علينا بالقَطيعِة قد دَعا

Have you turned from affection, I wonder, or could it be

Do you now shy from affection? Or does it seem,

That someone has prayed for estrangement to befall us?

A caller to estrangement has summoned in between?

يا مُسقْنِي غُصَصَ الغرامِ بصَدِّه

يا مُسقْنِي غُصَصَ الغرامِ بصَدِّه

لما تأهب للمسير وَودَّعا

لما تأهب للمسير وَودَّعا

O one who makes me drink love's choking sorrows through his rejection,

O you who gave me love’s wine, pure and refined,

When he made ready to depart and bade farewell!

When you prepared to leave, bade me goodbye.

ورميتني بسهامِ لحظِك قاصِدا

ورميتني بسهامِ لحظِك قاصِدا

لو كان قلبي عارفاً لتَدرَّعا

لو كان قلبي عارفاً لتَدرَّعا

And you deliberately shot me with the arrows of your glance.

You shot me with glances like well-aimed arrows,

Had my heart been aware, it would have donned armor.

Had my heart been knowing, it would have armored before.

لكنه غِرٌّ فَغرَّ به الهوى

لكنه غِرٌّ فَغرَّ به الهوى

والقلبُ مُغْرًى بالصَّبابة مولعا

والقلبُ مُغْرًى بالصَّبابة مولعا

But it is naive, so passion deceived it;

But it’s naive, passion made it foolish and blind,

And the heart is enthralled by longing, passionately enamored.

A heart made foolish by youth is inclined.

ولقد أتيتُك سائلاً في حاجةٍ

ولقد أتيتُك سائلاً في حاجةٍ

حاشاك يا مولاي أنْ تَتَمنَّعا

حاشاك يا مولاي أنْ تَتَمنَّعا

And indeed I came to you, seeking a favor;

I came to you asking for what I desired,

Far be it from you, my lord, to refuse!

Far from you, my Master, to refuse or be miser.

وكتبتُ سائر حاجتي يا سيدي

وكتبتُ سائر حاجتي يا سيدي

وَقِّع فَديتُك واستمدَّ وَوقِّعا

وَقِّع فَديتُك واستمدَّ وَوقِّعا

And I wrote out my entire request, my master:

I wrote all my need, my Lord, for you to read,

Sign it—may I be your ransom—dip your pen in ink and sign!

Sign, my ransom, extend your hand and sign the decree.

وسَخا بما قد كان يُبْخِلُني به

وسَخا بما قد كان يُبْخِلُني به

كرما وجاد بنفسه وتبرعا

كرما وجاد بنفسه وتبرعا

And he gave generously what he had once begrudged me,

Be generous with what you once withheld from me,

Out of generosity, giving himself freely and willingly.

With bounty and nobility, give of yourself, freely.

ومليحةِ النَّغَماتِ تحسب عودَها

ومليحةِ النَّغَماتِ تحسب عودَها

طِفْلا وتحسبُها عليه مُرْضِعا

طِفْلا وتحسبُها عليه مُرْضِعا

And a woman of lovely melodies—you would think her lute

The beautiful melodies think their lute is a child,

An infant, and her a nurse suckling it.

And count themselves as its wet nurse, loving and mild.

أبداً تَراهُ مُقمَّطا في حِجْرها

أبداً تَراهُ مُقمَّطا في حِجْرها

حاز المعالي قبل أنْ يَتَرَعْرعا

حاز المعالي قبل أنْ يَتَرَعْرعا

Always you see it swaddled in her lap;

You always find it cradled in her embrace,

It attained lofty honors before it had grown up.

Reached heights of glory before it could walk or pace.

ولربما ضَربْته ضرباً موجِعا

ولربما ضَربْته ضرباً موجِعا

فسمعتَه من ضربها مُتوجِّعا

فسمعتَه من ضربها مُتوجِّعا

And often she struck it with a painful blow,

Sometimes she would strike it with hurtful blow,

So you heard it groaning in pain from her blows.

Then you would hear from her striking painful woe.

غَنَّتْ فأغنتْ والغناءُ غناؤها

غَنَّتْ فأغنتْ والغناءُ غناؤها

ثم انثنتْ كيما تقولَ فتُسْمِعا

ثم انثنتْ كيما تقولَ فتُسْمِعا

She sang and enriched us; hers is singing itself.

She sang and her singing was song personified,

Then she turned to speak and make herself heard.

Then she softly whispered so her voice could guide.

فإذا تَغنَّى قلتُ ما قد قاله

فإذا تَغنَّى قلتُ ما قد قاله

في وصفِ مثلِك شاعرٌ قد نَوَّعا

في وصفِ مثلِك شاعرٌ قد نَوَّعا

And when it sang, I repeated what had been said

Whenever it sang, I said what the poet stated,

In describing one like you, by a versatile poet:

In praise of your likeness, his passions created.

نَشَرتْ ثلاثَ ذوائبٍ من شعرِها

نَشَرتْ ثلاثَ ذوائبٍ من شعرِها

في ليلةٍ فأَرتْ لياليَ أربعا

في ليلةٍ فأَرتْ لياليَ أربعا

She let loose three tresses of her hair

With the three tresses of her hair she let down,

In a single night, revealing four nights;

In a night she revealed four moons abound.

واستقبلتْ قمرَ السماءِ بوجهها

واستقبلتْ قمرَ السماءِ بوجهها

فأرتنَي القَمرين في وقتٍ معا

فأرتنَي القَمرين في وقتٍ معا

And turned her face toward the moon in the sky,

With her face she greeted the moon up above,

So she showed me the two moons together at once.

And showed me two moons at one time in my love.