سَفَرَت فَقُلتُ لَها أَهَذا كَوكَبٌ

سَفَرَت فَقُلتُ لَها أَهَذا كَوكَبٌ

قالَت أَجَل وَأَينَ مِنّي الكَوكَبُ

قالَت أَجَل وَأَينَ مِنّي الكَوكَبُ

She unveiled her face, and I said to her, “Is this a star?”

I traveled, and I said to her, "Is that a planet?"

She unveiled her face, and I said to her, "Is this a star?"

She said, “Yes—and what is a star beside me?”

She said, "Yes, and where am I from the planet?"

She replied, "Indeed, but where is the star compared to me?"

وَتَبَسَّمَت فَرَأَيتُ رِئماً ضاحِكاً

وَتَبَسَّمَت فَرَأَيتُ رِئماً ضاحِكاً

عَن لُؤلُؤٍ لَكِنَّهُ لا يوهَبُ

عَن لُؤلُؤٍ لَكِنَّهُ لا يوهَبُ

And she smiled; I saw a white gazelle laughing,

She smiled, and I saw a laughing lion

She smiled, and I saw a gazelle laughing,

Revealing pearls, yet they are not given away.

With pearls, but it does not grant them

Revealing pearls, though they are pearls that cannot be gifted.

وَتَمايَلَت فَالسَمهَرِيُّ مُصَمِّمٌ

وَتَمايَلَت فَالسَمهَرِيُّ مُصَمِّمٌ

وَرَنَت فَأَبصَرتُ السِهامَ تُصَوَّبُ

وَرَنَت فَأَبصَرتُ السِهامَ تُصَوَّبُ

And she swayed—a slender lance bent on striking;

She swayed, and the archer was determined

She swayed, and the Samhari lance stood rigid by comparison;

And she gazed, and I saw arrows being aimed.

She hummed, and I saw the arrows aimed

She gazed, and I beheld arrows being aimed.

أَنشَبتُ أَلحاظي بِوَردِ خُدودِها

أَنشَبتُ أَلحاظي بِوَردِ خُدودِها

لَمّا رَأَيتُ لِحاظَها بي تَنشُبُ

لَمّا رَأَيتُ لِحاظَها بي تَنشُبُ

I sank my glances into the roses of her cheeks,

I fixed my gaze on the roses of her cheeks

I fastened my glances upon the roses of her cheeks,

When I saw her glances sinking into me.

When I saw her gaze fixed on me

When I saw her glances fastening onto me.

قَد كَلَّمَت قَلبي وَلَم تَرفُق بِهِ

قَد كَلَّمَت قَلبي وَلَم تَرفُق بِهِ

وَاللَحظُ لَو دَرَتِ المَليحَةُ مَخلَبُ

وَاللَحظُ لَو دَرَتِ المَليحَةُ مَخلَبُ

They have wounded my heart and shown it no gentleness;

She spoke to my heart without sparing it

She has wounded my heart and treated it without gentleness,

And a glance—if the beautiful woman knew—is a claw.

If the beautiful one knew, her glance would claw

And the glance, if the beauty only knew, is a talon.

بَيضاءُ ناصِعَةٌ كَأَنَّ جَبينَها

بَيضاءُ ناصِعَةٌ كَأَنَّ جَبينَها

صُبحٌ وَطُرَّتَها عَلَيهِ غَيهَبُ

صُبحٌ وَطُرَّتَها عَلَيهِ غَيهَبُ

Fair and radiant, as though her brow were

White and radiant, as if her forehead

White and radiant, as if her forehead

Dawn, and her forelock upon it deepest darkness.

Was the dawn, and its turtledove above it disappeared

Were the morning, and her tresses upon it the darkness.

يا طالَما اِكتَسَبَ الحَريرُ مَلاحَةً

يا طالَما اِكتَسَبَ الحَريرُ مَلاحَةً

مِنها وَيُكسِبُ غَيرَها ما يَكسَبُ

مِنها وَيُكسِبُ غَيرَها ما يَكسَبُ

Oh, how often silk has gained loveliness

O how often silk gained smoothness

Oh, how often has silk acquired beauty

From her, and gives others what it gains.

From her, and gives others what it earns

From her, while to others it only lends what it can.

وَلَطالَما بَعضُ النِساءِ حَسَدنَها

وَلَطالَما بَعضُ النِساءِ حَسَدنَها

وَلَطالَما حَسَدَ السَليمَ الأَجرَبُ

وَلَطالَما حَسَدَ السَليمَ الأَجرَبُ

And how often some women have envied her;

And how often some women envied her

And how often have some women envied her,

And how often the mangy have envied the healthy!

And how often the healthy envied the crippled

Just as the mangy camel envies the healthy one.

بَينَ الطِلاءِ وَبَينَهُنَّ قَرابَةٌ

بَينَ الطِلاءِ وَبَينَهُنَّ قَرابَةٌ

مَشهورَةٌ عَنها الجَميلَةُ تَنكُبُ

مَشهورَةٌ عَنها الجَميلَةُ تَنكُبُ

Between paint and them there is a kinship,

There is a well-known kinship between paints and them

Between cosmetics and them lies a well-known kinship,

Well known, from which the beautiful woman turns away.

The beautiful one avoids it

From which the truly beautiful woman turns away.

إِنَّ المَلاحَةَ عِندَها عَرَبِيَّةٌ

إِنَّ المَلاحَةَ عِندَها عَرَبِيَّةٌ

وَجَمالُ هاتيكَ الدُمى مُستَعرَبُ

وَجَمالُ هاتيكَ الدُمى مُستَعرَبُ

Indeed, her loveliness is Arab,

Smoothness to her is Arabic

For beauty with her is of pure Arabian stock,

And the beauty of those dolls is Arabized.

And the beauty of those dolls is Arabized

While the beauty of those effigies is merely naturalized.

قُل لِلغَواني إِنَّها خُلِقَت كَذا

قُل لِلغَواني إِنَّها خُلِقَت كَذا

الحُسنُ لا يُشرى وَلا يُستَجلَبُ

الحُسنُ لا يُشرى وَلا يُستَجلَبُ

Tell the beauties that she was created this way;

Tell the flirtatious one that she was created so

Tell the beauties that she was created this way;

Beauty cannot be bought, nor can it be procured.

Beauty is not bought or imported

True beauty is neither bought nor imported.

فَإِذا بَلَغتُنَّ الجَمالَ تَطَرِّياً

فَإِذا بَلَغتُنَّ الجَمالَ تَطَرِّياً

فَاِعلَمنَ أَنَّ بَقاءَهُ مُستَصعَبُ

فَاِعلَمنَ أَنَّ بَقاءَهُ مُستَصعَبُ

So if you attain beauty through cosmetic adornment,

When you reach the peak of beauty haughtily

So if you attain beauty through adornment,

Then know that making it last is difficult.

Know that keeping it is difficult

Know that maintaining it is a difficult feat.

هَيهاتِ ما يُغني المِلاحَ الحُسنُ إِن

هَيهاتِ ما يُغني المِلاحَ الحُسنُ إِن

كانَت خَلائِقُهُنَّ لا تُستَعذَبُ

كانَت خَلائِقُهُنَّ لا تُستَعذَبُ

Far from it! Beauty avails the lovely women nothing if

Alas, smoothness does not benefit beauty if

Alas, beauty does not avail the lovely ones

Their dispositions are not found pleasing.

Their character is not gentle

If their characters are not found to be sweet.

إِنّي بَلَوتُ الغانِياتِ فَلَم أَجِد

إِنّي بَلَوتُ الغانِياتِ فَلَم أَجِد

فيهِنَّ قَطُّ مَليحَةً لا تَكذِبُ

فيهِنَّ قَطُّ مَليحَةً لا تَكذِبُ

Indeed, I have tested the beauties, and have not found

I tested singers, but did not find

I have tested the beauties, and I never found

Among them, ever, a fair woman who does not lie.

Among them at all a smooth one who does not lie

Among them a single fair one who does not lie.

وَصَحِبتُهُنَّ فَما اِستَفَدتُ سِوى الأَسى

وَصَحِبتُهُنَّ فَما اِستَفَدتُ سِوى الأَسى

ما يُستَفادُ مِنَ الغَواني يُتعِبُ

ما يُستَفادُ مِنَ الغَواني يُتعِبُ

And I kept their company, gaining nothing but sorrow;

I accompanied them, but only gained sorrow

I accompanied them and gained nothing but sorrow;

What is gained from the beauties is exhausting.

What is gained from singers is tiring

That which is gained from beauties is exhausting.

وَخَبَرتُهُنَّ فَما لِبِكرٍ حُرمَةٌ

وَخَبَرتُهُنَّ فَما لِبِكرٍ حُرمَةٌ

تَرعى وَأَغدَرُ مَن رَأَيتُ الثَيِّبُ

تَرعى وَأَغدَرُ مَن رَأَيتُ الثَيِّبُ

And I came to know them: no virgin has honor

And I experienced them, but the virgin has no

I tried them: the virgin honors no sacred pact,

To preserve; and the most treacherous I have seen is the nonvirgin woman.

Sanctity she observes, and the most treacherous I saw was the non-virgin

And the most treacherous I saw was the matron.

لا يَخدَعَنَّكَ ضَعفُهُنَّ فَإِنَّما

لا يَخدَعَنَّكَ ضَعفُهُنَّ فَإِنَّما

بِالضَعفِ أَهلَكَتِ الهَزيرَ الأَرنَبُ

بِالضَعفِ أَهلَكَتِ الهَزيرَ الأَرنَبُ

Do not let their weakness deceive you, for only

Let not their weakness deceive you, for it is

Let not their weakness deceive you, for truly,

Through weakness did the rabbit destroy the lion.

With weakness that the cunning rabbit destroyed the deer

It was through weakness that the hare destroyed the lion.