شَادِنٌ يَسْحَبُ أَذْيَالَ الطَّرَبْ

شَادِنٌ يَسْحَبُ أَذْيَالَ الطَّرَبْ

يَتَثَنَّى بَيْنَ لَهوٍ وَلَعِبْ

يَتَثَنَّى بَيْنَ لَهوٍ وَلَعِبْ

A young gazelle trails the skirts of delight,

The reveler drags his train of rapture

swaying between merriment and play,

Swaying between jest and play

بِجَبينٍ مُفْرغٍ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ

بِجَبينٍ مُفْرغٍ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ

فَوْقَ خَدٍّ مُشْرَبٍ لَونَ الذَّهَبْ

فَوْقَ خَدٍّ مُشْرَبٍ لَونَ الذَّهَبْ

with a forehead cast from silver,

With a smooth brow of purest silver

above a cheek suffused with the color of gold.

Above a cheek imbued with golden hue

كَتَبَ الدَّمْعُ بِخَدِّي عَهْدَهُ

كَتَبَ الدَّمْعُ بِخَدِّي عَهْدَهُ

لِلهوى وَالْشَّوْقُ يُمْلي مَا كتَبْ

لِلهوى وَالْشَّوْقُ يُمْلي مَا كتَبْ

Tears wrote their pledge upon my cheek

My tears wrote their pact on my cheek

to love, while longing dictates what they wrote.

Passion dictates what was written

ما لجَهْلي ما أَرَاهُ ذاهِباً

ما لجَهْلي ما أَرَاهُ ذاهِباً

وَسَوَادُ الرَّأس مِنّي قَدْ ذَهَبْ

وَسَوَادُ الرَّأس مِنّي قَدْ ذَهَبْ

What ails my folly? I do not see it departing,

Why, in my ignorance, do I see it leaving?

while the blackness of my hair has gone from me.

The blackness of my hair has left me

قَالَتِ الخنسَاءُ لمَّا جِئْتُها

قَالَتِ الخنسَاءُ لمَّا جِئْتُها

شَابَ بعدي رَأسُ هَذا وَاشْتَهَبْ

شَابَ بعدي رَأسُ هَذا وَاشْتَهَبْ

Al-Khansāʾ said when I came to her:

Al-Khansa said when I came to her

“In my absence, this man's head has turned gray and blazed.”

The head of this youth grew gray after me