وأَحْوى رَمى عَنْ قِسِّيِّ الحَوَرْ

وأَحْوى رَمى عَنْ قِسِّيِّ الحَوَرْ

سِهاماً يُفَوِّقُهُنَّ النظرْ

سِهاماً يُفَوِّقُهُنَّ النظرْ

And a dark-lipped beauty shot from the bows of his eyes, black against white,

He averted his aim from the hard breastplate,

Arrows that his gaze nocks.

launching arrows that outstripped all gazes.

يقولون وَجْنَتُهُ قُسِّمتْ

يقولون وَجْنَتُهُ قُسِّمتْ

فرسمُ محاسِنِهِ قد دُثِر

فرسمُ محاسِنِهِ قد دُثِر

They say his cheek has been split,

They say his cheek was cloven in twain -

So the outline of his beauty has been effaced.

yet the graven trace of his beauty remains.

وما شقَّ وجنتَه عابثٌ

وما شقَّ وجنتَه عابثٌ

ولكنّها آيةٌ للبشر

ولكنّها آيةٌ للبشر

Yet no meddler split his cheek;

No wanton hand slit that cheek of his;

Rather, it is a sign for humankind.

nay, it was a sign for mortal men.

جلاها لنا اللهُ كيما نرى

جلاها لنا اللهُ كيما نرى

بها كيفَ كان انْشِقاقُ القمر

بها كيفَ كان انْشِقاقُ القمر

God revealed it to us so that we might see

God split it, that we might look therein

Through it how the moon was split.

and see how the moon was rent in sunder.