إِن لاحَ كالغُصنِ أَورق

إِن لاحَ كالغُصنِ أَورق

خلعتُ فيهِ عَذاري

خلعتُ فيهِ عَذاري

If he appears like a leafy bough,

If a branch blooms like a youth

I cast off my bridle for him.

In whom I shed my chastity,

مهفهفٌ ذو غَنَج

مهفهفٌ ذو غَنَج

حُلو الدَلال تُركي

حُلو الدَلال تُركي

A slender-waisted one, full of coquetry,

A wavering, singing drunkard,

a Turk, sweet in his coyness.

Sweetly tender, a Turk,

سعيي لَهُ وَحُججي

سعيي لَهُ وَحُججي

وَفيهِ ضاع نسكي

وَفيهِ ضاع نسكي

My striving and my arguments are for him;

My efforts toward him and pleading

and because of him my worship is lost.

Yet through him my devotion's lost.

عذاره بنفسجي

عذاره بنفسجي

وَالخالُ مِنه مسكي

وَالخالُ مِنه مسكي

His cheek-down is violet-hued,

His chastity's my lilac,

and his beauty mark is musky.

His mole is musky to me,

وَالريقُ خَمري وَالشجي

وَالريقُ خَمري وَالشجي

مولَّعٌ بِالفتكِ

مولَّعٌ بِالفتكِ

His saliva is wine, and the lovesick one

His spittle's my wine, his illness

is enamored of slaying.

Is enamored with death.

وَبالجَفا أَنا مُحرَق

وَبالجَفا أَنا مُحرَق

وَخَدُّهُ جُلَّناري

وَخَدُّهُ جُلَّناري

And I am burned by his coldness,

By cruelty am I consumed,

and his cheek is pomegranate-blossom red.

His cheek an inferno to me.

أَشكو بِأَحشائي لهب

أَشكو بِأَحشائي لهب

شرارُه من دَمعي

شرارُه من دَمعي

I lament a blaze deep within me,

I complain unto his breast a blaze

whose sparks come from my tears.

Whose sparks are from my tears,

وَفرقةً أَرى عجب

وَفرقةً أَرى عجب

وقوعَها بِجَمعِ

وقوعَها بِجَمعِ

And I marvel at a parting

And I see a wondrous separation

that occurs amid union.

Whose occurrence was despite union.

يا هاجري بلا سَبَب

يا هاجري بلا سَبَب

هَل لِلِّقا من رجعِ

هَل لِلِّقا من رجعِ

O you who shun me without cause,

O ye who migrated without cause!

shall we ever meet again?

Can there be a return from this farewell?

اِقتُل وَلا تخش الطلَب

اِقتُل وَلا تخش الطلَب

بالوتر لا وَالشفعِ

بالوتر لا وَالشفعِ

Slay me, and fear no pursuit

Kill me and fear no revenge;

for blood vengeance—no, by the even number!

By my love, do not hesitate.

فَإِنَّ قَومي لأرفَق

فَإِنَّ قَومي لأرفَق

أَن يَطلبوك بِثاري

أَن يَطلبوك بِثاري

For my kinsmen are far too gentle

For my people are more compassionate

to pursue you to avenge my blood.

Should they seek you in vengeance for my death.

قَلبي للاحٍ ما اِرعوى

قَلبي للاحٍ ما اِرعوى

ولا أَطاع الناهي

ولا أَطاع الناهي

My heart heeded no reprover,

My heart yielded to the branch—it would not

nor obeyed the admonisher.

Obey the reproacher.

ولا مُعيني في الهَوى

ولا مُعيني في الهَوى

إِلّا الخَليع اللّاهي

إِلّا الخَليع اللّاهي

Nor have I any helper in love

Nor assists me in passion

except the libertine at play.

Save the vile deceiver,

وَلا يسلِّيني سِوى

وَلا يسلِّيني سِوى

مَديح فضل اللَهِ

مَديح فضل اللَهِ

And nothing consoles me but

And I've no consolation

praise of Fadl Allah,

Save praise for God's bounty.

معتِقُ رقّي مِن جوى

معتِقُ رقّي مِن جوى

فيهِ الحَديث واهي

فيهِ الحَديث واهي

who frees me from bondage to love's anguish—

The freedman of my slavery from ardor

the tradition concerning it is weak.

In Whom discourse has faded.

له الولا حين أَعتَق

له الولا حين أَعتَق

وَالمَدح فيهِ شعاري

وَالمَدح فيهِ شعاري

His is my allegiance, since he set me free,

To Whom belong might when He granted

and praise of him is my watchword.

Deliverance, and praise that's my trait,

مولىً له جدّ علا

مولىً له جدّ علا

من أَصله والحظِّ

من أَصله والحظِّ

A lord whose eminence has risen high

A Lord Whose ancestor is Sublime

through his lineage and good fortune.

In lineage and fortune—

بَحرٌ بِدُرٍّ مُجتلى

بَحرٌ بِدُرٍّ مُجتلى

أَبصَرتُهُ ذا لَفظِ

أَبصَرتُهُ ذا لَفظِ

A sea resplendent with pearls,

A sea with brilliant pearls

I beheld him, gifted in speech.

I saw, endowed with speech,

في الفَضل لا يصغي إلى

في الفَضل لا يصغي إلى

مموّهٍ بالوعظِ

مموّهٍ بالوعظِ

In virtue he gives no ear to

In merit He pays no heed

a pretender cloaked in preaching.

To a preacher's censure.

مجدُ الفخار وَالعلا

مجدُ الفخار وَالعلا

حامي الوَرى باللحظِ

حامي الوَرى باللحظِ

The glory of honor and high rank,

Glory's protector of mankind

who guards humankind with his gaze.

By glance and eminence

وَما عليه محقّق

وَما عليه محقّق

في فَضله من غبارِ

في فَضله من غبارِ

And he is assuredly free

Confirmed in merit, no blemish

of any blemish in his excellence.

Cleaves to His loftiness.

وَغادَةٍ قالَت سُبي

وَغادَةٍ قالَت سُبي

عَقلي بحبّ أَسمَرِ

عَقلي بحبّ أَسمَرِ

And a lovely maiden said, 'Captured

And a maid said, “A brown man took

was my mind by love of a brown-skinned youth.

My reason by love.”

يا جارَتي ليش بالنّبي

يا جارَتي ليش بالنّبي

ما تسألي عَن خبري

ما تسألي عَن خبري

O my neighbor, why—by the Prophet—

“O neighbor, by the Prophet why

do you not ask how I fare?

Ask you not of my tidings?

علقتُ غصنا مرَّ بي

علقتُ غصنا مرَّ بي

عذارُه الطاري طري

عذارُه الطاري طري

I fell in love with a bough that passed me by,

I clung to a branch that passed me by

his newly sprouting cheek-down tender and fresh.

Whose chastity is fleeing.

رميت زوجي وَأَبي

رميت زوجي وَأَبي

من أَجل هَذا القمرِ

من أَجل هَذا القمرِ

I cast aside my husband and my father

I spurned my man and father

for the sake of this moon.

For this lovely moon.”

ليش ما اِترك الشَيخَ واِعشق

ليش ما اِترك الشَيخَ واِعشق

عُذيّر اِخضَر وَطاري

عُذيّر اِخضَر وَطاري

Why should I not leave the old man and love

“Why discard the Sheikh and love

a green, newly sprouting wisp of cheek-down?'

A tender, green, fresh bough?”