سَلْ بِذي الضَّالِ والسَّمُرْ

سَلْ بِذي الضَّالِ والسَّمُرْ

ظَبْيَةَ البانِ

ظَبْيَةَ البانِ

Ask, where the wild lote and acacia grow,

Ask the one with loss and vigil

the gazelle of the moringa grove,

The antelope of the desert

هَلْ رأتْ مثلَ ذي المُقَلْ

هَلْ رأتْ مثلَ ذي المُقَلْ

لِرَشاً ثانِ

لِرَشاً ثانِ

whether she has seen eyes like these

Has she seen one with twisted locks

in any other fawn.

To a second loosened hair

مَنْ لِظَبْيٍ بأعيُنِ

مَنْ لِظَبْيٍ بأعيُنِ

كُحِّلَتْ سِحْرا

كُحِّلَتْ سِحْرا

Who can withstand a gazelle with eyes

Who would resist eyes of a gazelle

lined with magic?

Lined heavily with kohl

لَوْ حَواها لم يَنْثَنِ

لَوْ حَواها لم يَنْثَنِ

يأْلَفُ القَفْرا

يأْلَفُ القَفْرا

Were he to possess them, he would not turn back

Were she to look his way, he would not recoil

to haunt the wilderness,

He'd befriend the barren land

بَلْ غَدا في تَوَطُّنِ

بَلْ غَدا في تَوَطُّنِ

قَلْبِيَ المُغْرَى

قَلْبِيَ المُغْرَى

but would settle instead in

But it settled in my passionate heart

my enamored heart.

The only home, the beloved lands

قَدْ أبي الغُنْجُ والحَوَرُ

قَدْ أبي الغُنْجُ والحَوَرُ

غَيْرَ أشجاني

غَيْرَ أشجاني

Coy charm and dark-eyed beauty have insisted on

I shun revelry and damsels’ play

nothing but my sorrows.

But my sorrows and longing remain

فاصْرِفا عَنِّيَ العَذَلْ

فاصْرِفا عَنِّيَ العَذَلْ

لا تَلُوماني

لا تَلُوماني

So you two, turn reproach away from me;

So turn from me blame and rebuke

do not blame me.

Do not reproach or punish me

من عَذِيري إذا رَنا

من عَذِيري إذا رَنا

مِنْ هَوَى خِشْفِ

مِنْ هَوَى خِشْفِ

Who will defend me, when he gazes,

When I cry aloud, drunk with love

from love of a young gazelle

And longing fists my heart

أشْرَعَ اللَّحْظَ كالقَنا

أشْرَعَ اللَّحْظَ كالقَنا

قاصِداً حَتفي

قاصِداً حَتفي

who levels his glance like spears,

My glances like arrows sped

intent on my death?

To strike my fate and doom

ودَعا القلبُ مؤذنا ل

ودَعا القلبُ مؤذنا ل

منه بالزَّحْفِ

منه بالزَّحْفِ

And the heart cried out, announcing [to ...]

My heart called, rallying me

an advance from him.

To march and not to flee

أين لا أينَ لا وَزَهْ

أين لا أينَ لا وَزَهْ

لِشَجٍ عان

لِشَجٍ عان

Where? Nowhere—no [refuge?]

Where, oh where, can I find rest

for a grieving captive,

From agony, from pain?

أعْزلٍ عَنْ ظُبا أسَلْ

أعْزلٍ عَنْ ظُبا أسَلْ

غُنجِ أجفانِ

غُنجِ أجفانِ

unarmed against the spearheads

Parted from a lovely gazelle

of the eyelids' coy charm.

Of heavy-lidded eyes

هَلْ إلى الوَصْلِ مَسْلَكُ

هَلْ إلى الوَصْلِ مَسْلَكُ

أو إلى الصَّبرِ

أو إلى الصَّبرِ

Is there a path to union,

Is there a path to union

or to patience?

Or must I only brace?

طالَ هذا التَّهتُّكُ

طالَ هذا التَّهتُّكُ

وفَشا سِرّي

وفَشا سِرّي

This loss of restraint has lasted long,

Long has this misery endured

and my secret has spread.

My secret's widely known

سهمُ عينيكِ أفْتَكُ

سهمُ عينيكِ أفْتَكُ

مِنْ شَبا السُّمْرِ

مِنْ شَبا السُّمْرِ

The arrow of your eyes is deadlier

Your eyes' arrows mortal are

than the points of brown spears.

Of Indian aloes’ poison

ما عَلى مُهجتي أضَرّْ

ما عَلى مُهجتي أضَرّْ

يَوْمَ عُدوانِ

يَوْمَ عُدوانِ

Nothing harms my lifeblood more

No blade has ever pained my soul

on a day of assault

On the day we faced each other

مِنْ عُيونٍ بِها كَحَلْ

مِنْ عُيونٍ بِها كَحَلْ

حِيْنَ تَلْقاني

حِيْنَ تَلْقاني

than eyes with kohl-dark rims

Like eyes whose kohl and color

when they meet me.

Stab me when I see them

ما لِلاحٍ مُعَنِّفِ

ما لِلاحٍ مُعَنِّفِ

في الهَوى يَسْطُو

في الهَوى يَسْطُو

What is wrong with a harsh reproacher

No reproachful glance of his

who, in love, assails

In passion's fury hurled

بِشَجا القَلْبِ مُدْنَفِ

بِشَجا القَلْبِ مُدْنَفِ

دَمْعُهُ سَبْطُ

دَمْعُهُ سَبْطُ

one heart-sick and wasting away,

With the heart's blood dripping red

whose tears stream freely?

Could overcome my soul

هَلْ رَأى مِثْلَ أهْيَفي

هَلْ رَأى مِثْلَ أهْيَفي

شادِناً قطُّ

شادِناً قطُّ

Has he seen the like of my slender beloved—

Has he seen a fool so crazed

a young gazelle—ever?

So drunk with love as I?

راعَهُ اللهُ والقَدَرْ

راعَهُ اللهُ والقَدَرْ

كَيْفَ يَلْحاني

كَيْفَ يَلْحاني

May God and fate frighten him!

God and fate have sorely tried me

How can he reproach me?

With flames which daily sky

ما أرى طبعَهُ عَدَلْ

ما أرى طبعَهُ عَدَلْ

طَبْعَ إنسانِ

طَبْعَ إنسانِ

I do not see his nature matching

I see his nature isn't fair

the nature of a human being.

Or human in its mould

وغَزالٍ ما أجْمَلَهْ

وغَزالٍ ما أجْمَلَهْ

في تَحَلِّيهِ

في تَحَلِّيهِ

And a gazelle—how beautiful he is

A gazelle cannot help but charm

in his adornment!

When graced in beauty's robe

أخَذَ الطِّرسَ فَصَّلَهْ

أخَذَ الطِّرسَ فَصَّلَهْ

وَوَشَى فِيهِ

وَوَشَى فِيهِ

He took the sheet and tailored it,

He captured my heart and ensnared

and embroidered upon it

Imprisoned it close by

بِمِدادٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهْ

بِمِدادٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهْ

قَصْدَ تَنْبِيْهِ

قَصْدَ تَنْبِيْهِ

with ink. I said to him,

In my tears, I said "Beware

by way of warning:

Lest ink betrays you too"

ثَوْبَكْ احْرزْ مِنَ الحبَرْ

ثَوْبَكْ احْرزْ مِنَ الحبَرْ

فَقدْ أمْلاني

فَقدْ أمْلاني

Guard your robe against the ink,

Guard your cloak from staining brush

for it has dictated to me [sense unclear].

For it has conquered me