ماhow أحْلاكْsweet you are
ما أحْلاكْ
ياO قَمرَmoon الأحْلاكْthe darkness
يا قَمرَ الأحْلاكْ
How sweet you are!
How beautiful you are,
O moon of the darkness!
O moon of all moons!
كَمْhow much أهواكْI love you
كَمْ أهواكْ
وفيand in الحَشاthe heart مَثْواكْyour dwelling ولاand not تَدْرِيyou know
وفي الحَشا مَثْواكْ ولا تَدْرِي
How much I love you!
How I adore you,
Your dwelling is in my heart, and you do not know.
Though the wilderness is your home, and you know it not.
الحُسْنُbeauty
الحُسْنُ
يَحارُis bewildered فيby خَدِّكْyour cheek
يَحارُ في خَدِّكْ
Beauty
Beauty is baffled by your cheek,
Is bewildered by your cheek,
The branch envies your stature.
والغُصْنُand the bough
والغُصْنُ
يَغارُis jealous مِنْof قَدِّكْyour stature
يَغارُ مِنْ قَدِّكْ
And the bough
The mind stands still before your affection.
Envies your stature,
Who adorned you with such beauty?
والذِّهْنُand the mind
والذِّهْنُ
وَقفٌdevoted عَلىto وُدِّكْlove of you
وَقفٌ عَلى وُدِّكْ
And the mind
How beautifully you are adorned!
Is devoted to your love.
I cannot forget you,
مَنْwho حَلّاكْadorned you
مَنْ حَلّاكْ
بالحُسنِwith beauty ماhow أحلاكْsweet you are
بالحُسنِ ما أحلاكْ
Who adorned you
O temptation of the devout, till the Day of Resurrection!
With beauty? How sweet you are!
Can there be forgiveness,
لاnot أنْساكْI forget you
لا أنْساكْ
ياO فِتْنَةَtemptation النُّسّاكْthe ascetics الىuntil الحَشْرِthe Resurrection
يا فِتْنَةَ النُّسّاكْ الى الحَشْرِ
I shall not forget you,
For a passionate, raving lover,
O temptation of ascetics, until the Resurrection.
From the one whose eyelids are closed?
هَلْis there سُلْوانْsolace
هَلْ سُلْوانْ
لِعاشِقٍfor a lover هَيْمانْlove-distraught
لِعاشِقٍ هَيْمانْ
Is there solace
O seducer!
For a love-distraught lover
You have been excessive in estrangement.
عَنْfrom عُدوانْcruelty
عَنْ عُدوانْ
ذاthis one الفاترِlanguid الأجفانْthe eyelids
ذا الفاترِ الأجفانْ
From the cruelty
You have unjustly dragged me,
Of this one with languid eyelids?
To the darkness of your absence.
ياO فَتَّانْbeguiler
يا فَتَّانْ
أسْرفْتَyou have gone too far فيin الهِجْرانْestrangement
أسْرفْتَ في الهِجْرانْ
O beguiler,
Who misguided you
You have gone too far in estrangement.
To be so cold and aloof?
قَدْindeed جَرَّاكْemboldened you
قَدْ جَرَّاكْ
ظُلْماًunjustly عَلىagainst مُغراكْthe one enthralled by you
ظُلْماً عَلى مُغراكْ
Indeed, he has emboldened you
No glance is as potent
Unjustly against the one enthralled by you—
As your sleeping eyes, O unjust one!
مَنْthe one who أفتاكْcounseled you
مَنْ أفتاكْ
بالصَّدِّto spurn ياO فَتَّاكْslayer وَبالهَجْرِand to forsake
بالصَّدِّ يا فَتَّاكْ وَبالهَجْرِ
The one who counseled you
Do you not see I have become
To spurn, O slayer, and to forsake.
A sympathizer for those in despair?
لاno صارِمْsharp sword
لا صارِمْ
كَلَحظِكَlike your glance النَّائْمdrowsy
كَلَحظِكَ النَّائْم
No sword
You know full well.
Is like your drowsy glance.
How sober you have remained
ياO ظَالِمْoppressor
يا ظَالِمْ
أماwill you not تُرىbe seen راحِمْmerciful
أما تُرى راحِمْ
O oppressor,
To reason! Your eyes
Will you not prove merciful
Have intoxicated me without wine.
لِهائِمْto a lovesick wanderer
لِهائِمْ
أنْتَyou بِهِof him عالِمْaware
أنْتَ بِهِ عالِمْ
To a lovesick wanderer
What excuse is there
Of whom you are aware?
For one who strays from affection?
ماhow أسْباكْyou captivate
ما أسْباكْ
للعَقْلِto the mind ماhow أصْباكْyou kindle love
للعَقْلِ ما أصْباكْ
How you captivate
The full moon wanes
The mind! How you kindle love!
On his cheek,
هاbehold عَيْناكْyour two eyes
ها عَيْناكْ
قَدْindeed أسْكَرَتْhave intoxicated مُضْناكْyour love-worn lover بلاwithout خَمْرِwine
قَدْ أسْكَرَتْ مُضْناكْ بلا خَمْرِ
Behold your eyes:
Hurt and benefit are his soldiers.
They have indeed intoxicated your love-worn lover without wine.
If they return you
ماwhat عُذْرُexcuse
ما عُذْرُ
مَنْone who ضَلَّstrays عَنfrom وُدِّهْlove of him
مَنْ ضَلَّ عَن وُدِّهْ
What excuse is there
To the clothes of decay, I will reject them,
For one who strays from loving him,
Or if they incline you
والبَدْرُand the full moon
والبَدْرُ
بادٍappearing عَلىupon خَدِّهْhis cheek
بادٍ عَلى خَدِّهْ
While the full moon
To the good pleasure, I will befriend them, the harvest of humankind.
Appears upon his cheek,
Have mercy,
والضُّرُّand harm
والضُّرُّ
والنَّفعُand benefit منamong جُنْدِهْhis troops
والنَّفعُ من جُنْدِهْ
And harm
O temptation of creation!
And benefit are among his troops?
Without you
إنْif رَدَّاكْhe clothes you
إنْ رَدَّاكْ
ثَوبَthe robe البِلىdecay أرْداكْhe destroys you
ثَوبَ البِلى أرْداكْ
If he clothes you in
I would not have fallen into languishing,
The robe of decay, he destroys you;
Rather you came and left no one.
أوْor وَلَّاكْhe bestows on you
أوْ وَلَّاكْ
طِيْبَthe sweetness الرِّضىfavor أوْلاكْhe grants you جَنىthe fruit البِشْرِjoy
طِيْبَ الرِّضى أوْلاكْ جَنى البِشْرِ
Or bestows on you
Few have seen you,
The sweetness of favor, he grants you the fruit of joy.
And not under your control,
رُحْماكاyour mercy!
رُحْماكا
ياO فِتْنَةَtemptation الخَلْقِall creation
يا فِتْنَةَ الخَلْقِ
Your mercy, I beg!
Pass by, pass by,
O temptation of all creation,
O you who see me - do you see?
لَولاكاwere it not for you
لَولاكا
ماnot صِرْتُI became فيin رِقِّbondage
ما صِرْتُ في رِقِّ
Were it not for you,
I would not have fallen into bondage.
بَلواكاyour affliction
بَلواكا
عَمَّتْencompassed all وَلَمْand did not تُبْقِspare
عَمَّتْ وَلَمْ تُبْقِ
Your affliction
Has spread to all and spared none.
قلّrare is مَنْone who رَاكsaw you
قلّ مَنْ رَاك
وَلَيْسَand is not مِنْamong أَسْراكْyour captives
وَلَيْسَ مِنْ أَسْراكْ
Rare is one who has seen you
And is not among your captives.
مُرْcommand أَيَّاكْbeware!
مُرْ أَيَّاكْ
ياO نَاظِرْgazer أَيّاكْbeware! أَنِI (dialectal) اِشْwhat (dialectal) نَدريI know (dialectal)
يا نَاظِرْ أَيّاكْ أَنِ اِشْ نَدري
Say, 'Beware!'
O gazer, beware! What do I know?
Partial English translation: 46 of 54 Arabic lines translated.