وَمُهَفهَفٍ عَبَثَ الشَّمولُ بِقَدِّهِ

وَمُهَفهَفٍ عَبَثَ الشَّمولُ بِقَدِّهِ

عَبَثَ الفُتورِ بِلَحظِهِ الوسنانِ

عَبَثَ الفُتورِ بِلَحظِهِ الوسنانِ

And a slender beloved—wine toyed with his figure,

The boredom played with his laziness,

as languor toys with his drowsy gaze.

And his drowsiness toyed with his gaze,

عَضّت خَلاخِلُه وَجَالَ وِشَاحُهُ

عَضّت خَلاخِلُه وَجَالَ وِشَاحُهُ

وَلَوَى مآزِرَهُ عَلَى كُثبانِ

وَلَوَى مآزِرَهُ عَلَى كُثبانِ

His anklets bit, and his sash swung freely;

His anklets rattled as he swayed,

and he wound his loincloths over dunes.

And his scarf coiled over the dunes,

ما كنتُ أَحسِبُ قبلَ رُؤشَةِ وَجهِهِ

ما كنتُ أَحسِبُ قبلَ رُؤشَةِ وَجهِهِ

أنَّ البدورَ تدورُ في الأغصانِ

أنَّ البدورَ تدورُ في الأغصانِ

I had not thought, before seeing his face,

Before I saw the radiance of his face,

that full moons revolve among branches.

I did not think the full moons spun in the branches,

غازَلتُهُ حَتّى بدا لي ثَغرُهُ

غازَلتُهُ حَتّى بدا لي ثَغرُهُ

فحسِبتُه دُرّاً عَلَى مَرجانِ

فحسِبتُه دُرّاً عَلَى مَرجانِ

I wooed him until his mouth was revealed to me,

I flirted with him until his mouth appeared,

so I took it for pearls upon coral.

And I mistook him for a pearl on coral,

كم ليلةٍ عانقتُه فكأنَّما

كم ليلةٍ عانقتُه فكأنَّما

عانقتُ من عِطفيهِ غُصنَ البانِ

عانقتُ من عِطفيهِ غُصنَ البانِ

Many a night I embraced him, and it was as though

How many nights did I embrace him, as though

I embraced, in his flanks, a branch of the bān tree.

I embraced from his arm the branch of a willow,

يَطغى ويلعبُ عند عقدِ سواعدي

يَطغى ويلعبُ عند عقدِ سواعدي

كالمُهرِ يلعبُ عِندَ ثَني عِنان

كالمُهرِ يلعبُ عِندَ ثَني عِنان

He grows unruly and frolics when my arms lock around him,

He frolics and plays at my wrists' knot,

like a colt that frolics when its rein is drawn back.

Like a stallion playing at the bend of the rein.