بناظريك بقد عامل نظر

بناظريك بقد عامل نظر

أزريت بالبيض بل أزريت بالسمر

أزريت بالبيض بل أزريت بالسمر

With your two eyes, your spear-like figure, your gaze [wording unclear],

With your gaze, you have acted like someone with experience

you put white swords to shame—indeed, brown spears too.

You have worn white, no, you have worn brown

وما تخطرت يا غصن النقا هيفا

وما تخطرت يا غصن النقا هيفا

إلا وسمر القنا أمست على خطر

إلا وسمر القنا أمست على خطر

Never did you sway in slender grace, O branch of the sandhill,

And you did not think, O flexible branch

without the brown lances falling into peril.

Except that the bending of the twig has become dangerous

لو قدك العادل السمر الطيال رأت

لو قدك العادل السمر الطيال رأت

يوما تثنيه لاستغرقن بالنظر

يوما تثنيه لاستغرقن بالنظر

Were the long brown spears to see your figure, their equal,

If only the just brown saw you one day

one day as you bent it, they would be engrossed in gazing.

Bending it, it would drown in looking

لم الق قبل محياه وطرته

لم الق قبل محياه وطرته

صبحا اضا في دجا ليل من الشعر

صبحا اضا في دجا ليل من الشعر

Before his face and forelock, I had never encountered

Why did I not meet his cheek and twist

a dawn shining in the darkness of a night of hair.

One morning shining in the darkness of night from poetry

كلأ ولا قيل مرآه وقامته

كلأ ولا قيل مرآه وقامته

فردا تجمع من غصن ومن قمر

فردا تجمع من غصن ومن قمر

No—nor before his appearance and stature [probable reading]—

No sooner said his mirror and stance

a single being composed of a branch and a moon.

Individually gathering from branch and from moon

محاسن افرغت في قالب حسن

محاسن افرغت في قالب حسن

بل فتنة صاغها الرحمن للبشر

بل فتنة صاغها الرحمن للبشر

Beauties poured into a lovely mold,

Beauties poured into a mold of beauty

nay, an enchantment the Merciful fashioned for humankind.

Rather, a seduction created by the Merciful for humans

جل الذي من بديع الحسن ركبه

جل الذي من بديع الحسن ركبه

معنى وصوره في احسن الصور

معنى وصوره في احسن الصور

Exalted is He who composed him from wondrous beauty

Great is He who from the uniqueness of beauty composed it

as an essence, and shaped him in the fairest forms.

Meaning and its image in the best of forms

منه المعاطف قد لانت فواعجبا

منه المعاطف قد لانت فواعجبا

لفؤاد كيف حتى صار من حجر

لفؤاد كيف حتى صار من حجر

His body's curves have grown supple—how astonishing

From it dresses that have softened, and how amazing

a heart is: how did it come to be made of stone?

For my heart until it became of stone

تكاد تعقد من لطف معاطفه

تكاد تعقد من لطف معاطفه

لينا ووجنته ندمي من النظر

لينا ووجنته ندمي من النظر

You could almost knot his body's curves, so delicate are they,

You almost string from the softness of his dresses

so soft; and his cheek we make bleed with a glance.

Supple and his cheeks my soul from looking

لا تحسبوا ان خالا فوق وجنته

لا تحسبوا ان خالا فوق وجنته

من عنبر ضاع ريا نشره العطر

من عنبر ضاع ريا نشره العطر

Do not suppose the mole above his cheek

Do not think that a mole above his cheek

is made of ambergris whose fragrant scent wafts sweetly.

Is amber dispersed, its fragrance spread

وانما الطرف في مرآة وجنته

وانما الطرف في مرآة وجنته

رأى فشاهد فيها اسود البصر

رأى فشاهد فيها اسود البصر

Rather, the eye looked into the mirror of his cheek

Rather, the eye in the mirror of his cheek

and beheld there the black of its own pupil.

Saw, so it witnessed the blackness of sight

لم انس اذ قال لي ماذا ألفت وما

لم انس اذ قال لي ماذا ألفت وما

سبته منك عيون الحور بالحور

سبته منك عيون الحور بالحور

I have not forgotten when he said to me, “What have you grown fond of, and what

I did not forget when he said to me, what have you composed and what

have the houris' eyes stolen from you with their dark-and-white charm?

Have you left of you, eyes of maidens, for maidens

وهل سهرت لدجا بعدي فقلت له

وهل سهرت لدجا بعدي فقلت له

سل في الظلام اخاك البدر عن سهري

سل في الظلام اخاك البدر عن سهري

And have you stayed awake through the darkness since my departure?” I told him,

And have you stayed up late in the darkness after me, so I said to him

“Ask your brother, the full moon, in the darkness about my sleeplessness.

Ask your brother the full moon about my staying up

فاعدل وجر واعطفن واقس امنعن وأنل

فاعدل وجر واعطفن واقس امنعن وأنل

واقطع وصل وارض واغضب وانهين ومر

واقطع وصل وارض واغضب وانهين ومر

Then be just or unjust, tender or harsh; withhold or bestow;

So be fair, pull me closer, make me lean, prevent me

break ties or join them; be pleased or angry; forbid or command.”

And cut off, reconnect, consent, get angry, forbid me, and order me