وافاكَ نَشوانُ المَعاطفِ ناشي

وافاكَ نَشوانُ المَعاطفِ ناشي

في الحُسنِ مسكيُّ الأَديم نَجاشي

في الحُسنِ مسكيُّ الأَديم نَجاشي

A youth with drunken-swaying limbs came to you,

The pleasure of meeting you has arrived unannounced

musk-skinned, a Negus in beauty.

With beauty like perfumed leather

وَسَرى إِليكَ مع الهَوى متأَنِّساً

وَسَرى إِليكَ مع الهَوى متأَنِّساً

من غير ما فَرَقٍ ولا اِستيحاشِ

من غير ما فَرَقٍ ولا اِستيحاشِ

And he journeyed by night to you with love, at ease,

And it came to you with love as a companion

without any fear or unease.

Without any separation or embarrassment

وأَتاكَ في جُنح الظَلام تحرُّجاً

وأَتاكَ في جُنح الظَلام تحرُّجاً

من أَن يسايرَ ظلَّه وَيُماشي

من أَن يسايرَ ظلَّه وَيُماشي

And he came to you under cover of darkness, scrupulously avoiding

It came to you under the wings of darkness shyly

walking beside his shadow and keeping it company.

Lest its shadow accompanies and walks beside

والأفقُ قد نَظَم النجومَ قَلائداً

والأفقُ قد نَظَم النجومَ قَلائداً

وَكَسا الدُجى بُرداً رَقيقَ حواشِ

وَكَسا الدُجى بُرداً رَقيقَ حواشِ

And the horizon had strung the stars into necklaces,

The horizon adorned itself with a necklace of stars

and clothed the darkness in a mantle with delicate fringes.

And the darkness dressed in delicate, thin coldness

في لَيلَةٍ بسَنى الوصال مُنيرةٌ

في لَيلَةٍ بسَنى الوصال مُنيرةٌ

حَسدَ الصَباحُ لها الظَلامَ الغاشي

حَسدَ الصَباحُ لها الظَلامَ الغاشي

In a night radiant with the light of union,

On a night illuminated by the lights of union

morning envied the darkness that enfolded it.

Dawn envied the dominating darkness

قَصُرت ورقَّ أَديمُها حتّى لَقَد

قَصُرت ورقَّ أَديمُها حتّى لَقَد

أَربَت نَواشيها على الأَغباشِ

أَربَت نَواشيها على الأَغباشِ

It grew brief, and its skin grew so fine that indeed

Its tent folded until

its first hours surpassed the gray light of dawn.

Its pegs rested on the sands

أَسررتُ زورَتَه وَلَولا نَشره

أَسررتُ زورَتَه وَلَولا نَشره

ما كانَ سرٌّ للنَسائِم فاشِ

ما كانَ سرٌّ للنَسائِم فاشِ

I kept his visit secret; but for his fragrance,

I spread out its furnishings and were it not for its exposure

no secret would have been disclosed to the breezes.

It would not have been a secret to the breezes

حتّى إِذا طابَ اللِقاءُ وَسكَّنت

حتّى إِذا طابَ اللِقاءُ وَسكَّنت

أَنفاسُهُ نَفسي وَروعةَ جاشي

أَنفاسُهُ نَفسي وَروعةَ جاشي

Until, when the meeting grew sweet, and there were soothed

Until the beautiful meeting calmed

by his breaths my soul and my heart's alarm,

My breath and dreadful shock

وَسَّدتُه زَندي وأَفرشَ زندَه

وَسَّدتُه زَندي وأَفرشَ زندَه

خدّي وَبتنا في أَلذِّ مَعاشِ

خدّي وَبتنا في أَلذِّ مَعاشِ

I pillowed him on my forearm; his forearm became a bed

I leaned my cheek on its pillow and it leaned

for my cheek, and we spent the night in the sweetest bliss.

Its cheek on mine and we were in the sweetest life

لَولا خفوقُ جَوانحي لفرشتُها

لَولا خفوقُ جَوانحي لفرشتُها

لمبيته وطويتَ عنه فِراشي

لمبيته وطويتَ عنه فِراشي

But for the throbbing of my ribs, I would have spread them

Were it not for the fluttering of my wings I would have spread them

for his night's rest, and you would have folded my bedding away from him.

As its bedding and concealed my mattress from it

وَغَدا يُعاتِبُني عِتاباً زانَه

وَغَدا يُعاتِبُني عِتاباً زانَه

دَلٌّ بلا هَجرٍ ولا إِفحاشِ

دَلٌّ بلا هَجرٍ ولا إِفحاشِ

And he began to chide me with a reproach adorned

And it reproached me in the morning, a reproach adorned

by coyness, without estrangement or foul speech.

With charm without estrangement or shame

وَرشفتُ من فيه البَرود سُلافةً

وَرشفتُ من فيه البَرود سُلافةً

أَروت بنَشوتها غَليلَ عطاشي

أَروت بنَشوتها غَليلَ عطاشي

And I sipped from his cool mouth a choice wine

And I sipped from its cool mouth water

which, with its intoxication, quenched my burning thirst.

To quench the thirst of my craving

وَبَدا الصَباحُ فقام ينقضُ ذَيلَه

وَبَدا الصَباحُ فقام ينقضُ ذَيلَه

أَسَفاً وَيُجهشُ أَيَّما إِجهاشِ

أَسَفاً وَيُجهشُ أَيَّما إِجهاشِ

And morning appeared; he rose, undoing his robe's hem,

Dawn arose shaking its tail in sorrow

in sorrow, and burst into vehement sobbing.

And violently sobbing

ودَّعتُه وَالدَمعُ من جَفني وَمِن

ودَّعتُه وَالدَمعُ من جَفني وَمِن

جَفنَيه يَمزجُ وابلاً برشاشِ

جَفنَيه يَمزجُ وابلاً برشاشِ

I bade him farewell, while tears from my eyelid and from

I bade it farewell while tears streamed from my eyes and from

his eyelids mingled a downpour with a spray.

Its eyes mixing into a pouring rain

ما كانَ أَشرقَ ضَوءَها من لَيلةٍ

ما كانَ أَشرقَ ضَوءَها من لَيلةٍ

حضر الحَبيبُ بها وَغابَ الواشي

حضر الحَبيبُ بها وَغابَ الواشي

How radiant was its light, that night

No morning shone from a night

in which the beloved was present and the talebearer absent!

When the beloved came and the jealous one departed