أَما وَالشِفاه اللُعس والأَعين النُعسِ

أَما وَالشِفاه اللُعس والأَعين النُعسِ

لَقَد جُبِلت طَبعاً على حبِّها نَفسي

لَقَد جُبِلت طَبعاً على حبِّها نَفسي

Indeed, by the dusky lips and languid eyes,

With lips of weariness and eyes of sleepiness,

My soul was surely fashioned by nature to love her.

Indeed, my soul was created with love for her.

يؤنِّبني اللوّامُ فيها سَفاهةً

يؤنِّبني اللوّامُ فيها سَفاهةً

وَلا وَحشَتي للائمين ولا أنسي

وَلا وَحشَتي للائمين ولا أنسي

The faultfinders foolishly reproach me over her,

The blamers rebuke me for foolishness about her,

And the blamers bring me neither unease nor solace.

Yet I care not for blamers nor feel loneliness.

يَقولونَ قد غاليتَ في عِشقك الدُمى

يَقولونَ قد غاليتَ في عِشقك الدُمى

وهل مُشتَرٍ للحسن بالثَمن البَخسِ

وهل مُشتَرٍ للحسن بالثَمن البَخسِ

They say, “You have gone too far in your love of idols.”

They say you have overvalued love for the slender one,

And can anyone buy beauty at a paltry price?

Can beauty be bought at a paltry price?

وَبي مَن إِذا ما رنَّحت عِطف قدِّها

وَبي مَن إِذا ما رنَّحت عِطف قدِّها

فَما رنَّحت إِلّا قَضيباً على دِعسِ

فَما رنَّحت إِلّا قَضيباً على دِعسِ

And I am smitten with one who, whenever she sways her waist,

I have one who, when she sways her supple neck,

Sways nothing but a slender branch upon a sandhill.

Sways nothing but a twig upon a dune.

وإِن نشرت يَوماً ذوائبَ فرعها

وإِن نشرت يَوماً ذوائبَ فرعها

فَما نشرت إلّا ظَلاماً على شَمسِ

فَما نشرت إلّا ظَلاماً على شَمسِ

And if one day she unfurls the tresses of her hair,

And when she once let down her dangling tresses,

She unfurls only darkness over a sun.

Let down only darkness upon the sun.

تَقولُ إِذا ما جرَّدت سيفَ لحظِها

تَقولُ إِذا ما جرَّدت سيفَ لحظِها

خُذوا حِذركم يا معشر الجنِّ والإِنسِ

خُذوا حِذركم يا معشر الجنِّ والإِنسِ

She says, whenever she unsheathes the sword of her glance:

She says, when she bares the sword of her glance,

“Be on your guard, O company of jinn and humankind!”

"Take heed, O Jinn and mankind!"

جنيتُ ثِمار الوَصلِ من روض حسنِها

جنيتُ ثِمار الوَصلِ من روض حسنِها

فَفزتُ بحلوِ المُجتَنى طيِّبِ الغَرسِ

فَفزتُ بحلوِ المُجتَنى طيِّبِ الغَرسِ

I plucked the fruits of union from the garden of her beauty,

I plucked fruits of union from the garden of her beauty,

And so gained a sweet harvest from a fine planting.

And won the sweetest fruits from the choicest tree.

وَكَم لَيلةٍ عرَّستُ فيها برَبعِها

وَكَم لَيلةٍ عرَّستُ فيها برَبعِها

فَفاقَت بطيب المُلتَقى ليلة العرسِ

فَفاقَت بطيب المُلتَقى ليلة العرسِ

And many a night I lodged in her abode,

How many a night I wedded with her in her sanctuary,

So, in the sweetness of our meeting, it surpassed the wedding night.

Surpassing the wedding night in sweet intimacy.

وَنادَمتُها قَبلَ المزاج وبعده

وَنادَمتُها قَبلَ المزاج وبعده

بحمراءَ مثل الوَرد صَفراء كالوَرسِ

بحمراءَ مثل الوَرد صَفراء كالوَرسِ

And I drank in her company, before dilution and after,

I revelled with her before and after carousing

Wine red as the rose, yellow as wars dye.

With red wine like rose, yellow like wheat stalk.