أَشارَت مَن لها في الحُسن شارَه

أَشارَت مَن لها في الحُسن شارَه

فأَفهمتِ الضَّميرَ من الإِشارَه

فأَفهمتِ الضَّميرَ من الإِشارَه

She who bears beauty's distinction gestured,

She gestured with that beauty granting her distinction,

And conveyed her hidden meaning through the gesture.

So I understood the hint from her gesturing.

وَبشَّر طيفُها بالوَصل لَيلاً

وَبشَّر طيفُها بالوَصل لَيلاً

ووافاني يَقول لكَ البِشارَه

ووافاني يَقول لكَ البِشارَه

And her apparition brought tidings of union by night,

And her image brought tidings of a nightly union,

And came to me, saying, 'Glad tidings for you!'

And came to me saying, "I bring you glad tidings."

مُهفهفةُ القَوام إذا تَثَنَّت

مُهفهفةُ القَوام إذا تَثَنَّت

ثنت قَدّاً تفرَّدَ بالنَضارَه

ثنت قَدّاً تفرَّدَ بالنَضارَه

Slender of figure, whenever she swayed,

Swaying in stance when she sways,

She bent a form unrivaled in its bloom.

She sways a slender form unmatched in bloom.

لها خَدٌّ تَسعَّرَ جلُّ ناري

لها خَدٌّ تَسعَّرَ جلُّ ناري

به لَمّا أَراني جُلَّنارَه

به لَمّا أَراني جُلَّنارَه

She has a cheek; most of my fire blazed

She has a cheek aflame, kindling all my fire,

Because of it, when it showed me its pomegranate blossom.

When she showed it to me, stoking all my blaze.

توقَّ أَخا الغرام رُضابَ فيها

توقَّ أَخا الغرام رُضابَ فيها

فَكَم شقَّت حلاوتُها مَرارَه

فَكَم شقَّت حلاوتُها مَرارَه

Beware, brother of passion, her mouth's sweet moisture:

My love-sick brother, yearn after her,

For her sweetness has burst many a gallbladder.

Though her sweetness cleaved such bitterness.

وَكم غرَّت بماضي مُقلتَيها

وَكم غرَّت بماضي مُقلتَيها

مُعَنّىً حكَّمت فيه غِرارَه

مُعَنّىً حكَّمت فيه غِرارَه

And how often she beguiled with her eyes' keen blade

And how her glances' passing charmed me,

A tormented lover, giving its edge dominion over him.

Instilling a meaning where passion held sway.

وشبّهت الحُسامَ به مَضاءً

وشبّهت الحُسامَ به مَضاءً

فَغار فَشَنَّ في العُشّاق غارَه

فَغار فَشَنَّ في العُشّاق غارَه

And I likened the sword to it in keenness,

I compared swords to their flash,

So it grew jealous and launched a raid upon the lovers.

So it raged and stormed against all lovers.

جَرى ماءُ النَعيم بوَجنتيها

جَرى ماءُ النَعيم بوَجنتيها

فَزاحمه الجَحيمُ فشبَّ نارَه

فَزاحمه الجَحيمُ فشبَّ نارَه

The water of bliss flowed over her cheeks,

The water of bliss flowed in her cheeks,

Then Hell vied with it and kindled its fire.

While hell competed, igniting its flames.

تُريكَ إذا بدت وَهناً محيّاً

تُريكَ إذا بدت وَهناً محيّاً

يُحاكي ليلُه ضوءاً نَهارَه

يُحاكي ليلُه ضوءاً نَهارَه

She shows you, when she appears late at night, a face

She shows you, when appearing, languid and animated,

Whose night rivals its day in brightness.

Her night rivaling daylight's splendor.

وَلَولا أَنَّه قَمَرٌ تَجَلّى

وَلَولا أَنَّه قَمَرٌ تَجَلّى

لَما دار الخِمارُ عليه دارَه

لَما دار الخِمارُ عليه دارَه

And were it not a moon shining forth,

Were it not for her being a moon unveiled,

The veil would not have circled it as a halo.

Her veil would not have revolved around her.

وَتُبدي حالَتي وصلٍ وصدٍّ

وَتُبدي حالَتي وصلٍ وصدٍّ

فُتحيي تارَةً وَتُميتُ تارَه

فُتحيي تارَةً وَتُميتُ تارَه

And she displays two states: union and rejection,

She reveals my state in union and estrangement,

So she gives life at one moment, and death at another.

At times bringing me to life, at times to death.

سَكِرتُ بحبِّها من قبل سُكري

سَكِرتُ بحبِّها من قبل سُكري

وما عاقرتُ من دَنٍّ عُقارَه

وما عاقرتُ من دَنٍّ عُقارَه

I grew drunk on her love before ever being drunk on wine,

I was drunk with love of her before my drunkenness,

And I had quaffed no wine from a jar.

And never was sobered by any potion.

وَقالوا حبُّها نارٌ تَلظّى

وَقالوا حبُّها نارٌ تَلظّى

لَقَد قاسوا وما قاسوا أوارَه

لَقَد قاسوا وما قاسوا أوارَه

And they said, 'Love for her is a blazing fire.'

And they said her love was a blazing fire -

They did compare it, but never suffered its fierce heat.

Little did they experience its flames.

فأَينَ النارُ منه وَمِن لَظاهُ

فأَينَ النارُ منه وَمِن لَظاهُ

وَلَيسَ النارُ منه سِوى شَرارَه

وَلَيسَ النارُ منه سِوى شَرارَه

What, then, is fire beside it and its blaze?

Where is the fire next to it and its heat?

And fire is nothing but a spark from it.

It has nothing of fire but embers.

وَكَم عاصيتُ فيها من نَصوحٍ

وَكَم عاصيتُ فيها من نَصوحٍ

أَقالَ اللَه من نُصحي عِثارَه

أَقالَ اللَه من نُصحي عِثارَه

And how many a sincere adviser I defied for her sake—

And how I disobeyed, in love of her, the good advice

May God pardon his stumble in advising me!

Of those who rebuked me, God lighten their burden.

رأَى هَجري وَلَم يَعلم لجهلٍ

رأَى هَجري وَلَم يَعلم لجهلٍ

بأَنَّ الهَجرَ عُقباهُ الزِيارَه

بأَنَّ الهَجرَ عُقباهُ الزِيارَه

He saw my estrangement, but in ignorance did not know

He saw my estrangement, but in his ignorance,

That estrangement ends in a visit.

Knew not estrangement's requital is a visit.

وَقاسَمتُ العَذولَ عَلى هَواها

وَقاسَمتُ العَذولَ عَلى هَواها

فَكانَ الرِّبحُ لي وَلَه الخَسارَه

فَكانَ الرِّبحُ لي وَلَه الخَسارَه

And I divided shares with the reproacher over love for her,

I made peace with my critic for love of her,

So the profit was mine, and his the loss.

And the profit was mine, while the loss was his.