أَلِفَ الصُّدُودَ وَحينَ أَسرَفَ أَسعَفا

أَلِفَ الصُّدُودَ وَحينَ أَسرَفَ أَسعَفا

فَاِزْوَرَّ عَتْباً ثمَّ زارَ تَعَطُّفا

فَاِزْوَرَّ عَتْباً ثمَّ زارَ تَعَطُّفا

He grew accustomed to turning away, and when he went too far, he offered relief;

He endured estrangement and when he was excessive, he was forgiving.

so he turned aside in reproach, then visited out of tenderness.

So he overlooked the reproach, then he visited being gentle.

لَبِسَ الدُّجَى في لَيلَةٍ هوَ بَدرُها

لَبِسَ الدُّجَى في لَيلَةٍ هوَ بَدرُها

وَالبَدْرُ أَشهَرُ ما يَكونُ إِذا اِختَفى

وَالبَدْرُ أَشهَرُ ما يَكونُ إِذا اِختَفى

He wore the darkness on a night whose full moon he was;

He wore the darkness on a night of which he was the full moon.

and the full moon is at its most conspicuous when hidden.

And the full moon is the most well-known when it is obscured.

طَلَع الهِلالُ وَقَد بَدا مُتَلَثّماً

طَلَع الهِلالُ وَقَد بَدا مُتَلَثّماً

حَتّى إِذا حَسَرَ اللِّثامَ تَنصَّفا

حَتّى إِذا حَسَرَ اللِّثامَ تَنصَّفا

The crescent rose, appearing veiled,

The crescent appeared while still veiled.

until, when he drew back the veil, he became a half-moon.

Until when it unveiled its wrap, it became impartial.

يا طَرْفَهُ ما لي أَراكَ خلَقت لي

يا طَرْفَهُ ما لي أَراكَ خلَقت لي

داءً فَهَلّا كنت لي مِنه شفا

داءً فَهَلّا كنت لي مِنه شفا

O his gaze, why do I see you have created for me

Oh you whose glance afflicts me, why did you create me for myself

an affliction? Why, then, were you not my cure for it?

A disease, so why were you not healing for me from it?

واهي مَناط الخَصْرِ سُنَّةُ عَيْنِهِ

واهي مَناط الخَصْرِ سُنَّةُ عَيْنِهِ

تقْتَصُّ في قتل النُّفُوس وتُقْتَفَى

تقْتَصُّ في قتل النُّفُوس وتُقْتَفَى

His girdle hangs loose at the waist; his eye's custom

The thinness of his waist is the way of his eye.

is followed in killing souls, and emulated.

It takes lives in killing and is taken.

يَبدو فَتَقرأُ في صَحيفَةِ خَدِّهِ

يَبدو فَتَقرأُ في صَحيفَةِ خَدِّهِ

من مَشْقِ أقلامِ المَلاحةِ أحرُفا

من مَشْقِ أقلامِ المَلاحةِ أحرُفا

He appears, and you read upon the page of his cheek

It appears so you read in the parchment of his cheek

letters from the flowing script of beauty's pens.

From the labor of the pens of saltiness, letters.

ذو وَجْنَةٍ نُقِشَتْ بنُقْطَة خالِهِ

ذو وَجْنَةٍ نُقِشَتْ بنُقْطَة خالِهِ

ونباتِ عارِضِه فَخيلَتْ مُصْحَفَا

ونباتِ عارِضِه فَخيلَتْ مُصْحَفَا

He has a cheek inscribed with the dot of his mole

One with a mole etched by the dot of his mole

and the growth of his cheek-hair, so it seemed a copy of the Qur'an.

And the growth of his cheek, so it imagined a book.