أَأَغصانُ بانٍ ما أَرى أَم شَمائلُ

أَأَغصانُ بانٍ ما أَرى أَم شَمائلُ

وأَقمارُ تمٍ ما تَضمُ الغَلائِلُ

وأَقمارُ تمٍ ما تَضمُ الغَلائِلُ

Are those bān branches I see, or graceful bearing?

Are those branches of a bān tree that I see, or profiles

And are full moons what the thin robes enfold?

And moons of a tamm wood that conceal the covers?

وبيضٌ رِقاقٌ أم جفونٌ فواترُ

وبيضٌ رِقاقٌ أم جفونٌ فواترُ

وسمرٌ دِقاقٌ أَم قدودٌ قواتِلُ

وسمرٌ دِقاقٌ أَم قدودٌ قواتِلُ

And are they slender white swords, or languid eyelids?

Are those thin, delicate slices or languid eyelids?

And are they slender brown spears, or deadly figures?

Is that dark brown slender or deadly spears?

وتلك نبالٌ أَم لحاظٌ رواشقٌ

وتلك نبالٌ أَم لحاظٌ رواشقٌ

لها هدفٌ مني الحَشَا والمقاتِلُ

لها هدفٌ مني الحَشَا والمقاتِلُ

And are those arrows, or darting glances?

Are those arrows or polished sword blades

Their target within me is my entrails and my vital spots.

That have as their target my very heart and mind?

بروحي أَفدي شَادِناً قد أَلفتُه

بروحي أَفدي شَادِناً قد أَلفتُه

غدوتُ وبي شُغْلٌ من الوجدِ شاغِلُ

غدوتُ وبي شُغْلٌ من الوجدِ شاغِلُ

With my soul I would ransom a fawn I have grown to love.

I would ransom my soul to redeem our Shādān, whom I love;

I am now filled with an all-consuming care born of longing.

My heart is captivated by passion for him.

أَميرُ جمالٍ والملاحُ جنودُهُ

أَميرُ جمالٍ والملاحُ جنودُهُ

يجور علينا قدُّه وهو عَادِلُ

يجور علينا قدُّه وهو عَادِلُ

He is a prince of beauty, and the beautiful are his troops.

He is a prince of beauty, and his soldiers are the stars;

His figure wrongs us, though it is upright.

His stature does him justice, and he is most just.

له حاجب عن مقلتى حَجَبَ الكرى

له حاجب عن مقلتى حَجَبَ الكرى

وناظره الفتان في القلبِ عامِلُ

وناظره الفتان في القلبِ عامِلُ

He has an eyebrow that has barred sleep from my eye.

He has an eyebrow that blocks my gaze from seeing him,

And his bewitching eye is at work within my heart.

While his glancing eye works wonders in my heart.

رفعتُ غِليه قصةَ الدمعِ شاكياً

رفعتُ غِليه قصةَ الدمعِ شاكياً

فوقَّع يجري فهو في الخدِ سائِلْ

فوقَّع يجري فهو في الخدِ سائِلْ

I submitted to him my petition of tears, in complaint.

I raised to him the story of my flowing tears complaining;

So he endorsed it, 'Let it flow'; and it flows down my cheek.

He dashed off his signature, while my cheek was questioning.

شكوتُ فما أَلَوى وقلت فما صنعى

شكوتُ فما أَلَوى وقلت فما صنعى

وجدَّ بقلبي حُبه وهو هَازِلُ

وجدَّ بقلبي حُبه وهو هَازِلُ

I complained, but he paid no heed; I said, 'What, then, can I do?'

I complained, but he paid no heed, and I spoke, but to no avail;

And love for him grew earnest in my heart, while he was jesting.

He made his love knot fast in my heart, though still flirting.

طَويل التواني دَلُّه متواترٌ

طَويل التواني دَلُّه متواترٌ

مديدُ التجني وافر الحسنِ كامِلُ

مديدُ التجني وافر الحسنِ كامِلُ

Long in delay, his coquetry is unceasing.

He is slow to approach, his charms are many,

Protracted in unjust reproach, abundant in beauty, perfect.

Prolonging his favors, perfect and complete.

أُطارحه بالنحو يوماً تعللاً

أُطارحه بالنحو يوماً تعللاً

فيبدو وللاعرابِ منه دلائِلُ

فيبدو وللاعرابِ منه دلائِلُ

One day I discuss grammar with him as a pretext.

I take him to task grammatically, seeking pretext,

Then he appears, and from him come signs of inflection.

So his linguistic errors and declensions appear.

وَيرفع وصلي وهو مفعول في الهَوى

وَيرفع وصلي وهو مفعول في الهَوى

وينصب هَجري عامداً وهو فاعِلُ

وينصب هَجري عامداً وهو فاعِلُ

And he makes my union nominative, though in love it is an object.

He conjugates his love, though he be the object,

And deliberately makes my estrangement accusative, though it is a subject.

And he makes my estrangement the active subject.

تفقهتُ في عِشقي له مثل ما غدا

تفقهتُ في عِشقي له مثل ما غدا

خبيراً بأَحكامِ الخلافِ يجادِلُ

خبيراً بأَحكامِ الخلافِ يجادِلُ

I studied the jurisprudence of my love for him, just as he became

I gained expertise in my love for him, like one

An expert in the rulings of disagreement, disputing.

Debating the legal views of dissenting scholars.

فيا مالكي ما ضرَّ لو كنت شافعي

فيا مالكي ما ضرَّ لو كنت شافعي

بوصلكَ فافعل بي كما أَنتَ فاعِلُ

بوصلكَ فافعل بي كما أَنتَ فاعِلُ

So, my master, what harm would it do if you were my intercessor

So my master, what harm if I were a Shāfiʿite,

Through union with you? Then treat me as you do.

While through your union you make me as you desire?

فاني حنيفٌ بالهَوى متخبلٌ

فاني حنيفٌ بالهَوى متخبلٌ

بعشقكَ لا أُصغي وانْ قالَ قَائِلُ

بعشقكَ لا أُصغي وانْ قالَ قَائِلُ

For I am a true devotee of passion, maddened

For I profess God’s unity in love, crazed

By love for you; I pay no heed, even if someone speaks.

With passion for you, heedless what the critics say.