تَبَسَّم عَن لَمَا دُرّ نَظِيمِ

تَبَسَّم عَن لَمَا دُرّ نَظِيمِ

فَواعَجَبَاهُ مِن ضحِك اليَتِيمِ

فَواعَجَبَاهُ مِن ضحِك اليَتِيمِ

He smiled, revealing strung pearls between dusky lips;

He smiled, revealing pearls in a beautiful array

so, how wondrous the orphan pearl’s laughter!

And I marveled at the laughter of the orphan

فموسَى لَحظُه يُحيى الرُّفات

فموسَى لَحظُه يُحيى الرُّفات

حَكَى عِيسَى بإِحيَاءِ الرَّميمِ

حَكَى عِيسَى بإِحيَاءِ الرَّميمِ

For Musa, whose glance brings dead remains to life,

So Moses' glance brings the perished back to life

has matched Isa by reviving crumbling bones.

And Jesus, with the revival of the withered form

وفِي كَنَفِ الخُدود له عِذار

وفِي كَنَفِ الخُدود له عِذار

روى الاياتِ عَن أهلِ الرَّقِيمِ

روى الاياتِ عَن أهلِ الرَّقِيمِ

And along his cheeks he has a line of down,

In the folds of his cheeks lies temptation

recounting verses from the People of al-Raqim.

He relates verses about the people of high virtue

بُطُورِ خُدُودِهِ آنَستُ ناراً

بُطُورِ خُدُودِهِ آنَستُ ناراً

فَإنَّ بِهَا هُدى قَلبِي الكَلِيمِ

فَإنَّ بِهَا هُدى قَلبِي الكَلِيمِ

At the Sinai of his cheeks I perceived a fire;

The light of his cheeks revealed to me a fire

for in it lies guidance for my wounded heart.

With it is the guidance for my stubborn heart

ولَو فَجَر الحُمَيَّا من لَمَاهِ

ولَو فَجَر الحُمَيَّا من لَمَاهِ

لأسكَرتِ الحُمَيَّا بِالشَّمِيمِ

لأسكَرتِ الحُمَيَّا بِالشَّمِيمِ

And if he made strong wine gush from his dusky lips,

If pride flowed from his saliva

the wine would intoxicate by fragrance alone.

Pride would get drunk on the fragrance

وظَهر قد حكَا في الشَّكل دالاً

وظَهر قد حكَا في الشَّكل دالاً

على الِفِ القَوامِ المُستَقِيمِ

على الِفِ القَوامِ المُستَقِيمِ

And his back resembles a dāl in shape,

And his back showed, in its shape, evidence

upon the alif of his upright stature.

Of an upright, perfectly straight stature

حديثُ جفونِه كم عَمَّ جَفني

حديثُ جفونِه كم عَمَّ جَفني

يُسَلسِلُهُ عَنِ الفِقهِ القَدِيمِ

يُسَلسِلُهُ عَنِ الفِقهِ القَدِيمِ

The tale of his eyelids—how often it has enveloped my eyelid!

The discourse of his eyelids, how far it reached my eyelids

He transmits it in a chain from ancient jurisprudence.

Linking it to ancient jurisprudence

ويَا لَلَّهِ مَا أحلَى وفَاهُ

ويَا لَلَّهِ مَا أحلَى وفَاهُ

شُفيتُ بهِ مِن الدّاءِ المُقِيمِ

شُفيتُ بهِ مِن الدّاءِ المُقِيمِ

And, O God, how sweet his faithfulness!

Oh, how sweet is his mouth

I was cured through it of the lingering ailment.

I was cured by it of my lingering illness

وكأسُ الرَّاحِ تُجلى في رِيَاض

وكأسُ الرَّاحِ تُجلى في رِيَاض

حكت في الوصفِ جنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

حكت في الوصفِ جنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

And the cup of wine is unveiled in gardens

And the cup of comfort appears in gardens

that in description resemble the Gardens of Bliss.

Whose description told of the gardens of bliss

يطوف بِطيبِهَا يَسقيك مِنهَا

يطوف بِطيبِهَا يَسقيك مِنهَا

غَزالٌ رقَّ بِالخِصرِ الهَضِيمِ

غَزالٌ رقَّ بِالخِصرِ الهَضِيمِ

He goes round with its fragrance, giving you drink from it—

A gazelle, soft of waist, roams there, giving you to drink

a gazelle, delicate with a slender waist.

The most delicious wine from it

بهِ زاد السُّرُورُ وطاب عَيشي

بهِ زاد السُّرُورُ وطاب عَيشي

وراق العيش بِالعِزّ الرَّقِيمِ

وراق العيش بِالعِزّ الرَّقِيمِ

Through him joy increased, and my life grew sweet,

With it joy increased and my life was pleasant

and life grew delightful with inscribed honor.

And life was agreeable with the precious glory