صُعِقتُ وَقَد ناجَيتُ موسى بِخاطِري

صُعِقتُ وَقَد ناجَيتُ موسى بِخاطِري

وَأَصبَحَ طورُ الصَبرِ مِن هَجرِهِ دَكّا

وَأَصبَحَ طورُ الصَبرِ مِن هَجرِهِ دَكّا

I was struck senseless as I communed with Musa in my thoughts.

I was struck dumb though I confided to Moses my inner thoughts,

And patience's Sinai was leveled by his abandonment.

And the mount of patience crumbled from the agony of his absence.

وَقالوا اِسلُ عَنهُ أَو تَبَدَّل بِهِ هَوىً

وَقالوا اِسلُ عَنهُ أَو تَبَدَّل بِهِ هَوىً

أَبَعدَ الهُدى أَرضى الجُحودَ أَو الشِركا

أَبَعدَ الهُدى أَرضى الجُحودَ أَو الشِركا

And they said, “Forget him, or replace him with another love.”

They said, “Ask after him, or get over him and love another.”

After guidance, should I accept denial or polytheism?

After guidance, could I be content with ingratitude or polytheism?

أَنِفتُ لِذاكَ الحُسنِ أَن يَهجُرَ الحَلى

أَنِفتُ لِذاكَ الحُسنِ أَن يَهجُرَ الحَلى

فَنَظَّمتُ مِن شِعري وَمِن أَدمُعي سِلكا

فَنَظَّمتُ مِن شِعري وَمِن أَدمُعي سِلكا

I deemed it beneath that beauty to forsake adornment,

I disdained that such beauty should abandon the beautiful.

So I strung a strand from my verse and my tears.

So I wove from my tears and my verse a necklace of pearls.

جَرى الخالُ في كافورِ خَدَّكَ مِسكَةً

جَرى الخالُ في كافورِ خَدَّكَ مِسكَةً

فَنَمَّ بِأَشواقي نُسَيِّمُها الأَذكى

فَنَمَّ بِأَشواقي نُسَيِّمُها الأَذكى

The mole flowed through your cheek's camphor as a grain of musk,

The mole ran musk in the camphor of your cheek,

So its most fragrant little breeze betrayed my longings.

And its fragrant morning breeze breathed life into my passions.

فَجُد لي بِمِسكِ الخالِ يا ظَبيُ إِنَّني

فَجُد لي بِمِسكِ الخالِ يا ظَبيُ إِنَّني

عَهِدتُ ظِباءَ المِسكِ لا تَخزَنُ المِسكا

عَهِدتُ ظِباءَ المِسكِ لا تَخزَنُ المِسكا

So grant me your mole's musk, O gazelle; indeed, I

So grant me, gazelle, some musk from that mole, for I

have known musk gazelles not to hoard musk.

Am wont to expect musk from musk pods, nothing less.