ظبْيٌ بمصرَ نسيتُ منـ

ظبْيٌ بمصرَ نسيتُ منـ

ـهُ عِنَاقَ غِزْلانِ العِراقُ

ـهُ عِنَاقَ غِزْلانِ العِراقُ

A gazelle in Egypt—because of him I forgot

A gazelle in Egypt, I forgot

the embrace of the gazelles of Iraq.

The embrace of the fawns of Iraq.

ورشفْتُ راح رُضابِهِ

ورشفْتُ راح رُضابِهِ

فوجدته حُلْوَ المَذاقْ

فوجدته حُلْوَ المَذاقْ

And I sipped the wine of his saliva,

And I sipped the scent of its cheek,

and found it sweet to taste.

Finding it sweetly delicious.

فإِذا أَتاني عاطِلاً

فإِذا أَتاني عاطِلاً

حلَّيْتُهُ درَّ المآقْ

حلَّيْتُهُ درَّ المآقْ

So when he comes to me unadorned,

When he comes to me barren,

I adorn him with pearls from the corners of my eyes.

I adorn him with necklaces.

وإِذا تأَطَّرَ قدُّهُ

وإِذا تأَطَّرَ قدُّهُ

فأَنا المُثقَّفُ بالعِناقْ

فأَنا المُثقَّفُ بالعِناقْ

And when his figure bends,

And when his nape is perfumed,

then I am set straight by the embrace.

I am the one made elegant by embrace.

يا حُسْن أَيَّامي بِهِ

يا حُسْن أَيَّامي بِهِ

لوْ أَنَّ أَيَّامِي بَوَاقْ

لوْ أَنَّ أَيَّامِي بَوَاقْ

How lovely my days with him—

O beauty of my days through him!

if only my days would last!

If only my days would last!

باللهِ يا قمرَ الوَرَى

باللهِ يا قمرَ الوَرَى

مَنْ خصَّ خصْرَك بالمحَاقْ

مَنْ خصَّ خصْرَك بالمحَاقْ

By God, O moon of humankind,

By God, O moon of the land,

who singled out your waist for waning?

Who tightened your waist with pregnancy?

وعلام يَغْلِظُ سِلْكُ خُلْ

وعلام يَغْلِظُ سِلْكُ خُلْ

قِك مَعْ حَواشِيك الرِّقاقْ

قِك مَعْ حَواشِيك الرِّقاقْ

And why is the thread of your character coarse,

And why does the thread of your smooth neck

when your contours are so delicate?

Coarsen with your delicate temples?

كم يَعْذِلُون على انْخِلا

كم يَعْذِلُون على انْخِلا

عِي في وِصَالِك وانْهِرَاقْ

عِي في وِصَالِك وانْهِرَاقْ

How often they reproach me for my abandon

How they blame me for my inclination

in union with you, and my outpouring!

Toward your affection and outpouring desire!

ودواءُ ما تصْبُو إِليْ

ودواءُ ما تصْبُو إِليْ

هِ النَّفْسُ تعْجيلُ الفِرَاقْ

هِ النَّفْسُ تعْجيلُ الفِرَاقْ

And the cure for what is longed

And the remedy for what my soul aspires

for by the soul is to hasten parting.

To is to hasten the separation.