ويح نفسٍ مُغَطَّرَه

ويح نفسٍ مُغَطَّرَه

بجُفُونٍ مُفَتَّره

بجُفُونٍ مُفَتَّره

Alas for a soul beguiled

Woe to a soul adorned

by languid eyelids!

With fluttering eyelids

يقتل الصبَّ حُسْنُها

يقتل الصبَّ حُسْنُها

فَهْي ذَنْبٌ ومَغْفِرَه

فَهْي ذَنْبٌ ومَغْفِرَه

Their beauty slays the lover;

Whose beauty slays

they are sin and forgiveness.

A sin yet forgiveness

أيُّ عينٍ عَلَى العيو

أيُّ عينٍ عَلَى العيو

نِ جَمِيعاً مؤمَّره

نِ جَمِيعاً مؤمَّره

What an eye, over the other eyes

What eye upon the fawn

all together, appointed sovereign!

Is not lined with kohl?

كُلُّ كُحْلٍ سوى التَّكَحُّ

كُلُّ كُحْلٍ سوى التَّكَحُّ

لِ في جَفْنِها مَرَه

لِ في جَفْنِها مَرَه

All kohl, save that applied

All kohl but longing

to its eyelid, is mere bleariness.

Leaves bitterness in her lids

وهي للحُسْنِ جَامِعٌ

وهي للحُسْنِ جَامِعٌ

وهْي للسُّكر دَسْكَره

وهْي للسُّكر دَسْكَره

It is a mosque for beauty,

She is beauty embodied

and a wine hall for intoxication.

And tipsiness sobered

وجهه لو رأَيْتَه

وجهه لو رأَيْتَه

قُلْتَ يَا لَيْتَ لَمْ أَرْه

قُلْتَ يَا لَيْتَ لَمْ أَرْه

His face—if you saw it,

If you saw his face

you would say, 'Oh, would that I had not seen it!'

You'd say, would that I hadn't

يَصْرِف الخَلْقَ في الهوى

يَصْرِف الخَلْقَ في الهوى

بِقُلوبٍ محسَّره

بِقُلوبٍ محسَّره

He drives people into love

He ensnares hearts with love

with hearts stripped bare.

With enchained spirits

سَاخِرُ القلب من قلو

سَاخِرُ القلب من قلو

ب لَدَيْه مُسَخَّره

ب لَدَيْه مُسَخَّره

His heart mocks the hearts

A mocking heart to hearts

held in thrall to him.

That to him are enslaved

ذو دلالٍ مُؤَنَّثٍ

ذو دلالٍ مُؤَنَّثٍ

وَسَجَايَا مُذَكَّره

وَسَجَايَا مُذَكَّره

He has feminine coquetry

With a feminine charm

and masculine traits.

And masculine airs

فيه خَنَثٌ وربَّما

فيه خَنَثٌ وربَّما

ظَهَرَتْ منه زَنْطَرَه

ظَهَرَتْ منه زَنْطَرَه

There is effeminacy in him, and sometimes

In him a hermaphrodite

a swagger appears in him.

Though manliness often appears

فهو في البيتِ عَبْلَةٌ

فهو في البيتِ عَبْلَةٌ

وهو في السوقِ عَنْتَره

وهو في السوقِ عَنْتَره

So at home he is Abla,

At home a coddled pearl

and in the marketplace he is Antara.

In the market, a bold lion

نظراتي لِوَجْهِهِ

نظراتي لِوَجْهِهِ

بِدُمُوعي مُعَثَّره

بِدُمُوعي مُعَثَّره

My glances at his face

My teary glances to his face

are tripped up by my tears.

Are scattered pearls

ذاقت العين من محيَّ

ذاقت العين من محيَّ

اهُ مِلْحاً وسُكَّرهْ

اهُ مِلْحاً وسُكَّرهْ

The eye tasted from his face

The eye has tasted in his bend

salt and a lump of sugar.

Sweetness and bitterness

فمن النَّد خَالُه

فمن النَّد خَالُه

ومن الخَدِّ مُجْمَره

ومن الخَدِّ مُجْمَره

So his mole is fragrant incense,

The dimple his moles

and his cheek is its incense burner.

The blush his embers

خدُّه فيه رَوْضَةٌ

خدُّه فيه رَوْضَةٌ

بالأَزَاهِير مُزْهِرَه

بالأَزَاهِير مُزْهِرَه

Within his cheek is a garden,

His cheek a garden

abloom with flowers.

With blooming flowers

رقَّ حتَّى كأَنما

رقَّ حتَّى كأَنما

لَثْمةُ السُّوءِ مُقْدَرَه

لَثْمةُ السُّوءِ مُقْدَرَه

It grew so delicate, as though

So soft as if

an evil kiss were ordained.

The kiss of evil was fated

صدْغُه صُوْلجانَةٌ

صدْغُه صُوْلجانَةٌ

حَيْثُ قَلْبي لَهُ كُرَه

حَيْثُ قَلْبي لَهُ كُرَه

His temple-lock is a polo mallet,

His cheek a pendant

with my heart there as its ball.

Where my heart is chained

غاظني فوق خَدِّه

غاظني فوق خَدِّه

شَعرات مبكِّرَه

شَعرات مبكِّرَه

What vexed me upon his cheek

Vexing me over his cheek

were a few premature hairs.

Premature hairs

قد أَتت قُبْلُ وقْتِهَا

قد أَتت قُبْلُ وقْتِهَا

لأُمُورٍ مقدَّرَه

لأُمُورٍ مقدَّرَه

They had come before their time,

Come before their time

for purposes preordained.

For fated matters

دلَّ دِيباجُ خدِّه

دلَّ دِيباجُ خدِّه

أَنها فيه زئبره

أَنها فيه زئبره

His cheek's brocade showed

The sheen of his cheek reveals

that those hairs were its nap.

It bears a panther

لا تلم حبَّه عَلَي

لا تلم حبَّه عَلَي

هِ إِذَا كان ذا شِره

هِ إِذَا كان ذا شِره

Do not blame his lover on his

Blame not his love for faults

account, if he is full of craving.

If he is corrupt

لا ولاَ تَلْحَهَ تكُو

لا ولاَ تَلْحَهَ تكُو

ن عَلَى الذَّنبِ زَاجِره

ن عَلَى الذَّنبِ زَاجِره

No, nor rebuke him and become

Nor rebuke him, becoming

a censor of sin.

A inhibiter of sin

فمن العَبْد زَلَّةٌ

فمن العَبْد زَلَّةٌ

ومن الرَّب مَغْفِرَه

ومن الرَّب مَغْفِرَه

For from the servant comes a lapse,

For sins come from humans

and from the Lord, forgiveness.

And forgiveness from the Divine