بِبُرْقةِ ثغرٍ لا ببرقَةِ ثَهْمَد

بِبُرْقةِ ثغرٍ لا ببرقَةِ ثَهْمَد

ذكرتُ غَرامِي أَو نسيت تجلُّدي

ذكرتُ غَرامِي أَو نسيت تجلُّدي

At the gleam of a mouth, not at Burqat Thahmad,

With the flash of a smiling mouth, not the flash of frown,

I recalled my passion—or forgot my fortitude.

I recalled my passion or forgot my composure.

ولم تعتدِ الأَعداءُ فيَّ وإِنَّما

ولم تعتدِ الأَعداءُ فيَّ وإِنَّما

عَدَا بظُبا الأَلحاظِ ظَبْيُ بَنِي عَدِي

عَدَا بظُبا الأَلحاظِ ظَبْيُ بَنِي عَدِي

Enemies did not assail me; rather,

The enemies did not attack me, rather

the gazelle of Banu Adi attacked with the blades of his glances.

The gazelle of tender glances attacked the son of Adi.

ومن دُونِ شُرب العيِن من ماءِ وجهه

ومن دُونِ شُرب العيِن من ماءِ وجهه

ولم تَرْوَ مِنْه شربُ ماءِ المهنَّدِ

ولم تَرْوَ مِنْه شربُ ماءِ المهنَّدِ

And before the eye can drink the water of his face—

Without drinking from the fountain of his face,

while still unquenched by it—comes a draught of the Indian sword's water.

You will not be quenched by the water of springs.

وكم مِنْ شهيدٍ عنده شَهِدت له

وكم مِنْ شهيدٍ عنده شَهِدت له

شواهدُ خدٍّ بالدِّمَاءِ مورَّدِ

شواهدُ خدٍّ بالدِّمَاءِ مورَّدِ

And how many a martyr beside him has been attested by

How many martyrs in his presence have I witnessed,

the signs of a cheek made rosy with blood.

Whose cheeks were watered by blood.

فلا تَحرِموا التقبيلَ منِّي أَجْرَه

فلا تَحرِموا التقبيلَ منِّي أَجْرَه

فما قصدهُ إِلا زيارةُ مَشْهَد

فما قصدهُ إِلا زيارةُ مَشْهَد

So do not withhold its reward from my kissing:

Do not deprive me of kissing him of its reward,

its aim is only a visit to a martyr's shrine.

For my only intention was visiting the tomb.

متى تأْتِه تَعشُو إِلى نار خدِّه

متى تأْتِه تَعشُو إِلى نار خدِّه

تجد خيرَ نارٍ عِنْدَها خَيْرُ مُوقِد

تجد خيرَ نارٍ عِنْدَها خَيْرُ مُوقِد

Whenever you come to him, drawn through the dark toward his cheek's fire,

Whenever you come to him at night to the fire of his cheek,

you find the finest fire, beside it the finest kindler.

You will find the best fire near the best kindler.

وليس عِذاراً ما رأَيتُ وإِنَّه

وليس عِذاراً ما رأَيتُ وإِنَّه

دُخَانٌ لندِّ الخال في جَمْرَة النَّدِ

دُخَانٌ لندِّ الخال في جَمْرَة النَّدِ

And what I saw was no cheek-down; indeed, it was

It is not an excuse what I saw, though

smoke from the mole's incense in a glowing ember of incense.

It is the smoke of the cheek's ember in the fire of irritation.

تَلثَّمَ كَيْ يخْفَى علَى النّاسِ أَمرُه

تَلثَّمَ كَيْ يخْفَى علَى النّاسِ أَمرُه

فَلاحَ لنَا منْ عيْنِه عينُ أَمْردِ

فَلاحَ لنَا منْ عيْنِه عينُ أَمْردِ

He veiled his face so his state might be hidden from people;

He kissed me so the people would not know his affair,

yet from his eye there shone for us a beardless youth's very image.

So nothing of his eye was revealed to us stripped bare.

وقلت له أَدِّ الزكاةَ لأَهلِها

وقلت له أَدِّ الزكاةَ لأَهلِها

فوجْهُك مُثرٍ من لُجينٍ وعسْجَدِ

فوجْهُك مُثرٍ من لُجينٍ وعسْجَدِ

And I said to him, 'Pay the alms-tax to its rightful recipients,

I told him: "Pay the alms tax to its people,"

for your face is rich in silver and gold.'

For your face overflows with smoothness and tenderness.

وقفتُ على دار الحبيبِ تُجيبني

وقفتُ على دار الحبيبِ تُجيبني

صَداها وهل يَروي الصَّدَى غُلَّة الصدى

صَداها وهل يَروي الصَّدَى غُلَّة الصدى

I stood at the beloved's house, answered by

I stood at the habib’s house answering me

its echo—can an echo quench a thirsty one's burning thirst?

Its echo, and does the echo quench the thirst of the echo?

قطعتُ إِليها بالسُّرى ظهرَ مَهْمهٍ

قطعتُ إِليها بالسُّرى ظهرَ مَهْمهٍ

يُقطِّعُ صبْرَ الحازِمِ المتجلِّد

يُقطِّعُ صبْرَ الحازِمِ المتجلِّد

To reach it, I crossed by night the back of a trackless desert

I walked there with resolve, though the difficulty

that shreds the patience of the resolute, self-controlled man.

Would break the patience of the resolute.

تشكَّى بها الريُح الكلالَ كما اشتَكَت

تشكَّى بها الريُح الكلالَ كما اشتَكَت

عليها الدرارِي أَنَّها ليس تَهْتَدِي

عليها الدرارِي أَنَّها ليس تَهْتَدِي

The wind complained there of exhaustion, just as

The winds complained of weariness to it,

the brilliant stars complained above it that they could not find their way.

As the wild cows complained that they cannot find their way.

وقصَّر فيها الخوفُ خَطْوَ أُسُودها

وقصَّر فيها الخوفُ خَطْوَ أُسُودها

فيمشي بها الضِّرغام مشي المقيَّد

فيمشي بها الضِّرغام مشي المقيَّد

Fear shortened there the stride of its lions,

Fear shortened its steps before it,

so the mighty lion walks there like one in fetters.

So the hyenas walked toward it fettered.

إِلى معهدٍ ما زال عَهْدِي بربْعِه

إِلى معهدٍ ما زال عَهْدِي بربْعِه

كِناساً لظبي أَو سماءً لفرقَد

كِناساً لظبي أَو سماءً لفرقَد

Toward an old haunt whose quarters I have always known

To a refuge whose covenant to its expanse

as a gazelle's covert, or a sky for Farqad.

Was like the nest of a gazelle or the sky to the planets.

ذكرتُ به عيشاً رقيقاً مساعداً

ذكرتُ به عيشاً رقيقاً مساعداً

بوصل حبيب كان أَعظمَ مُسْعِد

بوصل حبيب كان أَعظمَ مُسْعِد

There I recalled a tender, fortunate life,

I recalled therein an easy, blessed life

in union with a beloved who brought the greatest happiness.

With the company of the beloved who was most blessed.

أَقَلُّ الذي يُولِيه تَسْكِينُ لوعةِ

أَقَلُّ الذي يُولِيه تَسْكِينُ لوعةِ

وأَيسرُ ما يُسديه إِنجازُ مَوْعِدِ

وأَيسرُ ما يُسديه إِنجازُ مَوْعِدِ

The least he grants is the soothing of love's anguish,

The least of what calms the agony of longing for him

and the simplest thing he gives is a promise kept.

Is the easiest fulfillment of the promise.

وليلةَ بِتْنا بعد سُكْرَى وسُكرِه

وليلةَ بِتْنا بعد سُكْرَى وسُكرِه

نَبَذْتُ وِسَادي ثمّ وسَّدتُه يَدِي

نَبَذْتُ وِسَادي ثمّ وسَّدتُه يَدِي

And one night we spent together, after my drunkenness and his,

One night we slept drunk with intoxication,

I cast aside my pillow, then made my hand his pillow.

I flung my pillow then pressed it with my hand.

وباتَتْ يدي الأُخرى وِشاحاً فتارةً

وباتَتْ يدي الأُخرى وِشاحاً فتارةً

لخصْرٍ وطوراً فهْي عقد المقلَّد

لخصْرٍ وطوراً فهْي عقد المقلَّد

And my other hand passed the night as a sash—sometimes

While my other hand remained a wrap, loosely binding

about his waist, and sometimes a necklace at his neck.

A waist, and at times a knot to the necklace.

وبتْنا كجسمٍ واحدٍ من عِنَاقِنا

وبتْنا كجسمٍ واحدٍ من عِنَاقِنا

وإِلاَّ كحرفٍ في الكلام مشدَّد

وإِلاَّ كحرفٍ في الكلام مشدَّد

And through our embrace we spent the night like a single body,

We slept as one body from our embrace,

or else like a letter doubled in speech.

Else like a letter doubled in speech.

وإِنِّي لسكرانُ الهوى فيه لم يَزَلْ

وإِنِّي لسكرانُ الهوى فيه لم يَزَلْ

يُوَافِيهِ منِّي كلُّ لَثْمٍ مُعَرْبِد

يُوَافِيهِ منِّي كلُّ لَثْمٍ مُعَرْبِد

And I am indeed drunk with love for him; unceasingly

And I am drunk with passion—he did not cease

each riotous kiss of mine comes to him.

To meet me with every fervent kiss.

مَقيلُ العُلاَ في ذلك البيتِ مِثْلَمَا

مَقيلُ العُلاَ في ذلك البيتِ مِثْلَمَا

مناخ النَّدى والجودِ في ذلك النَّدِي

مناخ النَّدى والجودِ في ذلك النَّدِي

High honor rests at noon in that house, just as

The shelter of glory in that house was like

bounty and generosity make their camp in that assembly.

The resting place of dew and generosity in that valley.

إِذا ما ادَّعى الأَقوامُ مجداً فمجدُه

إِذا ما ادَّعى الأَقوامُ مجداً فمجدُه

وِرَاثَتُه عن سِّيدٍ بعد سيِّد

وِرَاثَتُه عن سِّيدٍ بعد سيِّد

When peoples lay claim to glory, his glory

When the people claim glory, his glory

is his inheritance from lord after lord.

Is inherited from a master after master.

ولا عيبَ فيه غيرَ فخرٍ لقَوْمِه

ولا عيبَ فيه غيرَ فخرٍ لقَوْمِه

قديمٍ وبَذْلٍ من يديه مجدَّد

قديمٍ وبَذْلٍ من يديه مجدَّد

And he has no fault save glory for his people,

He has no shortcoming but pride for his people

ancient, and bounty from his hands ever renewed.

Ancient, and generosity from his hands made new.

لقد خِلْتُه لما تفرَّدَ سَالِكاً

لقد خِلْتُه لما تفرَّدَ سَالِكاً

إِلى المجدِ يَخْشَى وحشةَ المتفرِّد

إِلى المجدِ يَخْشَى وحشةَ المتفرِّد

I truly thought that, when he journeyed alone

I blamed him when he walked alone

toward glory, he feared the loneliness of the solitary.

To glory, fearing the loneliness of the solitary.

تملُّ عطاياه النفوسُ كما نبا

تملُّ عطاياه النفوسُ كما نبا

عن السَّمْع ترديدُ الكلامِ المردَّدِ

عن السَّمْع ترديدُ الكلامِ المردَّدِ

Souls grow weary of his gifts, just as it grates

His gifts wear out souls, as the repeated

upon the ear to repeat words already repeated.

Reciting of words wearies hearing.

له قلمٌ إِن لاح بالنقشِ كاتباً

له قلمٌ إِن لاح بالنقشِ كاتباً

فما هُو إِلا كالحُسَام المجرَّدِ

فما هُو إِلا كالحُسَام المجرَّدِ

He has a pen which, if it appears inscribing its tracery,

In his hands is a pen—if it appears writing,

is just like an unsheathed sword.

It is nothing but a polished sword.

كأَنَّ خِلالَ الطِّرسِ بين سُطورِه

كأَنَّ خِلالَ الطِّرسِ بين سُطورِه

مباسمُ دُرٍّ في شِفاه زَبرْجَد

مباسمُ دُرٍّ في شِفاه زَبرْجَد

As though the parchment's spaces, between its lines,

As if the twists of script between its lines

were smiling mouths of pearl within lips of chrysolite.

Were smiles of pearls in lips of chrysolite.

يؤاتيك بالسِّحر المحلَّلِ هاجراً

يؤاتيك بالسِّحر المحلَّلِ هاجراً

طرائقَ تعقيدِ الكلامِ المُعقَّدِ

طرائقَ تعقيدِ الكلامِ المُعقَّدِ

It offers you lawful magic, forsaking

It comes to you with unravelled sorcery, departing

the ways of complicating convoluted speech.

From the convoluted ways of complex speech.

فضائلُ معشوقِ الكلامِ محسَّنٍ

فضائلُ معشوقِ الكلامِ محسَّنٍ

وحلية مغبوطِ الخلال مجسَّدِ

وحلية مغبوطِ الخلال مجسَّدِ

The virtues of one adorned, beloved for his speech,

The virtues of the beloved of ornate speech embodied,

and the ornament of one embodied, envied for his qualities.

And the adornment of the envied epitome visualized.

ليحُسن ما يأْتي به اليوم طبعُه

ليحُسن ما يأْتي به اليوم طبعُه

وأَحسْنُ منه ما يجيئُك في غدِ

وأَحسْنُ منه ما يجيئُك في غدِ

What his natural talent brings forth today is surely fine,

So his nature will perfect what he does today,

and finer still is what comes to you tomorrow.

And more perfect than it is what will come tomorrow.