غدا الحسنُ شُورَى في المِلاَح وإِنَّما

غدا الحسنُ شُورَى في المِلاَح وإِنَّما

إِمامُهُمُ من أُوتَى الحُسْنَ بالنَّصِّ

إِمامُهُمُ من أُوتَى الحُسْنَ بالنَّصِّ

Beauty has become elective among the fair; yet

Tomorrow beauty will be the counsel of youth, and indeed

Their leader is the one granted beauty by explicit decree.

Their leader is the one endowed with beauty and virtue.

ومَنْ وَجْهُهُ مع قدِّه مع رِدْفِه

ومَنْ وَجْهُهُ مع قدِّه مع رِدْفِه

هلالٌ على غصنٍ يَمِيس على دِعْصِ

هلالٌ على غصنٍ يَمِيس على دِعْصِ

And he whose face, with his figure and his hips,

The one whose face matches his height and his saddle,

Is a crescent on a branch swaying over a sand dune.

A crescent moon on a bending branch leaning on chaff.

أَرَاهُ بعيدَ الشَّخْصِ وهو مُعَانِقِي

أَرَاهُ بعيدَ الشَّخْصِ وهو مُعَانِقِي

ومُنْحرفاً عن طاعتي وهْو لا يَعْصِي

ومُنْحرفاً عن طاعتي وهْو لا يَعْصِي

I see him distant in person, though he embraces me,

I see him from afar though he embraces me,

And turned aside from obeying me, though he does not disobey.

And turning away from obeying me though he does not rebel.

تسوءُ ظُنُوني حين يَحْسُنُ وجْهُهُ

تسوءُ ظُنُوني حين يَحْسُنُ وجْهُهُ

فآخذهُ من غير بَحْثٍ ولا فَحْصِ

فآخذهُ من غير بَحْثٍ ولا فَحْصِ

My suspicions darken when his face grows fair,

My suspicions grow though his face is beautiful,

So I seize him without inquiry or examination.

So I take him without investigation or examination.

وأَظْلِمُه وهو البري لأَغْتَدِي

وأَظْلِمُه وهو البري لأَغْتَدِي

بجائِرِ لَثْمِي أَسْتَقِصُّ وأَسْتَقْصي

بجائِرِ لَثْمِي أَسْتَقِصُّ وأَسْتَقْصي

And I wrong him, though he is innocent, so I may begin the day

And I wrong him, though innocent, so I may satiate

With my unjust kisses, seeking retribution and pursuing it fully.

My oppressive desire to investigate and examine to the utmost.

وأَقطعُهُ بالعَضِّ إِذ سَرَقَ الكرَى

وأَقطعُهُ بالعَضِّ إِذ سَرَقَ الكرَى

كَرَى مُقْلَتي والقطعُ يُعْرَفُ لِلِّصِّ

كَرَى مُقْلَتي والقطعُ يُعْرَفُ لِلِّصِّ

And I cut him with bites, since he stole sleep—

And I cut him with a bite when he stole a glance—

The sleep of my eye; amputation is the thief's known punishment.

A glance at my eye—and the punishment is known to the thief.

وأُذْبِلُ ورْدَ الخدّ باللَّثْمِ بعْدَمَا

وأُذْبِلُ ورْدَ الخدّ باللَّثْمِ بعْدَمَا

أَحومُ فأُدْمِي ذَلِكَ الفَم بالمَصِّ

أَحومُ فأُدْمِي ذَلِكَ الفَم بالمَصِّ

And I wither the rose of his cheek with kisses, after

And I wilt the rose of his cheek with a kiss after

Hovering near, then making that mouth bleed by sucking.

I yearn and redden that mouth with a suck.

حَرَصتُ بأَن لا يَعْلَقَ القلبَ حُبُّهُ

حَرَصتُ بأَن لا يَعْلَقَ القلبَ حُبُّهُ

فَيَا وَيْلَتَا ما أَخيَبَ المرَ بِالحرْصِ

فَيَا وَيْلَتَا ما أَخيَبَ المرَ بِالحرْصِ

I took care that love for him should not ensnare my heart;

I was careful that love would not catch his heart,

Alas for me! How fruitless a man's care is!

Yet alas—how fruitless was my caution!

ويومٍ مطيرٍ قد ترنَّم رَعْدُهُ

ويومٍ مطيرٍ قد ترنَّم رَعْدُهُ

وصَفَّق لما أَحْسَنَ القَطْرُ في الرَّقْصِ

وصَفَّق لما أَحْسَنَ القَطْرُ في الرَّقْصِ

And a rainy day, whose thunder sang

And on a rainy day, its thunder murmuring

And clapped when the rain excelled at dancing;

And droplets pattering beautifully in their dance.

ورقعةِ ماءٍ تحتَ بَرْدِ فواقعٍ

ورقعةِ ماءٍ تحتَ بَرْدِ فواقعٍ

وأُفْقٌ غَدَا بالبَرقِ يلَعبُ بالفصِّ

وأُفْقٌ غَدَا بالبَرقِ يلَعبُ بالفصِّ

And a sheet of water beneath the coolness of bubbles,

And a patch of water beneath the chill of hailstones

And a horizon now playing with lightning as with a gem—

And a horizon that played with lightning in the morning.

شَرِبْنَا على هذا وذاك مدامةً

شَرِبْنَا على هذا وذاك مدامةً

بَدَتْ كالعَقِيقِ الرَّطْبِ والذَّهَبِ الرَّخْصِ

بَدَتْ كالعَقِيقِ الرَّطْبِ والذَّهَبِ الرَّخْصِ

Amid this and that, we drank a wine

We drank to this and that a wine

That appeared like moist carnelian and soft gold.

That seemed like juicy carnelian and cheap gold.

أُعِيدَ لنا في كأْسها شخصُ قَيْصَرٍ

أُعِيدَ لنا في كأْسها شخصُ قَيْصَرٍ

وكسْرى وكادت تبعثُ الروحَ في الشَّخْص

وكسْرى وكادت تبعثُ الروحَ في الشَّخْص

In its cup, Caesar's image was brought back to us,

The image of Caesar was restored to us in its cup,

And Chosroes'—and it almost breathed life into the image.

And Khosrow—it almost revived the soul in that person.

قَيَاصِرَةٌ في قصْرِ كأْسِ وربّما

قَيَاصِرَةٌ في قصْرِ كأْسِ وربّما

مَجَنَّا فَقُلْنا بل صعاليكُ في خُصِّ

مَجَنَّا فَقُلْنا بل صعاليكُ في خُصِّ

Caesars in a cup's palace; and sometimes

Queens in a cup’s palace—and sometimes

We jested and said, 'No—paupers in a reed hut!'

We imagined they were just riffraff in private.

كذا الرّاحُ تِبْرٌ في لجينٍ وإِن تُرِدْ

كذا الرّاحُ تِبْرٌ في لجينٍ وإِن تُرِدْ

فقل هي حنَّاءٌ وبيض على بُرْصِ

فقل هي حنَّاءٌ وبيض على بُرْصِ

Thus wine is gold dust in silver; and if you wish,

Thus is wine a blessing in tumors, yet if you wish

Then say it is henna and eggs upon lepers.

Say it is henna and eggs on vitiligo.

تملكْتُ دُرَّ القولِ منتخِباً له

تملكْتُ دُرَّ القولِ منتخِباً له

فأُدْنِي الذي أُدْنِي وأُقْصِي الذي أُقْصِي

فأُدْنِي الذي أُدْنِي وأُقْصِي الذي أُقْصِي

I have made the pearls of speech my own, choosing them,

I have seized the pearls of speech, selecting for it,

So I bring near what I bring near, and banish what I banish.

Drawing near what I draw near and excluding what I exclude.

إِليكَ فلا تُحْصِي الذي أَنا قائلٌ

إِليكَ فلا تُحْصِي الذي أَنا قائلٌ

فقوْلِيَ لا يُحْصَى وَعَدُّك لا يُحْصِي

فقوْلِيَ لا يُحْصَى وَعَدُّك لا يُحْصِي

Away with you! Do not count what I say,

To you—so do not enumerate what I am saying—

For my speech is beyond counting, and your reckoning cannot number it.

For my words cannot be counted, nor your promise counted.

تزيدُ على طول الليالي مَحَاسِني

تزيدُ على طول الليالي مَحَاسِني

فلا رُمِيَتْ تلك الزيادةُ بالنَقْصِ

فلا رُمِيَتْ تلك الزيادةُ بالنَقْصِ

My merits increase as the nights go by;

You increase my beauties beyond the length of nights,

So may that increase never be struck by decline.

So that increase was not tainted with any deficiency.