بأَيِّ الظبىَ ضُرِبَتْ مُقْلَتَاهُ

بأَيِّ الظبىَ ضُرِبَتْ مُقْلَتَاهُ

ومن أَيْن خَافُوا أَذىً مِنْ هَوَاهُ

ومن أَيْن خَافُوا أَذىً مِنْ هَوَاهُ

From which sword blades were his two eyes forged?

With what does of the gazelle were his eyelids struck?

And why did they fear harm from loving him?

And from where did they fear harm from his passion?

غرامٌ نهاهُ النُّهى أَن يُلِمَّ

غرامٌ نهاهُ النُّهى أَن يُلِمَّ

ولكن عصاهُ وأَلْقى عَصَاهُ

ولكن عصاهُ وأَلْقى عَصَاهُ

A passion that reason forbade to draw near,

A passion which prohibitions forbade him

yet it defied reason and laid down its staff.

But he disobeyed them and cast aside his staff.

فأَهلاً وسهلاً به من هَوىً

فأَهلاً وسهلاً به من هَوىً

فؤادِي به قد حَوَى ما حَوَاهُ

فؤادِي به قد حَوَى ما حَوَاهُ

So welcome, a warm welcome to this love!

So greetings and welcome to him from a passion

Through it, my heart has held all that it has held.

That my heart has contained what it contained,

وقلبي كما سرَّني في يَدَيْهِ

وقلبي كما سرَّني في يَدَيْهِ

وأَمّا سُلُوِّي فَتبَّتْ يداهُ

وأَمّا سُلُوِّي فَتبَّتْ يداهُ

And my heart, to my delight, is in its hands;

And my heart was pleased with him in his hands,

but as for my forgetting him, may its hands perish!

As for my night, its hands saluted him.

هَوِيْتُ فآتيتُ نفسي هُدَاها

هَوِيْتُ فآتيتُ نفسي هُدَاها

وهِمْت فبلَّغْتُ قَلبي مُناهُ

وهِمْت فبلَّغْتُ قَلبي مُناهُ

I fell in love, and so gave my soul its guidance.

I loved and so I gave myself her guidance,

And I was mad with love, and so fulfilled my heart's wishes.

And I intended so I conveyed to my heart her course.

فشابَهْتُ جِسْمِي بِخصْر الحبيبِ

فشابَهْتُ جِسْمِي بِخصْر الحبيبِ

لقد سرّ قَلْبيَ ذا الاشْتبَاه

لقد سرّ قَلْبيَ ذا الاشْتبَاه

So I likened my body to the beloved's waist;

So I made my body thin like the beloved's waist -

this likeness has indeed delighted my heart.

My heart was delighted by this similarity!

تعلقتُه أَكْحَلَ النَّاظرين

تعلقتُه أَكْحَلَ النَّاظرين

فهل ذابَ في نَاظِريْه لمَاهُ

فهل ذابَ في نَاظِريْه لمَاهُ

I fell in love with him, his eyes naturally dark-rimmed:

I clung to the kohl of his eyes -

so has the duskiness of his lips melted into his eyes?

Did its moisture melt in his eyes because of it?

وقالوا هَوَاك مقيمٌ مقيمٌ

وقالوا هَوَاك مقيمٌ مقيمٌ

عليه فقُلتُ كما هُو كما هُو

عليه فقُلتُ كما هُو كما هُو

And they said, "Your love persists, persists

And they said your passion is lasting, lasting,

for him." I said, "As it is, as it is."

So I said, "As it is, as it is!"

أَرى أَلف أَلفِ مليحٍ فما

أَرى أَلف أَلفِ مليحٍ فما

كأَني رَأَيْتُ مَلِيحاً سِوَاهُ

كأَني رَأَيْتُ مَلِيحاً سِوَاهُ

I see a thousand thousand beauties, yet it is not

I see thousands of beauties but

as though I had seen a beauty besides him.

It is as if I never saw a beauty but him.

أَراهُ ومالي سَبِيلٌ إِليه

أَراهُ ومالي سَبِيلٌ إِليه

فراحَةُ قَلْبيَ ألاَّ أَرَاهُ

فراحَةُ قَلْبيَ ألاَّ أَرَاهُ

I see him, yet have no way to reach him;

I see him yet I have no means to him -

so my heart's repose is not to see him.

The peace of my heart is in not seeing him.

إِذا ما النَّهى أَبْعَد الصبّ عَنْهُ

إِذا ما النَّهى أَبْعَد الصبّ عَنْهُ

فلا أَبْعَدَ اللهُ إِلاَّ نُهاهُ

فلا أَبْعَدَ اللهُ إِلاَّ نُهاهُ

If reason drives the lovesick lover away from him,

If prohibitions have distanced the lover from him

then may God drive away only his reason!

Then may Allah not distance except his prohibitions!