أَجَلُّ مُناه قُبْلةٌ مِنْ حَبِيبهِ

أَجَلُّ مُناه قُبْلةٌ مِنْ حَبِيبهِ

وبُرءُ ضَناه زَوْرةٌ من طَبيبهِ

وبُرءُ ضَناه زَوْرةٌ من طَبيبهِ

His greatest wish is a kiss from his beloved.

More beautiful than the full moon is a kiss from my beloved,

And the cure for his wasting sickness is a visit from his physician.

And cure for my sorrow is a visit from my healer.

وإِنْ كان مَولى القلبِ يَرضَى وجيبَه

وإِنْ كان مَولى القلبِ يَرضَى وجيبَه

فلا قَرَّ فيه قلبُه مِنْ وجيبه

فلا قَرَّ فيه قلبُه مِنْ وجيبه

And if the heart's master is pleased with its throbbing,

Though the friend of my heart is pleased with his companion,

Then may his heart find no rest within him because of its throbbing.

Still his heart has no rest from his companion.

فما البرقُ إِلاَّ لمعةٌ من جُفونه

فما البرقُ إِلاَّ لمعةٌ من جُفونه

يلوحُ وإِلاَّ شُعلةٌ مِن لَهيبه

يلوحُ وإِلاَّ شُعلةٌ مِن لَهيبه

For lightning is but a gleam from his eyelids,

The lightning is but a flash from his eyelids,

Flashing—or else a flame from his blaze.

Appearing and disappearing like a flame from his embers.

ويُسكره لَكِنْ مُدامُ دُموعِه

ويُسكره لَكِنْ مُدامُ دُموعِه

ويُطرِبُه لكن غِنَاءُ نَحِيبه

ويُطرِبُه لكن غِنَاءُ نَحِيبه

And he is intoxicated—but by the wine of his tears;

It makes him drunk, but with the wine of his tears,

And he is enraptured—but by the song of his sobbing.

And it excites him, but with the song of his lament.

يظنُّ نسيمَ الرِّيح طيفَ نَهارِه

يظنُّ نسيمَ الرِّيح طيفَ نَهارِه

فتلْثُمه أَنفاسُه في هبوبه

فتلْثُمه أَنفاسُه في هبوبه

He takes the wind's breeze for his daytime phantom,

He thinks the breeze is the specter of his day,

So its breaths kiss him as it blows.

So its breaths kiss him in its blowing.

رعَى الله رَيعانَ الصَّبى من مُودَّع

رعَى الله رَيعانَ الصَّبى من مُودَّع

مَشى عامِداً لكن لِلُقْيا مَشيبِه

مَشى عامِداً لكن لِلُقْيا مَشيبِه

May God guard youth's bloom, that one bidden farewell,

May God tend the meadows of youth in the one I bade farewell,

Who walked with purpose—but to meet his gray hair.

Who walked with purpose though to meet his demise.

فإِن جَفَّ عُودُ اللَّهوِ مِنِّي فطالما

فإِن جَفَّ عُودُ اللَّهوِ مِنِّي فطالما

لهوتُ بمهزوزِ القَوامِ رَطيبهِ

لهوتُ بمهزوزِ القَوامِ رَطيبهِ

So if the bough of pleasure in me has withered, how often

When the firewood of play from me grows scarce, still

Have I dallied with a swaying, supple figure.

I sported with the swaying of the lithe branch.

هَوِيتُ كَثِيبَ الغُصْنِ منه وإِنَّه

هَوِيتُ كَثِيبَ الغُصْنِ منه وإِنَّه

وإِنْ مَال أَهْوى مِنْه غُصنَ كَثِيبهِ

وإِنْ مَال أَهْوى مِنْه غُصنَ كَثِيبهِ

I loved the dune of his branch; and indeed,

I yearned like the mound of the bough from it, and if

Even if he sways, I love the branch of his dune.

It leaned away I yearned for its leaning bough.

وما زال يَدْرِي أَنَّ ساعةَ بِشْرِه

وما زال يَدْرِي أَنَّ ساعةَ بِشْرِه

تُكَفِّرُ عنه ذنْبَ عامِ قُطوبِه

تُكَفِّرُ عنه ذنْبَ عامِ قُطوبِه

And he has always known that an hour of his cheerfulness

And he still knows that an hour of his cheer

Atones for the sin of a year of his frowning.

Makes up for a year of his gloom.

وكم قَد كسا عِطْفيَّ ثوبُ عناقِه

وكم قَد كسا عِطْفيَّ ثوبُ عناقِه

فمزَّق عن خدَّيَّ ثوبَ شُحوبِه

فمزَّق عن خدَّيَّ ثوبَ شُحوبِه

And how often the garment of his embrace clothed my sides,

How often has my affection clothed him with the garb of my embrace,

Then tore the garment of his pallor from my cheeks.

And torn the garb of pallor from my cheeks.

غراِمي فيه لَوعَتي مِنْهُ أَدْمُعي

غراِمي فيه لَوعَتي مِنْهُ أَدْمُعي

عَليه فُؤادِي عِنده وَلَهى به

عَليه فُؤادِي عِنده وَلَهى به

My passion is for him, my anguish from him, my tears

My passion for him, my agony from him, my tears for him,

Are over him; my heart is with him, my lovesick frenzy because of him.

My heart is his, playing with him, devoted to him.

يجودُ بحسنٍ عاد ذَنْباً فأَصبحت

يجودُ بحسنٍ عاد ذَنْباً فأَصبحت

محاسِنُه معدودةً من ذُنوبِه

محاسِنُه معدودةً من ذُنوبِه

He lavishes beauty that has become a sin, and so

He does good with a beauty that was once a sin, so

His charms have come to be counted among his sins.

His beauties have become counted among his sins.

أَضرَّ بضوءِ البَدْرِ عند طُلوعِه

أَضرَّ بضوءِ البَدْرِ عند طُلوعِه

فكيفَ تراهُ صانعاً في مَغيبِه

فكيفَ تراهُ صانعاً في مَغيبِه

He dimmed the full moon's light at its rising;

The rising full moon does damage with its radiance,

So what do you think he will do at its setting?

So how can you see it doing otherwise in its setting?

وخيَّل سُوءُ الظَّنِّ لي أَنَّ ظِلَّه

وخيَّل سُوءُ الظَّنِّ لي أَنَّ ظِلَّه

إِذا مَا أَتاني نَائِبٌ عَنْ رَقِيبه

إِذا مَا أَتاني نَائِبٌ عَنْ رَقِيبه

And mistrust made me imagine that his shadow,

The fancy of ill thoughts made me imagine

Whenever it came to me, was a deputy for his watcher.

That when a deputy came from my watcher.

فلو كانَ في عَصْرٍ تَقادَمَ عَهْدُه

فلو كانَ في عَصْرٍ تَقادَمَ عَهْدُه

لأَوضَح لِلمأْمُون عيبَ عَرِيبِه

لأَوضَح لِلمأْمُون عيبَ عَرِيبِه

So had he lived in an age long past,

If he were in an age whose pact was ancient

He would have revealed to al-Ma'mun the flaw in his Arib.

He would clarify to al-Ma'mun the flaw of his neighbor.