1. أَنَا أَميرُ العُشَّاقْ

    قَلْبي لِوائي الخفَّاقِ

    I am the prince of lovers.

    My heart is my fluttering banner.

  2. وَإِنَّه كِنَانةٌ

    فيها سهام الأَحْدَاقْ

    And it is a quiver

    holding the arrows of eyes.

  3. وإِنَّه مُخَيِّمٌ

    له القلوبُ أَوطاق

    And it is a camp

    with hearts for tents.

  4. خيَّم فيه مَلِكٌ

    له الجُسُومُ رُسْتَاقْ

    A king has pitched camp within it,

    with bodies for his countryside.

  5. قد مَلَكَ المُلْحَ وقد

    فاق مِلاَحَ الآفاقْ

    He has taken possession of charm, and

    surpassed the beauties of every horizon.

  6. مُثْرٍ من الحسن فما

    يُخْشَى عليه الإِمْلاَقْ

    Rich in beauty, so there is no

    fear of destitution for him.

  7. وَمُدْنَفُ الطَّرفِ فما

    يُدْعَى لَهُ بالإِفْرَاقْ

    And languid of gaze, yet no

    prayer is offered for his recovery.

  8. وسِحْرُهُ حَقٌّ فكم

    قد حَقَّ بي وقد حاقْ

    And his magic is real—how often

    it has taken hold of me and engulfed me!

  9. مَعَ أَنَّ قَلْبي مَعَهُ

    كُلِّي إِليْهِ مُشْتَاقْ

    Though my heart is with him,

    all of me longs for him.

  10. يَنْثَالُ لَثْمِي كلَّما انْ

    ثالتْ عليه الأَشْوَاقْ

    My kisses pour forth whenever

    longings pour down upon him.

  11. يبيتُ من خَوْفي علي

    هِ للعِنَاق أَغْلاَقْ

    He spends the night, out of my fear for

    him, with embraces for locks.

  12. إِذا تَثَنَّى قَدُّهُ

    فالغُصْنُ بَيْنَ الأَوْراقْ

    When his figure sways,

    he is a branch among leaves.

  13. وَمَنْ رَأَى مَبْسِمَهُ

    رأَى عُقُودَ الأَحْقَاقْ

    And whoever sees his smiling mouth

    sees necklaces of little jewel-caskets.

  14. وإِن تَغنَّى حَلْيُهُ

    فهل سَمِعْتَ إِسْحَاقْ

    And if his ornaments sing,

    have you heard Ishaq?

  15. عِذَارُه وخَدُّهُ

    سَطْرٌ عَلَيْهِ أَلْحَاقْ

    His cheek-down and his cheek:

    a line of script with additions upon it.

  16. وَبَعْدَ ذَا صِيَانَةٌ

    قد بَرَّحَتْ بالعُشَّاقْ

    And beyond that, a chastity

    that has sorely tormented lovers.

  17. كَمْ نَصَحُوا مِنْها وَكَمْ

    صَاحُوا وكَمْ قالُوا قَاقْ

    How often they gave counsel over it, and how often

    they cried out, and how often they said, "Caw!"

  18. سَلْنيَ عن مِعْصَمِهِ

    ولا تَسَلْ عَنِ السَّاقْ

    Ask me about his wrist,

    and do not ask about his leg.

  19. ما أَحْسَنَ الخَلقَ وَمَا

    أَحْسَنَ تِلْكَ الأَخْلاَقْ

    How beautiful the form, and how

    beautiful those manners!

  20. عَواذِلي بِحُسْنِهِ

    قد خَضَعُوا بالأَعْنَاقْ

    My reproachers, before his beauty,

    have bowed their necks.

  21. وسكَتُوا لأَنَّهُمْ

    قد شَرِقُوا بالأَرْيَاقْ

    And they fell silent, because they

    had choked on their saliva.

  22. لَمْ يَنْظُروا وأُخْرسُوا

    هَذَا عَمىً وذَا خنَاقْ

    They did not look, and were struck dumb:

    this is blindness, and that is suffocation.

  23. لم يَحْكِ جَفْني بَعْدَهُ

    إِلاَّ السَّحابُ الغَدَّاقْ

    After him, nothing resembled my eyelid

    except rain-pouring clouds.

  24. كان لتُرْب الأَرْض في

    دُمُوعِ عَيْنِيَ أَرزاقْ

    The dust of the earth had, in

    the tears of my eye, its sustenance.

  25. يَا عَجباً لأَدْمُعِي

    تَزْكُو بطولِ الإِنْفَاقْ

    Oh, the wonder of my tears:

    they grow the longer they are spent!

  26. شُفِيتَ يا قلبُ بهِ

    فقالَ لي وَالآمَاقْ

    May you be healed through him, O heart!

    Then it said to me, "And the eye-corners too!"

  27. وأَصْلُ ذُلِّي نظرةٌ

    تسَلَّقتْ إِلى النِّطاقْ

    And the root of my abasement was a glance

    that climbed up to the girdle,

  28. وَسَرْقةٌ فعُوقِبَ

    الجِسمُ عِقابَ السُّرَّاقْ

    and a theft—so punished was

    the body, with the punishment of thieves.

  29. هذا هو الظلمُ الَّذِي

    يُقْضى بِهِ للعُشَّاقْ

    This is the injustice that

    is decreed for lovers.

  30. يا قاتِل الصَّبِّ هوىً

    لا ذُقْتَ مِنْهُ ما ذاقْ

    O slayer of the lover through passion,

    may you never taste of it what he tasted!

  31. أَمَتني بنظرة

    فأَحْيِني بإِطْرَاقْ

    You killed me with a glance;

    then revive me by lowering your gaze.

  32. أَمتَّني فأَحْيِني

    يا سُمُّ أَو يَا دِرْيَاقْ

    You killed me—so revive me,

    O poison, or O antidote!

  33. أَغْرقتُ في النَّزع وما

    حرَّمتني بالإِعْرَاقْ

    I drew the bow to its utmost, and you did not

    miss me with your deep-drawn shot.

  34. لم يَبْقَ شيءٌ فيَّ أَو

    شَمِلْتَهُ بالإِحْرَاقْ

    Nothing remains in me—or else

    you have engulfed it in flame.

  35. وإِنَّ شَيْبي أَسودٌ

    لأَنَّ شيْبي حُرَاقْ

    And my gray hair is black,

    because my gray hair is charred tinder.

  36. لي أُسوةُ الشمسِ التي

    أَثْكَلْتَها بالإِشْرَاقْ

    I take solace in the sun, which

    you bereaved with your radiance,

  37. ومزنةٌ ضَحِكَتْ إِذَا

    فجَّعْتَها بالإِبْرَاقْ

    and in a rain-cloud that laughed when

    you grieved it with your lightning.

  38. إِن كان أَسْرِي سَرَّهُ

    فالأَسْرُ مثلُ الإِطْلاَقْ

    If my captivity pleases him,

    then captivity is like release.

  39. أَو ضاقَ صدراً بي فَصَدْ

    رِي بالهُمُومِ ما ضَاقْ

    Or if his breast is straitened by me, the breast

    of mine has not been straitened by sorrows.

  40. أَو خانَ مِيثاقي

    فإِنِّي لا أَخونُ المِيثاقْ

    Or if he betrays my covenant,

    then I do not betray the covenant.