مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي مِنْ مُقْلَتَيْه يَقِيني

مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي مِنْ مُقْلَتَيْه يَقِيني

هَذَا الذي أَخْلَصْتُ فيه يَقِيني

هَذَا الذي أَخْلَصْتُ فيه يَقِيني

Who can protect me from his two eyes?

Who is he whose eyes steal my certainty?

This is the one in whom I have placed my unalloyed faith.

This one for whom I have dedicated my certainty.

ريمٌ له خَجِل الرُّمَاةُ وإِنَّما

ريمٌ له خَجِل الرُّمَاةُ وإِنَّما

يَرْمِي بقوسَيْ حاجبٍ وجُفون

يَرْمِي بقوسَيْ حاجبٍ وجُفون

A gazelle before whom archers blush, though he only

A gazelle whose shyness rivals archers, and yet

Shoots with the two bows of brow and eyelids.

He shoots with the bows of an eyebrow and eyelids.

ظبيٌ ضعيفُ اللَّحظ إِلاَّ أَنَّه

ظبيٌ ضعيفُ اللَّحظ إِلاَّ أَنَّه

في الفتْكِ بالعشَّاقِ ليثُ عَرِين

في الفتْكِ بالعشَّاقِ ليثُ عَرِين

A gazelle with a languid gaze, yet he

A delicate gazelle, except when

Is a lion in his den when slaying lovers.

He pounces ferociously upon lovers.

يمشي فيدْعُوه القضيبُ سَرَقْتَني

يمشي فيدْعُوه القضيبُ سَرَقْتَني

وإِذا رَنا قال الغزالُ عُيوني

وإِذا رَنا قال الغزالُ عُيوني

He walks, and the slender branch calls to him, “You robbed me!”

He walks, so his hips call out “You have stolen me!”

And when he gazes, the gazelle says, “My eyes!”

And when he hums, the gazelle says “My eyes!”

أَلِفُ ابنِ مُقلة في الكتابِ كَقَدِّه

أَلِفُ ابنِ مُقلة في الكتابِ كَقَدِّه

والصَّدْعُ مِثْلُ الواوِ في التَّحْسِين

والصَّدْعُ مِثْلُ الواوِ في التَّحْسِين

Ibn Muqla’s alif in writing resembles his stature,

I have known the poetry of Ibn Muqla like his calligraphy,

And the cleft resembles the letter wāw in beauty.

And its cadence is like the Waw in adornment.

وشعْرُه لثغرِه سينٌ بدت

وشعْرُه لثغرِه سينٌ بدت

حارَ ابنُ مقلة عنْدَ تِلْك السين

حارَ ابنُ مقلة عنْدَ تِلْك السين

And his hair at his mouth is a sīn revealed;

His poetry to his lips is a Shin that appeared.

Ibn Muqla was bewildered before that sīn.

Ibn Muqla was perplexed by that Shin.

أَنا لا أَريد تنزُّهاً في رَوْضةٍ

أَنا لا أَريد تنزُّهاً في رَوْضةٍ

نظري إِلى وَجَناتِه يكفيني

نظري إِلى وَجَناتِه يكفيني

I seek no stroll in a garden;

I do not wish for chastity in a garden,

Gazing at his cheeks is enough for me.

My gaze upon its beauty suffices me.

يا للرِّجالِ ويَا لَها من فِتْنةٍ

يا للرِّجالِ ويَا لَها من فِتْنةٍ

في وضع ذاك النَّقْط وَسْط النُّونِ

في وضع ذاك النَّقْط وَسْط النُّونِ

O men, help! And what a temptation there is

Oh what temptation in men!

In placing that dot in the middle of the nūn!

In placing that dot in the middle of the Nun.

والعينُ مثلُ العين لكن هذه

والعينُ مثلُ العين لكن هذه

كُحِلتْ بِحُسْن وَقاحَةٍ ومُجون

كُحِلتْ بِحُسْن وَقاحَةٍ ومُجون

And the eye resembles the letter ʿayn, but this one

The eye is like an eye, but this one

Is kohled with the beauty of brazenness and wantonness.

Is lined with the kohl of impudence and coquetry.

لاقيتُه يوماً فقال أَما ترى

لاقيتُه يوماً فقال أَما ترى

ما قد جرى منهم لَقدْ ظلمُوني

ما قد جرى منهم لَقدْ ظلمُوني

I met him one day, and he said, “Do you not see

One day I met him and he said “Do you not see

What they have done? They have surely wronged me:

What they have done? They have wronged me!”

طَمِع الغزالُ بأَن يعارِضُ مُغْل

طَمِع الغزالُ بأَن يعارِضُ مُغْل

تي والبدْرُ أَيضاً طَامِعَاً يَحْكِيني

تي والبدْرُ أَيضاً طَامِعَاً يَحْكِيني

The gazelle aspired to rival my

The gazelle hoped to rival my beloved,

Eye, and the full moon too eagerly imitates me.”

And the moon too hoped to mimic me.

سبحان من خلع العُيُون وقال كُنْ

سبحان من خلع العُيُون وقال كُنْ

فتكَونَتْ في أَحْسَنِ التَّكوينِ

فتكَونَتْ في أَحْسَنِ التَّكوينِ

Glory to Him who removed the eyes and said, “Be!”

Glory to Him who created eyes and said “Be!”

So they took shape in the loveliest of forms.

And they came to be in the most beautiful creation.