يا لَخديكِ ناعمينِ

يا لَخديكِ ناعمينِ

يَضِجّانِ بالسنا

يَضِجّانِ بالسنا

Oh, your soft cheeks,

O your soft cheeks

resounding with radiance!

Seething with radiance

ولجفْنَيكِ ناعسينِ

ولجفْنَيكِ ناعسينِ

مشى فيهما الوَنى

مشى فيهما الوَنى

And your drowsy eyelids,

And your sleepy eyelids

within which languor has walked!

Where love has trodden

يا شِفائي .. ويا ضنى

يا شِفائي .. ويا ضنى

حبَّذا أنتِ من مُنى

حبَّذا أنتِ من مُنى

O my cure, and O wasting pain!

O my remedy .. and my yearning

How delightful you are among wishes!

How worthy you are from Muna

حبَّذا أنتِ في الهوى

حبَّذا أنتِ في الهوى

من عقابيلَ تُقتنى

من عقابيلَ تُقتنى

How delightful you are in love,

How worthy you are in passion

a lingering affliction to be cherished!

To be acquired from maidens

بأبي أنت لا أبي

بأبي أنت لا أبي

لكِ كفوٌ .. ولا أنا

لكِ كفوٌ .. ولا أنا

May my father be your ransom—neither my father

By my father you are incomparable

is your equal, nor am I—

You match me.. and I do not

من مُميتٍ إذا نأى

من مُميتٍ إذا نأى

ومُخيفٍ إذا دنا

ومُخيفٍ إذا دنا

such a slayer when far away,

From a lethal beloved when distant

and such a terror when drawing near.

And a frightening one when close

أختشي فقدَهُ هنا

أختشي فقدَهُ هنا

كَ وهجرانَه هُنا

كَ وهجرانَه هُنا

I fear losing him over

I fear losing him here

there, and his desertion here.

As I fear his estrangement here

أرقبُ الصبحَ مَوْهناً

أرقبُ الصبحَ مَوْهناً

ودجى الليلِ مَوْهنا

ودجى الليلِ مَوْهنا

I watch for dawn late at night,

I await the dawn, weakened

and watch night's darkness late at night.

And the darkness of night, weakened

لا صدى هاتفٍ يَرِنُّ

لا صدى هاتفٍ يَرِنُّ

ولا الجرسُ مؤذنا

ولا الجرسُ مؤذنا

No telephone's echo rings out,

No echoing telephone rings

nor does the bell sound an announcement.

Nor does the bell ring as a summoner

وأُصالي على الطريق

وأُصالي على الطريق

وجوهاً .. وأعينا

وجوهاً .. وأعينا

And on the road I face

And I greet the passersby

faces and eyes,

Faces .. and eyes

ظَنَّةً أن تكون أنتِ

ظَنَّةً أن تكون أنتِ

وحسبي تظننا

وحسبي تظننا

supposing it might be you;

Suspecting that you might be

and mere supposition is enough for me.

And it suffices me to suspect

إنما الحبّ جنّةٌ

إنما الحبّ جنّةٌ

كفوها مَنْ ( تجنّنا )

كفوها مَنْ ( تجنّنا )

Love is nothing but madness;

Love is but madness

its match is whoever has gone mad.

Endured by those (who are mad)

وإذا ما انتهى الهوى

وإذا ما انتهى الهوى

فتنة كان أفتنا

فتنة كان أفتنا

And when passion ends

And when passion ends

in temptation, it is more tempting.

Temptation was what tempted us

أنتِ يا مُرّة الطبا

أنتِ يا مُرّة الطبا

ع ويا حلوةَ الجَنى

ع ويا حلوةَ الجَنى

You, O bitter in

You, O bitter remedy

temperament, and O sweet of fruit,

And O sweetness of bliss

كم تَوَدِّينَ لو خنقت

كم تَوَدِّينَ لو خنقت

صدى الحبِّ بيننا

صدى الحبِّ بيننا

how you wish you had stifled

How you wish you could strangle

the echo of love between us,

The echo of our love

وتحيّنت قبره

وتحيّنت قبره

وهو حيٌّ ليُدفنا

وهو حيٌّ ليُدفنا

and sought the moment for its burial,

And prepare its grave

while still alive, that it might be buried.

While it's still alive to bury

أنتِ يا من تركتنِي

أنتِ يا من تركتنِي

بالجِراحات مُثْخَنا

بالجِراحات مُثْخَنا

You, O you who left me

You, O she who left me

laid low by wounds,

Wounded with gashes

لا وعينيكِ لم أَجِدْ

لا وعينيكِ لم أَجِدْ

فيكِ للطعن مَطْعَنا

فيكِ للطعن مَطْعَنا

no—by your eyes, I have not found

No, and in your eyes I did not find

in you any opening for reproach.

In you a place to stab

لا جناحٌ .. وإنْ مشى

لا جناحٌ .. وإنْ مشى

الضرّ بي منكِ والعنا

الضرّ بي منكِ والعنا

No blame, even if there has passed

No wings, even if grief

through me, from you, harm and hardship.

Walked to me from you, so we blamed

كلُّ شوكٍ زرعتِه

كلُّ شوكٍ زرعتِه

ثمرٌ منكِ يُجتنى

ثمرٌ منكِ يُجتنى

Every thorn you planted

Every thorn you planted

is fruit from you to be gathered.

Is fruit from you to be gathered

أنا ، ما خفتُ ، واجدٌ

أنا ، ما خفتُ ، واجدٌ

بين نَهديكِ مأمَنا

بين نَهديكِ مأمَنا

I, whenever I fear, find

I, fearless, can find

between your breasts a haven.

Between your breasts a refuge

بالذي صاغ واعتنى

بالذي صاغ واعتنى

وبنى منكِ ما بنى

وبنى منكِ ما بنى

By Him who fashioned and took care,

By Him who molded and took care

and built of you what He built,

And built of you what He built

وتبنّاكِ "مقطعاً"

وتبنّاكِ "مقطعاً"

مستعاداً فأحسنا

مستعاداً فأحسنا

and adopted you as a 'passage'

And adopted you "a segment"

to be repeated—and did it beautifully;

Retrieving thus He perfected

والذي شاء أن يكو

والذي شاء أن يكو

ن لكِ القتلُ ديدنا

ن لكِ القتلُ ديدنا

and by Him who willed that it should

And He who willed killing

be your habit to kill,

To be your habit

فتفداكِ بالضحا

فتفداكِ بالضحا

يا فرادى .. وبالثُّنى

يا فرادى .. وبالثُّنى

so He ransomed you with

So I ransom you with victims

victims, singly and in pairs;

Individually.. and in pairs

والذي لم يدنكِ إذْ

والذي لم يدنكِ إذْ

دان كُلاًّ بما جنى

دان كُلاًّ بما جنى

and by Him who did not condemn you when

And He who did not spare you when

He condemned each for what he had done—

Everyone was damned for what he reaped

حلفةَ الصابرِ ارتضى

حلفةَ الصابرِ ارتضى

ما يُلاقي فأذعنا

ما يُلاقي فأذعنا

the oath of a patient one who accepted

The oath of the patient He approved

what he endures, and submitted:

What he encounters so we complied

لو تتوجتُ بالدُّنَى

لو تتوجتُ بالدُّنَى

لم يكن عَنكِ لي غنى

لم يكن عَنكِ لي غنى

even were I crowned with worlds,

If I were crowned with baseness

I could not do without you.

I would have no alternative but you

خلق الوجد والأسى

خلق الوجد والأسى

ليكونا كما أنا

ليكونا كما أنا

Longing and sorrow were created

He created fervor and longing

to be as I am.

To be as I am