وَجَارِيَةٍand a slave-girl مثلَlike شَمْسِthe sun of النَّهارِthe day
وَجَارِيَةٍ مثلَ شَمْسِ النَّهارِ
أوor البدرِthe full moon بينamong النُّجومِthe stars الدَّراريthe radiant ones
أو البدرِ بين النُّجومِ الدَّراري
And a slave-girl like the sun of day,
A maiden like the sun at break of day
Or the full moon among the radiant stars,
Or like the full moon amid stars that stray
أَتَتْكْshe came to you تَمِيْسُswaying بفَدِّwith the stature of (uncertain reading) القَضِيْبِthe slender branch
أَتَتْكْ تَمِيْسُ بفَدِّ القَضِيْبِ
وترْنُوand she gazes بعينِwith the eye of مَهَاةِa female oryx of القِفَارِthe deserts
وترْنُو بعينِ مَهَاةِ القِفَارِ
Came to you, swaying with a slender branch’s stature,
Came to you, fondling with her dress's train
And gazing with the eye of a desert oryx.
And glancing with the eyelids of disdain
وترفُلُand she walks trailing her robe فيin مُصْمَتٍa plain garment أبْيَضٍwhite
وترفُلُ في مُصْمَتٍ أبْيَضٍ
تَلَوّنَbecame tinted منby خَدِّهَاher cheek الجُلَّنَارِيpomegranate-blossom-red
تَلَوّنَ من خَدِّهَا الجُلَّنَارِي
She walks, her plain white robe trailing,
Her cheeks were rosy red, in smiles she shone
Tinted by her pomegranate-blossom cheek.
Bearing a lute whose answer rang in tone
وتحمِلُand she carries عوداًa lute فَصيحَeloquent in الجوابِreply
وتحمِلُ عوداً فَصيحَ الجوابِ
يشارِكُit shares with أرواحَناour souls فيin المَجَارِيthe channels
يشارِكُ أرواحَنا في المَجَارِي
She carries a lute, eloquent in reply,
With slender neck as a young maiden's arm
Sharing the channels through which our souls flow.
Its strings were where one wears a bracelet's charm
لهit has عنقٌa neck كذراعِlike the arm of الفتاةِthe young woman
له عنقٌ كذراعِ الفتاةِ
وَدَسْتَانُهُand its fret بمكانِat the place of السِّوارِthe bracelet
وَدَسْتَانُهُ بمكانِ السِّوارِ
It has a neck like a young woman’s arm,
She played it with her right hand's gentle stroke
And its fret lies where the bracelet would.
And with her left hand's delicate evoke
فجارَتْthen she was harsh عليهtoward it وجادَتْand she was generous لهto it
فجارَتْ عليه وجادَتْ له
بِعَسْفِwith the force of اليمينِthe right hand ولُطْفِand the gentleness of اليَسَارِthe left hand
بِعَسْفِ اليمينِ ولُطْفِ اليَسَارِ
Then she treated it harshly, yet was generous to it,
She played it from noon's zenith till day was done
With the right hand’s force and the left hand’s gentleness.
When she sang her farewell song I wept each one
وماand not أمْهَلَتْهُshe gave it respite ولاnor نَهْنَهَتْهُshe restrained it
وما أمْهَلَتْهُ ولا نَهْنَهَتْهُ
منfrom الظهرِnoon حتىuntil انقضاءthe end of النهارthe day
من الظهرِ حتى انقضاء النهار
She neither gave it respite nor restrained it,
And to a houri said, “If I've survived
From noon until the day’s end.
Parting's farewell, meeting's joy has died.”
ولماand when تَغَنّتْshe sang غِناءَthe song of الوداعِfarewell
ولما تَغَنّتْ غِناءَ الوداعِ
بَكيْتُI wept وقلتُand I said لِبَعْضِto some of الجواريthe slave-girls
بَكيْتُ وقلتُ لِبَعْضِ الجواري
And when she sang the song of farewell,
I wept and said to some of the slave-girls:
لئنif indeed عشتُI lived عندat هَزَارِthe nightingale of اللقاءِmeeting
لئن عشتُ عند هَزَارِ اللقاءِ
لقدsurely مِتُّI died عندat هَزَارِthe nightingale of الإِزَارِthe waist-wrap
لقد مِتُّ عند هَزَارِ الإِزَارِ
If I lived at the nightingale of meeting,
I surely died at the nightingale of the waist-wrap.
Partial English translation: 14 of 18 Arabic lines translated.