مُخْطَفُ الخَصْرِ أَجْوَفٌ

مُخْطَفُ الخَصْرِ أَجْوَفٌ

جِيْدُهُ ضِعْفُ سَائِرِهْ

جِيْدُهُ ضِعْفُ سَائِرِهْ

Slender-waisted and hollow,

The slender-waisted one is hollow inside

its neck is twice as long as the rest of it.

His neck is weaker than the rest of him

لَفْظُهُ لَفْظُ عَاشِقٍ

لَفْظُهُ لَفْظُ عَاشِقٍ

يَشْتَكِي هَجْرَ هَاجِرِهْ

يَشْتَكِي هَجْرَ هَاجِرِهْ

Its voice is the voice of a lover

His words are a lover's words

lamenting desertion by the one who forsakes him.

Complaining of his departed one's estrangement

ذُو لِسَانَيْنَ فَوْقَهُ

ذُو لِسَانَيْنَ فَوْقَهُ

عَدَّلاَ مِنْ مَقَادِرِهْ

عَدَّلاَ مِنْ مَقَادِرِهْ

It has two tongues above it,

With two tongues above him

which have adjusted its proportions.

They were made equal to his proportions

أَنْطَقَتْهُ يَدُ امْرِيءٍ

أَنْطَقَتْهُ يَدُ امْرِيءٍ

فَاتِرِ اللَّحْظِ سَاحِرِهْ

فَاتِرِ اللَّحْظِ سَاحِرِهْ

The hand of a man made it speak—

A skilled man's hand brought him to speech

a man with a languid, bewitching gaze.

Of languid gaze and magic

فَحَكَى عَنْ ضَمِيْرِهِ

فَحَكَى عَنْ ضَمِيْرِهِ

مَا جَرَى فِي خَوَاطِرِهْ

مَا جَرَى فِي خَوَاطِرِهْ

And so, on his heart’s behalf, it recounted

So he told of what was in his conscience

what passed through his thoughts.

What transpired in his thoughts