عَاجَتْ أَصِيلاً بِالرِّيَاضِ تَطُوفُهَا

عَاجَتْ أَصِيلاً بِالرِّيَاضِ تَطُوفُهَا

كَمَلِيكَةٍ طَافَتْ مَعاهِدَ حُكْمِهَا

كَمَلِيكَةٍ طَافَتْ مَعاهِدَ حُكْمِهَا

She turned into the gardens in late afternoon, roaming them,

She strolled gracefully in the meadows,

Like a queen touring the precincts of her dominion.

Like a queen who toured the strongholds of her realm.

حَسْنَاءُ أَمَّرَهَا الجَمَالُ فَأَنْشَأَتْ

حَسْنَاءُ أَمَّرَهَا الجَمَالُ فَأَنْشَأَتْ

فِي أَيْكِهَا الأَطْيَارُ تَخْطبُ بِاسْمِهَا

فِي أَيْكِهَا الأَطْيَارُ تَخْطبُ بِاسْمِهَا

A beauty whom Beauty made sovereign; then began

A beauty, made more lovely by charm,

The birds in her grove to declaim in her name.

So the birds in her glades sing her name.

وَالحُسْنُ أَكْمَلُ مَا يَكُونُ شَبِيبَةٌ

وَالحُسْنُ أَكْمَلُ مَا يَكُونُ شَبِيبَةٌ

فِي بَدْئِهَا وَمَلاحَةٌ فِي تِمِّهَا

فِي بَدْئِهَا وَمَلاحَةٌ فِي تِمِّهَا

And beauty at its most complete is youthfulness

Beauty is most perfect in a maiden

In its beginning, and loveliness in its fullness.

In the flower of youth, and the fullness of her prime.

سَتَرَتْ بِأَخْضَرَ سُنْدُسِي جِيدَهَا

سَتَرَتْ بِأَخْضَرَ سُنْدُسِي جِيدَهَا

فَحَكَي المُحَيَّا وَردةً فِي كِمِّهَا

فَحَكَي المُحَيَّا وَردةً فِي كِمِّهَا

She veiled her neck in fine green silk,

She was veiled in green silken robes,

So her face resembled a rose within its calyx.

Revealing, in their folds, a rose on her bosom.

وَتَمَايَلَتْ فِي ثَوْبِ خَزٍّ مُورِقٍ

وَتَمَايَلَتْ فِي ثَوْبِ خَزٍّ مُورِقٍ

غُصْناً وَهَلِ لِلْغُصْنِ نَضْرَة جِسْمِهَا

غُصْناً وَهَلِ لِلْغُصْنِ نَضْرَة جِسْمِهَا

And she swayed in a leafy robe of silk and wool,

She swayed in a gown of shimmering silk,

Like a branch—yet has a branch her body's freshness?

A branch whose body’s freshness cannot match its own.

فَإِذَا جَاوَرتْ فِي سَيْرِهَا مِنْ زَهْرَةٍ

فَإِذَا جَاوَرتْ فِي سَيْرِهَا مِنْ زَهْرَةٍ

هَمَّتْ بِأَخْذِ ذُيُولِهَا وَبِلَثْمِهَا

هَمَّتْ بِأَخْذِ ذُيُولِهَا وَبِلَثْمِهَا

And whenever she passed a flower on her way,

When she passed by a flower as she walked,

It longed to grasp her trailing hems and kiss her.

She would take its skirt and kiss it.

أَوْ جَاوَرَتْ فَرْعاً رَطِيباً لَيِّناً

أَوْ جَاوَرَتْ فَرْعاً رَطِيباً لَيِّناً

أَلوَى بِمِعْطَفِهِ وَمَالَ لِضَمِّهَا

أَلوَى بِمِعْطَفِهِ وَمَالَ لِضَمِّهَا

Or if she passed a tender, supple bough,

Or she would pass a soft, sweet branch,

It bent its flank and leaned to embrace her.

Which bent its garment to embrace her.

وَتَحُفُّ أَبْصَارٌ بِهَا فَيَخِزْنَها

وَتَحُفُّ أَبْصَارٌ بِهَا فَيَخِزْنَها

بِحَيَائِهَا وَيَشُكْنِهَا فِي وَهمِهَا

بِحَيَائِهَا وَيَشُكْنِهَا فِي وَهمِهَا

And gazes cluster around her, pricking her

Eyes feast on her, then hide her away

In her shyness, and piercing her in her imagination,

In thoughts, too shy to openly profess their desire,

كَالنَّحْلِ طُفْنَ بِزَهْرَةٍ فَلَسَعْنَهَا

كَالنَّحْلِ طُفْنَ بِزَهْرَةٍ فَلَسَعْنَهَا

وَرَشَفْنَ مِنْهَا مَا رَشَفْنَ بِرغْمِها

وَرَشَفْنَ مِنْهَا مَا رَشَفْنَ بِرغْمِها

Like bees that circled a flower and stung it,

Like bees that swarmed around a blossom, then stung it,

And sipped from it what they sipped, against its will.

Sipping from it what they sipped against its will.

حَتَّى إِذَا حَلَّى العَيَاءُ جَبِينُهَا

حَتَّى إِذَا حَلَّى العَيَاءُ جَبِينُهَا

بِنَدًى وَأَخْمَدَ جَمْرَةً مِنْ عَزْمِهَا

بِنَدًى وَأَخْمَدَ جَمْرَةً مِنْ عَزْمِهَا

Until, when weariness adorned her forehead

Until modesty cooled her heated brow

With dew and quenched an ember of her resolve,

With dew, quenching the fires of her resolve,

جَلَسَتْ تُقَابِلُ أُمَّهَا وَكَأَنَّمَا

جَلَسَتْ تُقَابِلُ أُمَّهَا وَكَأَنَّمَا

كِلْتَاهُمَا جَلَسَتْ قُبَالَةَ رسْمِهَا

كِلْتَاهُمَا جَلَسَتْ قُبَالَةَ رسْمِهَا

She sat facing her mother, as though

She sat facing her mother, as though

Each of them sat opposite her own likeness.

The two images were of one portrait.

لَكِنَّ عَاصِفَةً أَغَارَتْ فَجْأَةً

لَكِنَّ عَاصِفَةً أَغَارَتْ فَجْأَةً

بِالهُوجِ مِنْ لَدَدِ الرِّيَاحِ وَقُتْمهَا

بِالهُوجِ مِنْ لَدَدِ الرِّيَاحِ وَقُتْمهَا

But a storm swooped down suddenly,

When suddenly a tempest roared by,

With wild gusts from the winds' fierce strife and their dark dust.

In raging winds and murky clouds,

فَاهْتَزَّتِ الغَبْرَاءُ حَتَّى صَافَحَتْ

فَاهْتَزَّتِ الغَبْرَاءُ حَتَّى صَافَحَتْ

عَذَبَاتِ سَرْحَتِهَا مَنَابِتُ نَجْمِهَا

عَذَبَاتِ سَرْحَتِهَا مَنَابِتُ نَجْمِهَا

Then the dusty earth shook, until a handshake joined

And the dusty haze shook, till it reached

The tips of its spreading tree and the beds of its low-growing plants.

The soft meadows, the stars’ rising place.

وَتَنَاثَرَتْ ضُفُرُ الفَتَاةِ غَمَائِماً

وَتَنَاثَرَتْ ضُفُرُ الفَتَاةِ غَمَائِماً

سَتَرَتْ عَنِ الأَبْصَارِ طَلْعَةَ نَجْمِهَا

سَتَرَتْ عَنِ الأَبْصَارِ طَلْعَةَ نَجْمِهَا

And the girl's braids scattered like clouds,

The tresses of the maiden scattered, clouds

Hiding her star's face from every eye.

That veiled the rising of her star from sight.

فَتَحَيَّرَتْ فِيمَا تُحَاوِلُ وَهْيَ قَدْ

فَتَحَيَّرَتْ فِيمَا تُحَاوِلُ وَهْيَ قَدْ

أَعْيَتْ بِلا مِرْآتِهَا عَنْ نَظْمِهَا

أَعْيَتْ بِلا مِرْآتِهَا عَنْ نَظْمِهَا

So she was at a loss what to try, having already

Perplexed she struggled, without her mirror,

Found herself unable, without her mirror, to arrange them.

To restore the braids the winds undid.

فَدَنَتْ تُحَاذِي أُمِّهَا وَتَنَاظَرَتْ

فَدَنَتْ تُحَاذِي أُمِّهَا وَتَنَاظَرَتْ

بِعُيُونِهَا وَجَلَتْ سَحَابَةَ هَمِّهَا

بِعُيُونِهَا وَجَلَتْ سَحَابَةَ هَمِّهَا

So she drew near to face her mother and gazed

She drew near her mother, and peered

Into her eyes, dispelling the cloud of her worry.

Into her eyes, dispelling the clouds of worry.

وَكَذَا الفَتَاةُ إِذَا ابْتَغَتْ مِرْآتَهَا

وَكَذَا الفَتَاةُ إِذَا ابْتَغَتْ مِرْآتَهَا

فَتَعَذَّرَتْ نَظَرَتْ بِعَيْنَيْ أُمِّهَا

فَتَعَذَّرَتْ نَظَرَتْ بِعَيْنَيْ أُمِّهَا

And so, when a girl seeks her mirror

For when a girl cannot find her mirror,

And it is unavailable, she looks into her mother's eyes.

She looks into her mother’s eyes instead.