ما للصبابةِ منك هاجَ رسيسُها

ما للصبابةِ منك هاجَ رسيسُها

وَلنارِ قلبك عاد فيه حسيسُها

وَلنارِ قلبك عاد فيه حسيسُها

Why has the dormant trace of longing stirred in you?

The youthfulness within you is stirred by her,

And why has your heart's fire begun to crackle there again?

And the fire of your heart has rekindled its blaze.

عهدي بقلبكَ والأَوانسُ والدُّمى

عهدي بقلبكَ والأَوانسُ والدُّمى

لا تستبيه (سعادُها) و (لميسُها)

لا تستبيه (سعادُها) و (لميسُها)

I remember your heart: the winsome maidens and doll-like beauties—

My pledge to your heart, both cups and dolls -

Their Su'ad and their Lamis—could not take it captive.

Do not deny her beauty, or her charm.

شمستْ عن التهيامِ نفسُك ناشئاً

شمستْ عن التهيامِ نفسُك ناشئاً

هل ريضَ بعد الأربعين شَموسها

هل ريضَ بعد الأربعين شَموسها

Your soul shied from passionate love when you were young;

Your soul has risen above obsession,

Has its restive steed been tamed after forty?

Could it be sated after forty suns?

للهِ فاتنة تملَّك قلبَ مَنْ

للهِ فاتنة تملَّك قلبَ مَنْ

تُحنى لديه من الرجالِ رؤوسها

تُحنى لديه من الرجالِ رؤوسها

By God, what an enchantress, to capture the heart of one

By God, a beauty who owns the heart of he

Before whom men's heads are bowed!

Whose heads bow to her, of all men.

فعلتْ به أَلحاظُها ما قصَّرتْ

فعلتْ به أَلحاظُها ما قصَّرتْ

عن فعلِه أَقداحُها وَكؤوسها

عن فعلِه أَقداحُها وَكؤوسها

Her glances did to him what lay beyond

Her glances have done to him what has not

The power of her goblets and her cups.

Been done by her goblets and cups.

يا مَنْ سُحرتَ بقوله هَلْ ذاك من

يا مَنْ سُحرتَ بقوله هَلْ ذاك من

تأْثيرِ عينيها وأَنت جليسها

تأْثيرِ عينيها وأَنت جليسها

O you who were bewitched by his words—is that from

O you who are spellbound by his words, is this not

The influence of her eyes while you sit beside her?

The effect of her eyes while you sit with her?

إن كنتَ أَحببتَ (المسيح) لأجلها

إن كنتَ أَحببتَ (المسيح) لأجلها

وَشجا فؤادَك قارعاً ناقوسها

وَشجا فؤادَك قارعاً ناقوسها

If you have loved Christ for her sake,

If you have loved the Messiah for her sake

And the tolling of her bell has filled your heart with sorrow,

And your heart is torn, striking its bell,

والرّوحِ والإِنجيلِ حلْفةَ صادقٍ

والرّوحِ والإِنجيلِ حلْفةَ صادقٍ

ويمين حقٍ لا يُردُّ غَموسها

ويمين حقٍ لا يُردُّ غَموسها

By the Spirit and the Gospel—an honest man's oath,

By the Spirit and the Gospel, the pact of the truthful

And a true oath whose solemn force cannot be gainsaid—

And the oath of truth that does not go back on its word,

إِني لهجتُ بذكر (يوحَنّا) و (مر

إِني لهجتُ بذكر (يوحَنّا) و (مر

قس) وازدهى في ناظري (جرجيسها)

قس) وازدهى في ناظري (جرجيسها)

Indeed, I have kept invoking John and Mar-

I have praised the mention of John and Mark

k, and her George has grown resplendent in my eyes.

And am dazzled, before my eyes, by her images.

وشربتُ تكريسَ (البتولِ) ويوسف

وشربتُ تكريسَ (البتولِ) ويوسف

وحفظتُ ما قَدْ قاله قديسها

وحفظتُ ما قَدْ قاله قديسها

And I drank a consecratory toast to the Virgin and Joseph,

And I have drunk the consecration of the Virgin and Joseph

And memorized what her saint had said.

And kept what her saint has said.

هذا ولولا حبُّ دينِ محمد

هذا ولولا حبُّ دينِ محمد

(من دون كاد) لأَمَّ بي قسيسها

(من دون كاد) لأَمَّ بي قسيسها

All this—and but for my love of Muhammad's faith,

If not for the love of Muhammad’s religion

Without any 'almost,' her priest would have led me in prayer.

Without any doubt I would have become her priest.

هامتْ بها نفسي لوصفِك حسنها

هامتْ بها نفسي لوصفِك حسنها

حتى كأنْ موهومها محسوسها

حتى كأنْ موهومها محسوسها

My soul fell madly in love with her through your description of her beauty,

My soul craved to describe your beauty

Until her imagined presence seemed a palpable reality.

As if her fantasy was palpable.