يَا مَنْ رَأَى الشَّادِنَ في سِرْبِهِ

يَا مَنْ رَأَى الشَّادِنَ في سِرْبِهِ

يَتِيهُ بِالْحُسْنِ عَلَى تِرْبِهِ

يَتِيهُ بِالْحُسْنِ عَلَى تِرْبِهِ

O you who saw the young gazelle amid his herd,

O you who saw the gazelle wandering

vaunting his beauty over his peer.

With beauty on his pasture

أَرْسَلَ فَرْعَيْهِ لِكَي يَعْبَثَا

أَرْسَلَ فَرْعَيْهِ لِكَي يَعْبَثَا

بِأُكْرَتَيْ نَهْدَيْهِ مِنْ عُجْبِهِ

بِأُكْرَتَيْ نَهْدَيْهِ مِنْ عُجْبِهِ

He let his two tresses loose to play

He sent his twigs to play

with the twin globes of his breasts, out of vanity.

With the apples of his breasts out of self-conceit

أَحْتَمِلُ الْمَكْرُوهَ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ

أَحْتَمِلُ الْمَكْرُوهَ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ

وَأَبْذُلُ الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ

وَأَبْذُلُ الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ

I endure hardship for his sake,

I endure disliked things for his sake

and lavish wealth for love of him.

And spend money for love of him

قَدْ لامَنِي الْعَاذِلُ فيهِ ولَوْ

قَدْ لامَنِي الْعَاذِلُ فيهِ ولَوْ

رَأَى الْهُدَى أَقْصَرَ عَنْ عَتْبِهِ

رَأَى الْهُدَى أَقْصَرَ عَنْ عَتْبِهِ

The reproacher has indeed blamed me over him; yet if

The blamer blamed me for him, even if

he saw the right path, he would cease his reproach.

He saw guidance shorter than his censure

وَهَلْ يُطِيقُ الْمَرْءُ سَتْرَ الْهَوَى

وَهَلْ يُطِيقُ الْمَرْءُ سَتْرَ الْهَوَى

مِنْ بَعْدِ ما اسْتَوْلَى عَلَى لُبِّهِ

مِنْ بَعْدِ ما اسْتَوْلَى عَلَى لُبِّهِ

And can a person conceal love

And can a person conceal his passion

once it has taken possession of his mind?

After it dominated his heart?

تَقَلُّبُ الْعَينِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى

تَقَلُّبُ الْعَينِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى

ما أَضْمَرَ الإِنْسَانُ فِي قَلْبِهِ

ما أَضْمَرَ الإِنْسَانُ فِي قَلْبِهِ

The shifting of the eye is a sign of

The turning of the eye indicates

what a person harbors in his heart.

What the human concealed in his heart

يا سامَحَ اللهُ عُيُونَ الْمَهَا

يا سامَحَ اللهُ عُيُونَ الْمَهَا

فَهُنَّ عَوْنُ الدَّهْرِ فِي حَرْبِهِ

فَهُنَّ عَوْنُ الدَّهْرِ فِي حَرْبِهِ

Ah, may God forgive the eyes of the oryxes,

O may God forgive the eyes of the crazed

for they aid Time in his war.

For they are the aid of fate in its war

أَمَا كَفَى ما جَرَّ أَحْدَاثُهُ

أَمَا كَفَى ما جَرَّ أَحْدَاثُهُ

حَتَّى دَعَا الْغِيدَ إِلى حِزْبِهِ

حَتَّى دَعَا الْغِيدَ إِلى حِزْبِهِ

Was what his calamities brought not enough,

Isn't it enough what its events pulled

that he summoned the graceful maidens to his camp?

Until it called the lion to its party?