يا للهوى والغزل

يا للهوى والغزل

من العيونِ النجلِ

من العيونِ النجلِ

Oh, the passion and flirtation

O love and flirtation

From those wide eyes!

Of the languid eyes

من الظبى لا كالظبى

من الظبى لا كالظبى

من مرحٍ وكسلِ

من مرحٍ وكسلِ

From gazelles, yet unlike gazelles,

Of the gazelle, not like the gazelle

Made of playfulness and languor;

Of playfulness and laziness

من المهى لا كالمهى

من المهى لا كالمهى

في الحدقِ المكتحلِ

في الحدقِ المكتحلِ

From oryx, yet unlike oryx,

Of the swaying, not like the swaying

In their kohl-lined eyes;

In the kohl-lined eyes

من الدّمى لا كالدّمى

من الدّمى لا كالدّمى

في حسنها المكتملِ

في حسنها المكتملِ

From statues, yet unlike statues,

Of the blood, not like the blood

In their consummate beauty.

In its perfect beauty

أقبلنَ يَخْتَلنَ فلم

أقبلنَ يَخْتَلنَ فلم

يكنَّ غيرَ الأسلِ

يكنَّ غيرَ الأسلِ

They approached, strutting, and were

They came smiling, yet

Nothing but slender spears.

There was nothing but nobility

ثمَّ نظرنَ نظرةً

ثمَّ نظرنَ نظرةً

معقودةً بالأجلِ

معقودةً بالأجلِ

Then they cast a glance

Then they glanced a glance

Bound up with death.

Bound by fate

ثمَ انسرينَ من هنا

ثمَ انسرينَ من هنا

ومن هنا في سُبُلِ

ومن هنا في سُبُلِ

Then they slipped away this way

Then they walked away

And that way, along paths,

Alone and openly

منفرداتٍ وجلاً

منفرداتٍ وجلاً

يا طيبَ هذا الوجلِ

يا طيبَ هذا الوجلِ

Each alone, in fear—

O the goodness of this openness

How sweet this fear!

Shyly keeping their distance

مبتعداتٍ خجلاً

مبتعداتٍ خجلاً

يا حسنهُ من خجلِ

يا حسنهُ من خجلِ

Drawing away in shyness—

O the beauty of this shyness

How lovely such shyness is!

Then they met like the sheen

ثم التقينَ كالنقا

ثم التقينَ كالنقا

ءِ أملٍ بأملِ

ءِ أملٍ بأملِ

Then they met, like the purity

Of hope meeting hope

Of hope joined with hope.

Harmoniously bashful

مؤتلفاتٍ جذلاً

مؤتلفاتٍ جذلاً

وهنَّ بعضُ الجذلِ

وهنَّ بعضُ الجذلِ

United in gladness,

And they are the essence of bashfulness

And themselves a part of gladness;

Differently argumentative

مختلفاتٍ جدلاً

مختلفاتٍ جدلاً

والحسنُ أصلُ الجدلِ

والحسنُ أصلُ الجدلِ

Differing in dispute,

For beauty is the origin of debate

And beauty is the root of dispute.

This one changes that one

هذي تغيرُ هذهِ

هذي تغيرُ هذهِ

بحليها والحللِ

بحليها والحللِ

This one makes that one jealous

With her adornment and finery

With her jewels and robes;

And that one with her own

وتلكَ من زيننتها

وتلكَ من زيننتها

زينتها في العطلِ

زينتها في العطلِ

And that one—part of her adornment

Adornment in leisure

Is her beauty without jewels.

Rivaling while beauty

تنافسا والحسنُ لل

تنافسا والحسنُ لل

حسانِ مثلُ الدولِ

حسانِ مثلُ الدولِ

In rivalry—and beauty, for

Is for the beautiful as fortune revolves

Fair women, is like shifting fortunes.

Then a beauty got up

ثم انبرتْ فاتنةً

ثم انبرتْ فاتنةً

تميلُ ميلَ الثملِ

تميلُ ميلَ الثملِ

Then a bewitching woman stepped forth,

Swaying like a fully laden branch

Swaying with a drunkard's sway.

Her hips never stopped

تنهضُ خصراً لم يزلْ

تنهضُ خصراً لم يزلْ

من ردفها في مللِ

من ردفها في مللِ

She lifts a waist that has never ceased

Swaying lazily

To be weary of her buttocks.

Shaking in the palm of passion

تهتزُّ في كفِّ الهوى

تهتزُّ في كفِّ الهوى

هزَّ حسامِ البطلِ

هزَّ حسامِ البطلِ

She sways in the palm of love

Like the sword of the hero

As a hero's sword is swung.

Standing, sitting

قائمةً قاعدةً

قائمةً قاعدةً

جائلةً لم تجلِ

جائلةً لم تجلِ

Standing, seated,

Swaying, unwearying

Moving, yet she has not moved,

Like the sun in its stillness

كالشمسِ في ثباتها

كالشمسِ في ثباتها

وظلِّها المتنقلِ

وظلِّها المتنقلِ

Like the sun in its stillness

And shifting shade

And its shifting shadow.

Revolving in an orbit

دائرةٌ في فَلكٍ

دائرةٌ في فَلكٍ

من خصرها والكفلِ

من خصرها والكفلِ

Circling in an orbit

Of her hips and shoulders

Of her waist and buttocks;

Her chest like a lofty palace

وصدرها كالقصرِ شِي

وصدرها كالقصرِ شِي

دَ فوقَ ذاكَ الطللِ

دَ فوقَ ذاكَ الطللِ

And her bosom, like a palace built

Above those hills

Above that ruin;

And her waist like an ascetic

وخصرها كزاهدٍ

وخصرها كزاهدٍ

منقطعٍ في الجبلِ

منقطعٍ في الجبلِ

And her waist, like an ascetic

Retreated in the mountains

Secluded in the mountain.

Shaken by every moan

يهزّها كلُّ أنينٍ

يهزّها كلُّ أنينٍ

من شجٍ ذي عللِ

من شجٍ ذي عللِ

Every moan sets her swaying

Of the wounded and suffering

From a grieving soul beset by ills.

So she is, for the lament of the lute

فهي لنوحِ العودِ ما

فهي لنوحِ العودِ ما

زالتْ ولما تزلِ

زالتْ ولما تزلِ

So, to the oud's lament, she has

She has not stopped, nor will she

Kept swaying, and has not yet ceased.

As if it were my own ribs

كأنهُ من أضلعي

كأنهُ من أضلعي

فإنْ بكى تضحكُ لي

فإنْ بكى تضحكُ لي

As though it were made from my ribs,

So if it weeps, she laughs at me

And if it weeps, she laughs for me.

Like a little bird

كأنها عصفورةٌ

كأنها عصفورةٌ

وأنتفضتْ من بللِ

وأنتفضتْ من بللِ

As though she were a sparrow

Ruffling its feathers

Shaking itself free of wetness.

She throbs like the birds

ترتجُّ كالطيرِ غدا

ترتجُّ كالطيرِ غدا

في كفَّةِ المحتبلِ

في كفَّةِ المحتبلِ

She quivers like a bird now caught

In the trapper's snare

In the fowler's net.

She sways, not from madness

تهتزُّ لا من خبلٍ

تهتزُّ لا من خبلٍ

وكلُّنا ذو خبلِ

وكلُّنا ذو خبلِ

She sways, but not from madness,

Though we all are mad

And each of us is mad;

She plays, not from leisure

تلهو ولا من شغلٍ

تلهو ولا من شغلٍ

وكلُّنا ذو شُغُلِ

وكلُّنا ذو شُغُلِ

She plays, but not from care,

Though we all have chores

And each of us has cares.

Looking at one leg

ناظرةٌ في رجلٍ

ناظرةٌ في رجلٍ

مغضيةٌ عن رجلِ

مغضيةٌ عن رجلِ

Gazing at one man,

Turning from another leg

Lowering her eyes from another,

From brow to brow

من حاجبٍ لحاجبٍ

من حاجبٍ لحاجبٍ

ومقلةٍ لمقلِ

ومقلةٍ لمقلِ

From brow to brow,

And from eyelash to eyelash

And from one eye to other eyes;

Like the sun to the lover

كالشمسِ للعاشقِ

كالشمسِ للعاشقِ

والشعرُ لهُ كزحلِ

والشعرُ لهُ كزحلِ

Like the sun to the lover,

And the hair to the crescent moon

And her hair, to him, like Saturn.

Smiling, frowning

باسمةٌ عابسةٌ

باسمةٌ عابسةٌ

مثلَ الضُّحى والطفلِ

مثلَ الضُّحى والطفلِ

Smiling, frowning,

Like the morning and the child

Like morning light and dusk;

Leaping, poised

واثبةٌ ساكنةٌ

واثبةٌ ساكنةٌ

مالتْ ولما تملِ

مالتْ ولما تملِ

Leaping, motionless,

She leaned but did not weary

She leaned, yet has not yet leaned.

She says, "I've been upright"

بيننا تقولُ اعتدلتْ

بيننا تقولُ اعتدلتْ

تقولُ لم تعتدلِ

تقولُ لم تعتدلِ

Among us, you say she has straightened;

She says, "I have not wearied"

You say she has not straightened.

You'd think she was vulgar

وقدْ تظنُّ ابتذلتْ

وقدْ تظنُّ ابتذلتْ

فينا ولم تبتذلِ

فينا ولم تبتذلِ

And you may think she has been debased

Yet she was never vulgar

Among us, yet she has not been debased.

She acts out what

تمثلُ الذي درتْ

تمثلُ الذي درتْ

شفاهها من قبلي

شفاهها من قبلي

She enacts what was learned

Her lips have set free before me

By her lips from my kisses:

Hasty in respite

فعَجَلٌ في مهلٍ

فعَجَلٌ في مهلٍ

ومهلٌ في عَجَلِ

ومهلٌ في عَجَلِ

So haste within slowness,

Respited in haste

And slowness within haste.