وَلَبِسنا الهوَى دُروعاً وَلاما

وَلَبِسنا الهوَى دُروعاً وَلاما

وَخَلَعنا العِذارَ فيهِ اِفتِضاحا

وَخَلَعنا العِذارَ فيهِ اِفتِضاحا

And we donned love as coats of mail and armor,

We donned passion as armor and abandon,

And cast off restraint in it, exposing ourselves to disgrace.

And discarded chastity therein publicly.

قامَةٌ مِنكَ وَهيَ مُذْ طَعَنتَني

قامَةٌ مِنكَ وَهيَ مُذْ طَعَنتَني

زَهَّدَتني في أَن أَمسَّ الرِّماحا

زَهَّدَتني في أَن أَمسَّ الرِّماحا

That stature of yours, since you pierced me with it,

A figure of yours that since it wounded me

Has made me shun even touching spears.

Has made me spurn to touch the spears.

وَمُدامٌ بِكَأسِ ثَغرِكَ تَجري

وَمُدامٌ بِكَأسِ ثَغرِكَ تَجري

أَسكَرتني وَكَم بِها أَتصاحى

أَسكَرتني وَكَم بِها أَتصاحى

And wine flowing in the cup of your mouth

And wine flows from your lips' cup

Has made me drunk—and how often with it I feign sobriety!

Intoxicating me, and how often do I become sober by it.

كَانَ قَتلي عَلى سِواكَ حَراماً

كَانَ قَتلي عَلى سِواكَ حَراماً

وَلِجفنَيكَ قَد نَواهُ مُباحا

وَلِجفنَيكَ قَد نَواهُ مُباحا

Killing me was forbidden to anyone but you,

My murder was unlawful to other than you,

Yet it was meant to be lawful for your eyelids.

And for your eyelids, it has intended lawful.

حينَ أَبدى الرُّمّانَ مِنكَ نُهودٌ

حينَ أَبدى الرُّمّانَ مِنكَ نُهودٌ

رَوضُ خَدَّيك أَثمَرَ التفّاحا

رَوضُ خَدَّيك أَثمَرَ التفّاحا

When your breasts revealed pomegranates,

When your breasts revealed pomegranates,

The garden of your cheeks bore apples.

The garden of your cheeks produced apples.

وَإِذا فَتَّحت خُدودُك وَرداً

وَإِذا فَتَّحت خُدودُك وَرداً

ثَغرُكَ العَذبُ قَد أَبانَ الأَقاحا

ثَغرُكَ العَذبُ قَد أَبانَ الأَقاحا

And when your cheeks brought roses into bloom,

And when your cheeks opened roses,

Your sweet mouth revealed daisies.

Your sweet lips made clear pearls.

وَإِذا بِالرّياضِ زَرّر وَردٌ

وَإِذا بِالرّياضِ زَرّر وَردٌ

شِمْتُ في وَجنتَيك مِنهُ اِنفِتاحا

شِمْتُ في وَجنتَيك مِنهُ اِنفِتاحا

And when roses budded in the gardens,

And when roses were planted in gardens,

I glimpsed their blossoming in your cheeks.

I smelled in your cheeks their opening.

بِأَبي مِنكَ غُرَّةٌ ذاتُ حُسنٍ

بِأَبي مِنكَ غُرَّةٌ ذاتُ حُسنٍ

حَكَتِ الشَّمسَ بَهجَةً وَاِتَّضاحا

حَكَتِ الشَّمسَ بَهجَةً وَاِتَّضاحا

May my father be ransom for your lovely, radiant brow,

By my father, beauty that adorns you

Which matched the sun in splendor and brightness.

Embroidered the sun with splendor and purity.

وَالجُفونُ المِراضُ حينَ تَقاوَت

وَالجُفونُ المِراضُ حينَ تَقاوَت

تَركَتنا مِنهُ العَوافي صِحاحا

تَركَتنا مِنهُ العَوافي صِحاحا

And when the languid eyelids grew strong,

And when your languishing eyelids blinked slowly

Well-being deserted us because of that, though we were sound.

They left us correct visions from it.

وَلِحاظٍ ضَعيفةٍ مضعّفاتٍ

وَلِحاظٍ ضَعيفةٍ مضعّفاتٍ

قَد أَذابَت بِسحرِها الأَرواحا

قَد أَذابَت بِسحرِها الأَرواحا

And weak glances that weaken others

And to a tender, repeated glance

Have melted souls with their magic.

It melted souls with its sorcery.

وَجَبينٍ كَأَنَّهُ الصُّبحُ نوراً

وَجَبينٍ كَأَنَّهُ الصُّبحُ نوراً

مُذْ تَناءَى فما رأيتُ صَباحا

مُذْ تَناءَى فما رأيتُ صَباحا

And a forehead like the dawn in radiance—

And a forehead that is as if it were the dawn, luminous

Since it grew distant, I have seen no morning.

Since it shone, I have not seen a morn like it.

وَمُحيّاً عَلى قَوامِك يَعلو

وَمُحيّاً عَلى قَوامِك يَعلو

مِثلُ شَمسِ النَّهارِ تَعلو رِماحا

مِثلُ شَمسِ النَّهارِ تَعلو رِماحا

And a face that rises above your stature,

And a mole over your stature rising

Like the sun of day rising spear-lengths high.

Like the sun at noon rising over spears.

وَخُدودٍ سَرى بِها ماءُ حُسْنٍ

وَخُدودٍ سَرى بِها ماءُ حُسْنٍ

مُستسرّاً لَولا الحَياءُ لَباحا

مُستسرّاً لَولا الحَياءُ لَباحا

And cheeks through which the water of beauty flowed

And cheeks through which the water of beauty flowed

In secret; but for modesty, it would have spoken out.

Concealed, if not for modesty, it would have gushed.

وَعِذارٍ كَأَنَّهُ النّملُ لَكِن

وَعِذارٍ كَأَنَّهُ النّملُ لَكِن

بِضُحى وَجنَتَيكَ كَاللَّيلِ لاحا

بِضُحى وَجنَتَيكَ كَاللَّيلِ لاحا

And cheek-down, as though it were ants—yet

And a chastity that is as if it were ants, but

Against your cheeks' morning light, it appeared like night.

At your cheeks' morning, it shone like the night.

وَاِبتِسامٍ كَأَنَّه بَرقُ أُفقٍ

وَاِبتِسامٍ كَأَنَّه بَرقُ أُفقٍ

لَبِسَ الكونُ مِن سَناهُ وِشاحا

لَبِسَ الكونُ مِن سَناهُ وِشاحا

And a smile like lightning on the horizon—

And a smile that is like lightning on the horizon

The universe donned a sash of its radiance.

That wore adornment from its radiance.

وَرُضابٍ بِفيكَ يَحكي مُداماً

وَرُضابٍ بِفيكَ يَحكي مُداماً

رَحَلَ الهمُّ فيهِ عنّي وَراحا

رَحَلَ الهمُّ فيهِ عنّي وَراحا

And saliva in your mouth that resembles wine—

And saliva in your mouth tells of wine

Through it, sorrow left me and departed.

Through which worries departed me and went away.

وَكَلامٍ كَأَنَّهُ العودُ شَدواً

وَكَلامٍ كَأَنَّهُ العودُ شَدواً

أَو هزارٌ عَلَيهِ في الصُّبحِ صَاحا

أَو هزارٌ عَلَيهِ في الصُّبحِ صَاحا

And speech as though it were an oud's song,

And speech that is like the lute composing melodies

Or a nightingale upon it, calling at dawn.

Or jest at dawn loudly resounding.

وَقَوامٍ كَأَنَّهُ الغُصنُ خِلْنا

وَقَوامٍ كَأَنَّهُ الغُصنُ خِلْنا

بِفُؤادي لِعَدلِهِ أَرياحا

بِفُؤادي لِعَدلِهِ أَرياحا

And a stature like a branch—we imagined

And a figure that is like a tender branch

Winds within my heart to straighten it.

To my heart for its uprightness like gentle breezes.

فَبِسَيفٍ بِمُقلَتَيْكَ تَبَدَّى

فَبِسَيفٍ بِمُقلَتَيْكَ تَبَدَّى

حينَ أَدمى القُلوبَ مِنّا جِراحا

حينَ أَدمى القُلوبَ مِنّا جِراحا

So, by a sword revealed in your two eyes,

So by a sword that appeared in your glances,

When it bloodied our hearts with wounds,

When it bloodied hearts from us, wounds.

وَشِفاهٍ بِها يَلوحُ سُلافٌ

وَشِفاهٍ بِها يَلوحُ سُلافٌ

أَنسَياني المُدامَ والأَقداحا

أَنسَياني المُدامَ والأَقداحا

And lips in which choice wine gleams—

And lips by which wine glasses gleam

Both made me forget wine and goblets—

Let me forget the wine and cups.

جُدْ بِوَصلٍ وَزَوْرةٍ لِكَئيبٍ

جُدْ بِوَصلٍ وَزَوْرةٍ لِكَئيبٍ

تَجعَلُ الغَمَّ عِندَهُ أَفراحا

تَجعَلُ الغَمَّ عِندَهُ أَفراحا

Grant union and a visit to a sorrowful soul,

ComeVisit a melancholic with union and frequenting

That will turn his grief into joys.

Making worries become joys for him.

وَتَهنّا الجَمالَ دونَ البَرايا

وَتَهنّا الجَمالَ دونَ البَرايا

ما حَمامُ الغُصونِ في الدّوحِ ناحا

ما حَمامُ الغُصونِ في الدّوحِ ناحا

And enjoy beauty unmatched among all creatures,

And congratulate beauty among the maidens

As long as doves on boughs mourn in the spreading trees.

The dove in the bushes of the valley has not moaned.