فَعَلَت كما فَعَلَتْ سُلافُ الساقي

فَعَلَت كما فَعَلَتْ سُلافُ الساقي

هَيفاءُ تَحكِي الغُصنَ في الأَوراقِ

هَيفاءُ تَحكِي الغُصنَ في الأَوراقِ

She did what the cupbearer's pure wine did—

She did as the cups of the pourer did before

A slender maiden, like a bough among leaves.

Hayfa recounting the branch in the leaves

لَبِسَتْ منَ الوَشيِ البديعِ مَطارِفاً

لَبِسَتْ منَ الوَشيِ البديعِ مَطارِفاً

ولها من الأَسرارِ حَبْكُ نِطاقِ

ولها من الأَسرارِ حَبْكُ نِطاقِ

She donned bordered cloaks of exquisite brocade,

She wore from the excellent brocade wrappers

And secrets formed the weave of her girdle.

And she has from the secrets a weaving of a belt

أَحيَتْ بِزَورتِها فُؤَادَ مُحِبِّها

أَحيَتْ بِزَورتِها فُؤَادَ مُحِبِّها

مِثلَ السَّليمِ أتاهُ نَفثُ الراقي

مِثلَ السَّليمِ أتاهُ نَفثُ الراقي

With her visit she revived her lover's heart,

She revived with her visit the heart of her lover

Like one snake-bitten, reached by a charm-reciter's breath.

Like the invalid who was breathed upon by the healer

بَعَثَ الحبيبُ بها إليَّ حبيبةً

بَعَثَ الحبيبُ بها إليَّ حبيبةً

هاجَتْ إليهِ بلابلَ الأشواقِ

هاجَتْ إليهِ بلابلَ الأشواقِ

The beloved sent her to me as a beloved;

The beloved sent her to me as a sweetheart

She stirred the pangs of longing for him.

She stirred for him the nightingales of passions

مكنونةٌ أَخَذَت خُدُورَ صَحائِفٍ

مكنونةٌ أَخَذَت خُدُورَ صَحائِفٍ

فإذا بَدَت أَخَذَت خُدُورَ تَراقِ

فإذا بَدَت أَخَذَت خُدُورَ تَراقِ

Hidden away, she occupied the curtained chambers of pages;

A hidden one who took the breasts of pages

Then, when she appeared, she occupied chambers beneath collarbones.

So when she appeared she took the breasts of springs

أَلقَتْ على بَصَري وسَمعي صَبْوةً

أَلقَتْ على بَصَري وسَمعي صَبْوةً

فكلاهُما من عُصبةِ العُشَّاقِ

فكلاهُما من عُصبةِ العُشَّاقِ

She cast passionate longing upon my sight and hearing,

She cast upon my sight and hearing an intoxication

So both are of the company of lovers.

And so both of them are from the troop of lovers

يا سَيِّداً مَلَكَ النُفوسَ بلُطفِهِ

يا سَيِّداً مَلَكَ النُفوسَ بلُطفِهِ

فغدَت رقيقةَ رِقَّةِ الأخلاقِ

فغدَت رقيقةَ رِقَّةِ الأخلاقِ

O master, who won souls through his gentleness,

O master who possessed souls with his kindness

So they became slaves to the gentleness of his character.

And so they became delicate with the delicacy of morals

أَسمعتَها نظمَ الحبيبِ فما دَرَتْ

أَسمعتَها نظمَ الحبيبِ فما دَرَتْ

أحبيبُ طيٍّ أم حبيبُ عِراقِ

أحبيبُ طيٍّ أم حبيبُ عِراقِ

You made them hear the beloved's verse, and they could not tell:

Did you hear her composing the verses of the beloved so she knew

Was it Habib of Tayy or Habib of Iraq?

Is the beloved one from Tayy or the beloved one from Iraq?

قد جاءَني منكَ المديحُ كأَنَّهُ

قد جاءَني منكَ المديحُ كأَنَّهُ

زَهرٌ يَمُدُّ لقَفرةٍ بِرِواقِ

زَهرٌ يَمُدُّ لقَفرةٍ بِرِواقِ

Your praise has come to me as though it were

Praise has come to me from you as if it is

Blossoms spreading a canopy over a barren waste.

A flower that stretches to a barren woman with a porch

من صَنعةِ الأَقلامِ كانَ طِرازُهُ

من صَنعةِ الأَقلامِ كانَ طِرازُهُ

وطِرَازُكم من صَنعةِ الخلاَّقِ

وطِرَازُكم من صَنعةِ الخلاَّقِ

Its adornment was the handiwork of pens;

The quality of it was from the making of pens

And your adornment is the handiwork of the Creator.

And your quality is from the making of the Creator