ته دَلالاً أَيُّها القَمَرُ

ته دَلالاً أَيُّها القَمَرُ

غَير مَغرور بِكَ النَظَرُ

غَير مَغرور بِكَ النَظَرُ

Strut in coy coquetry, O moon—

Strut in your coquetry, O moon;

the gaze is not beguiled by you.

the gaze is not deceived by you.

قَدّك العَسال غُصن نَقى

قَدّك العَسال غُصن نَقى

مال لَمّا أَينَع الثَمَرُ

مال لَمّا أَينَع الثَمَرُ

Your supple figure is a bough upon a dune,

Your swaying figure is a branch on a sand dune,

bending when its fruit grows ripe.

that bent when the fruit ripened.

وَالمحيّا رَوضة أنُفٌ

وَالمحيّا رَوضة أنُفٌ

زانَها الرَيحان وَالزهرُ

زانَها الرَيحان وَالزهرُ

Your beauty is a fresh, untrodden garden,

And your face is a fresh, untouched meadow,

adorned with basil and blossoms.

adorned by basil and blossoms.

وَبَديع الزَهر كَأس طلا

وَبَديع الزَهر كَأس طلا

مِن حباب زانَهُ دُررُ

مِن حباب زانَهُ دُررُ

The loveliest flower is a cup of wine,

And the wondrous blossom is a cup of wine,

its bubbles adorned with pearls.

adorned with pearls of foam.

وَعَمود الفَجر جيدك وَال

وَعَمود الفَجر جيدك وَال

عقد فيهِ الأَنجُم الزُهرُ

عقد فيهِ الأَنجُم الزُهرُ

The pillar of dawn is your neck, while the

And your neck is dawn's pillar, and the

necklace upon it is the radiant stars.

necklace upon it is the radiant stars.

يا لهُ مِن مَنظَر بَهجٍ

يا لهُ مِن مَنظَر بَهجٍ

باهر حارَت بِهِ الفكرُ

باهر حارَت بِهِ الفكرُ

Ah, what a joyous spectacle,

Oh, what a delightful sight—

so dazzling that thought is bewildered by it:

dazzling, leaving thoughts bewildered!

صورة تَمَّت مَحاسنها

صورة تَمَّت مَحاسنها

فَهيَ لا شَمس وَلا قَمَرُ

فَهيَ لا شَمس وَلا قَمَرُ

a form whose beauties are perfected—

A form whose beauties are perfected;

it is neither sun nor moon.

so it is neither sun nor moon.

هِيَ مِرآة النُفوس لِذا

هِيَ مِرآة النُفوس لِذا

حَيث دارَت دارت الصُورُ

حَيث دارَت دارت الصُورُ

It is the mirror of souls; and so,

It is the mirror of souls; therefore,

wherever it turns, the images turn.

wherever it turns, the images turn.

مَن مُجيري مِن يَدي رَشأ

مَن مُجيري مِن يَدي رَشأ

خصره مِن ردفِهِ حذرُ

خصره مِن ردفِهِ حذرُ

Who will rescue me from the hands of a gazelle

Who will protect me from the hands of a fawn,

whose waist is wary of his ample haunches,

whose waist is wary of his hips,

وَعُيونٍ غنجها دَعج

وَعُيونٍ غنجها دَعج

وَلحاظ سحرها حَوَرُ

وَلحاظ سحرها حَوَرُ

with eyes whose coquetry is deep-black beauty,

and eyes whose coquetry is their deep blackness,

and glances whose magic is their dark-and-white contrast?

and glances whose magic is dark pupils and brilliant whites?

خدّه سَهل وَمُقلته

خدّه سَهل وَمُقلته

ذات نبل جرحها عَسرُ

ذات نبل جرحها عَسرُ

His cheek is tender, yet his eye

His cheek is smooth, and his eye

is armed with arrows whose wounds are hard to heal.

bears arrows whose wounds are hard to heal.

مثل قَلبي جفنه أَبَدا

مثل قَلبي جفنه أَبَدا

مِن سَماع العذل منكسرُ

مِن سَماع العذل منكسرُ

Like my heart, his eyelid is forever

Like my heart, his eyelid is always

cast down from hearing reproach.

downcast at the sound of reproach.

سائل الأَعطاف فَهيَ من ال

سائل الأَعطاف فَهيَ من ال

ماء لَكن قَلبه حَجرُ

ماء لَكن قَلبه حَجرُ

His limbs flow, for they are made of

His limbs are fluid, for they are made of

water—but his heart is stone.

water, but his heart is stone.

قام يَثني غُصن قامته

قام يَثني غُصن قامته

وَعَلى الأَغصان يَفتَخرُ

وَعَلى الأَغصان يَفتَخرُ

He rose, bending the bough of his stature,

He rose, bending the branch of his stature,

boasting over all the other boughs.

and boasting of surpassing the branches.

فَرَأَينا الوَرد يَنثر ما

فَرَأَينا الوَرد يَنثر ما

في المَحيّا يَنظم الخَفرُ

في المَحيّا يَنظم الخَفرُ

Then we saw the rose scatter what

So we saw the roses scatter what

bashfulness had strung upon his face.

modesty strings together upon his face.

جَنّة للعين وَجنته

جَنّة للعين وَجنته

وَهيَ لِلقَلب الشَجي سَقرُ

وَهيَ لِلقَلب الشَجي سَقرُ

His cheek is paradise to the eye,

His cheek is a paradise for the eye,

yet to the grieving heart it is Saqar.

and for the sorrowing heart it is Saqar.

لَم يَكُن موسى هُنالك إِذ

لَم يَكُن موسى هُنالك إِذ

جَرَّ فيها ذَيلَهُ الخضرُ

جَرَّ فيها ذَيلَهُ الخضرُ

Moses was not there when

Moses was not there when

al-Khidr trailed his robe through it.

al-Khidr trailed his robe's hem through it.

يا لذاك الظَبي مِن صلفٍ

يا لذاك الظَبي مِن صلفٍ

نافرٍ أَغراه بي نَفرُ

نافرٍ أَغراه بي نَفرُ

Ah, what haughty pride in that gazelle!

O that gazelle, so haughty

Aloof, incited against me by a band:

and skittish—a band has incited him against me!

عُذَّلي بِالصَدّ تَأمره

عُذَّلي بِالصَدّ تَأمره

حَسَداً لي كُلّما أتمروا

حَسَداً لي كُلّما أتمروا

my reproachers command him to shun me,

My reproachers command him to turn away,

envying me whenever they conspire.

out of envy of me, whenever they conspire.

غادَرت قَلبي غَدائره

غادَرت قَلبي غَدائره

بِسَعير الوَجد يَستَعرُ

بِسَعير الوَجد يَستَعرُ

His tresses have left my heart

His tresses left my heart

blazing in the inferno of longing.

blazing with the fire of longing.

ثُمَّ أَذكَت لَوعَتي فَذَكت

ثُمَّ أَذكَت لَوعَتي فَذَكت

فَهيَ لا تبقي وَلا تَذرُ

فَهيَ لا تبقي وَلا تَذرُ

Then they kindled my anguish, and it flared;

Then they kindled my anguish, and it blazed;

it spares nothing and leaves nothing behind.

so it spares nothing and leaves nothing behind.

لَو دَرى العُذّال إِذ عذلوا

لَو دَرى العُذّال إِذ عذلوا

بِهَواه صَبوَتي عَذروا

بِهَواه صَبوَتي عَذروا

If the reproachers knew, as they blamed me,

Had the reproachers known, when they reproached me,

that my infatuation was born of love for him, they would excuse me.

the ardor of my love for him, they would have excused me.

يا هِلالاً غابَ عَن نَظري

يا هِلالاً غابَ عَن نَظري

وَاِختَفى في إِثره النَظَرُ

وَاِختَفى في إِثره النَظَرُ

O crescent moon, vanished from my sight,

O crescent moon that vanished from my sight,

in whose wake sight itself has vanished,

and sight itself vanished in its wake!

قَد فَرى صَبري الفراق فَلا

قَد فَرى صَبري الفراق فَلا

عين لي مِنهُ وَلا أَثَرُ

عين لي مِنهُ وَلا أَثَرُ

separation has rent my patience, so no

Separation has shredded my patience; not

substance of it remains to me, nor trace.

a vestige of it remains to me, nor a trace.

قُل لِأَحبابي الأُلى ظَعنوا

قُل لِأَحبابي الأُلى ظَعنوا

يَرحَموا قَلبي الَّذي أَسروا

يَرحَموا قَلبي الَّذي أَسروا

Tell my beloved ones, those who journeyed away,

Tell my loved ones who have departed

to show mercy to the heart they took captive.

to pity my heart, which they took captive.

هُم بِهِ ساروا وَلا بَرحوا

هُم بِهِ ساروا وَلا بَرحوا

سَمَحوا بِالوَصل أَو هَجَروا

سَمَحوا بِالوَصل أَو هَجَروا

They journeyed away with it and never relinquished it,

They journeyed with it—and may they ever remain,

whether they granted union or forsook me.

whether they grant union or forsake me.