بِيَ ظَبيُ حِمى وَرَدُ خَدَّهُ صارِمُ اللَحظِ

بِيَ ظَبيُ حِمى وَرَدُ خَدَّهُ صارِمُ اللَحظِ

قاسٍ غَرَّني مِنهُ رِقَّةُ الحَدِّ وَاللَفظِ

قاسٍ غَرَّني مِنهُ رِقَّةُ الحَدِّ وَاللَفظِ

I am smitten with a sanctuary's gazelle: his cheek a rose, his glance a sharp sword.

My love's cheek is protected, stern of glance

Cruel—the softness of his edge and speech deceived me.

His severity softened by the subtlety of his words

ذو فَرعٍ بِمَحضِ اِعتِناقِ أَردافِهِ مُحظي

ذو فَرعٍ بِمَحضِ اِعتِناقِ أَردافِهِ مُحظي

ما لي لَم أَنَل حَظَّهُ كَما حَكى حَظّي

ما لي لَم أَنَل حَظَّهُ كَما حَكى حَظّي

He has tresses favored merely by embracing his buttocks.

With a branch simply embracing his hips he is blessed

Why have I not attained their fortune, as my own fortune foretold?

Why have I not gained his fortune as told my fortune?

بَديعُ المَعاني مِنَ الأَقمارِ

بَديعُ المَعاني مِنَ الأَقمارِ

أَحسَن

أَحسَن

Wondrous in his charms, compared with the moons,

Wondrous in meaning, the moons'

he is more beautiful.

Best

إِلَينا أَسا لَحظُهُ وَاللَفظُ

إِلَينا أَسا لَحظُهُ وَاللَفظُ

أَحسَن

أَحسَن

His glance has wronged us, while his speech

His glance has been gentle to us, and his words

has been kind.

Best

قَد حازَ المَعاني لِجَمعِهِ وَالضِدَّ بِالضِدّ

قَد حازَ المَعاني لِجَمعِهِ وَالضِدَّ بِالضِدّ

مِن ماءٍ وَنارٍ تَضُمُّها صَفحَةُ الخَدِّ

مِن ماءٍ وَنارٍ تَضُمُّها صَفحَةُ الخَدِّ

He has gathered every charm by joining opposite to opposite:

He has attained meanings by uniting opposites

water and fire, held together by the surface of his cheek.

Of water and fire held in the page of his cheek

وَالفَرقُ الَّذي شَقَّ لَيلَ فاحِمِهِ الجَعدِ

وَالفَرقُ الَّذي شَقَّ لَيلَ فاحِمِهِ الجَعدِ

أَضحى لِلوَرى يَقرِنُ الضَلالَةَ بِالرُشدِ

أَضحى لِلوَرى يَقرِنُ الضَلالَةَ بِالرُشدِ

And the parting that cleft the night of his coal-black curls

And the separation that split the night of his curled locks

now joins error with right guidance for all mankind.

Has become, for all, joining misguidance with guidance

بِفَرعِ دُجىً اللَيلُ فيهِ

بِفَرعِ دُجىً اللَيلُ فيهِ

قَد تَعَيَّن

قَد تَعَيَّن

With locks of darkness, in which the night

By the branch of his night-dark hair

has taken shape,

It is manifested

وَفَرقِ سَنىً الصُبحُ فيهِ

وَفَرقِ سَنىً الصُبحُ فيهِ

قَد تَبَيَّن

قَد تَبَيَّن

and a parting of radiance, in which dawn

And by the parting of his dawn-bright forelock

has become manifest.

It is evident

هَل يَدري الَّذي باتَ عَن عَنا الحُبُّ في شَكٍّ

هَل يَدري الَّذي باتَ عَن عَنا الحُبُّ في شَكٍّ

ماذا لاقتِ العُربُ مِن ظُبى أَعيُنِ التُركِ

ماذا لاقتِ العُربُ مِن ظُبى أَعيُنِ التُركِ

Does he who remains in doubt about love's anguish know

Does he who spent the night doubting our love know

what the Arabs suffered from the blades of the Turks' eyes?

What the Arabs suffered from the gazes of the Turks?

قَد قَلَّ اِحتِمالي وَليسَ لي طاقَةٌ التَركِ

قَد قَلَّ اِحتِمالي وَليسَ لي طاقَةٌ التَركِ

أَلقَتني العُيونُ المِراضُ في مَعرَكٍ ضَنكِ

أَلقَتني العُيونُ المِراضُ في مَعرَكٍ ضَنكِ

My endurance has dwindled, yet I have no strength to leave.

My patience has waned, I have no strength to leave

The languid eyes have cast me into a harrowing battlefield.

The sick eyes threw me into arduous strife

سَباني عَزيزٌ مِنَ

سَباني عَزيزٌ مِنَ

الأَتراكِ أَعيَن

الأَتراكِ أَعيَن

A noble one has taken me captive, from among

I was captivated by a dear one from

the Turks, large-eyed,

the Turks, his eyes

بِقَدٍّ رَشيقٍ مِنَ

بِقَدٍّ رَشيقٍ مِنَ

الأَغمانِ أَليَن

الأَغمانِ أَليَن

with a graceful figure that, compared with

With a slender, delicate build from

the [branches], is more supple.

sorrows, gentlest

قَولا للَّذي ظَلَّ بِالحَيا كاسِرَ الجَفنِ

قَولا للَّذي ظَلَّ بِالحَيا كاسِرَ الجَفنِ

ما بالي أَرى سَيفَ لَحظِهِ كاسِرَ الجَفنِ

ما بالي أَرى سَيفَ لَحظِهِ كاسِرَ الجَفنِ

You two, tell him who kept his eyelid lowered in modesty:

Say to him who spent the night with coy lids

Why do I see the sword of his glance breaking its sheath?

Why do I see his glance as a heart-piercing sword?

ما شَرطُ الوَفا أَن يَزيدُ حُسنُكَ في حَزني

ما شَرطُ الوَفا أَن يَزيدُ حُسنُكَ في حَزني

إِذ مُهجَتي زادَ خلقَهُ واهِبُ الحُسنِ

إِذ مُهجَتي زادَ خلقَهُ واهِبُ الحُسنِ

Faithfulness does not require your beauty to deepen my sorrow,

Faithfulness is not conditional on your beauty increasing my sorrow

for the Giver of beauty enriched his form with my lifeblood.

Since my spirit's creation was perfected by the Giver of Beauty

فَمِن حَبَّةِ القَلبِ

فَمِن حَبَّةِ القَلبِ

نَقطَ الخالِ كَوّن

نَقطَ الخالِ كَوّن

So from the heart's kernel

So from a seed of the heart

he fashioned the specks of his beauty marks,

the beauty spot formed

كَما مَن دَمى صَفحَةَ

كَما مَن دَمى صَفحَةَ

الخَدَّينِ لَوَّن

الخَدَّينِ لَوَّن

just as, with my blood, the surface

As from the blood of the two

of both cheeks he colored.

cheeks, color formed

يا مَن قَد لَحاني لَو كُنتَ تَهدي إِلى الحَقِّ

يا مَن قَد لَحاني لَو كُنتَ تَهدي إِلى الحَقِّ

ما رُمتُ اِنتِقالي عَمَّن غَدا مالِكاً رقّي

ما رُمتُ اِنتِقالي عَمَّن غَدا مالِكاً رقّي

O you who have reproached me, if you were guiding me toward truth,

O you whose glance has melted me, if you guide to truth

I would not have sought to leave him who has become master of my bondage.

I would not have moved to one who became possessor of my comfort

بَدرٌ لَيسَ يَرضى بِغَيرِ قَلبي مِن أُفقِ

بَدرٌ لَيسَ يَرضى بِغَيرِ قَلبي مِن أُفقِ

يُرضيني عَذابي بِهِ وَلَم أَرضَ بِالعِشقِ

يُرضيني عَذابي بِهِ وَلَم أَرضَ بِالعِشقِ

A full moon, he accepts no horizon but my heart.

A moon not content without my heart on the horizon

My torment through him pleases me, though I did not welcome love.

Who appeases me with it, though I did not consent to passion

وَسُلطانُ حُسنِ

وَسُلطانُ حُسنِ

بِقَلبي قَد تَمَكَّن

بِقَلبي قَد تَمَكَّن

And beauty's sultan

And the authority of your beauty

has established himself in my heart,

Has taken root in my heart

وَأمسى لَهُ في صَمي

وَأمسى لَهُ في صَمي

مِ القَلبِ مَسكَن

مِ القَلبِ مَسكَن

and now he has, in the very

And made its home in the depths

core of the heart, a dwelling.

of my heart

لَمّا أَن أَتى زائِراً بَلا مَوعِدٍ حِبّي

لَمّا أَن أَتى زائِراً بَلا مَوعِدٍ حِبّي

أَعدَيتُ الدُجى رَقَّةً بِما رَقَّ مِن عَتَبي

أَعدَيتُ الدُجى رَقَّةً بِما رَقَّ مِن عَتَبي

When my beloved came to visit without an appointment,

When my love came to visit without appointment

I infected the darkness with tenderness through my gentle reproach,

I made the night gentle with what gentled from my threshold

أُبدي مِن رَقيقِ العِتابِ ما رَقَّ لِلقَلبِ

أُبدي مِن رَقيقِ العِتابِ ما رَقَّ لِلقَلبِ

حَتّى نَشَرَ الشَرقُ ما طَوَتهُ يَدُ الغَربِ

حَتّى نَشَرَ الشَرقُ ما طَوَتهُ يَدُ الغَربِ

voicing delicate reproaches that were gentle to the heart,

I show from the gentle chiding what gentled to my heart

until the east unfurled what the west's hand had folded away.

Until the east spread what the hand of west had folded

وَأَشكو بِلَفظٍ بِهِ

وَأَشكو بِلَفظٍ بِهِ

الأَلبابُ تُفتَن

الأَلبابُ تُفتَن

And I complain in words by which

And I complain with words that

minds are bewitched,

entrance intellects

وَأَبكي بِدَمعٍ مِن ال

وَأَبكي بِدَمعٍ مِن ال

أَنواءِ أَهتَن

أَنواءِ أَهتَن

and I weep with tears that, compared with the

And weep with tears that

rainstorms, flow more profusely.

draw the skies to heed

كَم خودٍ غَدَت وَهيَ في غَرامي بِهِ مِثلي

كَم خودٍ غَدَت وَهيَ في غَرامي بِهِ مِثلي

تَلَحاني لَعَتبي لَهُ وَتُزري عَلى عَقلي

تَلَحاني لَعَتبي لَهُ وَتُزري عَلى عَقلي

How many a lovely maiden has come, as enamored of him as I,

How many beauties became, in their passion for him, like me

rebuking me for reproaching him and disparaging my reason.

My reproach melting him and mocking my reason

قالَت لا تُسائِل رَبُّ الجَمالِ عَنِ الفِعلِ

قالَت لا تُسائِل رَبُّ الجَمالِ عَنِ الفِعلِ

لَو أَنَّ اللَيالي تَجودُ لي مِنهُ بِالوَصلِ

لَو أَنَّ اللَيالي تَجودُ لي مِنهُ بِالوَصلِ

She said: Do not question beauty's lord about his deeds.

She said, "Do not question the Lord of Beauty about His act"

If the nights would grant me union with him,

If only the nights would gift me union with Him

كَأَن نَترُكُ عِتابُه

كَأَن نَترُكُ عِتابُه

وَنَعمَلُ غَيرَ ذا الفَنّ

وَنَعمَلُ غَيرَ ذا الفَنّ

it would be as though we ceased reproaching him

As if we leave His reproach

and practiced an art other than this,

and act otherwise than this art

وَذاكَ الَّذي بَينَنا

وَذاكَ الَّذي بَينَنا

في الوَسَطِ يُدفَن

في الوَسَطِ يُدفَن

and what lies between us

And that which is between us

were buried in the middle.

be buried