أَشجَتكَ بِالتَغريبِ في تَغريدِها

أَشجَتكَ بِالتَغريبِ في تَغريدِها

فَظَنَنتَ مَعبَدَ كانَ بَعضَ عَبيدِها

فَظَنَنتَ مَعبَدَ كانَ بَعضَ عَبيدِها

She stirred your sorrow with the unusual flourishes in her song,

Your branches stirred with estrangement in their twittering,

So you thought Ma'bad was one of her slaves.

So you thought an idol's temple was one of her servants.

وَشَدَت فَأَيقَظَتِ الرُقودَ بِشَدوِها

وَشَدَت فَأَيقَظَتِ الرُقودَ بِشَدوِها

وَأَعارَتِ الأَيقاظَ طيبَ رُقودِها

وَأَعارَتِ الأَيقاظَ طيبَ رُقودِها

And she sang, awakening the sleepers with her singing,

She pulled the strings and woke the sleepers with her melody,

And lent the wakeful the sweetness of her slumber.

And lent the waking the fragrance of her slumber.

خَودٌ شَدَت بِلِسانِها وَبَنانِها

خَودٌ شَدَت بِلِسانِها وَبَنانِها

حَتّى تَشابَهَ ضَربُها وَنَشيدِها

حَتّى تَشابَهَ ضَربُها وَنَشيدِها

A lovely maiden sang with her tongue and her fingers,

A cheek she struck with her tongue and her teeth

Until her playing and her singing sounded alike.

Until her rhythms and her songs grew indistinguishable,

فَكَأَنَّ نَغمَةَ عودِها في صَوتِها

فَكَأَنَّ نَغمَةَ عودِها في صَوتِها

وَكَأَنَّ رِقَّةَ صَوتِها في عودِها

وَكَأَنَّ رِقَّةَ صَوتِها في عودِها

So it was as though her lute's melody were in her voice,

As though the tune of her lute was in her voice

And as though the delicacy of her voice were in her lute.

And the softness of her voice was in her lute.

فَطَنَت لِأَبعادِ الشَدودِ فَناسَبَت

فَطَنَت لِأَبعادِ الشَدودِ فَناسَبَت

بِالعَدلِ بَينَ قَريبِها وَبَعيدِها

بِالعَدلِ بَينَ قَريبِها وَبَعيدِها

She understood the intervals of the tunings and harmonized

She sensed the distances of melody and matched them

Their near and distant tones in just proportion.

With justice between that which was near and far from her.

كَمُلَت صَنائِعُ وَضعِها فَكَأَنَّما

كَمُلَت صَنائِعُ وَضعِها فَكَأَنَّما

وَرِثَت أُصولَ العِلمِ عَن داودِها

وَرِثَت أُصولَ العِلمِ عَن داودِها

Her arts of composition reached perfection, as though

The skills of composition were perfected in her, as though

She had inherited the foundations of knowledge from her David.

She had inherited the fundamentals of knowledge from David.

تَسبي العُقولَ فَصاحَةً وَصَباحَةً

تَسبي العُقولَ فَصاحَةً وَصَباحَةً

فَتَحارُ بَينَ طَريفِها وَتَليدِها

فَتَحارُ بَينَ طَريفِها وَتَليدِها

She captivates minds with eloquence and beauty,

She captivates minds, in the morn and eve,

So they are bewildered between her acquired and inherited gifts:

And leaves them confused between her subtlety and her repetition.

مِن لَهجَةٍ مَكسوبَةٍ أَو بَهجَةٍ

مِن لَهجَةٍ مَكسوبَةٍ أَو بَهجَةٍ

مَنسوبَةٍ تَحلو لِعَينِ حَسودِها

مَنسوبَةٍ تَحلو لِعَينِ حَسودِها

An acquired grace of speech, or a beauty

With an acquired enunciation or innate eloquence

Rooted in lineage, pleasing to her envier's eye.

That tastes sweet to the eye of her envier.

وَإِنّي لَأَحسُدُ عودَها إِن عانَقَت

وَإِنّي لَأَحسُدُ عودَها إِن عانَقَت

عِطفَيهِ أَو ضَمَّتهُ بَينَ نُهودِها

عِطفَيهِ أَو ضَمَّتهُ بَينَ نُهودِها

And indeed I envy her lute if she embraces

And I do envy her lute if she embraces

Its two sides, or clasps it between her breasts.

Its neck or holds it between her breasts.

وَأَغارُ مِن لَثمِ الكُؤوسِ لِثَغرِها

وَأَغارُ مِن لَثمِ الكُؤوسِ لِثَغرِها

وَأَذوبُ مِن لَمسِ الحُلِيِّ لِجيدِها

وَأَذوبُ مِن لَمسِ الحُلِيِّ لِجيدِها

And I am jealous of the cups' kisses upon her lips,

And I am jealous of the kissing of cups by her lips

And I melt at the jewelry's touch upon her neck.

And melt at the touching of jewelry by her cheek.