أَلا رُبَّ مُلهٍ لَهُ قامَةٌ

أَلا رُبَّ مُلهٍ لَهُ قامَةٌ

تُقيمُ قِيامَةَ هيفِ الغُصون

تُقيمُ قِيامَةَ هيفِ الغُصون

Ah, many an entertainer has a figure

Behold, many a slender one has a gait

that sets the slender boughs in an uproar.

That erects a resurrection amidst the branches,

يَتيهُ بِرِدفٍ كَثيرِ الحَراكِ

يَتيهُ بِرِدفٍ كَثيرِ الحَراكِ

وَيُزهى بِخَصرٍ كَثيرُ السُكونِ

وَيُزهى بِخَصرٍ كَثيرُ السُكونِ

He struts proudly with a rump that often sways,

He wanders with a moving flank

and takes pride in a waist that is often still.

And sways with a waist abounding in stillness.

مَليحُ البَنانِ فَصيحُ اللِسانِ

مَليحُ البَنانِ فَصيحُ اللِسانِ

غَريبُ الأَغاني عَجيبُ اللُحون

غَريبُ الأَغاني عَجيبُ اللُحون

His fingers are lovely, his tongue eloquent;

Handsome of build, eloquent of tongue,

his songs unusual, his melodies wondrous.

Of strange songs, of wondrous melodies,

دَعَوناهُ يَوماً إِلى عِندِنا

دَعَوناهُ يَوماً إِلى عِندِنا

لَنَلتَذَّ مِنهُ بِتِلكَ الفُنون

لَنَلتَذَّ مِنهُ بِتِلكَ الفُنون

We invited him one day to our place,

We called him one day to join us

to delight in those arts of his.

That we may delight in those arts,

فَلَمّا تَبَدّى لَنا وَجهُهُ

فَلَمّا تَبَدّى لَنا وَجهُهُ

نَهَبنا مَحاسِنَهُ بِالعُيون

نَهَبنا مَحاسِنَهُ بِالعُيون

And when his face appeared before us,

But when his face appeared to us

we plundered his charms with our eyes.

We plundered its beauties with glances.