ووردٍ أعارته الغواني خدودَها

ووردٍ أعارته الغواني خدودَها

وأهدى إليه المسكُ أنفاسَ مَفْتوقِهْ

وأهدى إليه المسكُ أنفاسَ مَفْتوقِهْ

And a rose to which beautiful women lent their cheeks,

A rose lent its cheeks by the beauties,

And musk bestowed upon it the breaths of its blended perfume.

And musk gifted it the breaths of its extraction.

كأنّ الندى فيه مدامعُ عاشقٍ

كأنّ الندى فيه مدامعُ عاشقٍ

أريقت غداةَ البينِ في خدّ معشوقِهْ

أريقت غداةَ البينِ في خدّ معشوقِهْ

As though the dew upon it were a lover's tears,

As if the dew in it, a lover's tears

Shed on the morning of parting upon his beloved's cheek.

Were shed at dawn during the beloved's separation.

يحف به من تَوْءم الروض نرجِس

يحف به من تَوْءم الروض نرجِس

تناهَى سنا مُبْيضِّهِ فوق تَخْليقه

تناهَى سنا مُبْيضِّهِ فوق تَخْليقه

Narcissus, one of the garden's twin blooms, surrounds it;

Surrounded by narcissuses of the meadow,

The radiance of its white petals reaches its height above its saffron tint.

Its whiteness transcended over its creation.

رأى الوردَ غضَّاً فاستهامَ بحبّه

رأى الوردَ غضَّاً فاستهامَ بحبّه

وأطرقَ مبهوتاً وقام على سوقِه

وأطرقَ مبهوتاً وقام على سوقِه

It saw the rose, fresh and tender, and fell madly in love with it,

Seeing the rose blossoming, it fell in love,

And bowed its head, bewildered, and stood upon its stalks.

Bowed down astonished, and rose on its stalk.

أَدَرْنا كؤوس الراح في جَنباته

أَدَرْنا كؤوس الراح في جَنباته

على حسنِ مرآه ورِقّة تورِيقِه

على حسنِ مرآه ورِقّة تورِيقِه

We passed cups of wine around beside it,

We passed around cups of wine by its sides,

To the beauty of its appearance and the delicacy of its foliage.

For the beauty of its reflection and fineness of its growth.

وقام علِيلُ الطرفِ والوعدِ مُتْرَفٌ

وقام علِيلُ الطرفِ والوعدِ مُتْرَفٌ

عليمٌ بتصريف الكلامِ وتشقِيقِه

عليمٌ بتصريف الكلامِ وتشقِيقِه

And a pampered man rose, languid of gaze and frail of promise,

The languid-eyed stood with promise abundantly,

Well versed in shaping speech and elaborating it.

Skilled in conversation and jesting.

فتوّجَ يُمناه بكأسٍ رَوِيّةٍ

فتوّجَ يُمناه بكأسٍ رَوِيّةٍ

وقَرّط يُسْرى راحتيه بإبرِيقِه

وقَرّط يُسْرى راحتيه بإبرِيقِه

So he crowned his right hand with a brimming cup,

He crowned his right with a cup of drink

And hung his ewer like an earring from his left palm.

And clasped his left palm with his ewer.

وصَبَّ وسقّاني مداماً كأنّها

وصَبَّ وسقّاني مداماً كأنّها

تَلَهُّبُ خَدَّيْهِ وطيبُ جَنَى رِيقِه

تَلَهُّبُ خَدَّيْهِ وطيبُ جَنَى رِيقِه

And he poured and gave me wine to drink, as though it were

He poured and served a wine as if

The blaze of his cheeks and the sweet harvest of his saliva.

It sets his cheeks aflame and the fruit's sipping is sweet.

وبات يُعاطِيني حدِيثاً كأَنّما

وبات يُعاطِيني حدِيثاً كأَنّما

جَنَى من جَنى الرّوضِ زَهْرَةَ تَنْمِيقه

جَنَى من جَنى الرّوضِ زَهْرَةَ تَنْمِيقه

And he spent the night sharing talk with me, as though

He conversed with me through a speech as if

He had plucked the blossom of its adornment from the garden's harvest:

He picked from the garden's harvest a flower arranging.

حدِيثاً حَشاه بالوعيدِ وإِنه

حدِيثاً حَشاه بالوعيدِ وإِنه

لَيَعْذُب لِي والموتُ حَشْوُ تفارِيقِه

لَيَعْذُب لِي والموتُ حَشْوُ تفارِيقِه

Talk he had filled with threats; yet it

A speech lined with threats, though it

Is indeed sweet to me, though death fills its scattered phrases.

Was gentle to me while death is the stuffing of our separation.