عَتَبْت فانثنى عليها العِتابُ

عَتَبْت فانثنى عليها العِتابُ

ودعا دمعَ مقلتيها انسكابُ

ودعا دمعَ مقلتيها انسكابُ

I reproached her, and reproach turned back upon her;

She chided me, so I bent in apology,

And an outpouring called forth the tears of her eyes.

And the tears from her eyelids began to flow.

وسعَتْ نحو خدّها بيديها

وسعَتْ نحو خدّها بيديها

فالتقى الياسَمينُ والعُنَّابُ

فالتقى الياسَمينُ والعُنَّابُ

And she reached toward her cheek with both hands,

She stretched her hands to her cheek,

So jasmine and jujube met.

So that jasmine met clove.

رُبّ مُبْدِي تَعتُّبٍ جعل العت

رُبّ مُبْدِي تَعتُّبٍ جعل العت

ب رياءً وهَمُّه الإعتاب

ب رياءً وهَمُّه الإعتاب

Many a one displaying displeasure has made reproach

Many who pretend to chide,

A pretense, while his aim is reconciliation.

Only do so out of vanity.

فاسقِنيها مدامةً تَصْبِغ الكأ

فاسقِنيها مدامةً تَصْبِغ الكأ

سَ كما يَصْبِغ الخدود الشّباب

سَ كما يَصْبِغ الخدود الشّباب

So give it to me to drink—a wine that colors the cup,

Give me a draft that dyes the cup

As youth colors cheeks.

As youth dyes the cheeks.

ما تَرَى اللّيلَ كيف رقّ دجاه

ما تَرَى اللّيلَ كيف رقّ دجاه

وبدا طَيْلسانُه يَنْجاب

وبدا طَيْلسانُه يَنْجاب

Do you not see the night—how its darkness has thinned,

See how gently the night falls

And its mantle appears to be parting?

As its darkness spreads.

وكأن السماء لجة بحرٍ

وكأن السماء لجة بحرٍ

وكأنّ النجوم فيها حَبَاب

وكأنّ النجوم فيها حَبَاب

And the sky is like the depths of a sea,

The sky looks like a turbulent sea,

And the stars within it are like bubbles.

With stars like bubbles in its midst.

وكأن الصباح في الافق باز

وكأن الصباح في الافق باز

والدجى بين مخلبيه غراب

والدجى بين مخلبيه غراب

And dawn on the horizon is like a hawk,

It's as if dawn in the horizon

And darkness between its talons is a crow.

Is a falcon, and darkness in its talons a raven.

وكأنّ الجوزاء سيفٌ صقيل

وكأنّ الجوزاء سيفٌ صقيل

وكأنّ الدجى عليها قِراب

وكأنّ الدجى عليها قِراب

And al-Jawzāʾ is like a polished sword,

It's as if the Pleiades is a polished sword

And the darkness over it is like a scabbard.

And darkness upon it a sheath.