يا عَذبةَ الوَصْلِ والصدودِ ويا

يا عَذبةَ الوَصْلِ والصدودِ ويا

أَعْبَقَ ثَغْراً مِن ابنةِ الدَّنِّ

أَعْبَقَ ثَغْراً مِن ابنةِ الدَّنِّ

O you, sweet in union and rejection, and O

O gentle union and repulsion, and O

One whose mouth is more fragrant than the daughter of the wine jar!

The sweetest mouth of the daughter of lowliness

و لم أَذُقْه ولا سَمِعتُ بمَنْ

و لم أَذُقْه ولا سَمِعتُ بمَنْ

ذاقَ ولكِنّه كذا ظَنِّي

ذاقَ ولكِنّه كذا ظَنِّي

And I have not tasted it, nor heard of anyone

I have not tasted it nor heard of one

Who tasted it; yet such is my belief.

Who has, but such is my guess

بَلىَ تعشَّقتُها بِلا حرَجٍ

بَلىَ تعشَّقتُها بِلا حرَجٍ

كان وقبّلتُها ولا أَكْني

كان وقبّلتُها ولا أَكْني

Yes, I loved her passionately, without any scruple

Yes, I fell in love with her without shyness

Whatsoever; and I kissed her—I speak without euphemism.

As if I had kissed her, though I did not

ولم تكن قبْلتي موافَقةً

ولم تكن قبْلتي موافَقةً

بل خِلْسةً نِلتُها بِلا إِذنِ

بل خِلْسةً نِلتُها بِلا إِذنِ

And my kiss was not with her consent;

My kiss was not with her consent

Rather, I gained it furtively, without permission.

Rather I stole it from her secretly without permission

يا دَجْنَ ليلٍ بدا على قَمَرٍ

يا دَجْنَ ليلٍ بدا على قَمَرٍ

وبدرَ تِمٍّ يغيب في دَجْنِ

وبدرَ تِمٍّ يغيب في دَجْنِ

O darkness of night that appeared over a moon,

O dark night that appeared over a moon

And a full moon disappearing into darkness,

And a full moon that sets into darkness

وغصنَ بانٍ يميس فوقَ نقاً

وغصنَ بانٍ يميس فوقَ نقاً

أعجِبْ بِهِ من نقا ومِن غُصْنِ

أعجِبْ بِهِ من نقا ومِن غُصْنِ

And a bān-tree branch swaying above a sand dune—

And a branch bending over a soft sand dune

How wondrous that dune and that branch!

More wondrous than the dune or the branch

يا حَسَناً كامِلَ الصّفاتِ إِذا

يا حَسَناً كامِلَ الصّفاتِ إِذا

لَم يُضْحِ خَلْقٌ بِكامِلِ الحُسْنِ

لَم يُضْحِ خَلْقٌ بِكامِلِ الحُسْنِ

O beautiful one, perfect in your qualities, when

O perfect beauty, when

No creature has attained perfect beauty!

No creature matches perfect beauty

حَسْبُك حُسْنٌ غدت بدائِعهُ

حَسْبُك حُسْنٌ غدت بدائِعهُ

أوسعَ مِن فِطنتي ومِن ذِهْني

أوسعَ مِن فِطنتي ومِن ذِهْني

Enough for you is a beauty whose marvels have become

Your beauty alone, whose wonders

Vaster than my discernment and my mind.

Are broader than my wit and mind

كم ذا التجنِّي عليَّ ظالمةً

كم ذا التجنِّي عليَّ ظالمةً

وكم على حَتْفِ مهجتي أَجْني

وكم على حَتْفِ مهجتي أَجْني

How long will you keep wronging me so cruelly?

How much wronging me unjustly

And how often do I bring death upon my heart?

And how much anguish for my love

أتَسْتَحِّلين في الجفا سَقَمي

أتَسْتَحِّلين في الجفا سَقَمي

أم تستَطيبِين في الهوى غَبْني

أم تستَطيبِين في الهوى غَبْني

Do you deem my sickness lawful in your estrangement,

Do you make lawful in your disdain my sickness

Or relish my loss in love?

Or do you enjoy in passion my loss

مالَك لا تَهدِمِين مُنعِمةً

مالَك لا تَهدِمِين مُنعِمةً

مِن ظُلْمِكِ المستِطيل ما يَبْني

مِن ظُلْمِكِ المستِطيل ما يَبْني

Why do you not graciously tear down

Why do you not destroy me with kindness

Some of what your overbearing injustice builds?

From your oppressive wrong that does not build

وَيْلاه وَيلاه يا ظَلومُ أما

وَيْلاه وَيلاه يا ظَلومُ أما

يكفِيك ما قد سلبِتِه مِنّي

يكفِيك ما قد سلبِتِه مِنّي

Alas for me, alas for me, O cruel one! Is not

Woe, woe to you oppressor, is it not enough

What you have already stolen from me enough for you?

What you have already taken from me

تَلوُّنا في الهوى ومَعْتِبةً

تَلوُّنا في الهوى ومَعْتِبةً

كذاك حَقّاً تلوُّنُ الجنِّ

كذاك حَقّاً تلوُّنُ الجنِّ

Fickleness in love, and reproach—

We varied in love and blame

Such, truly, is the shape-shifting of the jinn.

So in truth vary the Jinn

مُنِّي ولو بالسّلامِ منعِمةً

مُنِّي ولو بالسّلامِ منعِمةً

ثم اخِلطي ما مَنَنْت بالمَنِّ

ثم اخِلطي ما مَنَنْت بالمَنِّ

Favor me, graciously, if only with a greeting,

Grant me a greeting of kindness

Then mingle what you have granted with reproachful reminders of your favor.

Then mix what you granted with reproach