يا أُمَّ نَوفَلَ فُكّي عانِياً مَثَلَت

يا أُمَّ نَوفَلَ فُكّي عانِياً مَثَلَت

بِهِ قَريبَةُ أَو هُوَ هالِكٌ عَجَلا

بِهِ قَريبَةُ أَو هُوَ هالِكٌ عَجَلا

O Umm Nawfal, free a captive cruelly tormented

O Umm Nufail, release me from suffering,

by Qariba, or he will swiftly perish.

Perhaps relief is near or I shall perish swiftly,

كَمَ دَعوتِ الَّتي قامَت بِقَرقَرِها

كَمَ دَعوتِ الَّتي قامَت بِقَرقَرِها

تَمشى كَمَشيِ ضَعيفٍ خَرَّ فَاِنخَدَلا

تَمشى كَمَشيِ ضَعيفٍ خَرَّ فَاِنخَدَلا

As you summoned the woman who rose in her gown,

How often you called her who rose creaking,

walking like a weak man who fell and went limp.

Walking feebly, stumbling, bending over,

فَمَجَّتِ المِسكَ بَحتاً لَيسَ يَخلِطُهُ

فَمَجَّتِ المِسكَ بَحتاً لَيسَ يَخلِطُهُ

إِلّا سَحيقٌ مِنَ الكافورِ قَد نُخِلا

إِلّا سَحيقٌ مِنَ الكافورِ قَد نُخِلا

Then she spat forth pure musk, with nothing mingled in it

She brought pure musk, nothing mixed with it

save powdered camphor that had been sifted.

Except a little camphor she had sifted,

وَالزَنجَبيلُ مَعَ التُفّاحِ تَحسَبُهُ

وَالزَنجَبيلُ مَعَ التُفّاحِ تَحسَبُهُ

مِن طيبِ ريقَتِها قَد خالَطَ العَسَلا

مِن طيبِ ريقَتِها قَد خالَطَ العَسَلا

And ginger with apple—you would think it,

With ginger and apples, you’d think it was

from the sweetness of her saliva, had mingled with honey.

Honey she had mixed with its fragrance,

يا طيبَ طَعمِ ثَناياها وَرِيقَتِها

يا طيبَ طَعمِ ثَناياها وَرِيقَتِها

إِذا اِستَقَلَّ عَمودُ الصُبحِ فَاِعتَدَلا

إِذا اِستَقَلَّ عَمودُ الصُبحِ فَاِعتَدَلا

Oh, how sweet her front teeth and her saliva taste,

O sweetness of her mouth and saliva

when the column of dawn rises and stands upright!

When the pillar of dawn stands straight,

مَجّاجَةُ المِسكِ لا تُقلى شَمائِلُها

مَجّاجَةُ المِسكِ لا تُقلى شَمائِلُها

تَزدادُ عِندي إِذا ما ماحِلٌ مَهَلا

تَزدادُ عِندي إِذا ما ماحِلٌ مَهَلا

Musk pours from her mouth; her ways are never loathed.

Her mortar of musk whosepestle doesn't grind,

She grows dearer to me whenever a slanderer presses on.

In my eyes it gains value if left a while,

لَو كانَ يَخبِلُ طيبُ النَشرِ ذا كَلَفٍ

لَو كانَ يَخبِلُ طيبُ النَشرِ ذا كَلَفٍ

لَكُنتُ مِن طيبِ رَياها الَّذي خُبِلا

لَكُنتُ مِن طيبِ رَياها الَّذي خُبِلا

If sweet fragrance could drive a lovesick man mad,

If the perfume of grinding would lose strength when wrapped,

I would be the one driven mad by her sweet scent.

I would have been the perfume she had enfeebled,

لَها مِنَ الرِئمِ عَيناهُ وَسُنَّتُهُ

لَها مِنَ الرِئمِ عَيناهُ وَسُنَّتُهُ

وَنَخوَةُ السابِقِ المُختالِ إِذ صَهَلا

وَنَخوَةُ السابِقِ المُختالِ إِذ صَهَلا

She has the white gazelle's eyes and face,

With the flirt of her eyes, her teeth and

and the pride of the swaggering, winning steed when it neighs.

Softness of the exalted noble steed when it neighs,

مَطَلتِ دَيني وَأَنتِ اليَومَ موسِرَةً

مَطَلتِ دَيني وَأَنتِ اليَومَ موسِرَةً

أَحبِبِّهامِن غَريمٍ موسِرٍ مَطلا

أَحبِبِّهامِن غَريمٍ موسِرٍ مَطلا

You have deferred paying what you owe me, though today you have the means;

You’ve delayed repayment of my debt, and you today have means,

how dear she is—a solvent debtor who delays payment!

Love pays a debt when the creditor has means,

مَطَلتِهِ سَنَةً حَولاً مُجَرَّمَةً

مَطَلتِهِ سَنَةً حَولاً مُجَرَّمَةً

وَبَعضَ أُخرى تَجَنّي الذَنبَ وَالعِلَلا

وَبَعضَ أُخرى تَجَنّي الذَنبَ وَالعِلَلا

You have deferred it for a year, a whole year completed,

You’ve delayed it a year, time on time,

and part of another, inventing faults and excuses.

And more, while you enjoy wrongdoing and evils,