مُحيّاً ما أَرَى أَم بَدرُ دَجنِ

مُحيّاً ما أَرَى أَم بَدرُ دَجنِ

وَبارِقُ مَبسمٍ أَم بَرقُ مُزنِ

وَبارِقُ مَبسمٍ أَم بَرقُ مُزنِ

Is it a face I see, or a full moon in clouded darkness?

Glowing, do I see a full moon rising or the bright smile of a crescent moon?

And the gleam of a smiling mouth, or lightning in rain clouds?

Lips or a ruby or ripe fruit,

وثَغرٌ أَم لآلٍ أَم أَقاحٍ

وثَغرٌ أَم لآلٍ أَم أَقاحٍ

وَريقٌ أَم رِحيقٌ بِنتُ دَنِّ

وَريقٌ أَم رِحيقٌ بِنتُ دَنِّ

And a mouth, or pearls, or daisies?

Saliva or honey of a bashful maiden?

And saliva, or pure wine, a wine jar's daughter?

A glance or white pearls strung

وَلَحظٌ أَم سِنانٌ ركَّبُوهُ

وَلَحظٌ أَم سِنانٌ ركَّبُوهُ

بأَسمَرَ مِن نَباتِ الخَطِّ لَدنِ

بأَسمَرَ مِن نَباتِ الخَطِّ لَدنِ

And a glance, or a spearhead they have mounted

Upon a dark twig grown in the sand.

on a supple brown shaft grown in al-Khatt?

Where are the gazes of a doe beside the double-glancing eyes

وأَينَ مِنَ الظِّبا أَلحاظُ ظَبيٍ

وأَينَ مِنَ الظِّبا أَلحاظُ ظَبيٍ

ثَنانِي عن سُلُوِّي بالتّثَنِّي

ثَنانِي عن سُلُوِّي بالتّثَنِّي

And how do blades compare with the glances of a gazelle

That turn me from my firmness with their glancing to and fro?

who turned me from forgetting by his swaying?

When he is bored of blame, his beauty intercedes for him.

إِذا جاءَ الملالُ لَهُ بِجُرمٍ

إِذا جاءَ الملالُ لَهُ بِجُرمٍ

مَحاهُ وَجهُهُ بِشَفيعِ حُسنِ

مَحاهُ وَجهُهُ بِشَفيعِ حُسنِ

Whenever boredom brings a charge against him,

So O you who my heart is aflame for and my eyes are in the gardens of Eden for,

his face erases it through beauty's intercession.

Your love from me is pure affection, aloof from flirtation and coy glances.

فيا مَن مِنهُ قَلبي في سَعيرٍ

فيا مَن مِنهُ قَلبي في سَعيرٍ

وَعَيني مِنهُ فِي جنّاتِ عَدنِ

وَعَيني مِنهُ فِي جنّاتِ عَدنِ

So, O you, through whom my heart is in a blazing fire,

And none before you has possessed my love

and through whom my eye is in the gardens of Eden,

Nor would my soul allow itself to be possessed by coquetry.

حَباكَ هَوايَ منِّي مَحضَ وُدٍّ

حَباكَ هَوايَ منِّي مَحضَ وُدٍّ

تَنَزَّهَ عن مُداجَاةٍ وضِغنِ

تَنَزَّهَ عن مُداجَاةٍ وضِغنِ

my love has bestowed on you pure affection from me,

When you enchanted me and possessed my heart,

untainted by dissembling and rancor.

You made my privacy as public as a highway.

وقَبْلَكَ ما تَملَّكَهُ حَبيبٌ

وقَبْلَكَ ما تَملَّكَهُ حَبيبٌ

وَلا سَمَحَتْ بهِ نَفْسِي لِخِدْنِ

وَلا سَمَحَتْ بهِ نَفْسِي لِخِدْنِ

And before you, no beloved had possessed it,

So why, before my love clings to my heart

nor had my soul freely given it to an intimate companion.

And before my pledge is locked within you,

أَحينَ خَلَبتَني ومَلَكتَ قلبي

أَحينَ خَلَبتَني ومَلَكتَ قلبي

قَلبتَ لخُلَّتي ظَهرَ المِجَنِّ

قَلبتَ لخُلَّتي ظَهرَ المِجَنِّ

Was it when you bewitched me and possessed my heart

Do my concerns weary me into weakness

that you turned your shield's back upon my friendship?

And make every limb of mine weak?

فَهَلاّ قَبلَ يَعلَقُ في فُؤادي

فَهَلاّ قَبلَ يَعلَقُ في فُؤادي

هَواكَ وقبلَ يَغلَقُ فيكَ رَهْنِي

هَواكَ وقبلَ يَغلَقُ فيكَ رَهْنِي

Then why not before it took hold in my heart—

Did not my estrangement from you suffice

my love for you—and before my pledge became forfeit to you?

And the torment my heart feels from being denied your company?

تُساوِرُني هُمومِي بعدَ وَهْنٍ

تُساوِرُني هُمومِي بعدَ وَهْنٍ

فَترمِي كلَّ جَارِحَةٍ بَوَهْنِ

فَترمِي كلَّ جَارِحَةٍ بَوَهْنِ

My cares assail me late at night,

Whenever I think of spending my life

and so strike every limb with weakness.

Wasted in passion for you, I strike my teeth.

أَلَم يكْفِ العواذلَ مِنكَ هجري

أَلَم يكْفِ العواذلَ مِنكَ هجري

وقلبَكَ ما يُجنُّ مِنَ التّجنّي

وقلبَكَ ما يُجنُّ مِنَ التّجنّي

Was your shunning me not enough for the reproachers,

I grieve over how my affection has been broken

and for your heart, the unjust blame it harbors?

And grieve over how my hopes in you were unfulfilled.

إِذا فكَّرتُ في إِنفاقِ عُمري

إِذا فكَّرتُ في إِنفاقِ عُمري

ضَياعاً في هَواكَ قَرعتُ سِنّي

ضَياعاً في هَواكَ قَرعتُ سِنّي

Whenever I think how I have spent my life

Most painful of what the nights have brought me

in vain in love for you, I gnash my teeth.

Is which of their horrors did not afflict me?

وآسَفُ كيفَ أَخْلَقَ عَهدُ وُدِّي

وآسَفُ كيفَ أَخْلَقَ عَهدُ وُدِّي

وآسَى كَيفَ أَخلفَ فيكَ ظَنّي

وآسَى كَيفَ أَخلفَ فيكَ ظَنّي

And I grieve at how the bond of my love has worn thin,

The fickleness of one whose heart is my home

and I lament how my hopes of you proved false.

And the aloofness of one whose eyes I've shut mine upon.

وأَوجَعُ ما لَقيتُ مِنَ الليالِي

وأَوجَعُ ما لَقيتُ مِنَ الليالِي

وأَيُّ فِعالِها بي لم يَسُؤني

وأَيُّ فِعالِها بي لم يَسُؤني

And the most painful thing the nights have dealt me—

and which of their deeds toward me has not hurt me?—

تَقلُّبُ قَلبِ مَن مَثواهُ قَلبِي

تَقلُّبُ قَلبِ مَن مَثواهُ قَلبِي

وَجفوةُ مَن طَبَقْتُ عَليهِ جَفْنِي

وَجفوةُ مَن طَبَقْتُ عَليهِ جَفْنِي

is the change of heart of one whose home is my heart,

and the coldness of one I enclosed beneath my eyelid.