وَقائِلَةٍ لي حينَ شَبَّهتُ وَجهَها

وَقائِلَةٍ لي حينَ شَبَّهتُ وَجهَها

بِبَدرِ الدُجى يَوماً وَقَد ضاقَ مَنهَجي

بِبَدرِ الدُجى يَوماً وَقَد ضاقَ مَنهَجي

And a woman said to me, when I likened her face

And when she said to me, when I compared her face

to the full moon of night one day, when my path had narrowed:

To the full moon one day, though my path was narrow

تُشَبِّهي بِالبَدرِ هَذا تَناقُصٌ

تُشَبِّهي بِالبَدرِ هَذا تَناقُصٌ

بِقَدري وَلَكِن لَستُ أَوَّلَ مَن هُجي

بِقَدري وَلَكِن لَستُ أَوَّلَ مَن هُجي

“You liken me to the full moon—this diminishes

"You compare me to the full moon, this is a decline

my worth; and yet I am not the first to be reviled.

Measured by my worth, though I'm not the first you've wooed

أَلَمَ تَرَ أَنَّ البَدرَ عِندَ كَمالِهِ

أَلَمَ تَرَ أَنَّ البَدرَ عِندَ كَمالِهِ

إِذا بَلَغَ التَشبيه عادَ كَدُملُجي

إِذا بَلَغَ التَشبيه عادَ كَدُملُجي

Have you not seen that the full moon, at its fullest,

Don't you see that the full moon, at its perfection

when the comparison is made, becomes like my armlet?

When the comparison's reached, goes back to a crescent

فَلا فَخرَ إِن شَبَّهتَ بِالبَدرِ مَبسَمي

فَلا فَخرَ إِن شَبَّهتَ بِالبَدرِ مَبسَمي

وَبِالسِحرِ أَجفاني وَبِاللَيلِ مَدعَجي

وَبِالسِحرِ أَجفاني وَبِاللَيلِ مَدعَجي

So there is no glory if you liken my smiling mouth to the full moon,

So no pride if you've compared my smile to the full moon

and my eyelids to magic, and my dark eyes to the night.”

And my eyelids to magic, and my hair to the night's darkness