1. دَنا المَوتُ مِنّي أَبا جَعفَرٍ

    وَغاضَ الجَمالُ وَزاغَ البَصَرْ

    Death has drawn near me, Abu Ja'far.

    And beauty has ebbed, and my sight has strayed.

  2. سَأَقضي غَداً فَالوَداعَ الوَداع

    وَداع الفِراقِ وَداع العُمُرْ

    I shall die tomorrow—so farewell, farewell!

    A farewell of parting, a farewell to life.

  3. وَاِعبُرُ بَرزَخَ هذي الحَياةْ

    وَكُلُّ عَناءٍ لَهُ مُستَقَرْ

    And I cross the isthmus of this life;

    And every toil has its resting place.

  4. لَكَ اللَهُ سَعَّرتَ نارَ الجَوى

    بِقَلبي وَجانَبتَ لَمّا اِستَعَر

    God help you! You kindled the fire of love's anguish

    In my heart, and withdrew when it blazed.

  5. فَكُنتُ أُنادي الحَريقَ الحَريقْ

    وَنادَيتُ يا نارُ كوني أَحَرْ

    So I kept crying, "Fire! Fire!"

    And I cried, "O fire, burn hotter!"

  6. وَما كُنتَ تَعطِفُ عَطفَ العَشيق

    وَتَخنو حُنُوَّ الحَبيبِ الأَبَرْ

    And you showed none of a lover's tenderness,

    Nor the loving care of the most devoted beloved.

  7. تَعَذَّبتُ في الحُبِّ مَن في الهَوى

    تَذَوَّقَ ما ذُقتُ مَن في البَشَرْ

    I suffered in love—who, in passion,

    Has tasted what I tasted? Who among humankind?

  8. أَهَنتُ عَزيزي وَأَسلَمتُ نَفسي

    إِلَيكَ لِتَرضى أَلا تَذَّكِرْ

    I humbled my dear one and surrendered myself

    To you, to please you—do you not remember?

  9. وَخالَفتُ أَهلي وَعادَيتُهُم

    وَهُم مِثلَما قَد عُلِمَت الغُسُرْ

    And I defied my family and made enemies of them;

    And they, as you well knew, are harsh.

  10. وَحاذَرتُ مِنكَ النَوى وَالصُدود

    وَلَم يُغنِ عَنّي شَديدُ الحَذَرْ

    And I feared separation and rejection from you,

    But even utmost caution did me no good.

  11. وَها أَنَت قَد بِنتَ وَاِحَسرَتاه

    وَغادَرَتني لِعَذاري أُخَرْ

    And now you have departed—oh, my grief!

    And left me for other maidens.

  12. وَلَم يَبقَ مِنكَ سِوى ذِكرَيات

    وَلَم يَبقَ لي مِنكَ إِلّا صُوَرْ

    And nothing remains of you but memories;

    And nothing of you remains to me but images.

  13. فَها أَنتَ في الدَيرِ تَشكو الهَوى

    وَمِن أَلَمِ البُعدِ لا تَختَصِرْ

    So here you are in the monastery, lamenting love,

    And speaking at length of the pain of separation.

  14. وَها أَنتَ تَبكي بُكاءَ الرَضيع

    فَأَمتَصُّ مِن مُقلَتَيكَ العِبَرْ

    And here you are, weeping like a suckling child,

    So I suck the tears from your eyes.

  15. وَأَرمي بِنَفسي عَلى ساعِدَيك

    فَتَرفُقَ بِالخَصَر لا يَنكَسِرْ

    And I throw myself upon your forearms,

    So you treat my waist gently, lest it break.

  16. تُدَغدِغُ نَهدِيَ يا لَلغَرام

    وَيا لِزَمانٍ تَقَضّى وَمَرْ

    You tickle my breast—oh, the passion!

    And oh, for a time that has ended and gone!

  17. وَها أَنَذا في فِراشِ المَمات

    أَتَسمَعُ نَجوى الَّتي تَحتَضِرْ

    And here I am on the bed of death;

    Do you hear the whispers of the dying woman?

  18. عَجِبتُ لِقَلبي يَصونُ العُهود

    وَيُوفي الوُعودَ لِمَن قَد غَدَرْ

    I marvel at my heart: it keeps its pledges,

    And fulfills its promises to one who proved faithless.

  19. فَلَيتَكَ يا قَلبُ لَمّا عَلِقت

    بِهِ صَرَعَتكَ أَيادي القَدَرْ

    If only, O heart, when you fell in love

    With him, the hands of fate had struck you down!

  20. لَقَد قُدتَني لِسَبيلِ الفَناء

    وَمَن كانَ هاديهِ أَعمى عَثَرْ

    You have indeed led me onto the path of annihilation,

    And whoever has a blind guide stumbles.

  21. لِمَ الذُلَّ يا رَبَّةَ الكِبرِياء

    لِإِذلالُكَ النَفسَ إِحدى الكُبَرْ

    Why abasement, O mistress of pride?

    Abasing yourself is indeed one of the gravest calamities.

  22. سَتَقضينَ عَمّا قَريبٍ فَما

    يَهُمُّكِ هَجر الَّذي قَد هَجَر

    You will die before long, so what

    Does the desertion of the one who deserted you matter to you?

  23. تُناسيهِ لا يَزدَهيهِ الغُرور

    فَيَشمَتُ قَلبٌ لَهُ كَالحَجَرْ

    Put him out of mind, lest conceit puff him up,

    And his heart, like stone, gloat.

  24. أَموتُ وَتَهوى مِنَ الغيدِ غَيري

    لِهذا مِنَ المَوتِ عِندي أَمَرْ

    I die, and you love another among the graceful maidens;

    This is indeed bitterer to me than death.

  25. أَبَعدي تَهونُ عَلى مَن تُحِب

    لِيَ اللَهُ غائِرَة تَستَعِرْ

    After me, will you be of little worth to the one you love?

    God help me—a jealous woman ablaze!

  26. وَدَدتُ لَوَ اَنَّكَ بَينَ اليَدَين

    أَضُمُّكَ لِلصَّدرِ ضَمّاً عَسِرْ

    I wish you were between my hands;

    I would clasp you to my breast in a constricting embrace,

  27. وَأَلتَفُّ لَفَّ الأَفاعي عَلَيك

    وَأَنظُرُ سُمِّيَ فيكَ اِنتَشَرْ

    And coil around you as serpents coil,

    And watch my poison spread within you.

  28. وَيَجمَعُنا مَيِّتينَ السَريرُ

    وَيا طالَما جَمَعَتنا السُرُرْ

    And the bed would unite us, both dead—

    And oh, how often beds have brought us together!

  29. وَتَقضي وَيَقضَينَ حُزناً عَلَيك

    وَما نالَ مِنكَ سِوايَ الوَطَرْ

    And you would die, and they would die of grief for you,

    And none but I had found fulfillment with you.

  30. وَلكِن لِماذا بَل اِبقَ اَبراهيم

    وَخُذ في هَوى الغيدِ بَعدي وَذَرْ

    But why? Rather, live on, Ibrahim,

    And after me, take or leave the love of graceful maidens.

  31. سَأَصبِرُ باقيَ هذي الحَياة

    وَأَيُّ الأَحِبَّةِ مِثلي صَبَرْ

    I shall endure what remains of this life,

    And which lover has endured as I have?

  32. وَلكِن تَعالَ وَقِف فَوقَ رَأسي

    وَقَبِّل مَعينَ الّلمى وَالحَوَرْ

    But come and stand at my head,

    And kiss the wellspring of dusky lips and dark eyes bright with white,

  33. وَبَلِل مُصَوّحَ وَردِ الخُدود

    بِمَدمَعِكَ الساجِم المُنهَمِرْ

    And moisten the withered roses of my cheeks

    With your flowing, streaming tears.

  34. أَموتُ أَبا جَعفَرٍ فَالوَداع

    وَداعَ الفِراقِ وَداعَ العُمُرْ

    I am dying, Abu Ja'far—farewell!

    A farewell of parting, a farewell to life.