ألم تحتلفْ أن لا تعود إلى ظلمٍ

ألم تحتلفْ أن لا تعود إلى ظلمٍ

فلمْ جرّدتْ ألحاظ عينيكَ في السّلمِ

فلمْ جرّدتْ ألحاظ عينيكَ في السّلمِ

Did you not swear never to return to injustice?

Have you not promised that you would not return to oppression?

Then why were the glances of your eyes unsheathed in peacetime?

Why have you stripped the glances of your eyes in greeting?

وما بال كفُّ الدلِّ نحو مقاتلي

وما بال كفُّ الدلِّ نحو مقاتلي

تسدّدُ من عطفيك بعض القنا الصُّمِ

تسدّدُ من عطفيك بعض القنا الصُّمِ

And why does the hand of coquetry, toward my vital spots,

And why does the bend of the branch aim at my warriors?

Aim some stout lances from your two flanks?

Your arms straighten some of the crooked spear.

ولم أرَ موتاً قبل موتك مشتهى

ولم أرَ موتاً قبل موتك مشتهى

ولا صحةً زينت بشافٍ من السقمِ

ولا صحةً زينت بشافٍ من السقمِ

And before the death you bring, I had never seen death desired,

And I have not seen a death before your death more desirable,

Nor health adorned with a cure drawn from sickness.

Nor a health that adorns the healer from the sickness.

عدمتُ الغنى من وجنةٍ ذهبيةٍ

عدمتُ الغنى من وجنةٍ ذهبيةٍ

تصان وهذا خالها طابعُ الختمِ

تصان وهذا خالها طابعُ الختمِ

I was denied riches from a golden cheek,

I lost wealth from a golden cheek

Kept guarded; this mole upon it is the seal's stamp.

That is protected and this is its stamp of seal.

وقد بلَّغتْ عني بلاغة أدمعي

وقد بلَّغتْ عني بلاغة أدمعي

وباح نحولي بالخفيَّ من الكتمِ

وباح نحولي بالخفيَّ من الكتمِ

And the eloquence of my tears has spoken on my behalf,

And my tears have conveyed about me an eloquence,

And my wasting has disclosed what was kept secret.

And they confessed to me secretly from concealment.

فما شافه العذَّال مثل مدامعي

فما شافه العذَّال مثل مدامعي

ولا خاطب الواشين أفصحُ من سقمي

ولا خاطب الواشين أفصحُ من سقمي

For nothing has addressed the reproachers like my tears,

So the tormentor has not been as eloquent as my tears,

Nor spoken to the talebearers more eloquently than my sickness.

Nor the slanderers more articulate than my sickness.

وسمراءَ كالخطّي تحمى بمثلها

وسمراءَ كالخطّي تحمى بمثلها

قواماً ولكنّ لا يثقَّف بالضَّمِ

قواماً ولكنّ لا يثقَّف بالضَّمِ

And a dark maiden like a Khatt spear, guarded by one like her

A brunette like ink protects its like

In stature, yet not straightened by an embrace.

In stature but is not cultivated with gathering.

شهيُّ وإن أصدى مع البرد ريقها

شهيُّ وإن أصدى مع البرد ريقها

قفل في كريم مولع بابنة الكرمِ

قفل في كريم مولع بابنة الكرمِ

Sweet is her saliva, though it brings thirst along with coolness,

She is desirable and even if her saliva sounds with the cold

A lock within a noble one enamored of the vine's daughter.

A lock in a generous one enamored with the daughter of generosity.

وقد نظمت في سلك جسمي مدامعي

وقد نظمت في سلك جسمي مدامعي

فما بالها صدَّت عن العقد ذي النظمِ

فما بالها صدَّت عن العقد ذي النظمِ

And I have strung my tears upon the thread of my body,

And I have strung my tears in the thread of my body

Why, then, has she turned from the well-strung necklace?

So why have they deviated from the threaded necklace?

ألوذ بصبري عائذاً من جفونها

ألوذ بصبري عائذاً من جفونها

فيسلمني من مقلتيها إلى خصمِ

فيسلمني من مقلتيها إلى خصمِ

I take refuge in my patience, seeking shelter from her eyelids,

I take refuge in my patience seeking refuge from her eyelids

Yet it delivers me to an adversary from her two eyes.

So it protects me from her glances to an opponent.

وليلة وصلٍ أنجز الطَّيف وعده

وليلة وصلٍ أنجز الطَّيف وعده

فجاد بها بعد القطيعة والصَّرمِ

فجاد بها بعد القطيعة والصَّرمِ

And on a night of union, the dream-phantom fulfilled its promise,

And on a night of connection, the specter fulfilled his promise

So it gave that night freely, after estrangement and severance.

So he was generous with it after estrangement and hostility.

أمنَّا بها أن تنقضي سنة الدجى

أمنَّا بها أن تنقضي سنة الدجى

وأن تترقَّى نحونا همَّة الهمِّ

وأن تترقَّى نحونا همَّة الهمِّ

Within it we were safe from the ending of darkness's slumber,

We hoped through it that the year of darkness would end

And from sorrow's ambition rising toward us.

And the ambition of worries would rise towards us.

غنيتُ بمأثور العتاب فلم أرد

غنيتُ بمأثور العتاب فلم أرد

غناءً وعن كأس المدامة بالظَّلمِ

غناءً وعن كأس المدامة بالظَّلمِ

Content with time-honored reproaches, I had no wish for

I am content with the inherited reproach so I do not want

Singing, and her cool saliva left me no need for the wine-cup.

Singing and injustice from the cup of wine.

فأبعدْ بنفث البابلي وسحرهِ

فأبعدْ بنفث البابلي وسحرهِ

وأهونْ بنشر البابليَّة والطعمِ

وأهونْ بنشر البابليَّة والطعمِ

Then away with the Babylonian's spell-blowing and his magic!

So drive away his Babylonian breath and its sorcery,

And how paltry the Babylonian wine's fragrance and taste!

And diminish the Babylonian and the flavor.

وبكرٍ من اللذَّات نلتُ بها المنى

وبكرٍ من اللذَّات نلتُ بها المنى

وبتُّ نديمَ الإثم فيها بلا إثمِ

وبتُّ نديمَ الإثم فيها بلا إثمِ

And a virgin among pleasures, through which I attained my desires,

And with virgin delights I attained wishes through her

And spent the night within it, sin's boon companion, without sin.

And I passed the night with the companion of sin in it without sin.

أضمُّ قضيب البان في ورق الصّبا

أضمُّ قضيب البان في ورق الصّبا

وألثمُ بدر التمِّ في سحب اللُّثمِ

وألثمُ بدر التمِّ في سحب اللُّثمِ

I embrace a ban-tree branch amid the foliage of youth,

I gather the rod of eglantine in the paper of youth,

And kiss the full moon amid clouds of veils,

And I kiss the full moon of bliss in the clouds of veil.

إلى أن حكى ثغرٌ من الصبح ضاحك

إلى أن حكى ثغرٌ من الصبح ضاحك

إباءَ صفيّ الدين في ظلم الظُّلمِ

إباءَ صفيّ الدين في ظلم الظُّلمِ

Until dawn's smiling mouth mirrored

Until a smiling lip of dawn narrated

Safi al-Din's defiance amid the darkness of injustice.

The refusal of sincere religion in the darkness of darkness.