عثرة قلبي فيكم لا تقالْ

عثرة قلبي فيكم لا تقالْ

وإنما العذلُ حديثٌ يقالْ

وإنما العذلُ حديثٌ يقالْ

My heart's stumble over you is not pardoned;

My stumbling upon you is not to be blamed,

and reproach is merely words spoken.

Rather, the fault is in the words being said.

ثقوا بما أسأرتمُ من جوى

ثقوا بما أسأرتمُ من جوى

زلتم ولكن ماله من زوال

زلتم ولكن ماله من زوال

Be assured of the anguish you left behind:

Trust in what I have confided of my love,

you departed, but it knows no departure;

You slipped, but it will not slip away.

ومن نحولٍ شاهدٍ أنَّ غير السـ

ومن نحولٍ شاهدٍ أنَّ غير السـ

ـقم دعوى للهوى وانتحال

ـقم دعوى للهوى وانتحال

and of a wasting that attests that anything but sick-

And the witness of emaciation has shown that

-ness is a claim to love, a pretense.

Other than sickness, love's claim is pretense.

يا صاحِ دعني من حديث الحديثِ

يا صاحِ دعني من حديث الحديثِ

العهدِ إلاَّ بالقلى والملال

العهدِ إلاَّ بالقلى والملال

O friend, spare me talk of one new to the

O companion, leave me be from talk of talk,

bond, save with aversion and weariness.

Of the past - only embers and ashes remain.

مهلاً بدمعي فبذكر الحمى

مهلاً بدمعي فبذكر الحمى

كأنّما أنشطتهُ من عقال

كأنّما أنشطتهُ من عقال

Be gentle with my tears: at mention of the sanctuary,

Gently, with my tears, the memory of passion

it is as though you loosed them from a tether.

Rouses it from the tether, as though.

يا دارُ لا خيّم فيك الحيا

يا دارُ لا خيّم فيك الحيا

ولا تمشّت فيك ريح الشّمال

ولا تمشّت فيك ريح الشّمال

O dwelling, may no rain encamp within you,

O abode, no life has camped in you,

nor may the north wind walk through you.

Nor has the wind of the north walked in you.

ظمئتُ لما خفَّ عنك الدُّمى

ظمئتُ لما خفَّ عنك الدُّمى

فلا أضافتكِ الغيوثُ الثقال

فلا أضافتكِ الغيوثُ الثقال

I thirsted when the doll-like beauties hastened away from you;

I thirsted when the rain clouds parted from you,

so may the heavy rains never offer you hospitality.

The downpours did not host you.

من مائسٍ كالغصنِ أو سافر

من مائسٍ كالغصنِ أو سافر

كالشمس أو منتقبٍ كالهلال

كالشمس أو منتقبٍ كالهلال

Among them, one swaying like a bough, or unveiled

One who travels like a bending branch,

like the sun, or veiled like the crescent moon.

Or roams like the sun or wanes like the crescent.

وشى به الوشي وطيبُ الشّذا

وشى به الوشي وطيبُ الشّذا

وأفحمت أحجاله والحجال

وأفحمت أحجاله والحجال

Brocade and sweet fragrance gave him away,

And the whisperers whispered of him

and his anklets and the curtained chambers were struck dumb.

And the scent of youth and the prime of life.

يحكيه بدر التمّ والفضلُ

يحكيه بدر التمّ والفضلُ

للمحكّي بعداً وسناً وانتقال

للمحكّي بعداً وسناً وانتقال

The full moon imitates him, yet superiority

The full moon relates it along with merit and virtue

belongs to the one imitated—in remoteness, radiance, and movement.

To the storyteller - eternally.

وحرمةِ الخال لقد نام عن شغلٍ

وحرمةِ الخال لقد نام عن شغلٍ

به ناجٍ من الهمِّ خال

به ناجٍ من الهمِّ خال

By the beauty-mark's sanctity, he slept, heedless of preoccupation

The sanctity of the maternal uncle - who forsook

with him—one safe from sorrow, free of care.

A confidante free of worries for him.

يعجب والليلُ مديد الخطى

يعجب والليلُ مديد الخطى

من اعتلاقي بذيول الخيال

من اعتلاقي بذيول الخيال

He marvels, while night stretches out its strides,

Amazing is the lengthy stride of night,

at my clinging to the skirts of the dream-vision.

When I cling to the tails of imagination.

فساعةٌ طوّلها بالجفا

فساعةٌ طوّلها بالجفا

وليلة قصّرها بالوصال

وليلة قصّرها بالوصال

So, an hour he prolonged with estrangement,

An hour lengthened by estrangement,

and a night he shortened with union.

And a night shortened by union.

ناصرُ دمعي بمدودِ الأسى

ناصرُ دمعي بمدودِ الأسى

هازم صبري بجنود الجمال

هازم صبري بجنود الجمال

He reinforces my tears with tides of grief,

My tears' ally with the troops of beauty

routing my patience with beauty's troops,

Vanquished my patience with the soldiers of longing.

بطلعة البدر وريق الطَّلا

بطلعة البدر وريق الطَّلا

وقامة الغصنِ ولحظ الغزال

وقامة الغصنِ ولحظ الغزال

with the full moon's countenance and saliva like wine,

The rising of the full moon, the tresses of twilight,

and a bough's stature and a gazelle's glance.

The posture of the branch, the gaze of the gazelle.

حلوُ الجنى مرّ التجنّي وخو

حلوُ الجنى مرّ التجنّي وخو

ظُ البان فيه الميل والاعتدال

ظُ البان فيه الميل والاعتدال

Sweet of fruit, bitter in unjust blame, and a bough

Sweet is the harvest, bitter is the reaping, and so

of the bān-tree, with both sway and straightness.

The cup appears - in it blend and moderation.

كأنَّ خدَّيه وأصداغه

كأنَّ خدَّيه وأصداغه

صبحُ الهدى من تحت ليل الضلال

صبحُ الهدى من تحت ليل الضلال

As though his cheeks and his temple-locks were

As if his cheeks and temples

the dawn of guidance beneath the night of error.

Are the dawn of guidance under the night of ruin.

أما ودين الحبِّ في أهله

أما ودين الحبِّ في أهله

وعزَّةِ الحسن وذلّ السؤال

وعزَّةِ الحسن وذلّ السؤال

Indeed, by love's religion among its people,

But by the covenant of love among its people,

and by beauty's pride and pleading's abasement:

And the honor of beauty and baseness of questioning,

ما فتر الحاظك إلا ظبي الـ

ما فتر الحاظك إلا ظبي الـ

ـهند وأجفانك إلا نبال

ـهند وأجفانك إلا نبال

your languid glances are nothing but a gazelle of

Your gaze did not wander but to the doe of India

India; your eyelids are nothing but arrows;

And your eyelids to nothing but arrows.

ولا عذاراك سوى جنَّةٍ

ولا عذاراك سوى جنَّةٍ

تلقاك بالسلمِ وتنوي القتال

تلقاك بالسلمِ وتنوي القتال

nor are your two downy cheek-lines anything but a garden

Your excuses are none but a heavenly garden

that greets you with peace while intending battle.

That meets you with peace and intends war.

لولا شفيعاك اللَّمى والهوى

لولا شفيعاك اللَّمى والهوى

خاب مشيراك الصّبا والدلال

خاب مشيراك الصّبا والدلال

Were it not for your two intercessors, dusky lips and love,

Had it not been for your intercessors, wishes and love,

your two advisers, youthful ardor and coquetry, would have failed.

Your advisors, the morning breeze and the guide, would have failed.

لقّنت أخلاق بني الدهر في

لقّنت أخلاق بني الدهر في

ليِّ المواعيد وطول المطال

ليِّ المواعيد وطول المطال

You were taught the ways of the sons of this age in

You taught the morals of the people of time

twisting promises and prolonging delays:

Promises of nights, and prolonging hopes.

من ناقضٍ عهداً ومن رافضٍ

من ناقضٍ عهداً ومن رافضٍ

وداً وقد أملته للملال

وداً وقد أملته للملال

among them one breaking a pledge, and another rejecting

From one who broke a pact, who rejected

affection out of weariness, though I had placed my hopes in him.

A affection - though I made it last.

قلّص عني ظلَّه والفقيدُ الـ

قلّص عني ظلَّه والفقيدُ الـ

ـحسِ من يرجو بقاء الظّلال

ـحسِ من يرجو بقاء الظّلال

He withdrew his shade from me; bereft of

He shortened his shade from me, and the missing

sense is whoever hopes that shadows will last.

Beloved - who hopes for the shades to remain?

فاجتنب الناس وكن حجرة

فاجتنب الناس وكن حجرة

فآل هذا الدهر خفاَّق آل

فآل هذا الدهر خفاَّق آل

So shun people and keep apart;

So avoid people, and be solitary,

for this age's people are a flickering mirage.

For the orbits of this life are declining.

لو جاء حسَّان بإحسانه

لو جاء حسَّان بإحسانه

يشكو أواماً ما سقوه بلال

يشكو أواماً ما سقوه بلال

If Hassān came with his excellence,

If Hassân came with his beauty

complaining of burning thirst, they would give him not a drop.

To complain of injustices - what adversity!

لا نوا ففيهم شرق الماء للـ

لا نوا ففيهم شرق الماء للـ

ـصَّادي وما فيهم صفاءُ الزلَّال

ـصَّادي وما فيهم صفاءُ الزلَّال

They softened, yet in them is water that chokes the

Do not blame, for in them the water rises to the hunters,

thirsty; they have none of limpid water's purity.

And in them there is no purity of stream.

من سامعٍ للإفك أو خادعٍ

من سامعٍ للإفك أو خادعٍ

بالشك أو مختلق للمحال

بالشك أو مختلق للمحال

Among them a listener to falsehood, or a deceiver

From a hearer of slander, or a deceiver

through doubt, or a fabricator of absurdities.

With doubt, or a fabricator of impossibilities.

ما سمنت أعراض دنياهمُ

ما سمنت أعراض دنياهمُ

إلاَّ وأعراضهمُ للهزال

إلاَّ وأعراضهمُ للهزال

Their worldly goods never grew fat

Their worldly forms have not been enriched

without their honor growing lean.

Except that their forms are for decline.

تحيَّزوا بالنقص وامتاز سيف الـ

تحيَّزوا بالنقص وامتاز سيف الـ

ـديّنِ من بينهم بالكمال

ـديّنِ من بينهم بالكمال

They sided with deficiency, while Sayf al-

They inclined to defects, while the sword

Dīn stood out among them in perfection.

Of religion distinguished itself among them with perfection.