حديثُ عنقاء صّبٌ أدرك الأملا

حديثُ عنقاء صّبٌ أدرك الأملا

أو رام يسلو هوى من شاقه فسلا

أو رام يسلو هوى من شاقه فسلا

A tale of the phoenix: a lovelorn man who attained his hope,

The discourse of a graceful doe who attained hope

or sought to forget love for one who stirred his longing, and forgot.

Or sought to comfort a love that burdened him, so he relaxed

ما لي من الوصل حّظ في الصّبابة بل

ما لي من الوصل حّظ في الصّبابة بل

حظي من الحب أنّي بعضُ من قتلا

حظي من الحب أنّي بعضُ من قتلا

I have no share of union in my ardent love; rather,

I have no share of intimacy in my youth, rather

my share of love is that I am one of those slain.

My share of love is that I am one of those slain

أما لقد نصح العذّال لو قُبلوا

أما لقد نصح العذّال لو قُبلوا

لكن نصائحهم في الحبّ ما قُبلا

لكن نصائحهم في الحبّ ما قُبلا

Indeed, the reproachers offered counsel—had they been heeded;

If only they had heeded the admonishers

but their counsel in love was not accepted.

But their advice in love was never accepted

وهب نصائحهم في الحبّ قد قُبلت

وهب نصائحهم في الحبّ قد قُبلت

السّيفُ من لحظ موسى يسبق العذلا

السّيفُ من لحظ موسى يسبق العذلا

And suppose their counsel in love had been accepted:

And had their advice in love been accepted

the sword of Musa's glance outstrips reproach.

The sword would have outsped Moses' glance

طلبت حيلة برء من محبّته

طلبت حيلة برء من محبّته

وهو دواءٌ لداء الحبّ إن نزلا

وهو دواءٌ لداء الحبّ إن نزلا

I sought a means of healing from my love for him,

I sought a trick to recover from loving him

yet he is a cure for love's disease, if it strikes.

A cure for love's malady, if it befalls

يا من غدا كلُّ لفظي فيه من طمع

يا من غدا كلُّ لفظي فيه من طمع

شكوى وأيّ شكاة ليّنت جبلا

شكوى وأيّ شكاة ليّنت جبلا

O you, of whom every word I utter out of hope has become

O he whose every word I utter in longing

a complaint—and what complaint ever softened a mountain?

Is a complaint - and what complaint ever softened a mountain?

أوّلتُ بعض شفائي من محاسنه

أوّلتُ بعض شفائي من محاسنه

فنّص لي حظه الأمراض والعللا

فنّص لي حظه الأمراض والعللا

I read some healing for myself in his charms,

I tried curing myself of some of his charms

then his glance prescribed illnesses and ailments for me.

So his allotted fate prescribed illnesses and ailments for me

أضحت تعلّل نفسي فيك من أسف

أضحت تعلّل نفسي فيك من أسف

عسى وليت وشعري كلّه غزلا

عسى وليت وشعري كلّه غزلا

My soul, grieving over you, is now soothed by

My soul began ailing for you in sorrow

'perhaps' and 'if only'; and all my verse is love poetry.

Perhaps, would that, and my poetry - all coquetry

منعنتي يقظة ردّ السّلام فلم

منعنتي يقظة ردّ السّلام فلم

أرد بمنعك من طيب الكرى عللا

أرد بمنعك من طيب الكرى عللا

In waking life, you denied me a greeting in return, so I did not

Wakefulness kept me from returning the greeting, so

take further draughts of sweet sleep because of your refusal.

I did not return your kindly gesture due to illness

وإن أتت رقدةٌ بالطّيف منك فلم

وإن أتت رقدةٌ بالطّيف منك فلم

أجرأ على الّطيف في تكليفه القبلا

أجرأ على الّطيف في تكليفه القبلا

And if a slumber brought your phantom, I did not

And if slumber brought me a vision of you

dare burden the phantom with demands for kisses.

I did not dare impose on the vision with a kiss

كسا خضاب اصفرار للضّنى جسدي

كسا خضاب اصفرار للضّنى جسدي

ووجتي احمرار الدّمع مُنهملا

ووجتي احمرار الدّمع مُنهملا

The yellow dye of wasting illness clothed my body,

The yellowness of grief dyed my body saffron

and the redness of streaming tears clothed my cheek.

While my cheeks were reddened by dripping tears

وقال ما نصلُ هذا الصّبغ ُقلتُ له

وقال ما نصلُ هذا الصّبغ ُقلتُ له

لو كان يُنضحُ من ماء اللّمى نصلا

لو كان يُنضحُ من ماء اللّمى نصلا

And he said, 'This dye has not faded.' I told him:

And he said, "We will never reach this color." I said,

'Had it been sprinkled with the moisture of dusky lips, it would have faded.'

"If it were sprinkled with the water of affliction, we would attain it."

شوقي إليك ولا حمّلت شوقي قد

شوقي إليك ولا حمّلت شوقي قد

يُدكُّ من حمله الرّيّانُ لو حُملا

يُدكُّ من حمله الرّيّانُ لو حُملا

My longing for you—may you never be burdened with my longing—could

My longing for you - though my longing has

crush al-Rayyan under its weight, were it borne.

Burdened me beyond what the sand grouse can bear

شعري ونحبي وطُول الصّدّ منك لقد

شعري ونحبي وطُول الصّدّ منك لقد

أفني القوافي وأفنى الدّمع والحيلا

أفني القوافي وأفنى الدّمع والحيلا

My verse, my sobbing, and your long rejection have indeed

My poetry, my weeping, and your long estrangement

exhausted rhymes, and exhausted tears and stratagems.

Exhausted rhymes, exhausted tears, exhausted stratagems