1. أَنتَ الحَبيبُ وَما لي عَنكَ سُلوانُ

    وَفيكَ ضَجَّ عَلَيَّ الإِنسُ وَالجانُ

    You are the beloved, and I have no solace away from you.

    And because of you, humankind and jinn have clamored against me.

  2. بَيني وَبَينَكَ أَشياءٌ مُؤكَّدَةٌ

    كَما عَلِمتَ وَإيمانٌ وَأَيمانُ

    Between you and me are things firmly established,

    as you know, and faith and oaths.

  3. فَلَيتَ شِعري مَتى تَخلو وَتُنصِتُ لي

    حَتّى أَقولَ فَقَلبي مِنكَ مَلآنُ

    If only I knew when you would be alone and listen to me,

    so I could speak, for my heart is full because of you.

  4. وَقَد جَعَلتُ كِتابَ العَتبِ مُختَصَراً

    إِذا اِلتَقَينا لَهُ شَرحٌ وَتِبيانُ

    And I have made the letter of reproach brief;

    when we meet, it will be explained and clarified.

  5. إِيّاكَ يَدري حَديثاً بَينَنا أَحَدٌ

    فَهُم يَقولونَ لِلحيطانِ آذانُ

    Beware lest anyone learn of talk between us,

    for they say the walls have ears.

  6. مَولايَ رِفقاً فَما أَبقَيتَ لي جَلَداً

    فَإِنَّني أَيُّها الإِنسانُ إِنسانُ

    My lord, be gentle, for you have left me no endurance;

    for I, O human being, am human.

  7. عَليلُ هَجرِكَ في حُمّى صَبابَتِهِ

    لَهُ مِنَ الدَمعِ طولَ اللَيلِ بُحرانُ

    The one stricken by your desertion, in the fever of his longing,

    has a crisis of tears all night long.

  8. مَن لي بِنَومي أَشكو ذا السُهادَ لَهُ

    فَهُم يَقولونَ إِنَّ النَومَ سُلطانُ

    Who will bring me sleep, so I may complain to him of this sleeplessness?

    For they say sleep is a sultan.

  9. مَتى يَراكَ وَيُروي مِنكَ غُلَّتَهُ

    طَرفٌ إِلى وَجهِكَ المَيمونِ ظَمآنُ

    When will it see you and quench its thirst with you—

    an eye thirsting for your blessed face?

  10. واحاجَتي فَعَسى مَولايَ يَذكُرُها

    فَإِنَّني في التَقاضي مِنكَ خَجلانُ

    Ah, my need! May my lord remember it,

    for I am shy of pressing my request upon you.

  11. قَد قيلَ لي إِنَّ بَعضَ الناسِ يَعتِبَني

    عِرضي لَهُ دونَ كُلِّ الناسِ مَجّانُ

    I have been told that someone reproaches me;

    my honor is fair game for him alone among all people.

  12. وَيُرسِلُ الطَيفَ جاسوساً لِيُخبِرَهُ

    إِن كانَ يُغمَضُ لي في اللَيلِ أَجفانُ

    And he sends the dream-phantom as a spy to inform him

    whether my eyelids close at night.

  13. فَيا نَسيمَ الصَبا أَنتَ الرَسولُ لَهُ

    وَاللَهُ يَعلَمُ أَنّي مِنكَ غَيرانُ

    So, O east-wind breeze, you are the messenger to him;

    and God knows that I am jealous of you.

  14. بَلِّغ سَلامي إِلى مَن لا أُكَلِّمُهُ

    إِنّي عَلى ذَلِكَ الغَضبانِ غَضبانُ

    Convey my greeting to the one I do not speak to;

    I am angry with that angry one.

  15. لا يا رَسولي لا تَذكُر لَهُ غَضَبي

    فَذاكَ مِنّي تَمويهٌ وَبُهتانُ

    No, my messenger, do not tell him of my anger,

    for that is pretense and falsehood on my part.

  16. وَكَيفَ أَغضَبُ لا وَاللَهِ لاغَضَبٌ

    إِنّي لِمارامَ مِن قَتلي لَفَرحانُ

    And how could I be angry? No, by God, there is no anger.

    Indeed, I rejoice in his intent to kill me.

  17. يَلَذُّ لي كُلُّ شَيءٍ مِنهُ يُؤلِمُني

    إِنَّ الإِساءَةَ عِندي مِنهُ إِحسانُ

    Everything from him that hurts me is sweet to me;

    indeed, ill-treatment from him is kindness in my eyes.

  18. فَكُلَّ يَومٍ لَنا رُسُلٌ مُرَدَّدَةٌ

    وَكُلُّ يَومٍ لَنا في العَتبِ أَلوانُ

    So every day we have messengers going back and forth,

    and every day our reproaches come in different colors.

  19. أَستَخدِمُ الريحَ في حَملِ السَلامِ لَكُم

    كَأَنَّما أَنا في عَصري سُلَيمانُ

    I employ the wind to carry greetings to you,

    as though I were Solomon in my own time.