1. آبَ لَيلي لَيتَ لَيلي لَم يَأُب

    إِنَّما اللَيلُ عَناءٌ لِلوَصِب

    My night has returned—would that my night had not returned!

    Night is nothing but torment for the ailing.

  2. أَرقُبُ اللَيلَ كَأَنّي واجِدٌ

    راحَةً في الصُبحِ مِن جَهدِ التَعَب

    I watch the night as though I would find

    rest at dawn from the strain of weariness.

  3. وَلَقَد أَعلَمُ أَنّي مُصبِحٌ

    مِثلَما أَمسَيتُ إِن لَم تَحتَسِب

    And well I know that I shall greet the morning

    as I was at evening, if you take no heed.

  4. فَأَرَتني ثُمَّ شَطَّت شَطَّةً

    تَرَكَت قَلبي إِلَيها يَضطَرِب

    Then she showed herself to me, then went so far away

    that she left my heart throbbing toward her.

  5. ما أَقَلَّ الصَبرَ عَنها بَعدَما

    كَثُرَت فينا أَحاديثُ العَرَب

    How little patience there is without her, now that

    the Arabs' tales about us have multiplied.

  6. قِرَّ عَيناً بِحَبيبٍ نَظرَةً

    لا يُقِرُّ العَينَ إِلّا ما تُحِب

    Let your eye rejoice in one glimpse of a beloved;

    nothing gladdens the eye except what you love.

  7. وَكَلَت بي جارَتي أَسهودَةً

    شَرَّ ما وُكِّلَ بِالجارِ الجُنُب

    My neighbor set a dire affliction upon me,

    the worst ever set upon an unrelated neighbor.

  8. وَنَصيحَينِ أَلَمّا باكِراً

    بِطَبيبٍ وَطَبيبي المُجتَنَب

    And two well-wishers called early

    with a physician—while my physician is kept away.

  9. سَأَلاني وَصفَ ما أَلقى وَلا

    أَستَطيعُ الوَصفَ إِنّي مُكتَئِب

    They asked me to describe what I endure, but I am not

    able to describe it; I am despondent.

  10. غَيرَ أَنّي قُلتُ في قَولِهِما

    قَولَةً أَخفَيتُها كَالمُنتَيِب

    Only, in reply to their words, I uttered

    a word I kept low, like one sobbing.

  11. بَيَّنا مِن قُربِهِ لي حاجَةً

    ثُمَّ لا يَقرُبُ وَالدارُ صَقَب

    The two made plain my need for his nearness,

    yet he does not draw near, though the house is close.

  12. يا خَليلَيَّ أَلِمّا بي بِها

    نَظرَةً ثُمَّ سَلاني عَن وَصَب

    My two friends, call on me with her

    for one glimpse, then ask me about my sickness.

  13. شُغِلَت نَفسِيَ عَن وَصفِ الهَوى

    بِاِشتِياقي أَن أَراها وَطَرَب

    My soul is distracted from describing love

    by my yearning to see her and by rapture.

  14. فَاِترُكا لَومي فَإِنّي عاشِقٌ

    كَتَبَ اللَهُ عَلَيهِ ما كَتَب

    So cease, you two, reproaching me, for I am a lover

    for whom God has written what He has written.

  15. وَلَقَد قُلتُ لِقَلبي خالِياً

    حينَ لَم يَلقَ هَواها وَدَأَب

    And I said to my heart in solitude,

    when it found no love from her, yet kept striving:

  16. أَيُّها الناصِبُ في تَطلابِها

    بَعدَ هَذا ما تُبالي ما نَصَب

    O you who toil in seeking her,

    after all this, you care not what hardship comes.

  17. لا يُريدُ الرُشدَ إِلّا ناصِحٌ

    وَيَلي قَتلَكَ إِلّا مَن تَعِب

    Only a well-wisher seeks right guidance;

    and none undertakes your killing but one grown weary.

  18. كِل لِمَن يُقصيكَ مِثلاً صاعَهُ

    وَإِذا قارَبَ وُدّاً فَاِقتَرِب

    Measure out to whoever shuns you the like of his own measure;

    and if he draws near in affection, draw near.

  19. وَاِلقَ مَن قَد ذاقَ فيما لَم يَذُق

    لا يُداوي السُقمَ إِلّا مَن يَطِب

    And seek one who has tasted, in matters still untasted;

    only one skilled in healing can cure sickness.

  20. قَتَلَتني فَأَبى قَلبي وَقَد

    آنَ ما كَلَّفَني حَتّى أَحَب

    She killed me, yet my heart would not yield, though already

    weary; it had not burdened me until it fell in love.

  21. فَهيَ عَجزاءُ إِذا ما أَدبَرَت

    وَإِذا ما أَقبَلَت فيها قَبَب

    For she is ample-hipped when she turns away,

    and when she faces you, her waist is slender.

  22. لَم تَرَ العَينُ لِعَينٍ فِتنَةً

    مِثلَها بَينَ جُمادى وَرَجَب

    The eye has never seen an enchantment for the eye

    like her, between Jumada and Rajab.

  23. تَيَّمَتني بِقَوامٍ خُرعُبٍ

    وَبِدَلٍّ عَجَبٍ يا لَلعَجَب

    She enslaved me with a tall, supple form,

    and with wondrous coquetry—oh, what a wonder!

  24. صورَةُ الشَمسِ جَلَت عَن وَجهِها

    بَعدَ عَينَي جُؤذَرٍ في المُنتَقَب

    The sun's likeness shone out from her face,

    after an oryx calf's two eyes within the veil.

  25. حُلوَةُ المَنظَرِ رَيّا رَخصَةٌ

    بَعَثَ الحُسنُ عَلَيها أَن تُسَب

    Sweet to behold, full-fleshed and tender,

    her beauty has called down insults upon her.

  26. تَأمَنُ الدَهرَ وَلا تَرجو لَنا

    فَرَجاً مِمّا بِنا ذاكَ الكَذِب

    She feels safe from Time, and does not hope for us

    relief from what afflicts us—that is delusion.

  27. كَم رَأَينا مِثلَها في مَأمَنٍ

    قَلَبَ الدَهرُ عَلَيهِ فَاِنقَلَب

    How often have we seen one like her secure,

    then Time turned against him, and he was overturned.

  28. لا يَغُرَّنَّكَ يَومٌ مِن غَدٍ

    صاحِ إِنَّ الدَهرَ يُغفي وَيَهُب

    Let no day deceive you about tomorrow,

    my friend: Time dozes and wakes.

  29. صادِ ذا ضِغنٍ إِلى غِرَّتِهِ

    وَإِذا دَرَّت لَبونٌ فَاِحتَلِب

    Humor a man of malice until his unguarded moment;

    and when a she-camel yields milk, milk her.

  30. لَيسَ بِالصافي وَإِن صَفَّيتَهُ

    عَيشُ مَن يُصبِحُ نَهباً لِلرُتَب

    It is not pure, even if you purify it—

    the life of one who wakes as prey to hardships.

  31. ما أَبو العَبّاسِ في أَثباتِهِ

    لَعِبَ الدَهرُ بِهِ تِلكَ اللُعَب

    What of Abu al-Abbas amid his steadfast men?

    Time played those games with him.

  32. أَقبَلَت أَيّامُهُ حَتّى إِذا

    جاءَهُ المَوتُ تَوَلّى فَذَهَب

    His days favored him, until, when

    death came to him, he turned away and departed.