إحفَظْ فؤادَكَ إن مَرَرْتَ بحاجرٍ

إحفَظْ فؤادَكَ إن مَرَرْتَ بحاجرٍ

فَظِبَاؤُه منها الظُّبى بمَحاجِرِ

فَظِبَاؤُه منها الظُّبى بمَحاجِرِ

Guard your heart if you pass through Hājir;

Guard your heart if you pass by a love

For its gazelles have sword-blades in their eye sockets.

Whose passion is madness to those enamored

فالقلبُ فيه واجبُ من جائزٍ

فالقلبُ فيه واجبُ من جائزٍ

ان يَنْجُ كان مُخاطِراً بالخاطرِ

ان يَنْجُ كان مُخاطِراً بالخاطرِ

For there the heart is felled by a passerby;

For the heart must be safe from harm

Should it escape, it will have put the mind at risk.

If it dares such perilous matters

وعلى الكَثيبِ الفرْد حَيٌ دونهُ ال

وعلى الكَثيبِ الفرْد حَيٌ دونهُ ال

آسادُ صرْعى من عيون جآذرِ

آسادُ صرْعى من عيون جآذرِ

And on the lone dune is a tribe, before whom the

On an isolated dune a living man

Lions lie slain by the eyes of wild-cow calves.

While lions surround their slain preys

أحبِبْ بأسمَرَ صِيْنَ فيه بأبيضٍ

أحبِبْ بأسمَرَ صِيْنَ فيه بأبيضٍ

أجفانُهُ مِنّي مكانَ سرائِري

أجفانُهُ مِنّي مكانَ سرائِري

How lovely a dark one, guarded there by a white sword,

Love the dark complexioned beauty

Whose eyelids dwell in me where my innermost secrets lie.

Her eyelids have replaced my secrets

ومُمَنَّعٍ ما إنْ لنا من وَصْلِه

ومُمَنَّعٍ ما إنْ لنا من وَصْلِه

إلاّ توهُّمُ زَورِ طيفٍ زائر

إلاّ توهُّمُ زَورِ طيفٍ زائر

And an unapproachable one: of union with him we have nothing

That which is denied of attaining union with him

But the imagined visit of a visiting phantom.

Except fancying an imagined fleeting specter

لِلَماهُ عُدْتُ ظَماً كأصدى واردٍ

لِلَماهُ عُدْتُ ظَماً كأصدى واردٍ

مُنِعَ الفُراتَ وكنتُ أروى صادر

مُنِعَ الفُراتَ وكنتُ أروى صادر

For his dusky lips I grew thirsty again, like the thirstiest water-seeker,

I have become tearful like a missing beloved

Denied the Euphrates, though I had been the most fully quenched of those leaving.

The Euphrates was banned and I quenched my own thirst

خيرُ الأُصَيْحَابِ الذي هو آمري

خيرُ الأُصَيْحَابِ الذي هو آمري

بالغَيّ فيِه وعن رشادي زاجري

بالغَيّ فيِه وعن رشادي زاجري

The best of dear companions is the one who bids me

The best companion is he who commands me

To stray in love for him, and restrains me from my right path.

To neglect him yet stops me from misguidance

لَوْ قيلَ لي ماذا تُحِبّ وما الذي

لَوْ قيلَ لي ماذا تُحِبّ وما الذي

تهواهُ منهُ لقُلتُ ما هوَ آمِري

تهواهُ منهُ لقُلتُ ما هوَ آمِري

If I were asked, 'What do you love, and what is it

If I were asked what do you love and what

You desire of him?' I would say, 'Whatever he bids me.'

Do you passionately desire, I would say: my commander

ولقد أَقولُ للائمي في حُبّه

ولقد أَقولُ للائمي في حُبّه

لَمّا رآهُ بُعَيْدَ وَصْلي هاجري

لَمّا رآهُ بُعَيْدَ وَصْلي هاجري

And indeed I say to the one who reproaches me for loving him,

And I say to those blaming me for loving him

After he saw him forsake me shortly after our union:

When they saw him distancing me, making me immigrate

عَنّي إليكَ فَلي حشاً لم يَثْنِها

عَنّي إليكَ فَلي حشاً لم يَثْنِها

هُجْرُ الحديثِ ولا حديثُ الهاجر

هُجْرُ الحديثِ ولا حديثُ الهاجر

Away with you! I have a heart that has not been swayed

I have ardor for you that was not diminished

By foul speech, nor by the speech of the one who forsakes me.

By the estrangement of time or by the estranger

لكِنْ وجدْتك من طريقٍ نافعي

لكِنْ وجدْتك من طريقٍ نافعي

وبلَذْعِ عَذْلِي لو أَطعتُك ضائري

وبلَذْعِ عَذْلِي لو أَطعتُك ضائري

Yet I have found you helpful to me in one way,

But I found you to be my beneficial path

And harmful through your stinging rebuke, were I to obey you.

And by rebuking me you would have harmed me if I obeyed you

أَحسنَت لي من حيثُ لا تدْري وإن

أَحسنَت لي من حيثُ لا تدْري وإن

كُنْتَ المُسيءَ فأنت أعدَلُ جائر

كُنْتَ المُسيءَ فأنت أعدَلُ جائر

You have done me good without knowing it; and though

You have done good to me without you knowing

You are the wrongdoer, you are the most just of oppressors.

And even if you wronged me, you are the most just of tyrants

يُدْني الحبيبَ وإن تناءتْ دارُهُ

يُدْني الحبيبَ وإن تناءتْ دارُهُ

طَيْفُ المَلامِ لطَرْفِ سمعي الساهر

طَيْفُ المَلامِ لطَرْفِ سمعي الساهر

The beloved is brought near, though his dwelling lies far away,

The beloved comes close even if his house is distant

By reproach's phantom, to the sleepless eye of my hearing.

By the specter of blame to my sleepless hearing

فكأنّ عَذْلَكَ عيسُ مَن أحبَبْتُهُ

فكأنّ عَذْلَكَ عيسُ مَن أحبَبْتُهُ

قَدِمَتْ عَليّ وكانَ سمعيَ ناظري

قَدِمَتْ عَليّ وكانَ سمعيَ ناظري

So it is as though your rebuke were the pale camels of the one I love,

It is as if your rebuke is Jesus whom I loved

Arriving before me, and my hearing were my seeing eye.

He visited me and my hearing was witnessing

أتْعَبتَ نفسَك واسترَحتُ بذكْره

أتْعَبتَ نفسَك واسترَحتُ بذكْره

حتّى حسِبْتُك في الصّبابِة عاذري

حتّى حسِبْتُك في الصّبابِة عاذري

You wearied yourself, while I found rest in the mention of him,

You exhausted yourself and I found rest by his mention

Till I thought you excused me in my ardent longing.

Until I imagined you were excusing me in my infatuation

فاعْجَبْ لِهاجٍ مادحٍ عُذّاَلْه

فاعْجَبْ لِهاجٍ مادحٍ عُذّاَلْه

في حُبّه بلِسَانِ شاكٍ شاكِر

في حُبّه بلِسَانِ شاكٍ شاكِر

So marvel at a satirist who praises his reproachers

So wonder at a blamer praising his beloved

For his love, with a tongue both complaining and grateful.

With a thanking tongue yet complaining

يا سائِراً بالقَلْب غدراً كَيفَ لَمْ

يا سائِراً بالقَلْب غدراً كَيفَ لَمْ

تُتْبِعْهُ ما غَادَرْتَهُ من سائري

تُتْبِعْهُ ما غَادَرْتَهُ من سائري

O you who treacherously depart with my heart, why did you not

O fleer, why did you not make your heart

Make what you left of the rest of me follow it?

Accompany what you have forsaken of me

بَعضي يَغارُ عليكَ من بَعضي ويحْ

بَعضي يَغارُ عليكَ من بَعضي ويحْ

سُدُ باطني إذ أَنتَ فيه ظاهري

سُدُ باطني إذ أَنتَ فيه ظاهري

One part of me is jealous of another over you, and

Some of me envies you over the other and wishes

My outward self envies my inward self, since you are within it.

To hide my essence when you have appeared from within me

ويوَدّ طَرْفي إن ذُكِرْتَ بمَجلسٍ

ويوَدّ طَرْفي إن ذُكِرْتَ بمَجلسٍ

لو عاد سَمعاً مُصغياً لمُسامري

لو عاد سَمعاً مُصغياً لمُسامري

And my eye longs, when you are mentioned in a gathering,

And my eyes would love if you were mentioned in a gathering

To become hearing, listening intently to my evening companion.

To turn into hearing, listening to my conversing friend

مُتَعَوّداً انجازَهُ مُتَوعّداً

مُتَعَوّداً انجازَهُ مُتَوعّداً

أبداً ويَمطُلُني بوَعْدٍ نادر

أبداً ويَمطُلُني بوَعْدٍ نادر

Accustomed to carrying out his threats, he threatens

Habitually promising me, habitually threatening me

Always, yet he puts me off with a rare promise.

Forever, and keeping me waiting for a rare promise

ولبُعْدِهِ اسوَدّ الضّحى عندي كما ابْ

ولبُعْدِهِ اسوَدّ الضّحى عندي كما ابْ

يَضّتْ لقُربٍ منهُ كان دَياجري

يَضّتْ لقُربٍ منهُ كان دَياجري

And his distance blackened the morning light for me, just as

By his distance, daylight has darkened around me

My dark nights grew white through the nearness to him that once was.

As it whitened by his nearing that chased away my slumber