قَد تَعَفّى بَعدَنا عاذِبُ

ما بِهِ بادٍ وَلا قارِبُ

The one I loved may now love another,

Inconstant, fickle as the wind,

غَيَّرَتهُ الريحُ تَسفي بِهِ

وَهَزيمٌ رَعدُهُ واصِبُ

Which blew him hither and blows him away;

His thunder roars, lightning flashes, rain beats down.

وَلَقَد كانَت تَكونُ بِهِ

طَفلَةٌ مَمكورَةٌ كاعِبُ

Once a pretty little fawn frequented here,

A gamesome darling deity of delight.

وَكَّلَت قَلبي بِذِكرَتِها

فَالهَوى لي فادِحٌ غالِبُ

She left me brooding on her memory

Till love became a torment racking my heart.

لَيسَ لي مِنها مُواسٍ وَلا

بُدَّ مِمّا يَجلِبُ الجالِبُ

I have no comfort, no escape or relief,

What must come will come, as fate decrees.

وَكَأَنّي حينَ أَذكُرُها

مِن حُمَيّا قَهوَةٍ شارِبُ

When I think of her it is as though

I drank strong coffee without any breeze.

أَكَعَهدي هَضبُ ذي نَفَرٍ

فَلِوى الأَعرافِ فَالضارِبُ

Was this the ridge at Nafar's,

Where we would fool and banter joyfully?

فَلِوى الخُربَةِ إِذ أَهلُنا

كُلَّ مُمسىً سامِرٌ لاعِبُ

The little ruin where we used to sit

At dusk and chat so cheerfully?

فَاِبكِ ما شِئتَ عَلى ما اِنقَضى

كُلُّ وَصلٍ مُنقَضٍ ذاهِبُ

Weep as much as you want for what is past;

All joys must end, all things must pass.

لَو يَرُدُّ الدَمعُ شَيئاً لَقَد

رَدَّ شَيئاً دَمعُكَ الساكِبُ

If tears could bring things back,

Yours would restore the irretrievable past.

لَم تَكُن سُعدى لِتُنصَفُني

قَلَّ ما يُنصِفُني الصاحِبُ

My love was never meant for faithfulness

Or equity, which men find hard to keep.

كَأَخٍ لي لا أُعاتِبُهُ

رُبَّما يُستَكثَرُ العاتِبُ

I will not reproach a friend,

Though friends may often overstep.

حَدَّثَ الشاهِدُ مِن قَولِهِ

بِالَّذي يُخفي لَنا الغائِبُ

My confidant has betrayed my confidence in him

By repeating what I wished concealed.

وَبَدَت مِنهُ مُزَمَّلَةٌ

حِلمُهُ في غَيِّها ذاهِبُ

From him I see a veiled

And baffling reticence, my words unheard.