أهلاً بطيف خيال زارني سحراً

أهلاً بطيف خيال زارني سحراً

فقمت والليل قد شابت ذوائبه

فقمت والليل قد شابت ذوائبه

Welcome to a phantom vision that visited me before dawn.

The specter of a dream visited me at night,

So I rose, while night's locks had turned gray,

So I rose while dawn was still graying.

أقبل الأرض إجلالاً لزورته

أقبل الأرض إجلالاً لزورته

كأنما صدقت عندي كواذبه

كأنما صدقت عندي كواذبه

Kissing the earth in reverence for its visit,

The earth drew close to honor his visit,

As though its lies had proved true to me.

As if believing his lies were truths.

وكدت لولا وشاة الصبح تزعجه

وكدت لولا وشاة الصبح تزعجه

بالبين أصغي لما قالت خوالبه

بالبين أصغي لما قالت خوالبه

And I would almost have—had dawn's informers not disturbed it

Had morning's spy not disturbed him,

With parting—heeded what its beguiling charms said.

I would have listened to what his imaginations said.

ومودع القلب من نار الجوى حرقاً

ومودع القلب من نار الجوى حرقاً

قضى بها قبل أن تقضي مآربه

قضى بها قبل أن تقضي مآربه

And one whose heart held burning pains from the fire of love's anguish

Parting's fire so consumed the heart,

Died of them before his wishes were fulfilled.

It fulfilled its desires before achieving its goals.

تكاد من ذكر يوم البين تحرقه

تكاد من ذكر يوم البين تحرقه

لولا المدامع أنفاسٌ تغالبه

لولا المدامع أنفاسٌ تغالبه

At the memory of parting day, he would almost be burned,

Remembering the day we parted almost burns me,

But for tears, by sighs that overpower him.

Were it not for tears that contend with it.

وصار من فرط ما أضناه يحذر

وصار من فرط ما أضناه يحذر

فرط الضنا فهو بالي الجسم ذائبه

فرط الضنا فهو بالي الجسم ذائبه

And, from the severity of what wasted him, he came to fear

From excess sorrow he turned cautious,

Excessive wasting; his body is worn and melting away.

Excess sorrow melted his body.

فللمدامع ما تخفى ضمائره

فللمدامع ما تخفى ضمائره

وللضنا منه ما تخفى جلاببه

وللضنا منه ما تخفى جلاببه

So tears claim what his innermost thoughts conceal,

Tears conceal what he feels,

And wasting claims what his robes conceal of him.

While sorrow hides what it wears.

عابوا الرقيب ولولاه لما حمدت

عابوا الرقيب ولولاه لما حمدت

عواقب الحب وانساغت مشاربه

عواقب الحب وانساغت مشاربه

They blamed the watcher; but for him, no praise would be given

They blamed the watcher, but without him

To love's outcomes, nor would its draughts go down smoothly.

I would not have praised love's ways.

ولست أعذله فيما يحاول من

ولست أعذله فيما يحاول من

حفظ الأحبة بل لا كان عائبه

حفظ الأحبة بل لا كان عائبه

And I do not rebuke him for his efforts in

I cannot blame him for trying

Guarding the beloveds; rather, may his detractor be no more!

To guard the loved ones—no, he was right.

إني لأعشق عذالي على كلفي

إني لأعشق عذالي على كلفي

به ويحسن في عيني مراقبه

به ويحسن في عيني مراقبه

Indeed, I love my reproachers, despite my infatuation

I love that he watches over me,

With him; and his watcher seems fair in my eyes.

His vigilance seems good in my eyes.

لم تبق عندي النوى لباً أحار به

لم تبق عندي النوى لباً أحار به

يوم الفراق ولا قلباً أحاربه

يوم الفراق ولا قلباً أحاربه

Distance has left me no mind with which to be bewildered

No fervor remained in me on parting day,

On the day of parting, nor a heart for me to fight.

No heart to struggle with it.

ومنتضٍ صارماً من لحظ مقلته

ومنتضٍ صارماً من لحظ مقلته

على مضاربه تخشى مضاربه

على مضاربه تخشى مضاربه

And one who draws a keen sword from his eye's glance—

My glance became a cutting sword

At his encampments, his sword-edges are feared—

That fears its own blows to his shelters.

بدرٌ كأن الثريا في مقلده

بدرٌ كأن الثريا في مقلده

نيطت بأحسن ما ضمت ذوائبه

نيطت بأحسن ما ضمت ذوائبه

A full moon, as though the Pleiades about his neck

A full moon whose pendant

Were hung upon the fairest thing his locks enfold.

Was the Pleiades' best strands.

يا ويحه أنجوم الليل تعشقه

يا ويحه أنجوم الليل تعشقه

أم قلدت مدحي فيكم ترائبه

أم قلدت مدحي فيكم ترائبه

Ah, woe to him! Do the stars of night adore him,

Woe to him! Do night stars love him

Or has his breast been adorned with my praise of you as a necklace?

Or did you weave lies into your praises?