يا مُعْرِضاً قد آنَ أَنْ تُقبلا

وغائِباً قد حان أَن تَقْفُلا

O you who turned away, it is time you turned to face me,

And you who were absent, it is time for you to return.

أَعرضتَ إِذ أَعرضْتَ لا عن رضىً

وغبتَ لمَّا غبتَ لا عَنِ قِلَى

You turned away not out of displeasure,

And you were absent not because you grew weary.

ليس بعارٍ أَن تُرى هارباً

فإِنها عَادَةُ رِيمِ الفَلاَ

It is no disgrace for you to be seen fleeing,

For this is the way of the shy and timid deer.

ولا بعيبٍ أَن تُرى غائباً

فعادةُ الأَقمار أَنْ تأْفُلا

Nor is it a fault for you to be seen absent,

For it is the nature of moons to set.

وأَن تُرى من فَرَقٍ شاحباً

فالسيفُ قد يصدأُ بَعْدَ الجِلاَ

And that you seem worn by parting is only natural,

For even swords will rust after battle.

كأَنَّما الوالي وأَعوانُه

غاروا على حُسْنِكَ أَن يُبْذلاَ

It is as if the governor and his men

Attacked your beauty that they may divide the spoils.

قد جلَّ ذاك الغصنُ أَن يُجْتَنَى

منك وذاكَ البَدْرُ أَن يُجْتَلى

That branch was too noble to be plucked by them,

And that moon too sublime to be extinguished.

كم بحثُوا عنه ولم يَعلَموا

بأَنَّ في قلبي له منزلا

How they searched for him but did not know

That he resides in my heart, never to leave.

كَتمتُه عنهم فَقُولوا لَهُ

ما بالُه دلَّ عليَّ الملا

I hid him from them! Let them ask the night

Why it revealed him to me in my dreams.

إِن أَنكرُوا سُقْميَ مِن بَعده

فصفرةُ اللونِ دليلٌ على

Should they deny I am sick with love now he is gone,

My pale face stands as testament to my condition!

يا ليته أَذْنَب حتى أَرَى

عُذْراً لقلبي بعد ما أَنْ سَلا

Would that he had wronged me that I might find

Some excuse for this heart now that he has abandoned me.

أَوليته كان رخيصاً على ال

قلبِ فَتَنْسَاهُ إِذا ما غَلا

Would that he had been cheap with his affection

So my heart might forget him now he has become dear.

وُدِّي وَعَيْشِي بعد تودِيعه

ذلك ما حالَ وذا ما حَلاَ

My love and contentment went with his departure-

Such has transpired, and such is my fate!

لم يكتحل طرفِي بغمضٍ وقد

فارَقَ ذَاكَ الرَّشَأَ الأَكحلا

Since his leave no kohl has touched these eyes,

For he was the dark-eyed youth who applied it.

فقل لندماني إِنِّي امْرؤُ

بعد الطَّلا حُرِمْتُ شُرْبَ الْطِّلاَ

Tell my critic I am one who, after enduring separation,

Has been denied even a sip of affection.

ولي فَمٌ صَادَفَ مَنْ بَعْدِهِ

سلاسلَ الدمْعِ به سَلْسَلا

And I have a mouth that has met, after our parting,

Only the chains of my falling tears.

عين أَصابَتْني ولكنَّها

يا قاتلي لم تُخْطِئ المَقْتلا

My eye afflicted me, but it missed its target,

O my killer, it did not attain the hoped-for death.

ما أَحسن الصبر وأَمّا على

أَن لا أَرى وجهَكَ يوماً فلا

How fair is patience - but how can I be patient

When I cannot see your face even for a day!