علق الفؤاد هوىً بحبٍّ صادق

علق الفؤاد هوىً بحبٍّ صادق

واتحاد بعدك عن هوىً وسواس

واتحاد بعدك عن هوىً وسواس

The heart clung in passion to a sincere love,

My heart fell in love with a sincere affection

And union—far be you from a love of whispering doubts.

And unity after you from my obsession and evil thoughts

صنم رسا في القلب خالص حبه

صنم رسا في القلب خالص حبه

وهواه دبّ دبيبه في الراس

وهواه دبّ دبيبه في الراس

An idol: pure love for him has anchored in the heart,

An idol settled in my heart with pure love

And passion for him crept its way into the head.

And his love crept slowly into my head

فلقد قسا قلباً ورقَّ معاطفا

فلقد قسا قلباً ورقَّ معاطفا

واحرَّ قلبي من رقيق قاسي

واحرَّ قلبي من رقيق قاسي

For he was hard of heart, yet supple of frame.

He hardened a soft heart and softened a hard coat

Oh, how my heart burns from one so tender, yet cruel!

And made my heart tender from a harsh cruel person

قاسٍ اقاسي من اليم عذابه

قاسٍ اقاسي من اليم عذابه

مالا تقاسي الناس من وناس

مالا تقاسي الناس من وناس

A cruel one: from his painful torment I endure

Cruel, so cruel from the pain of his torment

What people never suffer from a friendly companion.

Not torment that people suffer from caprice

ما زلت اكتم في هواه صبابتي

ما زلت اكتم في هواه صبابتي

حتى اذاع هواي بين الناس

حتى اذاع هواي بين الناس

I kept concealing, in my love for him, my yearning,

I kept hiding in his love my youth

Until he proclaimed my love among the people.

Until my love spread among people

مصقول ورد الخد زيَّن خده

مصقول ورد الخد زيَّن خده

صقلٌ يشين صقالة القرطاس

صقلٌ يشين صقالة القرطاس

His cheek's rose is polished; his cheek was graced

The polished rose of his cheek adorned his cheek

By a sheen that puts the smoothness of paper to shame.

A polish that adorns the gloss of paper

بدرٌ يطوف على الرفاق بكوكب

بدرٌ يطوف على الرفاق بكوكب

كالشمس يشرق في سماء الكاس

كالشمس يشرق في سماء الكاس

A full moon, he circles among companions bearing a star,

A full moon that circles around friends like a planet

Which shines like the sun in the sky of the cup.

Like the sun shining in the sky of a goblet

بكرٌ اذا انكحتها ابن غمامة

بكرٌ اذا انكحتها ابن غمامة

ولدت بنات الدرّ كالاعراس

ولدت بنات الدرّ كالاعراس

A virgin: when you wed her to a cloud's son,

A young camel if the son of clouds mounts her

She bears daughters of pearl, like brides.

She gives birth to pearls like weddings

صهباء ان قعدت سقاة كؤوسها

صهباء ان قعدت سقاة كؤوسها

قامت تعاطيها يد الجلاس

قامت تعاطيها يد الجلاس

Tawny wine: if the servers of her cups sit down,

A blond, if she sits serving her cups

The hands of the seated drinkers rise to pass her round.

Her pouring hand stands serving the sitters

راحٌ هي الرُّوح الخليصة جوهرا

راحٌ هي الرُّوح الخليصة جوهرا

خلصت من الاعراض والادناس

خلصت من الاعراض والادناس

Wine: she is the spirit, pure in substance,

A gazelle, she is the pure ethereal soul

Freed of accidental qualities and impurities.

Free from defects and blemishes

لم انسَ اذ جدَّ الحبيب بهزله

لم انسَ اذ جدَّ الحبيب بهزله

في ليلةٍ ليلاء جدَّ عماس

في ليلةٍ ليلاء جدَّ عماس

I have not forgotten when the beloved was earnest in his jest,

I did not forget when my beloved jested

On a pitch-dark night, utterly murky.

On a dark night, he jested intensely

فعسى يعود على المحب بعطفه

فعسى يعود على المحب بعطفه

عُودٌ على مرّ الليالي عاسي

عُودٌ على مرّ الليالي عاسي

So may he turn to his lover with tenderness—

I hope he will return to the lover with kindness

A bough unyielding through the passing nights.

A return to the bitter nights has passed

كم مسلك في الحب فيه سلكته

كم مسلك في الحب فيه سلكته

يلدُ العنا وفراستي افراسي

يلدُ العنا وفراستي افراسي

How many a path in love for him have I followed,

How many paths in love I took with him

Breeding hardship, with my discernment for my steeds.

Bearing spite and my insight is piercing

ما رستُ كل ممنَّع فجلبتُهُ

ما رستُ كل ممنَّع فجلبتُهُ

وبجلبه اعيى عليّ مراسي

وبجلبه اعيى عليّ مراسي

I grappled with every unassailable one and won him,

I have not rested, all forbidden I obtained

Yet, in winning this one, my grappling failed me.

And by obtaining it blinded my own insight

فأيست منه بعد علمي انَّه

فأيست منه بعد علمي انَّه

بذكاه يُعربُ عن ذكاء اياس

بذكاه يُعربُ عن ذكاء اياس

So I despaired of him after knowing that he

So I despaired of him after knowing that

Through his wit reveals the intelligence of Iyas.

With his intelligence he surpasses the intelligent Iyas

وطفقت اقرع فيه ضرسي آسفاً

وطفقت اقرع فيه ضرسي آسفاً

اللَه لو علقت به اضراسي

اللَه لو علقت به اضراسي

And I began gnashing my teeth over him in regret:

And I began to bite my teeth at him regretfully

God! If only my molars had caught hold of him!

By God, if only I had attached my molars to him

كيف اغتيالي منه ليثاً اكيسا

كيف اغتيالي منه ليثاً اكيسا

لكن تراهُ العين ظبيَ كناس

لكن تراهُ العين ظبيَ كناس

How could I ambush so cunning a lion in him?

How could I assassinate him, a wise lion

Yet the eye sees him as a gazelle in its covert.

Yet my eyes see him a weak rabbit

فلقد نفضت كنانتي من نبلها

فلقد نفضت كنانتي من نبلها

يأساً به وكسرتُ من اقواسي

يأساً به وكسرتُ من اقواسي

For I have emptied my quiver of its arrows

So I shook off my arrow’s nobility in despair of him

In despair of him, and broken some of my bows.

And broke some of my bows

كم قلت للمشتوّ فاتك موردي

كم قلت للمشتوّ فاتك موردي

ما انت من درّي ومن ابساسي

ما انت من درّي ومن ابساسي

How often I told the scorched one: my watering place eludes you.

How much I said to the aloof, you missed my waters

You have no share in my milk or my milking-call.

You are not of my pearls or silk

اربع على ضلع فلست كواحد

اربع على ضلع فلست كواحد

ضربت به الاخماس بالاسداس

ضربت به الاخماس بالاسداس

Tread gently with your limp; you are not like the one

Four over a rib so you are not like one

For whom I multiplied fifths by sixths.

I hit the fifth with the clubs and sticks

خذها اليك فريسة النظم التي

خذها اليك فريسة النظم التي

اعيت مصارعها ابا فراس

اعيت مصارعها ابا فراس

Take her for yourself, this prey of verse,

Take them to you, the prey of poetry

Whose wrestling bouts defeated Abu Firas.

Which my father, knight Futrus, blinded its wrestlers

ان يطَّببك الشعر فهي طبيعة

ان يطَّببك الشعر فهي طبيعة

جسَّت انامللإها يدي جساس

جسَّت انامللإها يدي جساس

If poetry acts as your physician, she is a constitution

If poetry heals you, it is a medicine

Whose fingertips my hand—Jassas—has felt.

Whose vials my hands poured, hands of a callous old hag