1. الذَنبُ ذَنبَكَ وَالقَصاصُ عَلى الشَقي

    وَاللَهُ مثلكِ في الهَوى لَم أَلتَقي

    The fault is yours, and punishment falls on the wretched one.

    And by God, I have never met your like in love.

  2. أَخلَفتِ مِيعادي وَخالَفتِ الهَوى

    وَلما غَضبتِ عَلى الخَليل الأَصدَقِ

    You failed to keep my tryst and defied love;

    And when you grew angry with the truest friend,

  3. وَأَضَعتِ حَقي تَدعين ضَلالَةً

    في مَسلَكي مِن لي بِحُكم مُحقَقِ

    And squandered my due, alleging error

    In my conduct—who will grant me a sound judgment?

  4. كلفي جَهَلتِ وَما اِكتَرَثتِ بِفاقَتي

    وَحَسبتِ ذُلي خِدعَةَ المُتَمَلِقِ

    You did not know my ardor and cared nothing for my need,

    And thought my abasement a flatterer's ruse.

  5. وَحَرَقتِ قَلبي وَهُوَ حَولَكِ حائِمٌ

    مِثلَ الفَراشِ يَجنُّ إِن لَم يَحرِقِ

    And you burned my heart while it circled around you,

    Like a moth that goes mad if it does not burn.

  6. لَما أَتَيتَكَ خاشِعاً قابَلَتني

    عَوض الرِضى سَخطاً بِطَرفٍ مُطرَقِ

    When I came to you humbly, you met me

    With anger instead of favor, with a downcast gaze.

  7. فَغَدَوتُ أَنخزهُ بِمهمازِ الهَوى كَي

    يَستَفِزَّ مُلَبياً لِتَعَلُقي

    So I began to prod it with love's spur, so that

    It might stir, responding to my attachment.

  8. عالجَتهُ لِيهبَّ في وَثباتِهِ

    وَثَباتُهُ مثل القَضاءِ المُطبَقِ

    I worked on it, that it might spring into its leaps;

    And its stillness was like an inescapable decree.

  9. ماذا اِعتَراهُ وَما اِعتَراكَ اليَفتي

    أَينَ اِعتَزَلتِ بِلُطفِكِ المُتَدَفِقِ

    What has come over it, and what has come over you, my companion?

    Where have you withdrawn with your overflowing tenderness?

  10. مالي أَراهُ لا يَمُنُّ بِنَظرَةٍ

    وَأَراكِ بِالمَسلوبِ لَم تَتَرَفَقي

    How is it that I see it bestow no glance,

    And see that you have shown no tenderness to the robbed man?

  11. أَحبَستِهِ لِيكُفَّ عَن سَرِقاتِهِ هُوَ

    يَركَب الأَوزار إِن لَم يَسرِقِ

    Have you imprisoned it to stop its thefts? It

    Commits sins if it does not steal.

  12. أَم أَنتِ في شُغلٍ وَرَأسُكَ مُطرَقٌ

    لِلأَرض يَنعشها بِطَرفٍ مُحدَقِ

    Or are you occupied, with your head bowed

    Toward the earth, reviving it with an intent gaze?

  13. أَم ضاعَ قَلبي في التُراب وَأَي مَتى

    لاحَظتِهِ حِرصاً بِعَين مُدَقِقِ

    Or was my heart lost in the dust—and at what time

    Did you observe it carefully with a searching eye?

  14. أَم تُفَكرينَ بِحالِ صَبٍّ هائِمٍ

    كَيفَ اِستَطاعَ الوَفد بَعدَ تَمَزُقِ

    Or are you pondering the state of a lovesick wanderer—

    How he managed to arrive after being torn apart?

  15. أَم هَل أَملَّك مَنظَري في الحَي أَم

    لا تَرمُقين الصَبَّ إِن لَم يُشنَقِ

    Or has the sight of me in the quarter wearied you? Or

    Do you not glance at the lover unless he is hanged?

  16. أَم تَنظُرينَ الأَرض شَذراً حَيثَما

    عافَت قَتيلَكِ مِن مَقَرٍ ضَيّقِ

    Or do you glare sidelong at the earth, wherever

    It spurned your slain victim from a narrow abode?

  17. أَم أَنتِ مِن كَسَلٍ فَدَيتُكِ لَم تَشي

    تَحريك طَرفَكِ بِالسِنان المُطلَقِ

    Or are you, from indolence—may I be your ransom—unwilling

    To move your gaze with the unleashed spearhead?

  18. أَم هَل أَراعَكِ لِلرَقيبِ تَوَسُطٌ

    ما بَينَنا فَقَسَوتِ بَعدَ تَرَفُقِ

    Or were you alarmed at the watcher's intervention

    Between us, so you grew harsh after tenderness?

  19. أَم خِفتِ مِني خَلعَ مُلكِكِ سائِباً

    فَأَرَيتِ إِرهابَ المَليك المُطلَقِ

    Or did you fear I would cast off your rule, going free,

    So you displayed the terror of an absolute monarch?

  20. أَم أَنتِ في خَجَلٍ لِنَجلَكِ أَنَّني

    لَما سَأَلتُكِ رُحتُ دونَ تَصَدُّقِ

    Or are you ashamed for your offspring [unclear in context], that I,

    When I asked you, went away without alms?

  21. أَم أَنتِ غَضَبي لا أَظُنُكِ غَيرَها

    وَأَنا النَزيل رَمقتِ أَو لَم تَرمُقي

    Or are you angry? I think you nothing else;

    And I am the guest, whether you look at me or not.

  22. ها أَنَّني مُستَهدَفٌ لَكِ فَإِرفَعي

    لَحظات طَرفَكِ وَإِرشَقي لا تَشفقي

    Here I am, a target for you: raise

    The glances of your eye, and shoot; show no pity.

  23. أَو لا فَإِني قَد خَضَعتُ فَحَولي

    عَني سِهامَكِ وَاشفَقي لا تَرشقي

    Or no: I have submitted, so turn

    Your arrows away from me; show pity, do not shoot.

  24. ما أَنتِ راضِيَةً عَلَيَّ وَلا أَنا

    راضٍ بِغَيرِ نَعيمِ وَصلَكِ فَارفِقي

    You are not pleased with me, nor am I

    Content with anything but the bliss of union with you—so be gentle.

  25. ظَملآي لِثَغرِكِ أَنَّهُ حُلوُ اللَما

    حُلوُ الرَضاب الحَيّ حُلوُ المَنطِقِ

    My thirst is for your mouth, for its dusky lips are sweet,

    Sweet its living saliva, sweet its speech.

  26. لَم أَنسَ يَومَ أَتَيتُ بابَكِ قاصِداً

    لُطفاً يَبردُ غلَّة المُتَشَوِقِ

    I have not forgotten the day I came to your door, seeking

    A kindness to cool the burning thirst of one who longs.

  27. وَيَدُ الصَبابَة لامَسَتكِ فَأَصبَحَت

    تَروي ظماكِ بِمَدمَعي المُتَرقرِقِ

    And the hand of yearning touched you, and began

    To quench your thirst with my shimmering tears.

  28. فَظَفرتُ فيكِ وَما ظَفَرتُ لِأَنَّني

    ذُقتُ العَذابَ مِن الدَلالِ المُحرِقِ

    So I won you, yet did not win, because I

    Tasted torment from burning coquetry.

  29. وَهَصرتُ خَصركِ فَإِنثَنى مُتطائِراً

    مني كَأَني قابِضٌ بالزَيبَقِ

    And I clasped your waist; it bent, flying away

    From me, as though I were grasping at quicksilver.

  30. وَضَمَمتُ صَدرَكِ لي فَكُنتِ غَزالَةً

    نَفَرت وَقَد حَلفت بِأَن لا نَلتَقي

    And I drew your breast to me; you became a gazelle

    That fled, and you had sworn that we would not meet.

  31. وَإِذا التَقَينا الآن مِن بَعد النَوى

    فَأَشفي غَليل القَلب قَبلَ تَفَرُقِ

    And if we meet now, after separation,

    Quench the heart's burning thirst before we part.