اسمَع حَديثَ الدَّواوين الَّتي اشتُهِرَت

من بَعد تَنزيهِها باللَّهوِ والعِلَلِ

Listen to the tales of the scrolls that were famed

After exonerating them of frivolity and illness

أضحَت وكتابُها أقلامُهم خلقَت

مَعهم كتابتُها لَيسَت تَبَيَّن لي

They have become while their scrolls their pens created

Along with them their writing does not manifest to me

من كلِّ مُنعَطفِ الصُّدغَينِ مُكتَحلِ الط

طَرفَينِ مُستَتِرِ الخَدَّينِ بالخَجَلِ

From every curve of the two cheeks kohl-lined eyes

Of drooping lids concealing cheeks in shyness

إِذا تَمشى تَرى في قَدِّهِ مَيلاً

وبَينَ فَخذَيهِ رُمحٌ غيرُ ذي مَيَلِ

When he walks you see in his neck a tilt

And between his thighs a straight unwavering spear

سَألتُه الوَصلَ يَوماً فاستَجابَ لَه

إِجابةً رَدَّني مِنها عَلى وَجَلِ

I asked him for union one day and he obligingly responded

With an answer that spurned me in agitation

حتَّى كشَفتُ لَه حالِي فقَالَ إذا

لو كانَ غيرَ الَّذي نَنحوهُ لَم تَصِلِ

Until I revealed my state, and he said: If it were not

For what we intend, you would not unite

علَيَّ نَذرٌ وأَيمانٌ مُؤكَّدةٌ

أن لا عَلوتُ عَلى ظَهرٍ ولا كَفَلِ

Upon me are vows and oaths confirmed

That I not rebel upon a back or shoulder

فقلتُ سِر آمِناً مِن نَقضِ عَهدك ذا

فليسَ هَذا الَّذي تَخشاهُ من عَملي

So I said: Go safely, fear no breach of your pact by me

For this is not what you fear from my actions

أخذتُ مِنه بِثَأرٍ لَيسَ يَلزمُني

أولا فَمن كانَ منِّي يوسفُ بن عَلي

I took from him a vengeance that does not obligate me

Firstly, so who was from me Joseph son of Ali?

إن كانَ أصبَحَ مُختَلَّ اليَدينِ فَقَد

أمسَت مُمكنَّةً رِجلاهُ من رجُلِ

If he has awoken with paralyzed hands, then

Yesterday his legs were enabled by my legs

ويا عَبيدَ الغَراميلِ التي نَزَلَت

بِهم من المَجدِ في الأَعلى مِن القُلَلِ

And O slaves of love which descended

Upon them from glory at the highest peaks

لَو كانَ يُكرمُ أيرٌ دونَ صاحِبهِ

لَما تَخرَّطتُم في الوَشي والحلَلِ

If an eagle did not honor its fellow

You would not have tattered yourselves in rags and patches