هَوايَ الَّذي أبدي واضمُره يَحيى

وسُؤليَ في دارِ الخلودِ وفي الدُّنيا

My love which I confess and its embers revive,

My hopes in the eternal abode and in this life,

وعَيني الَّتي أرعَى بِها مَن يَودُّني

وكفِّي الَّتي أَرمي الأَعادي بِها رَميا

My eyes with which I watch over those who love me,

My palms with which I pelt my enemies,

أأصبر عن يَحيَى وأطوي وِصالَهُ

إذاً فَطَواني عَنه صَرفُ الرَّدى طَيَّا

Shall I be patient from Yahya and fold up his union,

If turning away from him destroys me completely?

كتَمتُ الهَوى جَهدي ونَفَّيتُ طاقَتي

وقد زادَ حَقٌّ ما أُطيقُ له نَفيا

I concealed my love with all my strength and denied my capability,

Yet truth increased what I can deny.

يوَدُّ أُناسٌ لَو عَمِيتُ عن الصِّبا

إذاً فأراني اللَّهُ أعينَهم عُميا

Some people wish I were blind to youth,

Then may God make their eyes blind.

فَما بالُهم لا قدَّسَ اللَّهُ بالَهُم

ولا حاطَ مَيتاً منهُمُ لا وَلا حَيَّا

Why did they not sanctify God in their minds,

Nor shroud a dead or living person from among them?

يَلُومونَ في يَحيى ولو أنَّ لائِماً

رَأى وجهَهُ لاستَقبَح اللَّومَ واستَحيا

They blame Yahya although if a blamer,

Saw his face, he would denounce blaming and be shy.

فيا مُنيَتي كم فيكَ عاصَيتُ عاذِلاً

أرَى غيِّهم رُشداً ورُشدهُم غَيَّا

Oh my death, how many fault-finders have I disobeyed,

I see their misguidance as righteousness and their righteousness as misguidance.

وكَم جاءَني ما قالَهُ فيكَ كاشِحٌ

فزِدتُكَ حُبّاً كلَّما زادَني نَعيا

How often has someone come to me backbiting you,

So I increased my love whenever he increased blaming you.

أأَسمَعُ فيكَ العَذلَ ممَّن يَلومُني

فَلا سَمِعَت أُذني إذاً بَعدهُم شَيَّا

Shall I hear the reproach about you from one who blames me,

Then my ears have not heard anything after them at all.

فَما أحسَنَ الدُّنيا إِذا كُنتَ جانِبي

وإِن غِبتَ عَن عَيني فَما أقبح الدُّنيا

How good is this life when you are at my side,

And if you are absent from my eyes, how ugly is this life.