نَحنُ يَوماً وَصلٌ ويَوماً فِراقُ

ما لَكُم ما لِعَهدِكُم ميثاقُ

We are one day joined, another day parted

What is with you? What is with your unkept vows?

صبرت مهجَتي لرقِّ هَواكُم

وهي كانَت مَعي وفيها إباقُ

My lovesick heart was patient with your love

And it was with me, yet deceit was within it

واغتَرَرتُم بِذلكَ الفِعل مِنها

وهو مكرٌ مِنها بِكُم ونِفاقُ

You were fooled by that deed from it

It was its deceit against you and hypocrisy

فاسأَلوا عَن حَديثِها مَع سِواكُم

وإليكم ذاكَ الحديثُ يُساقُ

So ask about its talk with others besides you

And that talk will be conveyed to you

ووَداعٍ كشَفتُ فيه قِناعي

حينَ حمِّلتُ منه ما لا يُطاقُ

And in a farewell in which I unveiled my mask

When I was loaded with what cannot be borne

واستَوَت حَلبةُ الدُّموع فَفي الش

شُهبِ سباقٌ والكمت فيها لحاقُ

And the field of tears was leveled, so in the dark

There was racing with flames, and words caught up in it

ثمَّ أصبَحتُ أستَريحُ إِلى كَش

فِ حَديثي ويتعبُ العُشَّاقُ

Then I would find comfort in revealing

my sorrows while lovers grew weary

وولَقَد أَطرُقُ الحَوانيتَ والمَه

مُومُ مثلي لمِثلِها طَرَّاقُ

Indeed the turtledoves and lovesick ones like me

Bow down because of the likes of it

مُستَجيراً بعانِسٍ ذات بَيتٍ

طالَما جُهِّزَت إِلَيه الزِّقاقُ

Seeking refuge with a hostile possessor of a house

To which frequently the alleys were made ready

زُرتُها في عِصابَةٍ كلَّما أَظ

لَمَ لَيلٌ بَدا لهُم إِشراقُ

I visited her in a band whenever a

Night darkened, the dawn seemed to them radiant

فاستَثاروا مِن الهُمومِ بِكاسا

تٍ دماءُ الهُمومِ فيها تُراقُ

They provoked sorrows with cups in which

The blood of sorrows in them was shed

صَبَحَتهم فأَسكَرَتهم وولَّت

ثمَّ عادَت بِها وهُم ما أَفاقوا

It made them drunk in the morning, then deserted them

And returned with it while they still were not sober

تَتبَعُ السّكرةُ أختَها فتَرى ال

أيَّامَ تُطوى كأنَّها أوراقُ

Drunkenness follows its sister, and you see the

Days folded as if they were leaves

في زمانٍ صَفا ورَقَّت حَواشي

هِ فَأضحى كأنَّه إِسحاقُ

In an era of purity, its margins flourished

Thus it became as if it were the Folding

كُلَّما زُرتُه وجدتُ المَعالي

شيدَ مِنها بَيتٌ ومُدَّ رِواقُ

Whenever I visited it, I found virtues

A house was built from it, and a porch extended

مِنَنٌ أَصبحَت تجولُ عَلى الأَع

ناقِ حتَّى كأنَّها أطواقُ

Favors wander on the camels' necks until

They seem to be collars

وعُلاً دونَها السَّماءُ عُلوّاً

وثَناءٌ مِن دونِه الآفاقُ

And a loftiness the sky rose above

And praise beyond it the horizons

ومَطايا مِن العَطايا ثِقال

كلَّفت حَملَها سَجايا رِقاقُ

And steeds of gifts heavily

Their carrying burdened the excellent coursers

ومَساعٍ أمَرنَه بِافتِخارٍ

فَنَهَتهُ عَن ذلكَ الأخلاقُ

And hearing I ordered it with pride

So manners forbade it that trait

فانتَهى طائِعاً لهنَّ وقَد با

نَ علَيه الحَياءُ والإطراقُ

So it desisted obedient to them, and upon it

Appeared shame and lowering the gaze

يَتَخَفَّى بِفعلِهِ عِندَما يَظ

هَرُ في الناسِ فِعلُهُ المِخراقُ

It hides in its action when its

Violating action appears among the people

فَلأَفعالِه التمامُ وللأش

عارِ من قَبل وصفِهنَّ المِحاقُ

It has perfected its actions, and for the

Shame before, its description of them suffices

ربَّما تَكثُر الأَيادي الجَليلا

تُ فَلا تَنفَعُ المَعاني الدِّقاقُ

Perhaps the noble hands are many, yet

The subtle meanings do not benefit the paltry