بعَينِ اللَّهِ هجرُك لا بعَيني

لعلَّ الفَرقَ بينَ النَّظرتَينِ

In God's eyes I left you, not in my eyes,

Perhaps the difference between the two gazes,

تردُّكَ أو تَردُّ علَيَّ صَبري

عَليكَ فإنَّها إحدَى اثنَتَينِ

Would bring you back, or bring back my patience,

On you, as it is one of two.

وشَت بَيني وبَينَكَ لامِعاتٌ

قَواطعُ بينَ لَذَّاتي وبَيني

And barriers shone between me and you,

Barriers between my joys and me.

كقُضبانِ اللُّجَينِ مُعلَّقاتٌ

وبِئسَ الحَليُ قُضبانُ اللُّجَينِ

Like the bars of prison, suspended,

And wretched is the jewelry that is prison bars.

رَمَتني الأربَعُونَ بها فأصمَت

فصارَت تَطرِفُ المرآةُ عَيني

The forties have targeted me with them, so my eyes became silent,

And the mirror became just blinking my eyes.

وما مُترنِّمٌ يَعدُو فيَحدُو

ليَقطَعَ حِينَ سفرته بحَيني

And no humming bard, runs and sings,

To cut off when traveling between Hain.

تأنَّ فإنَّهنَّ غُصونُ بانٍ

مَنابتُ غَرسِهنَّ رِكابُ بَينِ

Wait, for they are drooping branches,

Whose roots were planted on camel litters.

خَلَوتَ وقَد مَلأتَ يديك فَاعطِف

لِمَملُوءِ الحَشَى خِلوِ اليَدينِ

You have solitude while your hands are full, so turn back,

To the one whose belly is full and hands are empty.

أتأمَنُ أن نكونَ عَلى سَقامي

وبرئِك مرَّةً مُتعاقبينِ

Can I trust that we will take turns being sick

And your health once alternates?

وأنتَ تَرى النَّهارَ وما يَليهِ

عَلى ما فيهما مُتَقلِّبَينِ

While you see the day and what comes after it,

Turning over what is in them.

كأنَّكَ قد أخَذت عَلى اللَّيالي

عُهوداً مِن سِباعِ بن الحُسَينِ

As if you have taken a pledge from the nights,

From among the lions, son of Al-Hussein.

فإن تَذهَب فأنتَ إذاً طَليقٌ

لطَلقِ الوَجهِ طَلقِ الرَّاحتَينِ

So if you leave then you are divorced,

For the ease of face, and ease of both sides.

لماضِي الحَزمِ ماضِي العَزمِ فيها

إذا امتَنَعت منيعَ الجانِبَينِ

To my firm resolve, firm determination in it,

Impenetrable on both sides if you deny me.

دنَت أخلاقُه وعَلَت عُلاهُ

مجالِسُنا جَليسُ الفَرقَدَينِ

His morals approached while his pride rose high,

Our gatherings, the companion of the two quilts.

لِشِيمتِه وهمتِه اختِلافٌ

وليسَ يَضرُّ جمعُ الضَرَّتينِ

For his traits and his zeal disagreement,

And it does not harm to combine the two hurts.

أتاكَ أوانُ نُسكِكَ وهو يأتي

عليكَ بما يسرُّك حَقَّتينِ

Has the time of your devotion come, and it comes to you,

With what delights you truly.

وأنتَ تَصونُ هَذا الثَّغر فيه

وصَونُكَ فائِزٌ بالحُسنَيَينِ

While you protect this mouth that is in it,

And your protection is winning with both beauties.

وما أنا مُقتَضيكَ الرِّزقَ إلا

وقد أنفقتُ جُملتَه بدَينِ

I only claim from you livelihood,

Although I have spent all of it in loans.

فإنَّك إن سَدَدتَ خِلالَ حالي

سَدَدتُ بما أقولُ الخافِقَينِ

For if you guide the course of my situation,

I will guide with what I say the confused.