أرَى في عِراصِي راكِباً مُتَرنِّما

فَهل جَدَّدَت عَيناكَ بَعدي مُتَيَّما

I see a rider singing in the meadows

Did your eyes renew their weeping after me

فأَيسَرُ ما يُهدَى حَديثُهما بِه

مَع الناسِ أنَّ الحُبَّ يَحدثُ مِنهُما

What talk of them is easiest guided

That love occurs among the people from them

كأنَّكَ إِذ أمرَضتَ أكحلَ مُسقَماً

ضَعيفَ القُوى جَرَّدتَ أَبيضَ مِخذَما

As if when you were sick, you darkened a bleary-eyed

Of weak strength, you stripped a white, gaunt

ولَو شِئتُ أنذَرتُ القُلوبَ بِحدِّه

فقُلتُ ولكِن أتركُ القَولَ مُبهَما

And if I wanted, I would warn hearts about it

But I say and leave the words ambiguous

وإِن كُنتُ غِراً بالتَّغيِّرِ في الهَوى

فَيوشِكُ بَعدَ اليَومِ أَن أتَعَلَّما

And if I was foolish with change in passion

Then soon after today I will learn

فلا تُنكرَن أنَّ الدُّموعَ تَلوَّنَت

وألبَستِ الخَدَّينِ بُرداً مُسَهَّما

So do not deny that the tears changed color

And clothed the cheeks in a cold, broken complexion

تذَكَّرتُ شَيئاً فاستَهلَّت بِمِثلِه

دُموعي بَياضَ الثَّغرِ في حُمرةِ اللَّما

I remembered something so my tears poured down

The whiteness of my mouth in the redness of blushes

وطارِقِ لَيلٍ لا الصِّلاءُ أتى بِه

ولا يَبتَغي مِن شِدَّةِ الجوعِ مَطعَما

A knocker of night, not seeking companionship

Nor wanting food from intensity of hunger

ولا ضَلَّ فاستَهدى ولا ذَلَّ فالتَجا

لكَي تَمنَعي مِنهُ الكميَّ المُصَمّما

Not lost, so sought direction or humiliated, so insisted

That you prevent him, the insistent, resolute

ولا دِيَّة عَن قَومهِ تَحمِلينَها

إِذا الدَّم أَمسى حَملُه يَحقِن الدِّما

Nor blood money for his people you carry

When blood becomes its load, it stops blood

وَلا هُو إِلا أَن تَجودي بِنَظرَةٍ

يُجَدِّدُ فيها عَهدَهُ المُتَقَدِّما

It's just that you be generous with a look

In which he renews his old pact

وكَمتاءَ في حانوتِ قَسٍّ بِتاجِها

ركبتُ إلَيها مِن دُجى اللَّيلِ أدهَما

Like a precious jewel in the shop of a stubborn seller

I rode to her through the darkness of night, dim

فألفَيتُهُ قَد طافَ بينَ دِنانِها

وصَلَّى لَها شَطرَ الظَّلامِ وهَوَّما

I found him wandering between her treasures

And praying for her for half the darkness, bending

تخللتُها حتَّى عَرَفتُ مكانَهُ

ونَبَّهتُه ثمَّ ابتَدأتُ مُسَلِّما

I threaded to her until I knew his place

And woke him, then I started greeting

فَلم يَرَني حتَّى وَجاها وسامَني

وسَلَّمها مَختُومَةً وتَسَلَّما

He didn't see me until he faced her and named me

And bid her goodbye, sealed, and bid farewell

وما أَخَذَتهُ نَفسُه إِذ طَرَقتُه

بِما تأخذُ النَّفسُ الكَريمَةُ مُكرما

His soul didn't take when I surprised him

As the noble soul takes the noble, honoring

إِذا جادَ أخفَى جودَه مُتَسَتِّراً

كَما يَقتلُ النّدبُ الشُّجاعُ مُلَثَّما

When he is generous, he hides his generosity, veiled

As the brave kills the moaner, masked

وليسَت عَطاياهُ عَلى قَدرِ نَفسِه

وإِن عَظُمَت فالسُّحبُ أَدنى مِن السَّما

His gifts aren't to the extent of his soul

Though great, the clouds are lower than the sky

وبَيتِ نَدىً أَدناهُ مِن بَيتِ مالِه

فيَا لكَ جاراً ما أعَقَّ وأَظلَما

And he brought me closer than the house of his money

What a neighbor! He didn't refuse or get gloomy

وَطَوراً تَراهُ سائِراً مُتَسَوِّراً

علَيهِ وطَوراً والِجاً مُتَجَهِّما

I see him one time traveling, self-concealed

Over it, another time, approaching, frowning

ودَلَّ علَيهِ القاصِدينَ يَدلُّهُم

عَلى رَأيِهِ ألا يَرى فيهِ دِرهَما

And he points the visitors, points them

To his opinion, not to see in it a dirham

ومَغموسَةٍ في مِثلِ لَونِ لُعابِها

يَضُمُّ حَشاها صامِتاً مُتَكلِّما

Submerged in the color of her saliva

He mutely speaks, gathering her gums

عَلى مِثل قيدِ الشِّبرِ لكنَّ باسَه

إِذا طالَ طالَ السَّمهَريَّ المُقَوَّما

Like the span of a hand, but his affliction

If prolonged, prolonged the evenly proportioned poison

قَرنتَ بِه هَمَّاً بَعيداً وهِمَّةً

شَروداً وفَضلاً كامِلاً وتَقَدُّما

You combined with it a distant worry and ambition

Digression, complete merit and progress

أبا البِشرِ لَو كانَ النَّدى غيرَ ناطِقٍ

لأصبَحَ هَذا البِشرُ عَنه مُتَرجِما

O people, if dew were not eloquent

This dew would be translating him

أَرى كلَّ يَومٍ عارِضاً مُتَعرِّضاً

مُقيماً إِذا همَّ العُفاةُ بِه هَما

I see every day an opponent, opponent facing

Staying when the rabble think of it

تُضيءُ لَه الآفاقُ عندَ طُلوعِهِ

إِذا عارضُ الجودِ استَقلَّ وأَظلَما

The horizons shine for him at his emergence

When the gift of generosity scorned and darkened

سَقاني وَروَّاني فَما أَستَعيدُه

وأفرَقُ إِن فارَقتُهُ عَودَةَ الظَّما

He quenched and satisfied me, I can't regain it

I separate if I part from it, the return of darkness