يا بَخيلاً حَتّى بِرَجعِ سَلامٍ

زارَني مِن خَيالِكَ الصبح طَيفُ

O miser, even with returning greetings

An apparition of you visited me at dawn

حينَ وافى يشُقُّ جُنحَ الدَياجي

قُلتُ أَهلاً بِزائِرٍ هُوَ ضَيفُ

When it came rending the wings of darkness

I said, welcome O guest, though but a specter

كُلَما رُمتُ قُربَهُ قَد تَناءى

وَاحتفاءً بِهِ بَدا مِنهُ حَيفُ

Whenever I drew near, it shrank away

And to receive it, from it wafted a scent

قُلت كَيفَ الخَلاصُ مِن حُبِّ ريمٍ

قَد سَباني وَلَيس يَنفَعُ كَيفُ

I said, how escape love of a fawn

Who has enchanted me, and nothing avails

بِقَوامٍ قَد هُزَّ لي مِنهُ رُمحٌ

وَبِطَرفٍ قَد سُلَّ لي مِنهُ سَيفُ

With a figure that has hurled at me a lance

And a glance that has unsheathed against me a sword

فَدُموعٌ تهمي وَحَرُّ لَهيب

فَبِعيني مشتى وَبِالقَلبِ صَيفُ

So tears flow and the heat of flames

My eyes are awash, my heart but embers

كانَ زَرعي ودادُه أَرتَجيهِ

فَإِذا الزَرعُ جاءهُ مِنهُ هَيفُ

My crop was his love I hoped to reap

But when the crop came, from it blew a gust

وَأَراهُ فَزِدتُ فيهِ وِداداً

وَيَراني فَزادَني مِنهُ عَيفُ

I saw him and my love for him grew

He saw me and against me wafted disdain

قسماً بِالمَقامِ وَالرُكنِ وَالبيت

وَما ضَمَّهُ الآلُ وَخَيفُ

I swear by the Place, the Black Stone and the House

And whom it encompasses, protector and protected

إِنَّ حُبّي لخالصٌ ذو صَفاءٍ

وَمحباتُ ذا الوَرى الكلِّ زيفُ

That my love is sincere, of limpid quintessence

While the loves of the folk of this world are naught but tinsel