إلى الرَّاحِ هُبَّوا حِينَ تَدْعُو المَثَالِثُ

فَمَا الرَّاحُ لِلأَرْوَاحِ إِلاَّ بَوَاعِثُ

When the winds call to the breezes

The winds are naught but stirrers of spirits

هِيَ الجَوْهَرُ الصَّرْفُ القَدِيمُ فَإِنَ بَدا

لَهَا حَبَبٌ نِيْطَتْ بهِ فَهْوَ حَادِثُ

It is the pure, eternal essence, so if

It showed a grain, it would be recent

تَمَزَّزْتُهَا صِرْفاً فَلَمَّا تَصَرَّفَتْ

تَحَكَّمَ سُكْرٌ بِالتَّرَائِبِ عَابِثُ

I experienced it as pure, but when it acted

Drunkenness took control of the sequins, playing

وَفَاحَ شَذَا أَنْفَاسِهَا فَتَضَرَّرَتْ

نُفُوسٌ عَلَيْهَا الجَهْلُ عَاتٍ وَعَائِثُ

The fragrance of its breaths diffused, so souls

Were harmed, ignorance being useless and corrupt

حَلَفْتُ لَهُمْ مَا كَاسُها غَيرُ ذَاتِهَا

فَقَالُوا افْتَدِ فِيهَا فَإِنَّكَ حَانِثُ

I swore to them its cup was naught but itself

So they said redeem yourself, for you have sinned

وَمَا غَيْرُ أَضْوَاءِ الأَشَّعةِ أَوْهَمَتْ

فَقَالُوا لَهَا في الحُسْنِ ثَانٍ وَثالِثُ

And nothing but the lights of rays deluded

So they told it of beauty, a second and a third

إِقِمْ رَيْثَّمَا تُفْنِيكَ عَنْهَا بِوصْفِهَا

وَتَذْهَبُ عَمَّا مِنْكَ فِيهَا يُبَاحِثُ

Stay a while until it destroys you from it by describing it

And goes from what debates you in it

فَإِنْ شَاهَدَتْ مِنْكَ العُيُونُ عُيونَهَا

ظَفِرْتَ وَإِلاَّ فالعُيونُ أَخابِثُ

So if eyes saw its eyes in you

You would win, else eyes are more corrupt

وَإِنْ لَمْ تُبَدِّلْ آيةٌ مِنْكَ آيَةً

بِمَا قِيلَ عَنْهَا اذْهَبْ فَإِنَّكَ مَاكِثُ

And if no verse in you changes a verse

Of what's said of it, leave, for you are staying

تَنَكَّرَ فِي سَامٍ وَحَامٍ حَدِيثُهَا

وَعَزَّ فَلَمْ يَظْفَرْ بِمَعْنَاهُ يَافِثُ

Its talk was strange in ranking and protecting

And difficult, so the searcher did not attain its meaning

وَما لَبِثَتْ فِي الدَّهْرِ يَوْماً وَإِنَّمَا

هُو الدَّهْرُ فِيهَا إِنْ تَأَمَّلْتَ لاَبِثُ

It did not last a day in time, but rather

Time in it, if you contemplate, is lasting