أَلا قاتَلَ اللَهُ الهَوى كَيفَ أَخلَقا
وَلَم تَلقَهُ إِلّا مَشُوباً مُمَذَّقا
Alas! May God destroy love—how it was created!
And you will only meet it as troubled and bitter.
وَما مِن حَبيبٍ يَستَزيدُ حَبيبَهُ
يُعاتِبُهُ في الوُدَّ إِلّا تَفَرَّقا
No lover grows fonder of his love
Or reproaches her for their affection, without them parting.
أَمَرَّ وِصالُ الغانِياتِ فَأَصبَحَت
فَظاعَتُهايَشجى بِها مِن تَمَطَّقا
The tryst with singing girls was sweet, but when it was over
Their vulgarity was revealed, and I took my leave of them in disgust.
تَعَلَّقَ هَذا القَلبُ لِلحِينِ مَعلقاً
غَزالاً تَحَلّى عِقدَ دُرٍّ وَيارَقا
For a while this heart hung suspended,
Like a gazelle adorned with a pearl necklace and sapphires.
مِنَ الأَدم يعطُو بِالعَشِيِّ وَبِالضُحى
مِنَ الضالِ غُصناً ناعِمَ النَبتِ مُرِقا
The boughs give, in the evening and at dawn,
Plucked branches, softly bending, inclining.
أَلُوفاً لِأضلالِ الكِناسِ وَلِلثَرى
إِذا ما ضِياءُ الشَمسِ في الصَيفِ أَشرَقا
Thousands for the erring spirits and for the soil
When the sun’s brilliance in summer flares up!
شَجِي الحِجلِ يَغتالُ العَجيزَةَ مُرطُهُ
وَإِمّا وَشاحاهُ عَلَيهِ فَأَملَقا
The shabby Mullah waylays the helpless old woman—
Now pulling her shawl, now clutching at it.
ضَعِيفاً قَعِيعَ الصَوتِ لَذّاً دَلالُهُ
غَضِيضَ سَوامِ الطَرفِ في المَشِي أَخرَقا
Feeble his voice, but pleasant his allure,
Bashfully glancing, walking with tripping gait.
إِذا بَلَّ الزَعفَرانِ لُبانَهُ
مَعَ المِسكِ يَزدادانِ طيباً وَيَعبَقا
When saffron and musk are blended,
Their scent grows even sweeter and more pungent.
تَخالُ خِمارَ الخَزِّ مِن فَوقِ جِيدِهِ
عَلى فَرعِ خوطٍ مِن أَباءٍ مُعَلَّقا
You’d think the silk chemise on her shoulders
Was a twig of willow with trailing black stripes.
يَشُبُّ سَوادُ الفَرعِ مِنهُ بَياضَهُ
شُبُوبَ سَخابِ المِسكِ حَلياً مُبَرَّقا
The black of the twig highlights its whiteness,
As drops of perfume splash white silk.
دَعَتني إِلَيهِ العَينُ بِالخَيفِ مِن منى
فَهاجَت لَهُ قَلباً عَلُوقاً مُشَوَّقا
She beckoned to me with eyes of desire—
My heart quickened with longing for her.
تُصَرِّفُهُ فِيما اِشتَهَت فَيُطِيعُها
كَما صَرَّفَ الراعي المُعِيدَ المُسَوَّقا
She leads it where she wants, and it obeys her
Like a shepherd with grazing sheep, driving them on.
إِذا قُلتُ مَهلاً لِلفُؤادِ عَن الَّتي
دَعَتكَ إِلَيها العَينُ أَغضى وَأَطرَقا
When I say, “Gently, heart, leave her alone,
The one whose eyes have lured you,” it looks down and falls silent.
فَوَاللَهِ ما إِن أَفتَحُ الدَهرَ بابَهُ
مِنَ القَولِ إِلّا رَدَّني ثُمَّ أَغلَقا
By God, whenever I open the door of speech about it
It pushes me back and quickly shuts the door.
وَقالَ وَقالَت تَستَغِشّانِ ناصِحاً
قَديماً لعَمري كانَ مِن ذاكَ أَشفَقا
They keep saying, “He said...she said,” seeking to appease
An old confidante who was always so concerned about me.
دَعاناً فَلَم نَسبِقُ مُحِبّاً بِما تَرى
فَما مِنكَ هَذا العَذلُ إِلّا تَخَرُّقا
They invite, but we won’t be first, you see, to love—
Not when this blame from you is but a pretext.
فَقَد سَنَّ هَذا الحُبَّ مَن كانَ قَبلَنا
وَقادَ الصِبا المَرءَ الكَريم فَأَعنَقا
Many before us have set this love in motion
And led the noble man to love’s submission.
