سلْ سيفَ ناظرِه لماذا سلَّهُ

وعلى دمي لمَ دَلَّهُ قدٌ لهُ

Ask the sword of its wielder why it was drawn,

And why it was directed at my blood though faultless.

واستفتِ كيف أَباحَ في شرعِ الهوى

دمَ مَنْ يَهيمُ به وفيمَ أَحلّهُ

Inquire how it sanctioned shedding the blood,

Of one infatuated with its love unlawfully.

سلْ عَطفَه فعسى لطافةُ عطْفهِ

تُعدي قساوةَ قلبه ولعلَّهُ

Ask its blade, mayhap the tenderness of its edge,

Would temper the hardness of its heart, hopefully.

كَثُرَتْ لقسوةِ قلبه جَفَواتهُ

يا ما أَرقَّ وفاءَه وأَقلَّهُ

Numerous were its cruel rebuffs due to the hardness of its heart.

Oh how it distressed its devotion and diminished it!

يا منجداً ناديتهُ مُستنجداً

في خَلّتي والمرءُ يُنجدُ خِلَّهُ

A supporter did I cry out to in my solitude,

And a man should support his bosom friend.

سِرْ حاملاً سِرّي فأَنت لحملهِ

أَهلٌ وخفَّف عن فؤادي ثِقلَهُ

Travel discreetly bearing my secret, for you are worthy of its burden,

And relieve my heart of its heaviness.

وإذا وصلتَ فَغضَّ عن وادي الغضا

طَرْفَ المريبِ وحَيِّ عنّي أَهلَهُ

And when you arrive, turn away from the valley of estrangement,

The glance of suspicion, and greet my people on my behalf.

أَهْدِ السَّلام هديتَ للرَّشأ الذي

أَعطاه قلبي رُشدَه فأَضَلّهُ

Convey my greetings as a gift to the one,

Whose heart I endowed with sensibleness but led him astray.