هَل تَعرِفُ الدارَ أَضحَت آيُها عُجُما

كالرَّقّ أَجرى عَلَيها حاذِقٌ قَلَما

Do you know the house that has become desolate, my friend?

Like parchment which a skilled pen has traversed,

بِالخَيفِ هاجَت شُؤوناً غَيرَ خامِدَةٍ

فاِنهَلَّتِ العَينُ تَذري واكِفاً سَجِما

With sorrow it was convulsed with affairs not fading,

So the eye overflowed shedding copious tears.

دارٌ لِبشرَةَ أَمسَت ما تُكَلِّمُنا

وَقَد أَبَنتُ لَها لَو تَفقَهُ الكَلِما

A house whose inhabitants have become speechless,

And I would speak to it if only it could understand speech.

واهاً لِبشرَةَ لَو يَدنو الأَميرُ بِها

يا لَيتَ بِشرَةَ قَد أَمسَت لَنا أَمَما

Woe to the desolate house, if only the prince would approach it,

If only the desolate house would become a haven for us.

حَلَّت بِمَكَّةَ لا دارٌ مُساقِبَةٌ

هَيهاتَ جَيرونُ مِمَّن يَسكُنُ الحَرَما

It settled in Mecca not an emulous house,

Far from it, neighbors who inhabit the sanctuary.

يا بِشرُ إِنَّكِ قَد شَطَّ البِعادُ بِكُم

وَما نَسيتُ لَكُم وَصلاً وَلا صُرُما

O Bishr, indeed distance has carried you far from us,

And I have not forgotten a bond or a paternal uncle.

قَد قُلتُ بِالخَيفِ إِذ قالَت لِجارَتِها

ما دامَ وَصلُ الَّذي أَهدى لَنا الكَلِما

I have said in sorrow when her neighbor said to her:

“As long as the bond remains that brought speech to us”.

إِنّي أَتَيتُ بِشَكوى لا أُسَرُّ بِها

وَذَروَ قَولٍ وَلَم أَخشَ الَّذي نَجَما

I have come with a complaint I do not confide in,

And they let talk go on and I did not fear what was hinted.

حَتّى بَدا وَلَم أَعلَم بِقائِلِهِ

وَقَد أَكونُ بِما حاوَلتُهُ فَهِما

Until it appeared and I did not know its source,

And perhaps through what I attempted I was perceptive.

لا يُرغِمُ اللَهُ أَنفاً أَنتِ حامِلُهُ

بَل أَنفُ شانيكِ فيما ساءَكُم رَغِما

God does not force the nose of the one bearing it,

Rather your envious nose in what has distressed you forcefully.

إِن كانَ رابَكِ شَيءٌ لَستُ أَعلَمُهُ

مِنّي فَهذي يَميني بِالرّضا سَلِما

If something bothers you I am not aware of,

Or if I loved something like your love,

أَو كُنتُ أَحبَبتُ شَيئاً مِثلَ حُبِّكُمُ

فَلا أَقَلَّت إِذَن نَعلي ليَ القَدَما

My slipper then would not remain steady for me.

Whatever you desire I will do today,

ما تَشتَهينَ فَإِنّي اليَومَ فاعِلُهُ

وَالقَلبُ صَبٌّ فَما جَشَّمتِهِ جَشما

While my heart is melting yet you did not soften it.

Do not return me to one who does not have mercy on me,

لا تَرجِعيني إِلى مَن لَيسَ يَرحَمُني

وَقاكِ مَن تُبغِضينَ الحَتفَ وَالسَقَما

And protect you from one whom you hate, loss and illness.

I have no desire to reach people through you,

ما رَغبَتي في بَلاغِ الناسِ عِندَكُمُ

وَوَضعُ خَدّي لِمَن لَم يُمسِ لي أَمَما

And to place my cheek for one who did not bestow any favor on me.

Indeed slanderers are many, if you obey them,

إِنَّ الوِشاةَ كَثيرٌ إِن أَطَعتِهُمُ

لا يَرقَبونَ بِنا إِلّاً وَلا ذِمَماً

They will not respect us at all or covenants.