أبَرقٌ مَا لَمِحتُ له ائتِلاَقَا

أمِ الحَسنَاءُ ثَقَّبتِ الرِّوَاقَا

A lightning flash whose glimmer I glimpsed

As if the fair one had pierced the corridor

أرِقتُ أشِيمُهُ ولقد شجَاني

وحَمَّلني غَرَاماً لَن يُطَاقَا

I became lovesick for him, though he pained me

And burdened me with a love that cannot be borne

وِإن يَكُنِ البَتُول فَإنَّ عِندِى

لها ولِمَن يُجَاوِرُهَا إشتِيَاقَا

If he is a young man, then I

Long for him and for his neighbor

كَلِفتُ بَهَا وأوقَدَ في فُؤَادِى

تَشَوُّقُها إضطِرَاماً واحتِرَاقاً

I was burdened by him, and he ignited

My yearning for him into burning and inflammation

أبِيتُ إِذَا رَمقتُ وَمِيضَ بَرقٍ

أُراقِبُهُ استِجَاراً وارتِفَاقَا

I stay up when I notice the flash of lightning

To watch it pleading and trembling

واعتِرُضَ الرِّفَاقَ إِذَا تَبَدَّت

لأسأَلَ عَن مَظنَّتِهَا الرِّفَاقَا

And I block the path if the companions appear

To ask about the place I suspect she frequents

سَقَيتُكِ يَا بَتُولُ لُبَابَ وِدِّى

وأَصدَقَه إصطِبَاحاً واغتِبَاقَا

I quenched your thirst, oh maiden, with the essence of my love

And its most sincere embrace and attachment

وقَد فَارَقتني وأرَقتِ دَمعِى

أَمَا تَرَيِنَّ مَدمَعِىَ المُرَاقَا

Yet you left me, though my tears run down

Do you not see my streaming, flooding tears?

أَمَا تَأوِينَ لِى فَلَقَد سَقَاني

غَرَامُكِ كَأسَ لَوعَتِهِ دِهَاقَا

Will you not shelter me? For your love

Has made me drink a cup of bitter sorrow

فِرَاقُكِ ما شَعَرتُ بِهِ إِلَى أن

دَعَا الدَّاعُونَ أزَمَعَتِ الفِرَاقَا

I did not feel the pain of our separation until

The callers called for our final parting

فَجِئتُ مُوَدِّعاً فَصَددتِ عني

صُدُوداً شَقَّ بي ألَماً وشَاقا

So I came to bid farewell, but you turned away

Turning harshly, paining me, so difficult

وقُلتِ أمَا أفَقتَ فَقُلتُ كَلاَّ

أيَصدُقُ ذُو المَحَبَّةِ إِن أفَاقَا

And you said, do you not wake up? I said no,

Can one in love wake when parted?

ولُحتِ وفَحتِ في شَمسٍ ومِسكٍ

فَلاَقَى القَلبُ أصعَبَ ما يُلاَقَى

You shone like the sun and musk

So my heart met the most difficult of trials

كَأنَّكِ ظَبيَةٌ عَيناً وجِيجاً

ولَستِ بِظَبيَةٍ كَفِلاً وسَاقَا

As if you were a gazelle, with eyes and voice

Yet no gazelle in flank and leg

فَقُلتُ لأَعذُرَ الوَاشِينَ لَمَّا

حَدَا الحَادِى المُغِذُّ بِكِ النِّيَاقَا

So I said I would pardon those who blamed you

When the blamer provoked you with insult

ولَم أسطَع وَدَاعاً غَيرَ وَمءٍ

بِطَرفٍ قَد رَمَيتُ بِهِ إستِرَاقَا

And I could not bid farewell save with a tearful glance

I had stolen in longing

آلِك ولَكَ الذي تَرجُوه مني

جَزَاءً لإِصطِنَاعِكَ لِى وِفَاقاً

Yours is what you hope from me

In reward for your loyalty to me

ِإلَى حَضَرَاتِ عَبداللهِ مني

سَلاَماً رَقَّ شِنشِنَةً ورَاقَا

From me to the noble gathering of Abdullah

Greetings of interwoven subtlety

وَفَاقَ المِسكَ والجَادِىَّ عَرفاً

وفَاقَ الخَمرَ صَافِيَةً مَذَاقَا

Surpassing musk and spring's fragrance

And the wine's clear taste

إلى الغُرِّ الاُلَى مَا نَالَ يَوماً

مُعَارِضُهُم بِشَاوِهِمُ لِحَاقَا

To the charming blossoms who were never

Equaled by their counterparts in union

هُداةِ الحَائِرِينَ بِنُورِ هَدىٍ

مُنِيرٍ لَيسَ مُختَشِياً مُحَاقَا

Guides of the lost with enlightening guidance

Not fearing any darkness or confusion

سُقَاةِ المُهتَدِينَ الرَّاحَ صِرفاً

وحِزبَ أئِمَّةِ البِدَعِ الزُّعَاقَا

Servers of the guided, traveling far

And the party of the misguided noisy throng

حُمَاةِ الدِّينِ مُتَّخِذِيهِ نُصباً

لأعيُنِهم إِذَا مَا الرَّحبُ ضَاقَا

Protectors of the faith, who take it as their purpose

When the horizon narrows around them

سَلاَماً لاَئِقاً بِمَقَامٍ حَبرٍ

إِمَامٍ بَذَّ في العَليَا وفَاقَا

Greetings befitting the status of a spiritual guide

An imam who climbed the highest summits

فَتىً قَد كَانَ أَسبَقَ في المَعَالِى

إِذَا الحَلَبَاتُ يُمِّمَتِ السِّباقَا

A gallant who was foremost in virtues

When the racetracks summoned the racers

قَفَا آبَاءَهُ خَلقاً وخُلقاً

فَلذَّ لِكُلِّ مَحمَدةٍ وَلاَقَا

He emulated his fathers in manners and ethics

So he is gentle with every praiseworthy one

وَقَد جَمَعَت له الأيدِى المَعَالِى

وفَرَّقَتِ المَجَالِيحَ العِتَاقَا

And hands of virtue granted him the highest goals

While the free birds scattered in every direction

وخَامَرَ قَلبهُ الإِيمَانَ حَتَّى

تَألَّقَ بَرقُ وَجنَتِهِ إئتِلاَفَا

And faith kindled his heart until

The lightning of his cheeks shone radiantly

وأهدَت نَظرَةٌ مِنهُ قُلُوباً

شَرِبنَ الغَىَّ أزمِنَةً فُوَاقَا

And a glance from him captured hearts

Who had drunk forgetting for eras

أقُولُ لِحَاسِدنَا وَاهُ جَهلاً

وحَاوَلَ أن يُحَاكِيَهُ إستَراقَا

I say to our envious enemies, shame!

He who tried to secretly emulate him

لَقَد نَاوَيتَ أغزَرَهُم عُلُوماً

وأتقَاهُم وأبعَدَهُم مَتَاقَا

You intended the most knowledgeable of them

And the most devout, the furthest from sin

وأقرَبَهُم وأكثرهُم عَطَايَا

بِلاَ منٍّ وأنفَعُهم خَلاقَا

The most generous, constantly bestowing

Without reproach, the most beneficial company

وأصبَرَهُم عَلَى الهَيجَاءِ صَبراً

إِذَا نَصَبتَ لَهُ الهَيجَاءُ سَاقَا

The most patient when faced with the foolish

When the foolish one provoked and opposed

وأعذَبَهُم مُخَالَلَةً وَوِدًّا

وأصعَبَهُم وأتعَبَهُم شِقَاقَا

The sweetest in friendship and affection

The most difficult and exhausting in conflict

سَلامٌ مِن مُحِبٍّ غَيرِ خِبٍّ

تَجَنَّبَ في مَوَدَّتِكَ النِّفَاقَا

Greetings from a loving friend, no hypocrite

Who avoided hypocrisy in his devotion to you

وأصبَحَ في جَنَابِكَ في وَثُاقٍ

يُثَبِّطُهُ إِذَا رَامَ إنطِلاَقَا

And spent his mornings devoted to you, bound

Restrained when seeking to break free

فَفكَّ وَثَاقَهُ فَلَهُ وُثُوقٌ

بِفَكِّكَ عَن مَعَاصِمِهِ الوَثَاقَا

So unbind his ties, for he is confident

You will unbind the ties that restrain him