قالتْ وقد سَمِعتْ أني نسبتُ بها
في بعض ما قلتُه ما أحسنَ الأدبا
She said, having heard that I attributed to her
In some of what I said, how impolite!
أليس يَسْمَعُ ما طارَ الوُشاةُ بنا
من الأحاديث إنْ صِدقاً وإنْ كَذِبَا
Don't the gossipers hear what flies between us
Of talk, whether true or lies?
هبوهُ لم يخشَ عَتْبِي حين عرَّضني
لقالةٍ شعَّبوها بينهم شُعَبَا
They carried tales without fearing my rebuke when they exposed me
To slander they spread among themselves in parts
أما يخافُ بني عمٍّ لنْا غُيُراً
يحمون بالقُضُبِ الهنديةِِ الحَسَبَا
Don't they fear the sons of my paternal uncle who
Defend propriety with Indian staffs?
فسكَّنتْها فتاةٌ من قرائِنها
بِرُقيةٍ من رُقاهَا تُطفِيءُ الغضَبَا
So a girl among her peers calmed her
With a charm of her charms that extinguishes anger
قالت لها أنصتي ثم اسمعي نتفاً
من قوله فهو مما يعجب العربا
She said to her, “Hush, listen to a thread
Of his words, which delights the Arabs.”
وأنشدتها أُبَيَّاتاً عبثت بها
تكاد تبعث في قلب الصفا طربا
And she recited to her some verses
That almost inspire delight in a chaste heart
باللّهِ يا معشرَ العُذَّالِ ما لكُمُ
تَلحَوْنَ من هاجَهُ ريحُ الصَّبَا فَصبَا
By God, O you fault-finders, what is with you
That you find fault with one blown by the morning breeze?
فيمَ التعجُّبُ من قلبي وصبوتِه
كأنكم لم تَروْا من قبلِه عجَبَا
Why be astonished at my heart and its passion
As if before this you never saw anything amazing?
ذوقوا الهَوى ثم لوموا ما بَدا لكمُ
أو لا فخلُّوا ملامي واربحوا التَّعَبا
Taste passion, then blame what appears to you
Or else, stop blaming me and spare yourselves fatigue.
عذلتمونيَ فيمن لو بَدا لكمُ
وراءَ حُجْبٍ خرقتمْ نحَوهُ الحُجُبَا
You find fault with me for one who, if he appeared
Behind veils, you would tear through veils toward him.
وهبتُ للجِدِّ أيامي فعلَّمَنِي
تلاعبُ الدهرِ بي أن أُوثرَ اللَّعِبَا
I devoted my days to seriousness, so it taught me
That the vicissitudes of fate make me prefer play.
وقد بُليتُ بقلبٍ لا يُطاوعنِي
إِذا بذلتُ له نُصْحاً أبى ونَبَا
I have been tested by a heart that does not obey me
When I give it sincere advice, it refuses and warns.
يرى عذابَ الهَوى عَذْباً مذاقتُهُ
فهل سمعتم عذاباً قبلَهُ عَذُبَا
It sees the torment of passion as a sweet experience
So have you heard before it a torment so sweet?
أرسلتُ صبري على وجدي ليُزعِجَهُ
عن الحَشا فأقاما فيه واحترَبَا
I sent my patience against my love to disturb it
From folly, but they stayed and warred.
إنْ يغلُبِ الصبرُ فالعقبَى لمصطبِرٍ
أو يغلُبِ الوجدُ فالدنيا لمن غَلَبَا
If patience wins, the reward is for the patient
Or if passion wins, the world is for the victor.
فأعجبَتْ ثم قالتْ وهي ضاحكةٌ
بمثلِ ذا السحرِ نالَ المرءُ ما طلبَا
She was delighted, then said laughingly,
“With the like of this magic, one attains what one seeks.”
نَفْثٌ من السِحْرِ قد حُلَّتْ به عُقَدٌ
مما وجدتُ ولمَّا يُطْفِئِ اللَّهبَا
A breath of magic with which knots are untied
Of what I was experiencing, when will God extinguish the flames?
