قِفا يا صاحبيَّ قِفا

بِرسمٍ لِلحبيبِ عَفا

Stop, my friend, stop

In longing for the beloved who forgave

وَجودا وَاِسجعا في عر

صتيهِ الأدمعَ الذرفا

With an existence and a return to the signs

Of his tears flowing down

فَلولا نوبه ورخا

مه المنضودِ ما عرفا

If it weren’t for his gentle disposition and tenderness

Of character, I wouldn’t have known

وقفتُ بهِ وكانَ علي

يَ فَرضاً أَن أكُن أَقفا

I stopped there and it was incumbent upon me

To remain standing

صَفا منّي الودادُ لهُ

وَما منهُ الودادُ صَفا

Affection emanated from me to him

Yet not from him came affection

وَأغيدُ ريقهُ أَحلى

مِنَ الماذيِّ مُرتَشفا

And I sigh his saliva sweeter

Than wine being sipped

غزالٌ كَم رَعى منّي

رِياضَ القلبِ واِقتَطفا

A gazelle, how much did he graze

The meadows of my heart and pluck

بسفكِ دَمي اِحمرار الخد

دِ منه أقرّ واِعتَرفا

With my blood reddening his cheeks

I admit and confess

سَقامي هجرهُ ووصا

لُهُ لي رَحمةٌ وَشِفا

His estrangement cured me and

His connection to me was a mercy and healing

طلبتُ وصالهُ عند ال

عتابِ فصدَّ واِنصَرَفا

I sought his union complaining

Yet he ignored me and turned away

كأنَّ فؤادهُ في حا

لِ قَسوتهِ عليَّ صفا

As if his heart was

Hardened against me

أَلا يا مُتلفي مهلاً

بِصبٍّ في الهَوى تَلِفا

Oh you who ruins, wait

With patience in passion you ruin

كأنّ بعض ما يلقا

هُ قَلبي في هواكَ كفى

It's as if some of what

My heart encounters in your love is enough

بَراني الحبّ حتّى صا

رَ جِسمي يُشبهُ الألِفا

Love emaciated me until my body

Resembled a worn rope

وَأورقَ مخضبُ الكفّي

نِ مِن فوقِ الأشا هَتَفا

And the palms of my hands turned green

From clapping above my head

يرتّلُ سجعَ ألحانٍ

كحَبرٍ يَقرأُ الصُحُفا

Chanting the rhyme of melodies

Like ink reading scriptures

شَجا ودَعا فَغادَرني

كئيبَ القلبِ مُلتَهِفا

He bid farewell and left me

Sorrowful, complaining

أُكابدُ للصبا حسرة

لهف الحشا دَنفا

I suffer the remorse of youth

And the agony of desolation

وَأسبلَ ماء الجفن كل

ما كَفكفتهُ وَكَفا

And the tears from my eyelids pour

Whenever I wipe them they increase

فَوا أسفاً فوا أسفا

أردِّد شعر مُلتهفا

Oh what a pity, oh what a pity

I repeat the poetry of the complainer

فوا أَسفاً أردّدهُ

عَلى عصرِ الصِبا أَسفا

Oh what a pity I repeat

For the era of youth, what a pity

فَحلمي قد قوي في شأ

وِهِ والجسمُ قَد ضَعُفا

For my dream grew strong

While my body grew weak

وَأعيس خيطفٌ ضخمٌ

يُباري الريحَ إِن خطفا

And I am a huge eagle

That can compete with the wind if it competed

قَطعتُ بهِ فجاجاً يخ

تشي في حَربِها التَلَفا

I cut through the desolate lands

Fearful even in their ruins

وَلمّا أَن رأيتُ الده

رَ عبّس وجهه وَجَفا

And when I saw the times frowning

Its face frowned and was stern

ولمّا أَن رأيت الده

ر من في الإِقتدارِ عَفا

And when I saw the times surpassed

By the powerful then turned away

قصدت أبا المعالي خي

ر مَن في الإقتدارِ عَفا

I headed to the father of glories

Better than the powerful who turned away

غفورٌ للكبائرِ إِن

جَنى الجاني أو اِقتَرفا

Forgiving of sins if

The sinner gathered or committed

تَرى ماءَ الحيا في وج

ههِ لَم يَشتكي نشفا

You see the water of life in his face

Has not complained of dryness

إِذا ما نفسهُ نافت

إِلى شَهَواتها أنِفا

If his soul inclines

To its desires stubbornly

يَجودُ بِما حوَت كفّا

هُ متّلداً ومطّرفا

He gives generously with his palm

Born noble and virtuous

وَلَو بِالعزمِ صادم كب

كباً لاِرتجّ واِرتَجفا

And if he opposed mountains with determination

He would not shake or tremble

تأزّرَ بِالمكارمِ واغ

تَدا بالحمدِ مُلتحَفا

He wore virtues and rode

The praise covered

أأَفخر من رقي العليا

وَمَن هوَ بالعهودِ وفا

Shall I be prouder than reaching the heights

And one who is faithful to his promises

حباكَ الّله تيجانَ ال

عُلا وَالحمد وَالشرفا

May God adorn you with crowns

Of loftiness, praise, and honor

رَأيتُكَ في العلا خلقاً

لِمَن لكَ قَد قَضى سلفا

I saw you at the peak of creation

For those whom you have preceded

إِذا حاولتُ وصفكَ في ال

مديحِ عجزتُ أَن أَصِفا

If I tried to describe you in praise

I would be incapable of depicting