أَيا ربعَ صبري كيف طاوَعَك البلى

فجَدَّدتَ عَهْدَ الشَوقِ في دِمَنِ الهوى

O my enduring patience, how time has worn you down,

Renewing the pact of yearning in the abode of love.

وَأَجْرَيْتَ ماءَ الوَصْلِ في تُربَةِ الجَفا

فَأَورَقَ غُصْنُ الحُبِّ في روضَةِ الرِّضَا

You let the water of union flow in the dust of estrangement,

So the branch of love blossomed in the garden of contentment.

أَرَدْتَ بتجْديدِ الهوى ذكرَ ما مضى

فأَحْيَيْتَ عَهدَ الحُبِّ في مأْتمِ النَّوى

You wanted, by renewing passion, to recall what had passed,

Bringing to life the pact of love in the wake of sorrow.

وَكَشَّفْتَ غيمَ الغَدْرِ عن قَمَرِ الوفا

فَأَشْرقَ نُورُ الوَصْلِ عن ظُلَمِ الجَفا

You uncovered the cloud of betrayal from the moon of loyalty,

So the light of union shone amidst the darkness of abandonment.

كَأَنَّك عايَنتَ الذِّي بي مِنَ الهوى

فَقَاسَمْتَني البلوى وقاسمتُكَ البِلى

As if you saw the passion in me,

So you shared my afflictions as I shared your trials.

وَدارَتْ بُروجُ اليأسِ في فَلَكِ الرَّجا

وَهَبَّ نَسِيمُ الشَّوقِ في أَمَلِ المُنى

The stars of despair revolved in the sky of hope,

And the breeze of longing blew in the harbor of wishes.

لَئِنْ ماتَ يأْسِي منهُ إِذْ عاشَ مَطْمعي

فَإِنّي قَدِ اسْتَمْسَكْتُ مِنْ لَحْظِهِ الرَّجَا

If my despair dies in me while my hopes still live,

I have grasped in its glance the rope of hope.

وَما ذَكَرَتْكَ النَّفْسُ إِلا تَصاعَدَتْ

إِلَى العَيْنِ فَانهَلَّتْ مع الدَّمْعِ فِي البُكا

Whenever my soul recalled you,

My tears rose to my eyes, pouring with weeping.

تُواصِلُنِي طوراً وَتهجرُ تارةً

أَلا رُبَّ هَجْرٍ جَرَّ أَسبابَهُ الصَّفا

You join me for a while, then abandon me again -

Oh, how much parting has led to reunion!

أَرى الغَيَّ رُشداً في هواهُ وإِنَّني

لأَقْنَعُ بِالشَّكْوى إِلى خيرِ مُشْتَكى

I see passion as guidance in its love, and yet

I am content to complain to the best one to complain to.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنِّي بِعْتُ عِزّي بِذِلَّةٍ

وَطاوَعْتُ ما تهوى لِطَوْعِكَ ما تَشا

Have you not seen that I sold my pride for humiliation,

And obeyed what you desire for obedience’s sake?

وَما وَحَياة الحُبِّ حُلْتُ عَن الَّذي

عَهِدْتَ وَلكن كلُّ شيءٍ إِلى انْتها

By the life of love I have not turned from what

You promised, but all things come to an end.

وَرَيَّانَ مِنْ ماءِ الشَّبابِ كَأَنَّما

يُوَرِّدُ ماءَ الحُسْن في خدِّهِ الحَيَا

He came radiant with the water of youth, as though

He brings the water of beauty flowing in his cheek.

إِذا قَابَلَ الليلَ البهيمَ بوَجهه

أَرَاكَ ضياءَ الصُّبْح في ظلمةِ الدُّجى

When he faces the ugly night with his face,

I see you the radiance of dawn in the darkness of night.

أَبى لحظُ طَرْفي أَن يفارقَ طَرْفَهُ

فلو رُمْتُ أَثنيهِ عَن الطَّرْفِ ما انْثَنَى

My glance refused to leave his glance -

If I tried to turn it away, it would not turn.

أُشَبِّهُ صُدْغَيْهِ بِخدَّيْهِ إِذْ بدا

بِسَالِفَتَي ريمٍ وَعِطفينِ من رَشا

I compare his cheeks to his cheeks when there appeared

My saliva and both curves of my cheek.

إِذا ما انتضى سيفَ المَلاحةِ طَرْفُهُ

فَلَيْسَ لراءٍ طَرْفَهُ لَمْ يَمُتْ عَزَا

When the sword of his glance is unsheathed,

No human has a glance that did not die by it.

أَبى أَن تنيلَ القلبَ رِقَّةُ كَأْسِهِ

وَدقَّتْ عن التشبيهِ في اللطفِ بِالهوا

The softness of his cup refused to touch the heart -

It was too subtle in grace to compare to passion.

كَأَنَّ بَقايا ما عفا من حَبَابها

بقيةُ طَلٍّ فوق وَرْدٍ مِنَ الندى

As if the remnants of his vanished loved ones

Were traces of dew above roses from the wetness.

وَنَدْمانِ صدقٍ قال لي بعد رقدةٍ

أَلا فَاسْقِني كأساً عَلى شدَّة الظَّما

And the regret of a sincerity that said to me after slumber:

“Give me a cup for my burning thirst.”

فناولتُه كأساً فَثنّى بمثلها

فقابلني حسنَ القبولِ كما انثنى

So I handed him a cup and he responded in kind,

Meeting my good offering as he inclined.

تحَامى الكرى حتَّى كأَنَّ جفونَهُ

عليه لهُ مِنْها رقيبٌ من الكرى

Destiny protected him as if its eyelids

Were a guardian for him against destiny.

وليلٍ تَمادى طولهُ فَقَصَرتُه

بِرَاحٍ تُعيرُ المَاءَ مِنْ صفوِها صفا

And a night whose length I shortened

With winds that mock the water for its purity.

تَجَافَتْ جُفونُ الشَّرْبِ فِيهِ عَنِ الكرى

فَمِنْ بينِ نشوانٍ وَآخَرَ ما انْتَشى

The eyelids of drinking in it dried from the wine-skins,

So they drank until their heads

وَقَدْ شَربوا حتَّى كأَنَّ رؤوسَهُمْ

مِنَ السُّكْرِ فِي أَعْنَاقها سِنَةُ الكرى

Seemed from the drunkenness on their necks

The constellation of the wine-skin.