سِلْكانِ لِلدَّمعِ مَحْلولٌ وَمَعْقُودُ

عَلَى التي لَحْدُها في القَلْبِ مَلْحُودُ

My tears flow easily, knotted

To the one whose grave in my heart is dug

ما سَوَّدَ الحزْنُ مُبْيَضَّ السُّرورِ بِها

إِلا وَأَيَّامُ عُمْري بَعْدَها سُودُ

Grief has not darkened the days of joy with her

Except that after her my life's days are blackened

عَنَّتْ يَدُ الدَّمْعِ في خَدِّي عِنانَ دَمٍ

كأنَّهُ مِنْ أَديمِ القَلْبِ مَقْدُودُ

The hand of tears loosened in my cheek the reigns of blood

As if it were squeezed from the leather of my heart

ما اسْتَعْبَرَ الغَيْثُ إِلا عِنْدَ عَبْرَتِهِ

فَخَدُّ وَجْهِ الثَّرى لِلْغَيْثِ مَخْدُودُ

The rain clouds did not weep except at their weeping

So the cheek of the ground for the rain is wiped

مَنْ لي بِرَحْمَةِ قَلْبٍ ليسَ يَرْحَمُني

كأَنَّ نُقْصانَ وَجْدي فيهِ تَزْييدُ

Who will have mercy on me with a heart that has no mercy

As if my increased anguish in it gives increase

تولد النار فيهِ ماء سَلْوَتِهِ

فَاعْجَبْ لنارٍ لها في الماءِ تَوْليدُ

Fire is born in it, from its composed water

So wonder at a fire that gives birth in water

كَمْ بِتُّ أَرْجُمُ أَعضائِي بِجَمْرِ غَضاً

وَالفَجْرُ في صَفَدِ الظَّلْماءِ مَصْفُودُ

How often I hurl my limbs with burning embers

While dawn in the shackles of darkness is chained

نامَتْ عيونُ عُداتي إِذ زَفَرْتُ وَلي

من مَغْمَدِ الدَّمْعِ في عَيْنَيَّ تجريدُ

The eyes of my enemies slept when I sighed, and I had

From the sheath of tears in my eyes, a pulling out

لَولا عَلائقُ بَيْنٍ مِنْكِ تَعْلَقُ بي

لَقُلْتُ إِنَّ اقتِرابي مِنْكِ تَبعيدُ

If not for tender ties between us that cling to me

I would say that my drawing near to you is a repulsion

وَلَيْتَ بَعْدَكِ تسويد البَياضِ فَلي

بالدَّمْعِ في صُحُفِ الأَحْزانِ تَسْويدُ

And would that after you the blackening of whiteness, so let me

With tears on the pages of sorrows do blackening

فَلا صَفا كَدَرُ الدُّنْيا لِمُصْفِيَةٍ

ما جاهَدَتْ فيكِ أنْفاسي المَجاهيدُ

So no purity, the turbidity of the world disturbed a strained one

My soul struggled against regarding you, the struggler

إِنْ أَزْمَعَتْ عنكِ صَبْراً أُبْدِلَتْ بِجَوىً

مَعْدومُهُ بِكِ طُولَ الدَّهْرِ مَوْجودُ

If I intended patience from you, it was changed into love-longing

Lost through you, lasting eternally found

لازالَ خدِّي تَريباً فوقَ تُرْبَتِها

ما دارَ في خَلَدِ الأَيَّامِ تَخْليدُ

My cheek remains moist above its soil

As long as cycles of days endure

جَبُنْتُ مِنْ عَسْكَرَيْ دَمْعي فشجَّعَني

قلبٌ له في انْحِدارِ الدَّمْعِ تَصْعِيدُ

I quailed before my troops of tears, so emboldened me

A heart whose descent of tears gives ascent

متى يُبالي ثَرىً أَنْ لا يَرى مطراً

فَمُسْبَلُ الدَّمع مِنِّي وهو مَوْرُودُ

When would earth care not to see rain

While my pouring of tears is spurned

هَا قَدْ تَأَمَّلْتُ بالعُتْبى الَّتي سَلَفَتْ

أَنْ لا يُعاوِدَني من بَعْدِها عِيدُ

Ah, I have considered the reproach that is past

That no holiday would repeat itself after it

ودَّعْتُها وَبِنَحْري مِنْ مَدَامِعِها

نَحْرٌ وفي جيدِها مِنْ مَدْمَعِي جِيدُ

I bade it farewell, and with my throat from its tears

A slaughter, and on its cheek from my tears, a wound

فبرَّدَتْ حرَّ أَنفاسي عَلى بَرَدٍ

كأنَّهُ مِنْ صَديدِ النَّفسِ مَصْدُودُ

So it cooled the heat of my breath into coldness

As if it were blocked from the breast's obstruction

وَاسْتُدْعِيَتْ فأَجابَتْ بعد ما ظَهَرَتْ

في وَجْنَةِ الفَجرِ قبلَ الصُّبحِ تَوريدُ

And it was called so it answered after it appeared

In the cheek of dawn before the morning, a blushing

وصُوِّرت في مِراةِ الأُفق صورتُها

فلي إليها برُسلِ اللحظِ تَرديدُ

And her image was depicted in the mirror of the horizon

So to it through the messengers of sight I have a returning

جَاهَدْتُ بِالصَّبْرِ في إِثْرِ العَزاءِ فَمَا

رَجَعْتُ إِلا وَصَبْرِي عَنْكِ مَفْقُودُ

I struggled with patience after consolation yet

I did not return except with my patience from you lost