لَو حانَ مِن كَوكَب الإِسعادِ إِشراقُ

ما حارَ في غَيهَبِ الأَبعادِ مُشتاقُ

If happiness would shine from its planet,

The longing one would not get lost in the abyss of dimensions.

يا بَدرَ تَمٍّ دَمي في خَدِّهِ شَفَقٌ

أَما لَدَيكَ لِما أَلقاهُ إِشفاقُ

O full moon whose cheek is reddened with shyness,

Don't you feel sympathy for the one your separation has made suffer?

وَكَيفَ أَخطُبُ وَصلاً وَالخُطُوبُ عَدَت

لَكن فُؤادِي لِغيدِ الإِنسِ تَوّاقُ

And how can I propose when barriers abound?

But my heart yearns for the society of humans.

هَل أَرتَجي عَدلَ أَيّامِي وَقِسمَتَها

لِلحالِ وَالبالِ إِملاقٌ وَإِقلاقُ

Can I hope for just days and a good destiny,

When sorrow and affliction persist and grow?

وَكَم أَرومُ صُعُودِي وَهُوَ مُختَلَقٌ

وَكَم أَرومُ سُعُودي وَهُوَ إِخلاق

How much I long to ascend yet stumble,

And how much I long to be happy yet sin!

إِذا حَلا مَورِدٌ حَلأتُ عَنهُ فَمِي

وبِالذماءِ مِن الإِظماءِ إِحراقُ

Whenever I arrive at a watering place, I avoid it,

And with thirst I burn instead of quenching it.

أَما كَفى خَفَقانٌ بِتّ شاكِيَهُ

حَتّى يُرادَ مِن الآمالِ إِخفاقُ

Has not enough fluttering weakened this lamenting lover

That failure is intended for all his hopes?

رَوضُ السَماحِ دَعانِي لاقتِطافِ جَنىً

فَقالَ سُقمِي وَلا للعُرفِ إِنشاقُ

The garden of generosity called me to pluck its fruits.

But my sickness said: No! Custom should not be broken!

رُحمَاكَ يا سَقَمِي يَكفيكَ مِن أَلَمِي

خَدٌّ بِفَيضِ دَمِي قَد خَدَّهُ الماقُ

Have mercy, oh my sickness! My pain should suffice you -

A cheek reddened by my streaming blood.

اللَهَ في رَمَقي قَد ذُبتُ مِن حُرَقِي

وَعاثَ في حَدَقِي دَمعٌ وَإِيراقُ

Oh God, I have melted from my burning,

And my tears flow and fall from my eyes.

أَشتاقُ نَحوَ أَحِبّائِي وَتَحجبُني

أَلَم تَبت قَطُّ لِلأَحبابِ تَشتاقُ

I long for my beloved though they are veiled from me -

Does longing for loved ones ever cease?

تَراكَ نَزّهتَ أَحبابِي وَحُقَّ لَهُم

عَن أَن تُؤَلَّفَ أَقمارٌ وَأَرماقُ

I see you made my loved ones taboo, though they deserve

That moons and full moons be associated with them.

يا سائِلي عَن شَكاتِي بَعدَ مَن بَعُدُوا

طالَ الفِراقُ فَما لِلشَكوِ إِفراقُ

Oh you who ask about my sorrows after those dear have gone -

Separation was long so there is no use to complain!

سَأَشتَكي بُخلَ أَزماني إِلى كَرَمٍ

إِن جاءَهُ مَلَقِي لَم يَبقَ إِملاقُ

I will complain about the stinginess of my time to one generous -

If one who meets me comes, stinginess will not remain.

وَأَنتَضي ذا نِفارٍ مِن ظُبا فِقَري

إِن هُزّ في فَيلَقٍ فِالهامُ أَفلاقُ

I will set out with fury, barefoot and poor,

If passion shakes the spear, slicing is its function.

وَأَدرِكُ الثَأرَ بِالنَقعِ المثارِ لَهُ

بِكُلّ ما تُدرِكُ الأَحداقَ إِحداقُ

And I will take revenge with a cutting sword,

As gazes take revenge on each other with gazing.

بِالنصل أَقرَعُ بابَ النَصرِ لا بِفَمِي

النَصرُ مفتاحُهُ وَالشعرُ مِغلاقُ

With my sword I will strike the door of victory, not with my mouth -

Victory's key is the sword and poetry is closed.

أَجُوبُ كُلَّ بِلادٍ زانَها كَلِمِي

كَأَنَّما زُيِّنَت بِالحَليِ أَعناقُ

I roam all countries adorned by my words

As if adorned with necklaces on necks.

أَنّي يَضيعُ بِصُنعٍ مِصقَعٌ نَكَلٌ

لِسانَهُ مُفلَقٌ وَالعَضبُ مِفلاقُ

I waste away due to the work of an ungrateful slanderer -

His tongue split and the canine tooth split.

أُسايِرُ النَجمَ حَتّى أَجتَلِي قَمَراً

سَناهُ لِلشَمسِ مَحّاءٌ وَمَحّاقُ

I follow the star until I find a moon -

Its radiance to the sun apparent and hidden.