نَكَثَت وَحُقَّ لِعَهدِها أَن يُنكَثا
مَرَضُ الجُفونِ بِذاكَ عَنها حَدّثا
She broke her vow, though it was right for it to be kept
My eyelids' illness from that was openly discussed
ضُعفُ العُهُودِ مِنَ الضِعافِ لَواحِظاً
دِينٌ قَدِيمٌ لَيسَ بِدعاً مُحَدَثا
The weakness of vows is, for the weak-willed, a lesson
An ancient religion, not an innovation just established
إِن واعَدَتكَ فَشَأنُها أَلّا تَفِي
أَو أَقسَمت فَسَبِيلُها أَن تَحنَثا
If she makes a promise, her way is not to fulfill
Or if she swears an oath, her path is to break it
بِالنَفسِ مَن أَرثِي لِرقّةِ خَصرِها
لَو رَقَّ يَوماً قَلبُها لِي أَو رَثى
With my soul I'd elegize her waist's softness
If her heart ever softened or grieved for me one day
أَبداً تُرِيكَ شَمائِلَ الشَكوى وَما
مِن شَأنِ سُكرٍ أَن يَدُومَ وَيَلبَثا
She always shows you the traits of complaint, yet
A drunken stupor's wont is not to last or perpetuate
لِينَ المَعاطِفِ وَاحمرارَ الخَدِّ وَالن
نَظَرَ المحيَّرَ وَالكَلام الأَخنَثا
The softness of her cloak, her cheeks' redness, her
Bewildering glance, her effeminate speech
عَرَبيَّةٌ تُخفِي مَحاسِنَ لَو بَدَت
لِلرّوم وَحَّدَ مِنهُمُ مَن ثَلَّثتا
An Arab woman hiding her beauty though if
Revealed, it would entrance any Roman who saw it thrice
بدرَ الدُجى وَالشادِنَ المَذعُورَ وَال
غُصنَ المَنعَّمَ وَالكَثِيبَ الأَوعَثا
The full moon in darkness, the startled oryx, the
Lush branch, the disheveled sand dune
ما جُمِّعَت عَبَثاً بَدائِعُ حُسنِها
لَكِن لِتَلعَبَ بِالعُقولِ وَتَعبَثا
Not idly assembled are the masterpieces of her beauty
Rather to toy with minds and confuse thoughts
لَبِسَت حُلاها عُوذَةً لِجَمالِها
خَوفَ العُيون وَما عَسى أَن تُحدِثا
She wears her adornments as a talisman for her beauty
Fearing eyes, who knows what they might generate
فَرَأيتُ شَمساً بِالكَواكِبِ قُلِّدَت
وَهِلالَ تَمٍّ بِالثُرَيّا رُعِّثا
I saw a sun studded with stars, a crescent
Moon inscribed with Pleiades scattered
خُضتُ السُيُوفَ فَما رَأَيتُ كَلَحظِها
أفرى لِحَبّاتِ القُلُوبِ وَأَفرَثا
I drew swords but saw nothing like her glance
More given to shredding hearts and shredding shields
وَلَقِيتُ أَهوالاً فَلَم أَرَ كَالنَوى
لِحَشايَ أَنكى أَو لِعَهدِيَ أَنكَثا
And I met terrors, but saw nothing like an abode's
Ruin or a pact of mine being renounced
لا كانَ يَومَ فِراقِنا مِن مَوقِفٍ
ما كانَ أَكرَبَ لِلنُفوسِ وَأَكرَثا
No day of our parting was, for souls, as woeful
Or plentifully watered with flowing tears
يا مَن بَعَثتُ لَها بِرُوحي طائِعاً
وَأَبَت بِطَيفِ خَيالِها أَن تَبعَثا
O she to whom I sent my soul obedient
Yet she refused with her ghostly form to be brought to life
صَرَّحتُ بِالشَكوى وَإِن لَم تَسمَعِي
لا بُدَّ لِلمَصدُورِ مِن أَن يَنفَثا
I complained openly even if you did not hear
What issues forth must exhale and breathe
ما لِي أَجِدُّ صَبابَةً وَتَشَوُّقاً
وَتَلاعِبِينَ تَمَاجُناً وَتَخَنُّثا
What do I gain from foolishness, yearning
Flirting, and being coy and feminine?
صَيَّرتِ جِسمِي لِلسّقامِ مُوَرَّثاً
وَتَرَكتِ قَلبِي بِالغَرامِ مُؤَرَّثا
You've made my body an inheritance for disease
And left my heart an inheritance obsessed with love
فَشُغِفتُ فيكِ مَعَ الشَبابِ تَطَرُّفاً
وَسَلَوتُ عَنكِ مَعَ المشِيبِ تَحَنُّثا
So I became, in youth, extremely obsessed with you
And in old age, overly delicate and deficient
