قَال خَلِّيني نَفْتَصَلْ

في بَلَدْ راني

Let me free, in the land I saw you

Is there harm, my reproacher, in my solace of wine

هَلْ في ارْتِياحي إلى المِلاحِ

أو إلى الشَّمُولْ بَأْسٌ يا عَذُولْ

Or inclusive tolerance, my gentle one?

So stop blaming the enchanted

فَدَعْ لومَ مَفْتُونِ

فَعِشقُ خَوْدٍ وشُربُ راحِ

For loving passion and sipping comfort

Only others are blamed in revelry

إنَّما يُلامْ غَيْرِي في المُدامْ

وفي الخُرَّدِ العِيْنِ

And in the blinking of the eye

This is the bride of the meadows, graced

هذِي عَرُوسُ الرِّياضِ تُجْلى

مِنْ رائقِ الزَّهْر في حُلَلْ

With the finest fragrance in her gown

The air is clad in cloud

والجَوُّ بالغَيمِ قَدْ تَحَلَّى

ولاحتِ الشّمسُ مِنْ خَلَلْ

And the sun peers through

The spring season falters like a child

وخَبَّ فَصْلُ الربيع طِفلا

يَسْقيهِ ثدْيُ الحَيا عَلَلْ

Whose breast is suckled by the serpent’s milk

So give me the large cup and fill up

فَسَقِّني بالكَبيرِ وامْلا

إنِّي كَبيرٌ ولا تُبَلْ

I am grown, do not mix

In the love of a delicate, pure one

في وُدِّ خُمْصانةٍ رَداحِ

قَدُّها النَّبِيلْ بالنُّهى يَمِيلْ

Her noble forebears incline to prohibition

Whispering gently

يُناجِيْكَ مِنْ لِيْنِ

أُعيذُ يا رَبَّةَ الوِشاحِ

I seek protection, Mistress of the veil

From that physique, so dangerously,

ذلكَ القوامْ مِنْ لَحاقٍ ذامْ

بِسورةِ ياسينِ

Pursuing the Sura of Yaseen

Swaying from the staff, unveiled

هَيفاءُ تَهْتَزُّ عَنْ قَضِيْبِ

وتَنْجَلي عَنْ سَنا قمر

Beaming from the radiance of the moon

Binding her dress about her dune

شَدَّتْ إزاراً عَلى كَثيبِ

لَوْ خانَهُ العِقدُ لانْفَطرْ

If the knot were loosed, it would tear

What blossoms her youth possesses

أيُّ بَنانٍ لَها خَضِيْبِ

دِماءُ قَلْبي لَهُ هَدَرْ

My heart's blood for it does flow

If not for fear of the Watcher

لَولا اتِّقائي مِنَ الرَّقيبِ

قَضَيْتُ مِنْ لَثْمِهِ وَطَرْ

I'd have tasted of her sweet kiss and more

Yearning for her cooling draft

شَوْقاً إلى رِيْقِها القَراحِ

فَهو سَلْسَبِيلْ مالَهُ سَبِيلْ

It has no path, no way

For the inflamed, sorrowful lover

لحِرَّانَ مَحْزُون

مُناهُ لَوْ عُلَّ من أقاحِ

If her mouth smiled from her kiss

It would shine, sharing

راقَ ذا ابتِسامْ يُزْرِي في اقْتِسامْ

بِرَيَّا الرَّياحينِ

The breeze of flowers

Oh! Doe eyed one of languid grace

يا ظَبْيَةَ الخِدْرِ في لَماكِ

شِفاءُ مابي من الألمْ

Curing my agony and pain

Wander lost, in your fairness like the moon

تِيْهي عَلى البَدْرِ في سَناكِ

وزاحِمي الشَّمْسَ مِنْ أَممْ

Rivaling the sun in brilliance

If a star appeared in your gown

فَلَوْ بَدا النَّجْمُ في حُلاكِ

ما غَشِيَتْ أُفقَهُ الظُّلَمْ

No horizon would be dark

He who craves your love

مَنْ كان يَلْحى عَلى هَواكِ

فَمسْمَعي عَنْهُ ذُو صَمَمْ

My hearing of him is blocked and dumb

I forged whatever the critic composed

زيَّفْتُ ما صاغَهُ اللَّواحي

من قالٍ وقيلْ في الوَجهِ الجميلْ

In that beautiful face, and so

Do not blame me

فلا لومَ يَثنيني

عَنْ رونقِ الأوْجهِ الصِّباحِ

For the radiance of brilliant faces

Stop blaming an enraptured drunk

فَدَعْ عَنْ مَلامْ صَبٍّ مُسْتهامْ

فَلَوْمُكَ يُغْرِيني

For you provoke me

As for my aching heart, I have no

أمَّا فُؤادي الشَّجي فَما لي

حُكُم اختِيارٍ ولا لَهُ

Power of choice, nor does it

I surrendered myself to beauty

فَوَّضْتُ أمري الى الجَمال

يَفْعَلُ بي ما بَدا لَهُ

To do with me as it pleases

I gave it my heart, I do not care

مَلَّكْتُهُ القَلْبَ ما أُبالي

أنالَهُ أمْ أنالَهُ

If I attain it or miss it

Let him complain of ill circumstance

مَنْ كانَ يَشْكُو بِسُوءِ حَالِ

قَدْ رَضِيَ الصَّبُّ حالَهُ

Who is pleased with his lot

I was bound in love, unable to escape

قُيِّدْتُ في الحُبِّ عَنْ سَراحِ

بِرِدْفٍ ثَقِيلْ كحِقْفٍ مَهيل

With a heavy, difficult burden

Of unintelligible alphabets

من أحقافِ يَبْرينِ

قَد هَزَّ في مَلعبِ الرِّماحِ

It shook in the field of spears

Like a sword leading men

قدّاً كالحُسامْ يَقُدُّ الأنامْ

فَقَدْ كادَ يَبْرِيْنِي

Nearly destroying me

Oh you who suffers agony

يا مَنْ لِذي لَوْعةٍ مُعَنّى

قَدْ ضاقَ بالبَيْنِ ذَرْعُهُ

Whose patience for separation has run out

How can there be peace for him?

أنَّى لَهُ بالسُّلُوِّ أنّى

يَأْبَى عَلى الصَّبِّ طبْعُهُ

His nature resists and rebels

If the breeze touches him gently

إنْ ناسَمَتْهُ الرِّياحُ حَنّا

لِمعْهَدٍ شَطَّ رَبْعُهُ

At a place whose tie is undone

He sighs though it passes softly

مَرَّتْ به نَسْمةٌ فَغَنَّى

وفاضَ للبينِ دَمعُهُ

And separation's tears flow

I wish you would breathe life into me, breeze of the dawn

رياكِ يا نَسْمَةَ الصَّباحِ

راحَة العَلِيلْ مِنْ جَوى الغَلِيلْ

Solace for the sick from the heat of fever

Blow to me, revive me!

فَهُبّي لِتُحييني

باللهِ إنْ عُجْتِ بالبِطاحِ

By God, if you pass by the sands

Head for the tents and convey greetings

فاقْصدي الخِيامْ واقْرئي السَّلامْ

على ربَّةِ السينِ

To the lady of the two S's