أَبا حَسَنٍ كَم أَلومُ الفِراقَ

وَحَظِّيَ يوجِبُ أَن يَبعُدا

Abu Hasan, how much I blame separation

And my fate makes it be far

وَكَم أَمطُلُ النَّومَ حَتّى أَراكَ

وَأَمنَعَ عَينِيَ أَن تَرقُدا

How much I prolong sleep until I see you

And prevent my eyes from sleeping

فَقَد صارَ لي فيهِما عادَة

تُعَلِّمُ نَومِيَ أَن يَشرُدا

So to me in them it has become a habit

That teaches my sleep to wander

عَذيري مِنَ الرُّومِ جارَ الفِراقُ

عَلَيَّ بِحُكمٍ لَهُ وَاِعتَدى

My excuse from the Romans, the neighbor of separation

Wronged me by a judgment of his and transgressed

دَعَوتُكَ مِن أَرضِهِم عانِيا

فَناهَلتَني ذَلِكَ المَورِدا

I called you from their land suffering

So you let me drink from that channel

وَأَوثَقتَ نَفسَكَ خِرصاً عَلَي

يَ حَتّى عَدمتُ بِأَن أَوجَدا

And you tied your soul tightly to me

Until I ceased to find

فَلا كانَ وَعدُهُم ما أَغَث

ثَ فيهِ المِطالُ وَما أَبرَدا

So neither was their promise what revived

In it hopes, nor what cooled

لَعَلَّ مَقامَكَ هَذا الطَّويلَ

يَكونُ لحينَهمُ مَوعِدا

Perhaps this long stay of yours

Will be for their appointed time

فَيُخرِجُ بطريكَهُمُ مُسلِماً

وَيَجعَلُ قُسّاً بِهِم مَسجِدا

So their patriarch may come out Muslim

And make their church a mosque

فَيَعلَمُ حازِمَهُم أَنَّهُم

أَثاروا بِكَ الأَسَدَ المُلبَدا

So their ruler will know that they

Incited against you the enraged lion

وَإِنَّكَ قَد جئتَهُم مُصلِحاً

فَكُنتَ بِجَهلِهمُ مُفسِدا

And you had come to them conciliatory

Yet by their ignorance were corrupting

فَإِن طَلَبوا مِنكَ عَودَ البِلادِ

فَقَد لَحِقَ الأَقرَبُ الأَبعَدا

So if they demand from you return to the country

Then the nearest has joined the farthest

وَإِن حاوَلوا بِكَ سَيرَ الجِراحِ

فَقَد شَرَعَت في العِظامِ المُدى

And if they attempt to hurt you

Then they initiated breaking the bones

وَخبَّرتَ قَومَكَ ظَنّوا ثَوا

كَ عِندَهُمُ أَبَداً سَرمَدا

And you told your people who thought your

Stay with them was eternal

فَأَسرَفَ إِذلالُهُم في الجَفا

وَجاءَ يَفوقُ الَّذي عَوَّدا

So their humiliation in animosity exceeded

That to which they were accustomed

وَإِن لَم تَكُن صافِحاً عَنهُمُ

فَمِن أَينَ صِرتَ لَهُم سَيِّدا

And if you were not an intercessor for them

Then from where did you become their master

أَبوكَ أَبوهُم وَلَولا الضِّيا

ءِ ما فَضَلَ القَمَرُ الفَرقَدا

Your father was their father, and were it not for the light

The full moon would not have surpassed the barely visible star

لَكَ الخَيرُ عِندي داء مَرِضتُ

فَكُنتُ أُكاتِمُهُ العوَّدا

Goodness to me when I was sick

I would conceal it out of habit

وَفَنٌّ مِنَ الوَجدِ ما أَستَعينُ

بِغَيرِكَ مِن جودِهِ مُسعَدا

And there is passion in fervor I do not take help

With other than you, happily fortunate

أُريدُ لأَكتَم وَالواسِطي

يُ يَفضَحُهُ كُلَّما غَرَّدا

I want to conceal but the intermediary

Exposes it whenever he chirps

نَدِمتُ كَما نَدِمَ البُحتُرِيُّ

وَزِدتُ عَلَيهِ بِبُعدِ المَدى

I regretted like al-Buhturi regretted

And exceeded him in the distance of scope

فَدونَ هَوايَ فَلاً لَو سَرى

نَسيمُ الرِّياحِ بِهِ ما اِهتَدى

So without my love the breeze blew in vain

It would not have found its way

فَهَل عِندَ رَأيِكَ مِن حيلَةٍ

تُعينُ بِها هائِماً مُفرَدا

So is there in your view a strategy

That would help a lost wanderer

فَقَد طالَما أَنقَذَتني يَداكَ

وَقَد عَلِقَتني حِبالُ الرَّدى

For long your hands have saved me

And the ropes of firmness have attached me

وَحملتَ مالَكَ ما لا يُطاق

فَكُنتَ عَلى عُسرِهِ أَحمَدا

And you have borne your money that cannot be borne

So you were best in easing its difficulty

وَوَاللَّهِ لا شِمتُ غَيثاً سِواكَ

فَإِمّا نَداكَ وَإِمّا الصَّدى

By God, I perceive no rain but you

Either your friendship or the echo