بدا وزنجيُّ صبغ الليل قد ابقا

وابلق الصبح يطوي خلفه الشُققا

The blackness of night began to fade away,

And dawn uncovered the folds behind it.

بدرٌ يشقُّ قميص الليل ابلجُهُ

وليس يرتق منه كلما فتقا

A moon that rends the shirt of night with its light,

Yet cannot escape whenever it is cloven.

احفيته العتب حتى عاد من خجل

جبينه الصَّلت منه يرشح العَرَقا

I reproached it until its forehead shone with sweat from shyness.

I stole a glance at its bare cheek,

اسارق اللحظ خالاً فوق وجنتهِ

لم ادر من اين قرص المسك قد سرقا

Not knowing from where the musk of its cheek was stolen.

O you who see, did it come from two houses to meet it

يا هل ترى جاء من دارين جالبُهُ

فكلما هبّ علويُّ الصَّبا عَبَقا

Whenever the fragrant south wind blew?

Are those the eyes whose maker is the Lord of sustenance?

هل تلكم العين ربّ القين طابعُها

سبحان قدرةِ ربٍّ يطبع الحدقا

Glory to the power of a Lord who created the orbits!

O my hope, where there is no sense or life,

يا مُطمعي حيث لا حسٌّ ولا رمق

رضيت بالوهم لو ابقيت لي رمقا

I was content with illusion, if it left me some life.

No illusion passed through my mind,

لم يخطر الوهم مجتازاً على خلدي

الا وخالط عيناً تنظر الطرُقا

Unless it was mixed with eyes that watched the roads.

I rejoiced following from it a gloomy dark one,

فرحتُ اتبع منه اسوداً غدِقا

لون الغراب وانحو ابيضاً يققا

The color of the raven, and a shining white one, too.

Sometimes I stray, sometimes I find guidance, so I

طوراً اضل وطورا اهتدي فأنا

مازلت منه بنعمى مرّةً وشقا

Still receive both favor and desolation from it.

That I girded the belt of resolve about a moon,

أني شددت نطاق الحزم في قمرٍ

بدرٍ تُخيِّلَ بالجوزاء منتطقا

A full moon I imagined bound in the Mansion of Gemini.

I did not know if it gleamed or diffused its scent in garments -

لم ادرِ أن لاح او أن فاح في حلل

هل لاحَ لي قمراً ام فاح لي خُلقا

Did a moon shine for me or did my nature exude scent?

The gift of stone and ruby joined together,

الموهبُ الحجر الياقوت مُقترنا

والمذهبُ الذهب الابريز مفترقا

And the gilding of gold and pure silver separated.

When he inclined toward kindness he would do it,

اذا تعرّض للمعروف يصنعه

حسبته عيلما او عارضا غدقا

I thought he was a man of great generosity or ample gifts.

O man whose lofty eyes uncover a speck in the eye

انسان عين العلى هل تكشفنّ قذى

عين بادمعها انسانُها غرقا

Of a man whose tears drowned his humanity!

If a companion does you wrong in his companionship,

لئن أساء رفيق فيك صُحبته

احسنت صحبة من قد ساء مرتفقا

You have done well in the company of one who fared wretchedly.

Indeed my words blazed into glowing embers,

لقد تلهَّب جمراً ذاكياً كلمي

حتى بعثتُ باشعاري لكم حُرَقا

Until I sent to you with my poems burning coals.

I send you greetings like the gentle breeze of morning

اهدي اليك سلاماً كالنسيم صبا

ما لا عبت نسمات البان غصن نقا

That stirs no boughs in the delicate branches.

And after that I send praise like wafting fragrance

وبعد اثني ثناءً كالعبير فشا

طيباً تعبَّق بالآفاق منتشقا

That diffuses perfume in the horizons when it scatters.