فَتكاتُ عَينكِ أَم مَراشِفُ فيكِ

ذَهَبَت بِعَقلِ خَليلكِ المَشبوكِ

Are your glances daggers, or downy pillows within you?

They have stolen the mind of your infatuated lover.

ما كُنتُ قَبلَ هَواكِ أَعرَفُ سَكرَةً

تَنفي الهُدى وَالرُشد لا وَابيكِ

Before your love I never knew such intoxication

That denies guidance and reason, unwilling to obey you.

وَمِن العَجائب أَنَّني حال الهَوى

أَدري مَكانَكِ قادِراً آتيكِ

And of the wonders is that in love's thrall,

I know where you are, able to come to you.

سَلَبوكِ مِن كَفي وَجَدوا في السَرى

شَلَّ الحُسامُ أَكُفَّ مِن سَلَبوكِ

They took you from my hands and found resolve weakened;

The sword was blunted, my palms too weak to retrieve you.

وَجَلوك عَن بُعدٍ فَهَبَت نَخوَتي

حَتّى إِذا أَدرَكتُهُم مَنَعوكِ

They distanced you far away so my pride rose up

Until when I caught up with them, they refused you to me.

وَحَموكِ لَيسَ بِصارِمٍ لَكِنَّهُم

بِنِبال لَحظاتِ الرَقيبِ حَموكِ

They protected you, not with a drawn sword, but

With the arrows of the watchman's suspecting glances they shielded you.

وَاللَهُ ما مِنهم مَنَعتُ مَخافَةً لَكن

مَخافة شامِتٍ يَشنوكِ

By God, none of them prevented me out of fear, but

Fear of a gloating critic to malign you.

ما أَنتِ صائِدَةِ الأُسود بِنَظرَةٍ

تُدمى فَكَيفَ ثَعالِبٌ صادوكِ

You are no huntress of lions with a mere glance

So how could jackals possibly hunt you?

خافوا عَلَيكِ فَخوَّفوكِ مِن السوى

لَما تَزايد خَوفَكِ اِتَهموكِ

They feared for you so frightened you away from passion

When your own fear increased, they blamed you,

إِن يَتَهِموكِ فَما خَليلكِ ساقِطٌ

لَكِنَهُ الصَبُّ الخَليقُ بِفيكِ

If they blame you, your lover is no fallen one,

But raging passion befits you.

وَكَأَنَّهُم راموا عَذابَكِ حَيثُما

بِسهام طَيشِ ظَنونهم رَشَقوكِ

It's as if they sought to torment you wherever

With the arrows of their whims they pelted you.

هَل أَنتِ مُلكهُم المُقيم برقهم

وَاللَه ما بِأَكُفِهم جَبَلوكِ

Are you their treasure kept safe by their vigilance?

By God, their palms did not shape you.

لَكنَّ ضعفاً في فُؤادِكَ يَقتَضي

التَسليم ذُلّاً لِلأُولى حَجَبوكِ

Rather, weakness in your heart necessitated

Submitting resignedly to the first to veil you.

أَمميتةَ الدَنفِ المُصابِ بِسَيرِها

هَلا التفتِّ لِخلكِ المَتروكِ

You straying gazelle, wounded mid-stride,

Why not turn to your neglected fold?

حَجَزوكِ ما حَجَزوا عُيونَكِ أَنَّها

حَرَكاتِها تَجري بِدونِ شَريكِ

They confined you - no, they confined your eyes

Whose motions flow without a partner.

ما حالَ ذياك القِوام وَما اِنَجَلى

لِنِظام لُؤلؤِ ثَغرِكِ المَحبوكِ

What of your slender waist, and the orderly grace

Of your mouth's pearl necklace, interwoven?

ما حالُ وَرد الخَد ظَلَّ بِنَضرَةٍ

فَالشَوك ظَلَّ بِقَلبيَ المَضنوكِ

What of your rose-cheek that stayed verdant

While thorns stayed stabbing this anguished heart?

ما حالُ معصَمكِ الَّذي فارَقتُهُ

يَسبي النُهى بِلجينهِ المَسبوكِ

What of your wrist I parted from,

Seducing propriety with its smooth roundness?

هَل دامَ قَلبُكِ حافِظاً لِعُهودِهِ

فَعَلى فُؤادي الحُبُّ خَطَّ صُكوكي

Does your heart remain faithful to its vows?

For upon my heart love has marked its contracts.

هَل تَذكُرينَ عُهودَنا يَومَ الوَغى

وَالأَرضُ تَجفل للدم المَسفوكِ

Do you remember our vows on the day of strife

As the earth shuddered with spilled blood?

وَالشَمسُ مُظِلِمَةٌ وَوَجهُكِ باسِمٌ

وَالناسُ تَظمَأ وَالهَنا يَرويكِ

The sun was darkened, your face smiling,

People thirsted, while we quenched you.

يَومٌ بِهِ اِختَلَسَت جَوارِحُنا المُنى

لَما أَحاطَ الهَول في ناديكِ

A day in which we stole bliss while doom

Encompassed your gathering place.

بي كُنتِ لاهِيَةً وَكانَ الخَطبُ في

الآفاقِ يُلهي عَنكِ مِن رَقبوكِ

I was heedless while calamity abroad

Distracted you from remembering your vows.

نَنَسى مَواقِعُنا وَنَهزَأُ بِالمَلا

وَتَرى عَبوس الدَهر ثَغر ضَحوكِ

We forgot our positions and scoffed at kings,

And you saw fate's frown turn to laughter.

ما لي وَما لِلنازِلات إِذا بَدا

كَفي بِكَفكِ وَالعُلى حاميكِ

What is mine and the fates' if your palm appears?

Yours suffices me, the Most High protects you.

أَسَفا فَكفكِ لا سَبيل لِلَمسِهِ

بَعدَ التَحجُب حَيثَما أَخفوكِ

Alas your palm is unreachable, veiled as you are

Wherever they have hidden you.

أَدعوكِ لا أَدعوكِ دَعوَةَ طامِعٍ

لَكنما صَوتُ الرَجا يَدعوكِ

I call you, not a hopeful supplicant's call,

But the voice of hope that calls you.

قَطع الرَجا لَكنَّ تَخليد الهَوى

طَي الحَشا يَقضي بِأَن أَرجوكِ

Hope is cut off, but immortal love

Commands I still desire you.

وَأَرى بِذاتكِ لا مُجيباً لِلهَوى كَلا

وَلا مَنعاً لِمَن يَقفوكِ

And I see you - neither answering passion - no,

Nor preventing whoever seeks you.

فَإِذا اِبتَعَدتُ أَعدُّ عِندَكَ مُجرِماً

وَإِذا دَنَوتُ أَرى النفار يَليكِ

So when I withdraw, a criminal in your eyes,

And when I approach, I see aloofness garb you.

قَد حِرتُ في طُرقِ السلو مخيباً

بِاللَهِ سُؤلي ما الَّذي يَرضيكِ

I am confused which manner of asking pleases you -

By God, ask me - what satisfies you?

بِكِ حُرقَتي وَلهي وَحرّ صَبابَتي

لَكِ مُهجَتي في مُهجَتي أَفديكِ

For you I burned, delighted, stirred by passion;

To you my rapture, my soul I sacrifice.

إِن كانَ قَد مَنعَ اللُقا فَتحيَّةٌ

مِن فيكِ تَنعشني وَسَعدي فيكِ

If meeting is forbidden, a greeting

From your heart revives me, I'm happy through you.