خَليلَيَّ هَذا رَبْعُ عَزَّةَ فَاعْقِلَا
قلوصَيكُما ثُمَّ ابْكِيَا حَيثُ حَلَّتِ
My two friends, this is a fragment of Azizah's glory, so be rational
Suppress your yearning, then weep wherever she camped,
وَمُسّا تُرابًا كَانَ قَد مَسَّ جِلدَها
وَبيتا وَظِلاَ حَيثُ باتَت وَظَلَّتِ
And touch dust that had touched her skin,
And seek shade and shelter where she passed her night and took shade,
وَلا تَيأَسا أَن يَمحُوَ اللهُ عَنكُما
ذُنوبًا إِذا صَلَّيتُما حَيثُ صَلَّتِ
Do not despair that God may forgive you
When you pray wherever she prayed,
وما كنت أَدري قَبلَ عَزَّةَ ما البُكا
وَلا مُوجِعاتِ القَلبِ حَتَّى تَوَلَّتِ
And I did not know before Azizah what weeping was
Nor the pains of the heart, until she turned away.
وَما أَنصَفَت أَما النِساءُ فَبَغَّضَت
إِلينا وَأَمَّا بِالنَوالِ فَضَنَّتِ
She was not fair to us women, so she hated us
And was niggardly in gifts, whereas before she was generous
فَقَد حَلَفَت جَهدًا بِما نَحَرَت لَهُ
قُرَيشٌ غَداةَ المَأزَمينِ وَصَلّتِ
She swore strongly by the sacrifice that Quraish made
The morning of Confederates, and prayed
أُناديكَ ما حَجَّ الحَجِيجُ وَكَبَّرَت
بِفَيفاء آل رُفقَةٌ وَأَهَلَّتِ
I call you - has any pilgrim circumambulated
With the throng of the Rufay'ah clan, and entered ihram
وَما كَبَّرَت مِن فَوقِ رُكبةَ رُفقةٌ
وَمِن ذي غَزال أَشعَرَت وَاِستَهَلَّتِ
Nor has any of the Rufay'ah clan above the station of Rukbah
Of those with long hair, entered ihram and commenced talbiyah
وَكانَت لِقَطعِ الحَبلِ بَيني وَبَينَها
كَناذِرَةٍ نَذرًا وَفَت فَأَحَلَّتِ
And she was like one who has vowed
To cut the tie between me and her, and fulfilled her vow
فَقُلتُ لَها يا عَزَّ كُلُّ مُصيبَةٍ
إِذا وُطِّنَت يَومًا لَها النَفسُ ذلَّتِ
So I said: O Azizah, every misfortune,
When the soul becomes accustomed to it, is humbled
وَلَم يَلقَ إِنسانٌ مِنَ الحُبَّ مَيعَةً
تَعُمُّ وَلا عَمياءَ إِلّا تَجَلَّتِ
And no human has found love without
Becoming blind, once smitten with passion
فَإِنَ سَأَلَ الواشُونَ فِيمَ صَرَمتُها
فَقُل نَفس حُر ّسُلِّيَت فَتَسَلَّتِ
So if the fault-finders ask why I pine for her
Say: a free soul that followed its caprice and then turned away
كَأَنّي أُنادِي صَخرَةً حِينَ أَعرَضَت
مِن الصُمِّ لو تَمشي بِها العُصمُ زَلَّتِ
It was as if I called to a rock when she turned away
Deaf even if mountains had senses, they would slip
صَفوحٌ فَما تَلقاكَ إِلَّا بخيلَةً
فَمَن مَلَّ مِنها ذَلِكِ الوَصلَ مَلَّتِ
Clement, but she would not meet you except disdainfully
So whoever hopes for reunion with her, that hope is futile
أَباحَت حِمًى لَم يَرعَهُ الناسُ قَبلَها
وَحَلَّت تِلاعًا لَم تَكُن قَبلُ حُلَّتِ
She made lawful what people had not grazed before her
And made common what had not been commonly accessible before
فَلَيتَ قَلوصي عِندَ عَزَّةَ قُيِّدَت
بِحَبلٍ ضَعيفٍ غُرَّ مِنها فَضَلَّتِ
Would that my companion were tied to Azizah
With a weak rope - he escaped from her and slipped away
وَغودِرَ في الحَيِّ المُقيمينَ رَحلُها
وَكانَ لَها باغٍ سِوايَ فَبَلَّتِ
The luggage was loaded among the sedentary people, and her tent-ropes
And she had a garden, leveled and filled
وَكُنت كَذي رِجلَينِ رِجلٍ صَحيحَةٍ
وَرِجلٍ رَمى فيها الزَمانُ فَشلَّتِ
And I was like one with two legs - one sound leg
And one which time had crippled and paralyzed
وَكُنتُ كَذاتِ الظَلعِ لَمّا تَحامَلَت
عَلى ظَلعِها بَعدَ العِثارِ اِستَقَلَّتِ
And I was like one with a rib when she
Persisted upon her rib after stumbling and grew steady
أُريدُ الثَوَاءَ عِندَها وَأَظُنُّها
إِذا ما أَطَلنا عِندَها المُكثَ مَلَّتِ
I wish to find comfort in her abode though I think
When we stay long with her, she will be wearied
يُكَلِّفُها الخَنزيرُ شَتمي وَما بِها
هَواني وَلَكِن لِلمَلِيكِ اِستَذَلَّتِ
The uncouth will make her censure me though she holds
No contempt for me, but she humbled herself to the King
هَنيئًا مَرِيئًا غَيرَ داءٍ مُخامِرٍ
لِعَزَّةَ مِن أَعراضِنا ما اِستَحَلَّتِ
A fine, splendid woman without any secret ailment
None of our honor would Azizah make permissible
وَوَالله ما قارَبت إِلا تَباعَدَت
بِصَرمٍ وَلا أَكثَرتُ إِلّا أقلّت
By God, I approached her only to have her move farther away
And the more I increased, the more she diminished
وَلي زَفراتٌ لَو يَدُمنَ قَتَلنَنَي
تَوالي الَّتي تَأتي المُنى قَد تَوَلَّتِ
And I have sighs, which if prolonged, would kill me
As those misfortunes come in succession and recede
وَكُنّا سَلَكنا في صَعودٍ مِنَ الهوى
فَلَمّا تَوَافَينا ثَبَت وَزَلَّتِ
And we two climbed the ascent of passion together
But when we reached the summit, it ceased and slipped
وَكُنّا عَقَدنا عُقدَةَ الوَصلِ بَينَنا
فَلمّا تَواثَقنا شَدَدتُ وَحَلَّتِ
And we two tied the knot of union between us
But when it was strongly tied, I slackened and released it
فَإِن تَكُنِ العُتبى فَأَهلًا وَمَرحَبًا
وَحُقَّت لَها العُتبَى لَدينا وَقَلَتِ
So if she reproaches, strangers are welcome
Reproach is her right with us, and she reproached little
وَإِن تَكُنِ الأُخرى فَإِنَ وَراءَنا
بِلادًا إِذا كَلَّفتُها العيسَ كَلَّتِ
But if she is otherwise, then behind us are lands
When she travels there the evening becomes tiresome
خَليلَيَّ إِن الحاجِبِيَّةَ طَلَّحَت
قَلوصَيكُما وَناقَتي قَد أَكَلَّتِ
My two friends, the Barmakids have destroyed
Your companion and my she-camel, they have ruined her
فَلا يَبعُدَن وَصلٌ لِعَزَّةَ أَصبَحَت
بِعَاقِبَةٍ أَسبابُهُ قَد تَوَلَّتِ
So let no far reunion with Azizah take place
When causes have receded and slipped away
أَسِيئي بِنا أَو أَحسِني لا مَلومَةً
لَدِينا وَلا مَقلِيةً إِن تَقَلَّت
Treat me badly or treat me well, no blame
Upon us, and no fault if you are sparing
وَلَكِن أَنيلي وَاِذكُري مِن مَودَةٍ
لَنا خُلَّةً كَانَت لَدَيكُم فَضَلَّتِ
But grant me some, and remember some affection
You once had for us, which then diminished
وَإِنّي وَإِن صَدَّت لَمُثنٍ وَصادِقٌ
عَلَيها بِما كانَت إِلَينا أَزَلَّتِ
Even if she is averse, I speak truthfully
About what she once was to us, and then turned away
فَما أَنا بِالدَاعي لَعَزَّةَ بِالرَدى
وَلا شامِتٍ إِن نَعلُ عَزَّةَ زَلَّتِ
I will not call curses upon Azizah
Nor gloat if Azizah's sandal slips
فَلا يَحسَبِ الواشُونَ أَنَّ صَبابَتي
بِعَزَّةَ كَانَت غَمرَةً فَتَجَلَّتِ
Let not the spies think my passion for Azizah
Was a cloudburst that then cleared away
فاَصبَحتُ قَد أَبلَلتُ مِن دَنَفٍ بها
كَما أُدنِفَت هَيماءُ ثُمَّ اِستَبَلَّتِ
So I became drenched with tears shed over her
As the hamaa rainclouds pour and then clear
فَوَالله ثُمَّ الله لا حَلَّ بَعدها
وَلاقَبلَها مِن خُلَّةٍ حَيثُ حَلَّتِ
By God, by God, none compared before or after her
Wherever she camped, none like her intimacy slipped away
وَما مَرَّ مِن يَومٍ عَلَيَّ كيومِها
وَإِن عَظُمَت أَيامُ أُخرى وَجَلَّتِ
And no day passed upon me like her day
Though other days were greater and magnificent
وَحَلَّت بِأَعلى شاهِقٍ مِن فُؤادِهِ
فَلا القَلبُ يَسلاها وَلا النَّفسُ مَلَّتِ
And she ascended to the highest peak of his heart
Neither heart can divert her nor soul grow weary of her
فَوا عَجَبًا لِلقَلبِ كَيفَ اِعتِرافُهُ
وَلِلنَفسِ لَمّا وُطِّنَت فَاِطمَأَنَّتِ
How remarkable of heart - its confession
And the soul when accustomed, is tranquil
وَإِنّي وَتَهيامي بِعَزَّةَ بَعدَما
تَخّلَّيتُ مِمّا بَينَنا وَتَخَلَّتِ
Though I rave madly for Azizah after
We parted, and she went her way
لَكَ المُرتَجي ظِلَّ الغَمامَةِ كُلَّما
تَبَوَّأَ مِنها لِلمَقيلِ اِضمَحَلَّتِ
You who hopes for the shade of the clouds, whenever
He takes shelter they shrivel away
كَأَنّي وَإِيّاها سَحابَةُ مُمحِلٍ
رَجاها فَلَمّا جاوزَتهُ اِستَهَلَّتِ
It is as if she and I are a raincloud
He hoped for, but when it passed him by, it poured down
