نَفسي الفداءُ لِمَن حلّ الحشا فَرأى
ما كنتُ من حبّهِ ألقى وأخفيهِ
My soul is ransom for one who pried into my love
That I tried to hide yet could not help but betray
ثمّ اِسترابَ لدمعٍ كانَ كفكفهُ
جَفني فصاب عَنِ الأحشاءِ هاميهِ
Then grew suspicious of tears I held back
As my eyelids concealed the flames within
فَقُلتُ مُعتذراً خوفَ الوشاةِ رَقا
دَمعي فصابُ فُؤادي لا يروّيهِ
So I offered excuses, fearing gossip would spread
My tears then cooled the heart they would not douse
فَقالَ كلّا فبردُ الجفنِ نكّسهُ
وَهَل محبٌّ وَلَم تَسخن مآقيهِ
"No," he said, "it is the coldness of your eyelids reversed"
Does a lover's dwelling not grow hot with yearning evermore?
فَحجّني فأحلتُ الأمرَ فيه على
جَفني فَهل لَه من عذر فيبديهِ
He refuted me, so I blamed it on my eyes
Could they offer any excuse to plead?
فَقالَ جَفنيَ مِرآتي الّتي عَكَست
شمسَ الجمالِ لتُذكي قلب رائيهِ
"My eyes," he said, "are my mirror reflecting
The sun of beauty, stoking the heart of its beholder"
وَحيثُ كنتُ أَنا الساعي لِحُرقته
فَلا ملامة في أَن صرتُ أطفيهِ
"And as I stirred its coals, how could I
Be blamed for rising to quench what I ignited?"
فَعِندما قالَ قَلبي قَد صدقتَ وما
أَطفأتَ بل لم تَزل للآن تذكيهِ
When he spoke true, and said "You never
Put it out, but kept on stoking it until this day"
دَمعُ المحبّ كماءِ البحرِ تحسبهُ
ماءً وَتلكَ لَظىً قد سجّرت فيهِ
A lover's tears are like sea water - you'd think
It mere water, but it is blazing embers he breathed life into
إِلقاءُ نار على نارٍ يؤجّجها
وكلُّ شيءٍ مُضاهيه يقوّيهِ
Throwing fire upon fire, fanning the flames
Everything kindred fortifies its zeal
يا أيّها الجفنُ مهلاً عَن فُؤادِ شجٍ
وَلا تَزِده فنارُ الحبِّ تكفيهِ
O eyes! Have mercy on a tortured heart
The fire of love is enough, do not add to it
إِن كنتَ شارَكتني في حبّه أرقاً
فَأنتَ دوني فلحظُ الحسنِ تجليهِ
If you have shared my sleepless longing,
You fall short - the glance of beauty is self-revealing
وَإِن زَعَمت بأنّي قد ظَفرتُ به
وَصرتُ دونكَ مغناهُ وناديهِ
And if you claim that I alone won him over
And without you could not sing his praises
وَإنّني بكَ قد مثّلتُ صورته
وَقَد أعنتَ خيالي في تجلّيهِ
It is through you I embodied his image
And you aided my imagination in its vision
فَذا كلامٌ وَإِن قَد صحّ ظاهرهُ
فَما يصحّ لَدى التحقيقِ خافيهِ
So your reasoning may hold true outwardly
But it does not withstand deeper investigation
هل أَنتَ إلّا لمِثلي آلةٌ وإذا
أَصابَ سهمٌ فذو التسديدِ راميهِ
Are you anything but an instrument to the likes of me?
When an arrow strikes true, who but the archer aimed?
لَكن نَسبتُ إِليكَ الأمرَ تعميةً
عَنِ العذولِ وَعمّن ليس يدريهِ
But I wrongly blamed you to throw off
The spies, and those who cannot perceive
إِنّي وَأَنتَ لفي عذرٍ وفي سعةٍ
ما كلُّ ما كنتَ تجنيهِ لأحويهِ
You and I are blameless and free
Not all that you reap can I harvest
تَكيّفَت منهُ ذاتي فهيَ مظهرهُ
وكلُّ ما كانَ منها فهو مبديهِ
My being adapted to mirror him - it is the lens
Projecting all that stems from within
فَإِن أطعتُ فَما أَمري إِليّ وإن
عَصيتهُ فَبهِ قد كنتُ أعصيهِ
If I obeyed then I brought it upon myself
And if I rebelled, then through him I rebelled
وَإِن تعمّد ذمّي لا أمانعهُ
وَإِن أرادَ ثَنائي لست أثنيهِ
And if he slanders me, I do not oppose him
Just as, if he praises me, I do not echo his praise
وَهَذه بعضُ حالي في محبّتهِ
أَعلَنتُها غيرَ أنّي لا أسمّيهِ
Such is my state in loving him
I divulge it plainly, but do not name names
