فُؤادي مِلؤُه لَهبُ
وطَرفي كُحلُه العَطَبُ
My heart's aflame with passion's fire
My eyelids stained with hot desire
وعَقلي طار من وَلَهٍ
وَفِكري ضَمَّهُ التعَبُ
My mind escaped in frenzied flight
My thoughts corralled by sorrow's blight
ووَجْدي ما لَه طَرفٌ
وهَجري ما له سَببُ
My love knows neither bound nor end
My exile no established trend
أمَا يحنو الحبيبُ على
مُعَنّىً صارَ يكتئبُ
Why does not my beloved understand
A lover concealed in sorrow's band?
يقَضّي ليلَه سَهرا
ولا يُقضى له أرَبُ
He spends the night in sleepless care
No peace for him, no rest found there
وَيَبكي وهوَ ذو طرَبٍ
فَيُنمي شَجوَه الطرَبُ
In melancholy wrapped he weeps
And more profoundly sorrow steeps
وَيَبدو لَوحُ وجْنتِهِ
بِحِبرِ الدمعِ يَكتَتبُ
His cheek shows what his tears have penned
In inky tattoos they portend
إِلى مَنْ أَشتَكي وَلَهي
وَعَنهُ ضاقَتِ الكتبُ
To whom can I my grief make known?
When all my books lie tattered, torn
وَما لي غَير ما بطلٍ
إِلَيهِ شُدَّتِ النجُبُ
I have no wings that I can spread
Except to him my hopes have fled
فَإِنّي اليومَ مُنتَسِبٌ
لَهُ وَعَلَيهِ أَحتَسِبُ
In him my fealty's focus dwells
For he all other oaths excels
فَذلِكَ سَيِّدٌ قَرِمٌ
بِهِ قَد شُرِّفَ الحَسَبُ
A lord of high and noble race
Of lineage proud, esteemed of place
كَما أَنَّ العُلى شَرُفَت
بِهِ وسَمَت لها الرُّتَبُ
He's widely lauded, far and wide
By both the Arab and the Ajem tribe
وَفيهِ زُيِّنت شرَفاً
كما زانَ السّما شُهُبُ
You say, resemblance there may be
No doubt, deny, refute has he
إمامٌ جلَّ عن شَبهٍ
فلازمَ فضلَه العجَبُ
The difference cannot be suppressed
Like the full moon when clouds have dressed
وَكَم فيهِ لَهُ شَهِدَت
لَدَينا العُجْمُ والعَربُ
The candy's meaning is but fleeting
No sugar cane lasts in its greeting
فَإِن قُلتُم لَهُ شَبهٌ
وَلا شكٌّ ولا رِيَبُ
The doe talked of her beauty rare
But nature left her without antlers there
فَإِنَّ الفَرقَ لا يَخفَى
كَبَدرٍ لَيس يحتجبُ
The wine is meaning beyond the grape
That accident of vine and shape
فَمَعنى السكَّر الحالي
غَدا لَم يَحوِهِ القَصبُ
Crescent that lit up Damascus' nights
And made Aleppo beam in lights
وَكَم ظَبيٍ حَكى حَسناً
وَلَكِن فاتَهُ الشّنَبُ
A noble one, kind overflowing
Who all the clouds' shy failings, glowing
وَإِنَّ الخَمرَ ذو مَعنى
خَلا عَن صورةِ العنَب
Delightful, knowledge graced so fine
Whose cloak refinement made to shine
هِلالٌ مُذْ أضاءَ به
دِمَشقَ نوّرَت حَلَب
A brave one, of ambition boundless
A chief, his sire and grandsire stainless
كريمٌ فَيضُ راحَتِهِ
لَدَيهِ تخجَلُ السّحبُ
This servant merciful and just
Who merits what prayers raise, as trust
نَبيلٌ فاضِلٌ حَبْر
لَطيفٌ زانَهُ الأدبُ
The sun whose rising lifts night's veil
And all the curtains mounting pale
هُمامٌ جَهبذٌ نَدب
شريفٌ جدُّه وأبُوهُ
The shooting star - my hopes ignite
May it reveal care's mask of blight
فَذاكَ العابِدُ الرّحمَ
نُ حَقّاً مِثلَما يَجِبُ
Reproach not one who's steeped in woe
Or passion's arrow pierced his bow
هُوَ الشَّمسُ الّتي ظَهَرَت
فمنها ولَّت الحُجُبُ
O sea of hope, a flood surging!
To you my quest and voyaging
هُوَ الشّهمُ الَّذي أَرجو
بِهِ أَن تُكشفَ الكُرَبُ
My thoughts to you flown, bridal clad
Though in perplexity they're had
فَحاشاهُ مِن الإِغضا
ءِ عَن مَنْ نالَه العطَب
And fantastical stories come
But cannot find escape succumb
فَيا بَحرَ الرّجا الطّامي
وَأَنتَ القصْدُ وَالطّلبُ
Fearful they come and weep in dread
Of your reproach, wailings thread
إِلَيكَ الفِكرُ قَد أَهدى
عَروساً وهو مضطرِبُ
I've guaranteed their kind reception
No falseness taints that direction
وَقَد جاءَت خرافاتٌ
وَلَم يُقدَرْ لَها الهَربُ
With gentleness make unseen welcome
Your breast is generous, ample
وَجاءَت وَهيَ خائِفةٌ
مِنَ الإِغضاءِ تَنتحبُ
Live as your Lord has you maintain
While canes dance on the earthly plain
وَإِنّي قَد كَفِلتُ لَها
قَبولاً ما به كَذِبُ
And say no more what the lover said
My heart's aflame with passion's fire
فَقَابِلْ غَيبَها بِالسّت
رِ يا من صدرُه رَحبُ
وَدُمْ في حِفظِ ربِّكَ ما
تراقصَ في الدّنى قصَبُ
وَما قالَ المُحبّ شَجىً
فُؤادي مِلؤُهُ لَهَبُ
