إِنّ قَلبي مُستَهامْ
ذابَ مِن حَرِّ الغَرامْ
My heart is burning with passion,
Melting from the heat of love,
يا عَذولاً لامني
خَلِّ عَن هَذا المَلام
O you who rebuke me,
Stop this blaming.
لَومُ مِثلي عَتَهٌ
أَنا مِثلي لا يُلام
Blaming one like me is foolishness,
One like me is not to be blamed,
أَنا مَولودُ الهَوى
ما لَهُ عَنهُ فِطام
I was born to love,
I cannot wean myself from it.
وَالهَوى مُشتَهِرٌ
فيهِ ما بَينَ الأَنام
And love is well known
Among all people.
فيهِ لَيلي ساهِرٌ
قَلقٌ لَستُ أَنام
In it my nights are wakeful,
Restless, I cannot sleep.
أَنا أَهوى غادَةً
تَزدَري بَدرَ التَّمام
I love Ghadah,
Who scorns the full moon.
وَجهُها شَمسُ البَها
حُسنهُ زاهٍ وَسام
Her face is the sun of beauty,
Its beauty splendid and sublime.
مُخجلٌ شَمسَ الضّحى
وَهوَ مَستورُ اللّثام
It shames the morning sun
Veiled in its wrapping.
لَحظُها في غَمزِهِ
صارِمٌ عَضبٌ حُسام
Her glance in its batting
Is a sharp and angry sword.
حَلَّلَت قَتلي بِهِ
لا تَرى قَتلي حَرام
It justified my murder,
My murder she saw not wrong.
مَن لَها حَلّلَهُ
أَيُّ حبرٍ أَو إِمام
He who loves her, she permitted him,
What scholar or imam sanctioned this?
جَفنُها يَرمي الحَشا
وَفُؤادي بِالسّهام
Her eyelids shoot arrows
And my heart is the target.
خَدُّها رَوضٌ زَها
وَالبها فيهِ أَقام
Her cheek is a blossoming meadow
Where beauty resides.
يَستَقي ماءَ الحيا
لَيسَ يَسقيهِ الغَمام
It drinks the water of life,
The clouds do not water it.
وَردُهُ فيهِ اِزدَهى
هامَ قَلبي فيهِ هام
The rose blossoms in it,
My heart is madly in love with it.
ثَغرُها حالي اللّمى
لَثمُهُ يَشفي السّقام
Her mouth is my wretched state,
Kissing it cures all sickness.
خِلتهُ مِن شَفقٍ
مِنهُ بَرقُ الاِبتِسام
Its dimples of joy
Flash with smiles.
ريقُها شَهدٌ حَلا
وَهوَ خَمرٌ وَمُدام
Her saliva is sweet honey,
It is wine and liquor.
جيدُها جيدُ الظّبى
جادَ لي فيهِ الهُيام
Her neck is a gazelle’s neck,
Passion swooped down on it.
كَعَمودِ الصّبحِ في
جُنحِ دَيجورِ الظّلام
Like a pillar of light
In the wings of night’s darkness.
قَدُّها الغصنُ أَجلْ
لَيسَ يَحكيهِ قَوام
Her stature is taller than a branch,
No description matches it.
كَيفَ صَبري وَالهَوى
في الحَشا زادَ اِضطِرام
How can I have patience when passion
Grows ever more violent?
كَيفَ أَسلو حُبَّها
لَم أَكُن بِاِبن الحَرام
How can I seek union with her love
When I am not a dishonorable man?
لَستُ أَسلوهُ وَإِن
ذُقتُ كاساتِ الحِمام
I do not seek it even though
I have tasted cups of passion.
وَصْلُها يُحيي الحَشا
وَالفُؤادَ المُستهام
Reunion with her revives the soul
And the burning heart.
إِنّني لَو شِمتها
يَقِظاً أَو في المَنام
Were I to smell her scent
Awake or in a dream,
قُلتُ جودي بِاللّقا
فَهوَ قَصدي وَالسّلام
I would say, my generosity is in meeting,
That is my intention and peace.
وَاِجعَلي تَركَ الجَفا
في الهَوى حسنَ الخِتام
And make leaving off disdain
In love, a beautiful conclusion.
