لا تنكِرِ الألحاظَ في سَطَواتِها
فلَكَمْ رأيت القتلَ من غَمزاتِها
Do not deny the glances in their power,
For how often have I seen killing from their winks,
وَاِحفَظْ فُؤادَك مِن سِهامِ جُفونها
وَاِحذَرْ كَمينَ الحَتفِ في رَمياتِها
And guard your heart from the arrows of her eyelids,
And beware the ambush of death in her shots,
وَاِتركْ حِجاكَ إِذا عَقِلتَ لِسِحرِها
وَاِحفَظْ صَحيحَ العِشقِ عَن كَسراتِها
And abandon your love if you understand her sorcery,
And preserve the integrity of passion from her fractures,
وَاِسمَعْ أَحاديثَ المَحبَّةِ واِرْوِها
مِن حَيثُ صَحَّت عن عُدولِ ثِقاتِها
And listen to the love talk and quench it
From where it was authenticated by the just narrators,
وَاِكتُب غَرامَكَ في مَصاحِفِهِ الَّتي
تَختَارُ وَاِتلُ عَليَّ مِن آياتِها
And write your passion in her books
That she chooses and I recite to me from her verses,
وَاِلزَمْ غَرامَ الغانِياتِ فَإِنّه
تُشفى بِهِ الأرواحُ عَن عاهاتِها
And adhere to the love of singers, for it
Heals the souls from their disabilities,
وَاِختَرْ لِنَفسكَ غادَةً تغوي بها
إِنَّ الهِدايَةَ في كِبارِ غُواتها
And choose for yourself a gently lady to be tempted by her
Indeed, guidance is among her great temptations,
وَاِخلَعْ فُؤادَكَ وَالحَياءَ بِحبّها
وَاِترُكْ عَزيزَ الأَهلِ في مَرضاتِها
And take off your heart and shyness for her love
And leave the dear family for her satisfaction,
وَاِكتُمْ هَواها ما اِستَطعتَ وَوارِهِ
وَاِستُرْهُ عَن عُذّالِها ووُشاتِها
And conceal her love as much as you can and cover it
And hide it from her blamers and defamers,
حَتّى عَنِ الغَيداءِ لَو أَيقَنتَها
تُبدي هَواكَ وَلَو لَدى لَحَظاتِها
Even if you are sure of the chaste woman
Revealing your love even if just for a glance,
إِنَّ المَحبَّةَ بِالوُشاةِ فَسادُها
إِذْ أَنّهم لا شَكَّ مِن آفاتِها
Love is corrupt by defamation
As they are undoubtedly of its afflictions,
وَالعاذِلونَ عَلى الغَرامِ مَضرَّةٌ
تفني المحبَّةَ مِن أُصولِ نَباتِها
And those who condemn love are harmful,
Eliminating love from its roots,
وَلَقد عَلِقتُ بِغادَةٍ ميّادةٍ
تُزري بِغُصنِ البانِ في مَيلاتها
And I have been attached to a gentle, beautiful lady,
Who challenges the myrtle branch in its bentness,
ما حَلَّ أَفئِدةَ العَواشِقِ حُبُّها
في لَمحَةٍ إِلّا رَعى حبّاتِها
No lovers hearts that she loved
In a glance unless picking its seeds,
مِنها اِستَعارَ الظبيُ كُحلَ عُيونِهِ
لَمّا حَكاها الظبيُ في لَفَتاتِها
The deer borrowed the kohl of its eyes from her
When the deer told of her in its glimpses,
ما نَفرَةُ الغزلانِ إِلّا ألفةٌ
لَو أَنّها قيسَت إِلى نَفراتها
The gazelles estrangement is but intimacy
If compared to their estrangement,
ما البَدرُ إِلّا نَبذةٌ مِن نورِها
ما الشّمسُ إِلّا الضّوءُ مِن وَجناتِها
The moon is but a trace of her light
The sun is but the brightness from her sides,
ما الصّبحُ إِلّا فرقُها وَجَبينُها
ما اللَّيلُ إِلّا البعضُ من وَفراتِها
The dawn is but her forehead and face
The night is but some of her wideness,
ما الوردُ إِلّا حُمرةٌ مِن خَدِّها
ما المِسْكُ إِلّا البَعضُ مِن شاماتِها
The roses is but redness from her cheek,
Musk is but some of her fragrance,
ما البرقُ إِلّا لَمعَةٌ مِن ثَغرِها
ذَهَبت بِعَقلِ الصّبِّ في خَطفاتِها
Lightening is but a shine from her mouth,
Taking away the minds of youths in its snatching,
ما الخَمرُ إِلّا ريقُها وَرُضابُها
كَم يَسكَرُ الوَلهانُ مِن نَكهاتِها
Wine is but her saliva and lipstick.
How the infatuated get drunk from its tastes,
ما الحُسنُ إِلّا عَبدُها وَخَديمُها
ما الحُورُ إِلّا البعضُ مِن فَتياتِها
Beauty is but her slave and servant
Houris are but some of her maidens,
كُلُّ المَحاسِنِ وَالكمالِ مَعَ البَها
مَجموعَةٌ في ذاتِها وصِفاتِها
All beauty and perfection belong to my lady love
Combined in her essence and traits,
أَتَزورُني بِعدَ التباعُدِ والجَفا
وعلى المتيَّم حُرِّمت زَوراتُها
Do you visit me after the estrangement and aloofness
And the passionate was banned from your visitations,
أتجودُ لي بالقُرب بعدَ بعادِها
وتزيلُ عني باللِّقا جَفواتها
Do you bestow me with closeness after the separation
And remove from me resentment in our meeting,
هل نهلةٌ من ريقها ورُضابها
فَلَعلَّ روحي تَهتَدي لِحياتِها
Is it a sip from your saliva and lipstick,
So that my soul gets guided to its life,
هَل نَسمَةٌ مِنها إِليّ تَمرُّ بي
حَتّى أَشُمَّ العِطرَ من نَفحاتها
Is it a breeze from you that passes me
So that I smell the fragrance from your breaths,
يا مُهجَتي مُوتي أَسىً وَصَبابةً
إِنَّ الحَبيبَة أَحرمَتكَ صِلاتها
Oh you who have left me desperate and melted,
Your beloved has denied me her connections,
وَدَعي أَمانيَ وَصلِها وَوُعودِها
طَبعُ الأَماني خُلفُها بِعداتِها
And leave me the hopes of reunion and promises,
For wishes are to fail in their times,
وَتَجرَّعي غُصَصَ النَّوى وَمرارَهُ
مِن حيثُ أَنّ البُعدَ مِن مَرضاتِها
And make me drink the bitterness of agony
From which estrangement is from her satisfactions,
وَاِستَبشِري بِالبُعدِ إِذْ لَم تخرجي
وَقتَ البُعادِ مِنَ الخطورِ بِذاتِها
And rejoice with estrangement, when you did not exit
The danger time of estrangement itself,
وَتَجَمَّلي بِرِدا التصبُّرِ كلَّما
تَشويكَ نارُ البُعدِ في جَمَراتِها
And dress in patience whenever
The fire of distance burns me with its coals,
فَالصّبرُ شَأنُ ذَوي المَحبَّةِ وَالهَوى
والهَجرُ في الحَسناءِ من عاداتِها
For patience is the attribute of the lovers
And abandonment among the beautiful is of its habits,
يا لائِمي كُفَّ المَلامَةَ وَاِتَّئدْ
أَفَلا عَلِمتَ بِهَجرِها وشَتاتِها
Oh you who blame stop blame
Do you not know of estrangement and her diaspora?
وَقتُ المَلامةِ في اِبتِداءِ مَحبَّتي
وَسَقيتني في حينِها كاساتِها
The time of blame was at the beginning of my love
And you made me drink from its cups then,
بِئسَ المَلاحةُ حينَ بُعدِ ذَوي الهَوى
مَع أَنَّها قبحت لَدى أَوقاتِها
Evil is the blame during the estrangement of lovers
Despite its ugliness at its times,
وَالبُعدُ مِن ثَمرِ المَلامةِ في الهوى
وَظَفرتُ فيما رُمتُ مِن ثَمَراتِها
Estrangement is the fruit of blame in passion
And I succeeded in what I aimed from its fruits,
يا سائِراً وَجِّهْ مَسيرَكَ نَحوَها
تَنَلِ المُنى فَالخَيرُ نَحوَ جِهاتِها
Oh traveler direct your course to her
You will get wishes for good is towards its direction,
وَاِحلِفْ عَلَيها أَن تَجودَ بِنَفحِها
إِنَّ الصَّبا تهديهِ مع نَسماتِها
And swear to her to bestow with her breath
The morning breeze will guide it with its breeze,
وَاِذكُرْ مُعنّىً عِندَها فَلَعلَّها
تَمحو التّنائي في يدَيْ رحَماتِها
And mention a purpose to her perhaps
She may erase the estrangement in the hands of her mercy,
وَاِشرَحْ غَريبَ مَحبّتي وَصَبابتي
وَاِنقُلْ لَها عَن غُربَتي حالاتِها
And explain the strangeness of my love and my passion
And convey to her my state in my exile,
وَاِحمِلْ إِلَيها يا أَمينُ رِسالَتي
تَفديكَ روحُ مُتيَّمٍ بِحيَاتِها
And carry my messages oh trusted messenger
My soul for the desperate ransom his life,
كَم هاجَ وَجدي وَالغرامَ حَمائمٌ
قَد غَرَّدت صُبحاً عَلى أَيْكاتِها
My fervor and passion how much doves
Twittered morningly on her nests,
قَد أَطرَبَتني وَاِبتَهَجتُ مَسرَّةً
إِذْ حَلَّ قَلبي الأنسُ مِن أَصواتِها
It delighted me and I rejoiced with joy
When familiarity landed in my heart from her sounds,
وَسَمِعتُها أَثنَت عَلى الذاتِ الّتي
قَسَمي غَدا بِحَياتِها وَصِفاتِها
And I heard her praising the essence I
Swore by tomorrow its life and traits,
ذاتُ الكريمِ اِبنِ الكريمِ المعتلي
مِن ذَروةِ العُليا عَلى هاماتِها
The essence of the generous son of the generous
Supreme on the summit of heights,
ذو راحَةٍ ما البحرُ إِلّا قَطرَةٌ
مِن جُودِها أَو مِن بِلالِ هِباتها
Of vast space the sea is but a drop
From his generosity or from the pouring of his gifts,
ذو فِطنَةٍ كلّ المَعارِفِ صيدها
لا شَيءَ مِنها فَرَّ مِن شَبَكاتِها
Of brilliance all knowledge is his prey
Nothing escaped from his nets,
ذو هِمّةٍ تبدو الثريَّا نَعلها
لَكنَّها كالبرقِ في عَزَماتِها
Of resolve appearing the Pleiades is his shoe
But it is like lightening in his determinations,
ما آصفٌ إِلّا لَدَيها قاصِرٌ
لَو لَم يَكُن مِن بَعضِ بِعض رُواتِها
Eloquent is but inferior to her
Unless he takes from the other’s recitations,
ذو شيمَةٍ حَمَلَت حِسانَ مَحامِدٍ
حَيثُ المَكارِمُ مِن أُصولِ نباتِها
Of excellent manners bearing praise
As generosity is from its plants roots,
حَسَنُ المُحيَّا وَالصّفاتِ بِلا اِمْتِرا
وَفعالهُ أَبدَت لَنا حَسَناتِها
Good etiquette and traits without pretense
And his actions show us its good doings,
حَسَنُ الطِّباعِ كَريمُها وَسَليمُها
تَأبى التَغيّرَ مِن جَميعِ جِهاتِها
Of excellent nature, generous, intact,
Refusing change from all aspects,
غَيرُ السّهولَةِ لا يحلّ طِباعَهُ
أَيحلُّها ما لَيسَ مِن عاداتِها
Refusing bad manners to mar him
Would it suit what is not of its customs?
تَأبى المَعايبُ أَن تَمرّ بدارهِ
مِنْ حيثُ أضحى من أجلِّ أُباتها
Refusing blemishes to pass through his abode
From where he is of the best lineage,
يَحمي بِبيضِ الحقِّ بيضَ مَكارِمٍ
وَهوَ الغَيورُ وَمِن أَجلِّ حُماتها
Protecting in the white of truth white generosity
For he is jealous and of the best guardians,
ما في الأَكارِمِ سَيّدٌ بِفضيلةٍ
إِلّا وَكانَ الصّدرُ في ساداتِها
No master in generosity by a merit
Except his was the foremost of its masters,
أَفديهِ شَمسَ هِدايَةٍ وَوِلايَةٍ
فَقَدِ اِستَنارَ بِهِ بُدورُ هُداتها
I ransom him sun of guidance and guardianship
For the moons orbit are illuminated by him,
وَلَقَد خَدَمتُ جَنابَهُ بِقَصيدَةٍ
تُزري بعَقدِ الدُّرِّ في كَلِماتِها
And I have served him with a poem
That rivals necklaces in its words,
غَرّاءُ بِكرٌ غادةٌ حَسناءُ قَد
كُتبت سطورُ المدحِ في وَجَناتها
A chaste beautiful newlywed bride
Written in praise in her temples,
وَزَفَفْتُها تُهدى إِلَيهِ وإنّها
مِن أَحسَنِ الأَبكارِ في زيناتِها
And I presented her to be gifted to him and she is
Among the best virgins in her beauty,
وَصَداقُها منهُ القَبولُ وَغَيرُهُ
لا تَرتَضيهِ يَكونُ مِن صَدقاتها
And her dowry from him is acceptance without other
She will not be pleased for it to be from his endowments
واللَّهُ يُبقيهِ مَدى الأيّامِ ما
شَدَتِ الحَمائمُ في ذُرى دَوْحاتها
And God keeps him the length of days what
Doves have adhered to in the plentiful valleys,
