يا أَيُّها المَعمودُ

قَد شَفَّكَ الصُدودُ

O you who are baptized

Hardships have healed you

فَأَنتَ مُستَهامٌ

خالَفَكَ السُهودُ

So you are determined

Prostration has opposed you

تَبيتُ ساهِراً قَد

وَدَّعَكَ الهُجودُ

You stay up nightly indeed

Exertion has bid you farewell

وَفي الفُؤادِ نارٌ

لَيسَ لَها خُمودُ

And in the heart is a fire

That has no extinguishing

تَشُبُّها نيرانٌ

مِنَ الهَوى وُقودُ

Fires resembling it

With passion as its fuel

إِذا أَقولُ يَوماً

قَد أُطفِئَت تَزيدُ

Whenever I say one day

It has been extinguished, it grows

يا عاذِلَيَّ كُفّا

فَإِنَّني مَعمودُ

O you who blame me, stop

For I am baptized

أَكثَرتُما تَفنيدي

لَو يَنفَعُ التَفنيدُ

You have refuted me so much

If refuting avails

قَد أَقصَدَت فُؤادي

خُمصانَةٌ خَريدُ

My heart has been pierced

By a sneering, snickering flirt

بَهَنانَةٌ لَعوبٌ

غَرثى الوِشاحِ رُودُ

A giggling, playful coquette

With a dress of scattered patches

هِجرانُها قَريبٌ

وَوَصلُها بَعيدُ

Her abandonment is near

And her union is remote

كَلامُها خَلوبٌ

إِلى الصِبا يَقودُ

Her talk is flirtatious

Leading youth to debauchery

وَطَرفُها مَريضٌ

وَلَحظُها صَيودُ

And her glance is sick

And her wink is piercing

وَهوَ لِنَفسِهِ إِذ

يَظلِمُ مُستَفيدُ

And it is to itself when

It wrongs, benefiting

وَسنى وَلا كَوَسنى

تُميتُ مَن تُريدُ

It kills whom it wants

Whether affinity or loathing

كَالبَدرِ بَعدَ عَشرٍ

قارَنَهُ السُعودُ

Like the full moon after ten days

Prosperity drew near it

وَثَغرُها شَتيتُ

وَريقُها بَرودُ

And her mouth is dispersed

And her saliva is cool

كَأَنَّ فيهِ مِسكاً

خالَطَهُ قِنديدُ

As if there is musk in it

Mixed with cloves

وَقَدُّها مَمشوقٌ

مُنَعَّمٌ مَقدودُ

And her form is supple

Refined, well-measured

وَكَشحُها لَطيفٌ

مُهَفهَفٌ خَضيدُ

And her breast is delicate

Fluttering, tender

كَأَنَّهُ قَضيبٌ

في غَرسِهِ يَميدُ

As if it is a rod

Bending in its twigs

وَرِدفُها ثَقيلٌ

بِخَصرِها يَميدُ

And her hips are heavy

Swaying at her waist

كَأَنَّهُ كَثيبٌ

لَبَّدَهُ الجَليدُ

As if it is a sand dune

Sculpted by hail

لَها مِنَ الظِباءِ

مُقَلَّدٌ وَجيدُ

She has of gazelles

A necklace and beauty

كَأَنَّهُ غَزالٌ

بِبَلدَةٍ فَريدُ

As if it is a gazelle

In an outstanding homeland

أَو صَنَمٌ بَهِيٌّ

في دَيرِهِ مَعبودُ

Or a beautiful idol

Worshipped in its monastery

أَحسُدُهُ مِراراً

وَمِثلُهُ مَحسودُ

I envy it frequently

And its like is envied

قَد جَحَدَت هَواها

هَل يَنفَعُ الجُحودُ

Her passion has denied

Does denial avail?

مَن لامَ في هَواها

فَنُصحُهُ مَردودُ

Who blames her passion

His advice is refused

يا سِحرُ واصِليني

فَإِنَّني عَميدُ

O enchanting beloved, unite me

For I am a pillar

إِنّي لِما أُلاقي

مِن حُبِّكُم مَجهودُ

When I meet

Your love's exhaustion

جودي لِمُستَهامٍ

عَذَّبَهُ التَسهيدُ

My generosity is for a determined one

Tormented by suppression

يَسهَرُ مِن هَواكُم

وَأَنتُمُ رُقودُ

Who stays up from your love

While you are asleep

حَتّى مَتّى مُنايَ

لا يُنجَزُ المَوعودُ

Until when, my wishes

Are the promises fulfilled?

صارَ الهَوى بِقلبي

يُبدي كَما يُعيدُ

Passion in my heart

Shows as it repeats

وَيحي أَنا الطَريدُ

وَيحي أَنا الشَريدُ

And I live, the chased one

And I live, the exiled one

وَيحي أَنا المُعَنّى

وَيحي أَنا الفَريدُ

And I live, the purposed one

And I live, the unique one

وَيحي أَنا المُمَنّى

وَيحي أَنا الوَحيدُ

And I live, the wished one

And I live, the lone one

وَيحي أَنا المُبَلّى

وَيحي أَنا الفَقيدُ

And I live, the worn one

And I live, the missed one

أَبادَني هَواكُم

وَالحُبُّ لا يَبيدُ

Your love has destroyed me

And love does not vanish

وَالحُبُّ يا مُنايَ

أَهوَنَهُ شَديدُ

And love, O my wishes

Is easiest, most severe

وَالحُبُّ لي نَديمٌ

وَالحُبُّ لي قَعيدُ

And love is my companion

And love is my sitter

وَالحُبُّ لي طَريفٌ

وَالحُبُّ لي تَليدُ

And love is my joy

And love is my habit

وَالحُبُّ لي إِذا ما

أَخلَقتُهُ جَديدُ

And love, when I

Renew it, is new

أَشهَدُ أَنَّ قَلبي

عَلى الهَوى جَليدُ

I witness that my heart

Is frozen to passion

يَحمِلُ كُلَّ هَذا

وَحَملُهُ كَؤودُ

Bearing all this

And its load is heavy

لَو كانَ مِن جُلمودٍ

تَفَتَّتَ الجُلمودُ

If it was of granite

The granite would crumble

وَسادَةٍ سُراةٍ

ما فيهِمُ مَسودُ

And of masterful, sound men

Among them no discordant one

كُلُّهُم جَليدٌ

ما فيهِمُ حَريدُ

All are frozen

Among them no fiery one

بانَ السِفاهُ عَنهُم

فَرَأيُهُم سَديدُ

Ignorance from them is evident

So their view is correct

يُسقَونَ صَفوَ راحٍ

لَذيذُها مَوجودُ

They are quenched by the limpidity of rest

Its deliciousness present

كانَت بِعَهدِ نوحٍ

وَهُم لَها جُنودُ

It existed in Noah's time

And they are its soldiers

حَتّى إِذا أُبيدوا

أَورَثَها ثَمودُ

Until when they perished

It was inherited by Thamud

شَمسِيَّةٌ شَمولٌ

شَيطانُها مَريدُ

A Shamiyya, Shamoul

Its devil an outcast

مِن عَمَلِ النَصارى

لَم تَغذُها اليَهودُ

From the work of Christians

Not nourished by Jews

وَعِندِنا غَزالٌ

بِطَرفِهِ يَصيدُ

And we have a gazelle

Who hunts with its glances

مُبَتَّلٌّ غَريرٌ

تُزهى بِهِ العُقودُ

Charming, delicate

Adorned with it are necks

حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ مِن

غُرَّتِهِ بَليدُ

Until it is as if

From its charm, exhausted

فَلَم يَزَل يَسقينا

وَعَيشُنا رَغيدُ

So it never ceased watering us

And our life is comfortable

مُدامَةٌ لَها في

خُدودِنا تَوريدُ

An intoxicant for which

On our cheeks is reddening

كَأَنَّ شارِبيها

في سوقِهِم قُيودُ

As if its drinkers

In their market have shackles

حَتّى اِنثَنَت عُيونٌ

وَاِحمَرَّت الخُدودُ

Until eyes became sleepy

And cheeks turned red

في مَجلِسٍ نَضيرٍ

يَزينُهُ الشُهودُ

In a splendid session

Graced by witnesses

غَطارِفٌ كِرامٌ

بيضُ الوُجوهِ صيدُ

Flirts, generous hosts

White of face, prey

مِن فَوقِهِم أَطيارٌ

صِياحُها تَغريدُ

Above them birds

Whose chirping is singing

وَتَحتَهُم جِنانٌ

نَباتُها نَضيدُ

And below them gardens

Whose plants are tender

أَكواسُهُم مِلاءُ

طافِحَةٌ رُكودُ

Their cups brimmed

Overflowing, still

قَد قُلِّدَت بِآسٍ

فَزانَها التَقليدُ

Adorned with fresh pearls

Their adornment, imitation

مِثلُ بَناتِ ماءٍ

أَفزَعَها الرُعودُ

Like daughters of water

Startled by thunder

فَمَرَّةً رُكوعٌ

وَمَرَّةً سُجودُ

Once bowing

Once prostrating

وَعِندَهُم دِفافٌ

وَزامِرٌ وَعودُ

And with them are tambourines

And lutes and ouds

خاضوا بِبَحرِ قَصفٍ

تَجري لَهُ مُدودُ

They dove in an ocean of wit

With extended favors

حَتّى اِنتَشَوا وَقاموا

مَجلِسُهُم مَحمودُ

Until they reclined and rose

Their gathering praiseworthy

مَن قالَ مِثلَ هَذا

فَإِنَّهُ سَعيدُ

Who says the likes of this

Then he is fortunate

هَذا الخُلودُ عِندي

لَو دامَ لِيَ الخُلودُ

This immortality, to me

If immortality persisted for me