نَزَحت دَارُهُم وشَطَّت مَزارا

فَدَعُوني أُجرِ الدُّموعَ غِزارا

Their abode departed and their tombs crumbled,

So let me shed copious tears.

هذهِ سُنَّةُ الُمحبَّينَ إِذ تم

سي المغاني مِنَ الغواني قِفارا

This is the way of lovers when the beloved is gone,

And the encampments are left desolate.

أيُّ صَبٍّ ما ظلَّ يندبُ رَبعاً

ومُحِبٍّ ما باتَ يبكي الدِّيارا

What youth does not remain lamenting a quarter,

And what lover does not weep for the past?

بضُلوعٍ إِذا استعرنَ استِعارا

في ربُوعِ فَما استعرنَ استِعارا

With ribs, when they ignite, borrowing a flame

In meadows, though they ignite, borrowing no flame.

يا جَواري الدُّموعِ أينَ الجَواري

واعتذارَ الأطلالِ أينَ العَذارى

O tears' confidantes, where are the confidantes?

And the excuse of ruins, where are the excuses?

أصبحت عنكِ أعينُ اللَّهوِ صُوراً

حينَ لم تَلقَ فيكِ ذاكَ الصُّوارا

Your eyes became, without you, images of distraction

When they found not in you that charm.

صَدفَ الدَّهرُ عن ربُاكِ صَدوُفاً

ولَعوباً وَ زَينَباً ونَوارا

Fate was unkind to your romances

To play, and Zainab, and Nawar.

حالياتٍ وأنتِ منهنَّ عُطلٌ

آنساتٍ شَردَنَ عنكِ نِفارا

Delighted ones while you from them abstain

Companions who shunned you and went away.

كنتِ جواً لكلِّ شَمسٍ وبدرٍ

ما أراكِ السُّرورُ منه سِرارا

You were an atmosphere for every sun and full moon

I see you not made happy by it, secretly.

فاضحٍ بَهجةَ الشَّقيقِ بخدٍّ

جمعَ الحُسنُ فيه ماءً ونارا

Revealing the joy of the iris with a cheek

On which beauty combined water and fire.

كلَّما قُلتُ جادَ جدَّ بِعاداً

فإذا قلتُ زارَ زادَ ازوِرارا

Whenever I said, he freely gave, generously,

And when I said, he visited, he visited time and again.

يتثنَّى تِيهاً بقَدٍّ وَوَجهٍ

يَترُكُ الليَّلَ بالضيِّاءِ نَهارا

Moving languorously with a slender waist and cheek

Leaving the night bright as day.

خَطَرتٌ خاطرتُ بالرُّوحِ فيها

وعِذارُ خلعتُ فيهِ العِذارا

I fancied fancying her very soul

And the excuse of her cheek I removed.

وحياءٍ رأى مُحيَّاهُ روضاً

فسقَى الآسَ منه والجُلَّنارا

And a shyness that saw its bashfulness a meadow

So it watered the boughs and pomegranate flowers from it.