لو رعيتُم للعاشقينَ ذِماما

لبعثتُم قبلَ الخيالِ الَمناما

If you had reined in lovers,

You would have sent dreams before imagination.

ورثيتُم لمن غدا في هواكم

والهَ القلبِ مُغرَماً مُستهاما

And you would have eulogized those who became enamored with you,

And the hearts' conquest grew exuberant and more daring.

بنتمو فانثنيتُ إِلفاً لِوُرقٍ

كُلمَّا رجعَّت أهيجُ غَراما

Whenever a leaf would bend, I bend to it a thousand times,

Each time passion is stirred anew.

كانَ ظنِّي أنَّ الحمائمَ تَشفي

فسقاني نَوحُ الحَمامِ الحِماما

I thought doves would heal me,

But the cooing of turtledoves left me sick at heart.

لا وأيَّامِ قُربِكم ما نَهاني

عنكُمُ عاذلٌ يُطيلُ الَملاما

Neither censuring critics that bitterly blame

Nor the days of your nearness forbade me from you.

كلَّما قالَ دَعهمُ قلتُ دعني

لا شفَى اللهُ منهمُ لي سَقاما

Whenever one would say "Leave them be!" I said "Leave me be!"

May God never heal me of their disease!

يا نسيمَ الصَّبا لعَّلكَ تقرا

لي على بانةِ الكثيبِ السَّلاما

O morning breeze, perchance you would convey

My greetings to the dunes of Banu Khuzam.

وإذا عدتَ قُل لبُردِكَ يحَمِل

فيهِ نشراً من طيبِ عرف الخُزامي

And on your return tell your coolness to carry

Fragrance of Khuzam's basil as you go.

حبَّذا أنتَ مِن رسولٍ كريمٍ

لمشوقٍ أبى الهوَى أن يَناما

Blessed are you as a noble messenger

To a lovelorn one who spurns sleep.

هاتِ باللهِ لا عُدِمتَ رسولاً

فُضَّ عن ذلكَ الحديثِ الخِتاما

For God's sake, do not fail as a messenger.

Break off from further discussion on this.

وأعِدهُ مكرَّراً لتراني

ثَمِلاً قد شربتُ منهُ مُداما

And repeat it time and again so you would see me

Quaffing deep from it as though 'twere wine.

أنتَ لا شكَّ ناصحٌ لي ولكن

قد تَفي أن سمعتَ هذا الكَلاما

You, no doubt, advise me well, and yet

Perchance you would conceal this discourse if heard.