ما أَصبحت حُشاشَتي في أَسرِها
إلاَّ وَقَد أَودَت بِها بأَسرِها
My love is not in captivity
Except that she has made me her captive
ولا غدَت لموثِقي ناسيَةٌ
إلاَّ بِكَوني هائِما بذكرِها
She does not forget the one who binds her
Except by my being distraught with her memory
لِلَّهِ ما أَجودَها ذَاتُ لَمى
تأَلُّمي مِن عينِها وَسِحرها
By God, her beauty is most generous
My agony comes from her eyes and their magic
هَيفاءُ بيضاءُ لهَا غَدائِرٌ
مُسوَدَّةٌ كأَنَّها مِن غَدرِها
She is radiant and white, with long dark tresses
As if made darker from her betrayal
مُخلفِةٌ وعُودَها مُنجِزَةٌ
وَعيدَها في وَصِلها وَهَجرِها
Keeping her promises and breaking them too
Both when she is close and when far from me
كأَنَّما عُقودُهَا مَنظومَةٌ
من أَدمُعي وَلفظِها وَثغرِها
As if her pacts were strung together
From my tears, her words, her mouth
وَجدتُ فيها الوَجدَ من ثَلاثَةٍ
أَعدَمَتِ الُمهجةَ حُسنَ صبَرِها
I found passion for her in three things
That made restraint lose all its beauty
مِن مَشقةٍ في قَدِّها وَرِقَّةِ
في خَدَّها وَدِقَّةٍ في خَصرِها
The slenderness of her waist and softness
Of her cheek and the slimness of her middle
باخِلَةٌ حتَّى بِطَيفٍ طَارقِ
يَطوي الدُّجَى يَحمِلُ طيِبَ نَشرِها
Stingy even with an visiting shadow
Bearing perfume, crossing the darkened dusk
قانِصَةٌ لِكُلِّ لَيثِ مُخدرٍ
بِطَرفِها مِن خَلفِ سَجفِ خِدرِها
Cutting off with her glance every roaring lion
From behind the unkempt hair of her temple
يا حُسنَ أَعطافٍ لَهَا لَو جَبرَت
بِضَمِّها القُلوبَ بَعد كَسرِها
O, beauty of swaying hips - if she would
Heal hearts after she had broken them
وَوجَنةٍ مُستَغرقٍ في لُجَّةٍ
مِن مَائِها الصَّافي لَهيبُ جَمرِها
And an intoxication sunk in the depths
Of her pure waters, embers glowing
يا للضَّلالِ كَم أَرىَ مُعلِّلاً
روحي بما في حَجرِها وأُزرِها
O how I see my soul misguided
By what lies in her lap and bosom
أَأَرتَجي من عِطفِها عَطفاً وَقَد
رَأَيتُ فَرطَ أَمرها في إِمرها
Shall I hope for kindness from her
When I have seen what rules her commands?
أيُّ ضنَىً لمَ تُهدهِ وَعاشقٍ
لَم تَهدهِ وأَدمُعِ لَم تُجرِها
What beloved soul has she not tempted
And what eyes overflowing has she not led astray?
ما لذُنوبي عِندها عَظِيمةٌ
نَيلُ نُجومِ الغَفرِ دونَ غَفرِها
My sins are not so great to her
That she deny the stars of forgiveness
كَأَنَّني قُلتُ العَطَايا مُسنَدٌ
حَديثُها من غَيرِ كَفِّ بَدرِها
As if I said “favors are propped up”
While her words lacked even a full moon.
