لاَ وَبَرْدِ اللَّقَا وَحَرّ الفِرَاقِ
مَا لِقَلْبِي من لَسْعِةِ البَيْنِ رَاقِ
No, by the chill of parting and the heat of separation,
My heart finds no relief from the pain of distant love.
كَيْفَ يَخْفَى حَرِيقُ وَجْدِ فُؤَادٍ
صَيَّرَ الجفنَ دائِمَ الإغْرَاقِ
How can the burning anguish of my heart be hidden
When my eyes are ever tearful with sorrow?
كَتَمَتْهُ جَوَانِحِي فَفَشَاهُ
نَاطِقُ الدَّمْعِ صَامِتُ الآمَاقِ
My spirit concealed it but my tearful eyes revealed it,
My tears speak though my eyelids are silent.
يَا غزَالاً عَنِ المحبّ نَفُوراً
وَشهَاباً فِي البُعْدِ والإحْرَاقِ
O you gazelle, scornful of your lover,
A comet disappearing into the far horizon.
كَمْ أنَادِيكَ شَرَّنِي مَا دَهَانِي
كَمْ أنَادِيكَ شَفَّنِي مَا ألاَقِي
How often I call you, the more I call the less I find you.
How often I call you, the less I see you appear before me.
فَأجِرْنِي مِنَ الجُفُونِ فَقَلْبِي
مَاتَ صَبْراً مِنَ السُّيُوفِ الرّقَاقِ
Save me from these unfeeling eyelids, for my patience
Has died from the delicate blades of separation.
وَأغِثْنِي مِنَ القدُودِ فَإنِّي
لَسْتُ أقْوَى عَلَى الرّمَاحِ الرّشَاقِ
And aid me against these killing glances, for I cannot
Withstand the piercing arrows shot from your eyes.
لَسْتُ أرْضَى سِوَاكَ مَالِكَ رِقِّي
لاَ تَسُمْنِي بِذِلَّةِ الإعْتَاقِ
I wish for no other but you, O master of my soul,
Do not condemn me to the disgrace of liberation.
سَامَحَ اللَّهُ حَاجِبَيْكَ كَمَا قَدْ
رَشَقَتْنِي بِأسْهُمِ الأحْدَاقِ
May God forgive your eyebrows that pelted me
With the arrows shot from your bright piercing eyes.
وَحَمَى وَاضِحَ الجَبِينِ لِئَلاَّ
تَدَّعِيهِ أهِلَّةُ الآفَاقِ
And guard that bright forehead lest it be claimed
By the people of all horizons as their own.
كَمْ قَطَعْنَا بِهِ لَيَالِيَ وَصْلٍ
فِي استلاَمٍ وَلَذَّةٍ وَاعْتِنَاقِ
How many nights of union we shared,
In embraces, in bliss, in intimate hugging.
وَجَلَوْنَا مِنَ الوُجُوهِ شُمُوساً
فِي الدّيَاجِي شَدِيدَةَ الإشْرَاقِ
We sipped the wine of radiant faces in the darkness,
Brilliant suns veiled in black tangled hair.
وَرَشَفْنَا مِنَ الثغُورِ كُؤُوسًا
رَاحُهَا فِيهِ رَاحَةُ العُشَّاقِ
We drank from lips like cups,
Whose wine brought joy to lovers.
وَهَصَرْنَا مِنَ القدُودِ غُصُونًا
طَارَحَتْهَا بَلاَبِلُ الأشْوَاقِ
We plucked branches from killing glances,
Cast aside by the twittering of ardent passions.
فِي رِيَاضٍ وَوَرْدِ خَدٍّ بديعٍ
حَفَّ حُسْنًا بِنرجس الاحدَاقِ
In gardens and roses and beautiful cheeks,
Adorned with narcissus-like bright eyes.
حَيْثُ وِرْدُ الوصَالِ أعذبُ وِرْدٍ
وَمذَاقُ الفرَاق مُرُّ المَذَاقِ
Where the wine of union is the sweetest wine,
And the taste of separation the most bitter taste.
يا فُؤَادِي عَنِ القَطِيعَةِ صبراً
قَدْ قَضَى البَيْنُ بَيْنَنَا بفرَاقِ
O my heart, be patient with this separation,
For distance has come between us against our will.
لاَ تَكُنْ عِنْدَمَا تُصَابُ جَزُوعًا
لَيْسَ بَعْدَ الفِرَاقِ إلاّ التَّلاَقِي
Do not despair when you are hurt,
After separation comes the joy of reunion.
بِأبِي مَنْ إذَا رَنَتْ مقلتَاهُ
قَابَلَتْهُ الظِّبَاءُ بِالإطْرَاقِ
By the one whose glances, when they glance,
Are greeted by gazelles glancing back.
بَاخِلٌ بِالْوِصَالِ وَهْوَ كَرِيمٌ
ضَيِّقُ الجفنِ وَاسع الأخلاَقِ
Stingy with union yet generous in nature,
Narrow of eye yet broad in character.
غُصْنُ بَانٍ وَدِعْصُ رملٍ كثيبٌ
بَدْرُ تَمٍّ وَرِيمُ أنْسِ تَلاَقِ
A branch of Bān, a dune of shifting sands,
A full moon of Tamm, a sand hill of trysts.
قَامَ يَسْعَى بِشَمْسِ رَاحٍ فَدَتْهَا
مُهْجَتِي فِي الصَّبُوحِ وَالإغْبَاقِ
He came seeking with the sun of comfort, so I ransomed it
With my passion in the dawn and dark of night.
فَهْيَ رَاحٌ وَفِي الْحَقِيقَةِ رُوحٌ
وَعَجِيبٌ مِنْ حُكْمِ حلْفِ اتِّفَاقِ
It was but a breeze, yet in truth a soul,
A wonder made by the decree of concord.
وَهْيَ بِكرٌ قَد انْجَلَتْ فِي دنَانٍ
مِنْ جُمَانٍ مُزَرَّدِ الأطْوَاقِ
A virgin who walked gracefully in a garden
Adorned with clustering jeweled necklaces.
وَهْيَ نَارٌ وَكَأسُهَا التبرُ مَاءٌ
وَبديعٌ المَاءُ لِلنَّارِ وَاقِ
A fire whose cup is pure rainwater,
And wondrous is this water to the fire.
قَدْ حَبَتْ بِالسَّنَا ثُغُورَ النَّدَامَى
وَحَبَاهَا الحَبَابُ ثَغْرَ السَّاقِي
She fell in love with the mouths of the repentant,
And the one who loves was gifted with her mouth’s kiss.
