إلَى مَتَى ذَا الجَفَا وَذَا الصَّدْ

يَا مَنْ لِمُغْرَى الفُؤَادِ قَدْ صَدّ

How long will you be so aloof and unkind

To one whose heart your love has made blind?

أمَا كَفَى مَا جَرَى بِخَدّي

مِنْ مَدْمَعٍ بِالْغَرَامِ أُوقِدْ

Is it not enough, the tears that I have shed,

While passion's flames within my eyelids spread?

صَيَّرْتَ جَفْنِي غَرِيقَ دَمْعٍ

وَالْقَلْب فِي النَّارِ قَدْ تَوَقَّدْ

You made my eyes a fountain of flowing tears,

While in my heart the fire of love still sears,

رُحْمَاكَ رُحْمَاكَ بِي فَإِنِّي

مُتَيَّمٌ هَائِمٌ مُسَهَّدْ

Have mercy, mercy on my life, for I

Am left bewildered, stunned, confounded, dead.

حَمَّلَنِي الهَجْرُ مِنْكَ مَا لَوْ

حُمِّلَه قَاسَيُونُ لاَنْهَدْ

The separation you imposed on me would break

The back of mountains, if its weight they had to take.

يَا لِلْهَوَى قَدْ أبَاحَ قَتْلِي

ظَبْيٌ لَه نَاظِرٌ تَأسَّدْ

Alas for love that gave you right to end my life,

A haughty roe gazed on by lions fierce in strife!

عَبْسِيُّ أجْفَانِهِ المَوَاضِي

لِلتُّرْكِ تُعْزَى فَلِمْ تُهَنَّدْ

My lover frowned at me with eyelids that entice,

Yet you spurned him: was this a cause for such device?

ثقَّفَ عِطْفًا وَسَنَّ طَرْفًا

فَصَالَ بِالرُّمْحِ وَالْمُهَنَّدْ

He charmed me with a look, a turn, and was for me

Spear-armed and mail-clad with his sorcery.

قَلَّدَهُ الطَّرْفُ سَلْبَ رُوحِي

يَا حَبَّذاَ الفَاتِكُ المُقَلَّدْ

With his eyes he stole my soul, O excellent thief!

I stole a kiss from him, and he cried out in grief,

غَصَبْتُهُ قُبْلَةً فَنَادَى

عَلَيْكَ فِيمَا فَعَلْتَهُ الْحَدْ

"This wrong of yours deserves a thousand strokes, on cheek

Or lips, if such your fancy seek!"

فَقُلْتُ خُذْهَا بِألْفِ ألْفٍ

فِي الثَّغْرِ إنْ شِئْتَ أوْ عَلَى الخَدْ

I said, "I have no power the penalty to pay,

That kiss I stole by force - stolen goods should be restored, they say."

فَقَالَ مَا بِالقِصَاصِ أقْضِي

فَقُلْت مَالِي بِذَاكَ مِنْ يَدْ

He said, "By God, you are a brigand for sure!

A thief can only be stopped short by punishment severe."

وَإنَّمَا نِلْتُ ذَاكَ غَصْبًا

وَالْحُكْمُ فِي الغَصْبِ عِنْدَنَا الرَّدْ

He set aflame my heart, "More fire!" he said in jest,

I said "Enough!" He said "Then add some to the test!"

فَقَالَ هَيْهَاتَ أنْتَ لِصٌّ

وَاللِّصُّ لاَ يَنْتَهِي بِلاَ حَدْ

O noble men, have mercy on a man brought low,

Scorned by his critics envied by his foe,

أوْجَدَ فِي بَاطِنِي لَهِيبًا

وَقَالَ هَزْلاً أوْجَدْتُ أوْجِدْ

Who moans in loneliness for one who was his friend,

And whom in love he cherished and defended,

فَقُلْتُ حَسْبِي فَقَالَ كَلاَّ

فَقُلْتُ زِدْنِي فَقَالَ إعْتَدْ

Who left him lost in flames of passion's fire

Till love had made of him its own desire,

يَا لَلرِّجَالِ ارْحَمُوا كَئِيبًا

رَقَّ لَهُ شَامِتٌ وَحُسَّدْ

Abandoned, calling on his God alone,

While love has left him in oblivion thrown.

يَحِنُّ فِي غَوْرِهِ لِنَجْدٍ

صَوَّبَهُ فِي الهَوَى وَصَعَّدْ

By day, by night, his heart is burning coal,

Extinguished by tears that from his eyelids roll.

وَطَارَ مِنْ شَوْقِهِ إلَى أنْ

أقْعَدَهُ الحُبُّ كُلَّ مَقْعَدْ

Sickness wasted him till he was but a ghost,

Hidden from shame and from unfriendly boast.

مُشَرَّدٌ فِي الهَوَى يُنَادِي

اللَّهَ اللَّهَ فِي المُشَرَّدْ

So was he melted down, as if he were a paste

Poured into water, that dissolves and will not last.

يُمْسِي وَيُضْحي حَرِيقَ قَلْبٍ

هَامِي سَحابِ الجُفُونِ مُكْمَد

And when his love at length was turned to hate,

He left this life; was ever known so dire a fate?

ذَابَ حَشَاهُ فَسَالَ دَمْعًا

أمَا تَرَى لَوْنَهُ مُوَرَّدْ

أنْحَلَهُ سُقْمُهُ إلَى أنْ

أخْفَاهُ عَنْ عُذَّلٍ وَعُوَّدْ

وَقَدْ تَلاَشَى وَذَابَ حَتَّى

لَوْ صُبَّ في المَاءِ مَا تَجَسَّدْ

وَفَارَقَتْهُ الحَيَاةُ لَمَّا

بُدّلَ بَعْدَ الوِصَالِ بِالصَّدْ