مَنْ لَمْ تَرُعْهُ صَوَارِمُ الأحْدَاقِ
لَمْ يَدْرِ كَيْفَ مَصَارِعُ العُشَّاقِ
He who has not been awed by love's sharp swords
Knows not how lovers wrestle and collide.
إنْ لَمْ تَرُعْكَ وَلَمْ تُشَاهِدْهَا فَسَلْ
بَرْقَ الحِمَى عَنْ قَلْبِيَ الخَفَّاقِ
If it did not shake you, if you did not see it, ask
About the fever's flash within my pounding heart,
وَاصْغَ لِتَغْرِيدِ الحَمَامِ وَشَدْوِهِ
يُنْبِئْكَ عَنْ وَجْدِي وَعَنْ أشْوَاقِي
And listen to the crooning of the doves - their song
Will tell you of my fervor and all I long.
فَبِسُحْبِ دَمُعِي وَالْتِهَابِ جَوَانِحِي
أنْذِرْتُ بِالإغْرَاقِ وَالإحْرَاقِ
My flowing tears and burning sighs forewarn
Of being drowned and set aflame forlorn.
وَبِسُهْدِ جَفْنِي وَاكْنِئَابِ حُشَاشَتِي
أرْسِلْتُ لِلْعُشَّاقِ بِالأشْوَاقِ
My heavy lids and frowning brow have sent
Yearning itself to those by passion rent.
فَالْحُبُّ دِينِي وَالتَّوَلُّهُ شِرْعَتِي
وَالْوَجُدُ عَهْدِي وَالْهَوَى مِيثَاقِي
For love's my faith, bewilderment my law,
And longing is my pact, desire my flaw.
والشوقُ طَبْعِي وَالصَّبَابَةُ شِيمَتِي
وَالتَّوْقُ وَصْفِي وَالجَوَى أخْلاقِي
And craving is my nature, youth my way,
And rapture is my wont, my moods hold sway.
أمُخَلِّفًا جَسَدِي وَسَالِبَ مُهْجَتِي
مَاذا يَضُرُّك لَوْ سَلَبْت البَاقِي
So take my body, rob my soul outright -
What loss to you if you take what remains?
إنِّي وَإنْ أخْفَرْتُ ذِمَّةَ مُهْجَتِي
لَمْ أرْضَ أخْفَرُ ذِمَّةَ المِيثَاقِ
Though I've betrayed my soul's sworn covenant,
I would not shame the pact that I have meant.
فَعَلاَمَ خَلَّفْتَ الفُؤَادَ مُرَوَّعًا
مَا بَيْن إخَلافٍ إلَي إخْلاقِ
Why then leave my heart fearful and confused
Between betrayal and the trust I've used?
هَبْنِي أسَأتُ فَكُنْ بعبدك مُحْسِنًا
وَاشْفِقْ عَلَى المُهَجَاتِ وَالأرْمَاقِ
Forgive me, I have erred, so treat Your slave with grace
Have mercy on those souls whom passions chase
أوَ لَمْ تَرِقَّ لِرِقِّ عَبْدٍ عِزُّهُ
أنْ لَمْ تَسُمْهُ بِذِلَّةِ الإعْتَاقِ
Does not Your servant's dignity appease You enough
That You name him not with "freed" though in the rough?
دَنِفٌ إذَا ذُكِرَ الوِصَالُ تَمَزَّقَتْ
أحْشَاهُ قَبْلَ تَمَزُّقِ الأطْوَاقِ
When union's recalled, this abject soul is torn
Before the shackles binding him are worn.
يَبْكِي لُيَيْلآتٍ تَقَضَّتْ بِالهَنَا
مَا بَيْنَ تَقْبِيلٍ وَطِيبِ عِنَاقِ
He weeps for nights of bliss that ended, alas,
Between a kiss's balm and a sweet embrace,
حَيْثُ الغُصُونُ تَمَايَلَتْ أفْنَانُهَا
وَالْتَفَّتِ الأوْرَاقُ بِالأوْرَاقِ
Where the boughs bent, leaves whispered each to each,
And the blossoms leaned into a floral speech.
يَا رَاحِلاً عَني وَسَاكِنَ مُهْجَتِي
هَلاَّ أقَمْتَ لَنَا بِقَدْرِ فُوَاقِ
O you who've left me, haunting yet my heart,
Why did you not stay, time's march at least retard?
وَرَحِمْتَ إشْفَاقِي عَلَيْك حَنَانَةً
إن الْحَنَانَة شيمةُ الإشْفَاقِ
Show me some mercy, tenderness revive,
For kindness is the wont of those who strive.
وَمَنَنْتَ لِي بِالْقُرْبِ مِنْكَ تَكَرُّمًا
فَاللَّهُ حَبَّ مكَارم الأخْلاقِ
And grant me by your nearness some boon, pride efface,
For God loves noble deeds and gentle grace.
يَكْفِيك مِني أنْ أبِيتَ مُعَذَّبا
قَلِق الفُؤَادِ مُسَهَّدَ الأحدَاقِ
Let it suffice that I spend my nights sleepless,
Restless of heart with burning, streaming eyes.
أرْعَى النُّجُومَ وَهُنَّ أفْصَحُ مُخْبِرٍ
عَمَّا أقَاسِي فِي الدُّجَى وَألاَقِي
I watch the stars, whose talk reveals in signs
My lonely nights, the pain my being confines.
وَأراقِبُ الجوزاء أسألُ قُطْبَهَا
عَنْ ثَالِثِ القَمَرَيْنِ فِي الإشْرَاقِ
I question Gemini, speak to its pole
About the two stars rising, glowing whole.
وأرَاسلُ الغَيْثَ الهَتُونَ وَبَرْقَهُ
بلظى حَشَايَ وَمَدْمَعِي الرَّقْرَاقِ
To the rain's downpour, its lightning bright as swords,
I send my hot sighs, tears in flooding hordes.
وَأطَارحُ القُمْرِيَّ فِي تَغْرِيدِهِ
بِنَوى يَراعِي أوْ بِهَوْلِ سِبَاقِي
I converse with the moon, whose song and trill
Echo my purpose or race up a hill.
وأسَائِلُ الأظعَان والركْبَان عنْ
بدري المُضَلَّلِ فِي دُجَى الآفَاقِ
To travelers I tell my quest for one
Lost in horizon's haze, vanished with the sun.
فَعَسَى بشيرٌ بِاللِّقَا وَلَعَلَّ مَنْ
عَقَدَ الأمُورَ يَمُنُّ بِالإطلاَقِ
Perhaps good news of meeting waits in store,
Or fate's clinch loosens, opens freedom's door.
أمُعَنِّفِي زَعْمًا بِأنَّكَ نَاصِحٌ
اكْفُفْ فَإنَّكَ رَأسُ كُلّ نِفَاقِ
You blame and claim you wish me well, refrain!
Such hypocrisy is fakehood's clearest stain.
وَدَعِ التَّعَنُّفَ واطَّرِحْ نصحِي فَمَا
كُلِّفْتَ إسْعَافِي وَلاَ إرْفَاقِي
Spare me your zeal, reject my wish outright,
You're not tasked with my rescue or my plight!
فَأنَا الَّذِي أوْضَحْتُ مِنْهَاجَ الهَوَى
لِذَوِي نُفُوسٍ بِالْغَرَامِ رِقَاقِ
For I made clear the passion path ahead
To souls by love so gently conquered.
فَلْيُبْلَغِ الأحْبَابُ عَني أنَّنِي
فَانٍ عَلَى دِينِ الْمَحَبَّةِ بَاقِ
Let loved ones know I will remain sincere,
Steadfast in love until I perish here.
لا أنْثَنِي عَنْ حُبّ مَنْ لَمْ يَثْنِهِ
عِنْدَ الوَدَاعِ تَذلُّل الأشْواقِ
I will not turn from one whose heart denies,
At parting's hour, the longing in his eyes.
لَوْ كُنْتَ شَاهِدَنَا وَقَدْ حَكَمَ الهوَى
بِفرَاقنَا لَجَزِعْتَ من إشْفَاقِ
Had you but seen us when compelled apart
By love's decree, you would have wept, oh heart!
وَبَكِيتَ مُشْتَاقاً بَكَى لِبُكَائِهِ
جَفْنُ الغمَامِ بِدَمْعِهِ الرَّقْرَاقِ
You too would yearn, and for your yearning's ache,
Clouds' lids would rain with tears that crack and break.
وَهِيَ الفُؤَادُ وَطَارَ عَقْلِي عِنْدمَا
جَرَتِ الأمُورُ عَلَى خِلافِ وِفَاقِ
My heart took flight, intellect no more could rein
When things flowed counter to concord's easeful reign.
فَجَرَتْ مِنَ الأجْفَانِ حُمْرُ مدَامِعٍ
حَازَتْ بِسَفْحِ الخَدّ فَضْلَ سِبَاقِ
Down my cheeks poured the red of streaming tears,
And down my face their heated flood appears.
فَبَكَى وَقَالَ أذَاكَ دَمْعٌ أمْ دَمٌ
وَلَرُبَّ دَمْعٍ كَالدّمَا مُهْرَاقِ
He cried, "Are these tears or blood?" For many a tear
Is blood, when the heart's flames scorch and sear.
فَأجَبْتُهُ وَالدَّمْعُ يُظْهِرُهُ عَلَى
مَا فِي الحَشَا مِنْ شِدَّةِ الإحْرَاقِ
I said, my tears reveal upon my cheek
The fierce hell in me; look how blood they reek!
لا تَحْسَبَنَّ الدَّمْعَ فَاضَ وَإنَّمَا
قَلْبِي أذِيب فَسَال مِنْ آفَاقِي
Think not the tears just spilled; my heart instead
Melted away and poured in waves they spread.
يَا أمَّةَ الأشْوَاقِ هَلْ مِنْ مُسْعِفٍ
يُرْجَى لِدفْعِ حَوادِث الأشْوَاقِ
O people who pine, is there one who might save
Me from the blows of fate, passions that rend and rave?
أمْ هَلْ لِنَار تَلَهُّفِي من مُطْفِىءٍ
أمْ هَلْ لِفَيْضِ مَدَامِعِي من وَاقِ
Can someone douse the flames that sear my soul?
Stem the flood of my tears, help make me whole?
أمْ هَلْ لأوَّلِ لَوْعَتِي مِنْ آخِرٍ
أمْ هَلْ لِذَاهِبِ مُهْجَتِي مِنْ بَاقِ
Can someone heal the first stab of my pain?
Ease the loss of my soul before it wanes?
أمْ هَلْ لِكَسْرِ حُشَاشَتِي مِنْ جَابِرٍ
أمْ هَلْ لِدَاءِ صبَابَتِي من رَاقِ
Mend my broken heart, cure lovesickness and sorrow?
Bring dawn after the long night's empty hollow?
أمْ هَلْ لِعَهْدِ المُلْتَقَى مِنْ مَوْعِدٍ
فَلَقَدْ وَهَي جَسَدِي وَشُدَّ وَثَاقِي
Meet me again as reunions have blessed?
My body wastes; these bonds arrest my quest.
آهٍ وَمَا آهٍ بِنَافِعَةٍ وَقَدْ
أزِفَ الفرَاقُ وَلاَت حِين تلاقِ
Alas, no sigh relieves when the last meet nears.
No use in anything when the time of parting nears.
لَوْ كَانَ يَعْلَمُ خَازِنُ النِّيرَانِ مَا
تَحْتَ الفِرَاقِ مِنَ العَذَابِ البَاقِي
If the keeper of hellfire knew what awaited
In separation's purgatory, fated and hated,
لأذاقَ حِزْبَ الكُفْرِ زَقُّومَ النَوَى
وَإن اسْتَغَاثَ سَقَاهُ كَأسَ فِرَاقِ
He'd make the unbelievers drink Zaqqum's acidic brew,
Though they beg for water's mercy. That is their due.
