إِذا لاحَ بَرقٌ مِن جنابِكَ لامِعُ
أَضاءَ لِواشٍ ما تجِنُّ الأَضالِعُ
When lightning flashes from your side, radiant,
It illuminates for a fond one what ribs conceal.
تَتابَعَ لا يَحتَثُّ جَفني فإِنَّهُ
بَدا فَتلاهُ دَمعيَ المُتَتابعَ
Unceasing, it allows no rest to my eyelids, for it
Appeared and straightaway my ensuing tears pursued it.
فان يَكُنِ الخِصبُ اطَّباكُم إِلى النَوى
فَقَد أَخصَبَت مِن مُقلَتيَّ المَرابِعُ
If fertility has directed you to purpose,
Then my eye's pupil has been rendered fertile by the deluge.
مطالعُ بَدرٍ منذُ عامين عُطِّلَت
وَما فَقَدت بَدراً لِذاكَ المطالِعُ
The rising of a full moon kept from me for two years
And never did I want that rising luminary.
وَسِرُّ هَوىً هَمَّت باظهاره النَوى
فَأَمسى وَقَد نادَت عليهِ المَدامِعُ
The secret of a love which purpose strove to divulge
Has by nightfall been proclaimed aloud by my streaming tears.
وَلَمّا بَرَزنا لِلوَداعِ وَأَيقَنَت
نُفوسٌ دَهاها البَينُ ما اللَهُ صانِعُ
When we went forth to bid farewell, souls convinced
That, once parted, God alone knows what He will ordain,
وَقفنا وَرُسلُ الشَوقِ بَيني وَبَينَها
حَواجِبُ أَدّت بثَّنا وَأَصابِعُ
We stopped, while messengers of longing stood between me and her,
Eyebrows, fingers, relaying messages twixt us.
فَلا حُزننا غَطّى عليه تَجلُّدٌ
وَلا حُسنُها غَطَّت عَلَيهِ البَراقِعُ
Neither could our sorrow cloak itself in patience,
Nor her beauty shield itself with veils.
أَتَنسين ما بَيني وَبينك وَالدُجى
غِطاءٌ عَلَينا وَالعُيونُ هَواجِعُ
Do you forget what lay twixt me and you when darkness
Enshrouded us and spies' eyes kept vigil?
وَهبكِ أَضعتِ القَلبَ حين مَلكتِه
تَقى في العُهودِ اللَهَ فَهيَ وَدائِعُ
You who stole my heart when you possessed it,
Feared the pledge to God? But pledges are trusts.
تَمادى بِنا في جاهليّةِ بُخلها
وَقَد قامَ بِالمَعروف في الناس شارِعُ
With me it persisted in the ignorance of its stinginess,
While open-handedness openly prevailed among men.
وَتَحسَبُ لَيلَ الشُحِّ يَمتَدُّ بَعدَما
بَدا طالِعاً شَمسُ السَخاء طَلائِعُ
You thought the night of meanness would extend after
The dawn of bounty rose heralding the day.
