أَيَرجِعُ عَصرٌ بالجَزيرة رائِقُ

تَقَضّى وَأَبقى حسرةً ما تُفارِقُ

Will an era return to the peninsula, serene,

That has passed, leaving behind endless regret?

لَياليَ أَبكارُ السُرورِ وَعونُهُ

هَدايا وَأَمّاتُ الهُموم طَوالق

Nights of maidenly joy and its aid,

Gifts, and mothers of enduring sorrows, divorcees.

إِذ قُلتُ يَصحو القَلبُ مِن فَرطِ ذكره

دَعا هاتِفٌ في الأَيك أَو لاح بارِقُ

When I said, “The heart awakens from the intensity of remembering it,”

A caller in the thicket called out, “Or did a flashing light appear?”

تَرَكنا التَشاكي ساعة البَينِ ضلَّه

وَلا غَروَ يَومَ البَين إِن ضَلَّ عاشِقُ

We abandoned complaining during the hour of separation's error,

And there’s no wonder if the separated one erred, if the lover erred.

فَلا لذة الشَكوى قَضَينا وَلا الَّذي

سَتَرناهُ أَخفَته الدُموعُ السَوابقَ

So we finished neither the pleasure of complaining, nor what

We concealed, hidden by preceding tears.

فَمِن لؤلؤٍ شَقَّ الشَقيقَ مُبدَّداً

وَورسٍ جَرَت سَحّاً عليهِ الشَقائِقُ

So some scattered pearls broke apart,

And anemones flowed down it copiously.

إِذا نَحنُ حاوَلنا التَعانُقَ خُلسَةٌ

عَلاناً الزَفيرُ وَالقُلوبُ خَوافِقُ

When we tried to secretly embrace, furtively,

Openly, there was sighing, and the hearts corresponded.

وَزائِرَةٍ بعد الهُدوءِ وَبَينَنا

مَهامِهُ تُنضي رَكبَها وَسمالِقُ

And after tranquility, a visitor between us

Urged on her camel, and it climbed nimbly.

تعجَّبُ مِن شَيبٍ رَأَت بمفارِقي

وَهَل عَجَبٌ مِن أَن تَشيب المفارِقُ

She wondered at seeing some gray hairs in my hair,

And is it any wonder if the separated one grows gray?

وَقالَت وَفرط الضَمِّ قَد هَدَّ مِرطَها

وَلُزَّت ثُديٌّ تَحتها وَمخانِقُ

And she said, “The intensity of pressing has destroyed its compactness,”

And a breast beneath it was squeezed and strangled.

أَتُسليك عَنّا كاذِباتٌ مِن المُنى

وَما خلتُ تُسليك الأَماني الصَوادق

Do lies give you solace about us,

When sincere wishes have not given you solace?

مَتى نَلتَقي في غير نَومٍ وَيَشتَكي

مَشوقٌ وَيَشكي مِن جَوى البين شائِقُ

When will we meet in other than a dream, and a passionate one complain,

And one suffering from the heat of separation complain?

ثِقي بايابي عَن قَريبٍ فإِنَّني

بجود ابنِ رُزِّيكٍ عَلى القُربِ واثِقُ

Trust my return soon, for I

Am confident in being near, thanks to your father’s generosity,

هُوَ البَحر فيهِ دُرُّهُ وَعُبابه

وَصَوبُ الحَيا فيهِ النَدى وَالصَواعِقُ

He is the sea in which are its pearls and foam,

And the striking places of serpents, dew, and lightning.

أَخو الحرب ربُّ المكرماتِ أَبو النَدى

حَليفُ العُلى صَبُّ إِلى العُرف تائِقُ

Brother of war, lord of gifts, father of dew,

Ally of the eminent, pouring to proper conduct eagerly.

يُنالُ الحَيا مِن بَحرِهِ وَهوَ نازِحٌ

وَيَدنو الجنى مِن فرعِهِ وَهوَ باسِقُ

Life is obtained from his sea while it surges,

And fruits are obtained from its branches while it climbs high.

وَلَمّا رأى عَبّاسُ لِلغَدر مَذهَباً

وَأَظهر ما قَد كانَ عنهُ يُنافِقُ

And when Al-‘Abbas saw the path to betrayal,

And showed what he had been hypocritical about,

وَأَنفق مِن اِنعاهم في هلاكهم

جَزاءً بِهِ عَمري خَليقٌ وَلائِق

And spent their supplies against them in their destruction

As a reward through which my life would be fitting and proper,

وَمَدَّ يَداً هم طَوَّلوها اليهمُ

وَحَلَّت بِأَهلِ القصر منه البَوائق

And extended a hand they made long toward them

And calamities from it befell the people of the palace,

دَعَوكَ فَلبَّيت الدُعاءَ مُسارِعاً

وَفرَّجتَ عنهم كربَهم وَهوَ خانِقُ

You called and hastily responded to the call,

And relieved them of their distress while it strangled,

وَجاوَبتهم عَن كُتبهم بِكَتائِبٍ

تَمُرُّ بِها مَرَّ السَحابِ السَوابِقُ

And responded to their messages with regiments

Through which the preceding clouds flow,

وَفَرَّ رَجاءً أَن يَفوت شَبا الظُبى

فَعاجَلَهُ حَينٌ اليهنَّ سائِقُ

And hoped to evade the youth of fate,

But time led him inevitably to it,

وَقَدَّر أَن قَد خَلّفَ الحتفَ خَلفَهُ

وَقُدّامَه الحَتفُ المُوافي المُوافِقُ

And judged that fate had left its aftermath behind,

While ahead of him was fate, meeting and concurring.

سَقى رَبَّهُ كأسَ المَنايا وَما اِنقَضى

لَه الشَهرُ إِلّا وَهوَ لِلكأسِ ذائِقُ

He quaffed the cup of death for his Lord, and before

The month was over, he was tasting the cup.